Trial Run is a 1984 New Zealand film directed by Melanie Read starring Annie Whittle.[1] The film is a feminist revision of the thriller genre.[2][3][4]
| Trial Run | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Melanie Read |
| Screenplay by | Melanie Read |
| Produced by | Don Reynolds |
| Starring | Annie Whittle |
| Cinematography | Allen Guilford |
| Edited by | Finola Dwyer |
Production companies | Double Feature Investments Cinema and Television Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | New Zealand |
Plot summary edit
Rosemary Edmonds, a photographer and runner, must temporarily leave her husband and two children when she moves into a remote coastal cottage to carry out an assignment to photograph a colony of rare penguins. It soon becomes apparent that she is being stalked in the cottage by an unknown tormentor. In a twist ending, the "stalker" is revealed to be Rosemary's own teenage son.[5]
Cast edit
- Annie Whittle as Rosemary Edmonds
- Judith Gibson as Frances Hunt
- Christopher Broun as James Edmonds
- Philippa Mayne as Anne Edmonds
- Stephen Tozer as Michael Edmonds
- Martyn Sanderson as Alan West
- Lee Grant as Mrs Jones
- Frances Edmond as Police Constable Miller
- Teresa Woodham as publisher
- Allison Roe as Allison
- Karen Sims as reporter
- Maggie Eyre as Miss Walsh
- Margaret Blay as ghost
Production edit
Trial Run was the first New Zealand feature film to be written and directed by a woman,[a] and had a largely female cast and crew.[2][6] Marathon runner Allison Roe and reporter Karen Sims appear briefly as themselves in a television interview seen early in the film.
Reception edit
The film received mixed reviews. In New Zealand, The Press described it as "enjoyable and satisfying in its small way",[7] while Rip It Up felt the film suffered from a "rather sketchy script".[8] In the UK, critic F. Maurice Speed called it a "fascinating and cleverly worked thriller";[9] Leslie Halliwell and John Elliot found the film generated some suspense but criticised its surprise ending as weak;[10][11] while Time Out and The Guardian found the final revelation of the culprit's motives to be "preposterous" and "verging on the incomprehensible".[12][13]
Several film historians have compared Trial Run to Gaylene Preston's Mr. Wrong (1985), another New Zealand thriller with feminist themes.[14][5][2][15]
Notes edit
- ^ Some sources give priority to Yvonne Mackay's The Silent One (1984), although Mackay's role was as director, not screenwriter.
References edit
- ^ Martin, Helen; Edwards, Sam (1997). New Zealand film, 1912-1996. Auckland ; Melbourne ; Oxford :Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-558336-1. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ a b c Schneider, Steven Jay; Williams, Tony (2005). Horror International. Wayne State University Press. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-8143-3101-9.
- ^ Jocelyn Robson Girls' Own Stories: Australian and New Zealand Women's Films 1997 ... and we are not given the images of vicious bloody attack or of unrestrained violence against the female body. Our 'victim' is a strong woman who despite intimidation, violence and threats survives a life-endangering situation and stands firm and physically undamaged finally to confront her tormentor. There is therefore a deliberate mismatch between certain aspects of the Hollywood psychological thriller and the film Trial Run. In making the strong woman both victim and protagonist, ...
- ^ Jonathan Dennis, Jan Bieringa - Film in Aotearoa New Zealand 1992 Read's feature film Trial Run (1984), a feminist revision of the thriller genre, included vivid and somewhat enigmatic dream scenes.
- ^ a b Babington, Bruce (2007). A History of the New Zealand Fiction Feature Film. Manchester University Press. pp. 172–174. ISBN 9780719075421.
- ^ "Trial Run". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ "'Trial Run' a good trial run". The Press. Christchurch, New Zealand. 19 November 1984. p. 6 – via PapersPast.
- ^ Dart, William (1 December 1984). "Film: Trial Run". Rip It Up. p. 36 – via PapersPast.
- ^ Speed, F. Maurice (1986). Film Review 1986-7. London: Columbus Books. pp. 113–114. ISBN 9780862872991.
- ^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). Grafton. p. 1050. ISBN 978-0-246-13449-3.
- ^ Elliot, John (1993). Elliot's Guide to Films on Video. Boxtree. p. 864. ISBN 978-1-85283-405-0.
- ^ Pym, John, ed. (2011). Time Out Film Guide (19th ed.). Time Out Guides Ltd. p. 1110. ISBN 978-1-84670-208-2.
- ^ Pulleine, Tim (25 July 1985). "Off-screen Romance". The Guardian. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Reid, Nicholas (1987). A Decade of New Zealand Film. John Mcindoe Ltd. ISBN 9780868680873.
- ^ Cairns, Barbara (2007). "Working in Close-Up". In Conrich, Ian; Murray, Stuart (eds.). New Zealand Filmmakers. Wayne State University Press. p. 203. ISBN 9780814330173.
