Goodbye Pork Pie

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Goodbye Pork Pie

Directed by	Geoff Murphy
Produced by	Nigel Hutchinson Geoff Murphy
Written by	Ian Mune, Geoff Murphy
Starring	Tony Barry, Kelly Johnston, Bruno Lawrence
Release date(s)	1981
Running time	105 min.
Country	New Zealand
Language	English
IMDb profile

Goodbye Pork Pie is a 1981 (international release) film directed by Geoff Murphy and written by Ian Mune, with assistance from Geoff Murphy. The film is considered to be one of New Zealand's most popular films, and is occasionally considered New Zealand's equivalent of Easy Rider. It was filmed during November 1979, and during filming, utilized only 24 cast and crew. Its overheads were surprisingly minimal, to the point that the Holden Police cars used doubled as crew and towing vehicles, and that the director Geoff Murphy, performed some of the stunts himself.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Summary
4 Trivia
5 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film's story is centered around a North Island-South Island road trip the length of New Zealand. Gerry Austin, who is played by Kelly Johnson is a confused 19 year old who gives a stellar performance.

At the top of the North Island, Austin opportunistically steals a wallet (although only after trying to return it) accidentally dropped by an obnoxious woman. He uses the identity inside and takes on her name of Leslie. With his new found identity he rents a (then brand new) yellow Mini, which is nicknamed "Pork Pie" after the name on his bright yellow sun hat and t-shirt. With no particular aim in mind, he drifts down to Auckland.

Meanwhile, dear "John" Smith (Tony Barry), is walking aimlessly through the city after his wife, Sue, dumped him to go to Invercargill. Although it's not clear at this stage, he's on his way to see her in Invercargill.

Gerry is stopped by a traffic officer for failing to wear a seat belt, but rescued when a passing John intervenes and insists Gerry was wearing the belt. Gerry gives John a lift although he doesn't know where he's going. Gerry and John pick up a hitch-hiking troubled 'virgin' ex-ex-pat, Shirley (Claire Oberman), who she says is heading for family in Wanganui, "maybe".

Immediately, behind Shirl's back, Gerry and John have a $2 bet in which Gerry says he will be "hanging out of her before they reach Wanganui".

Initially they have no trouble with the law, until Gerry leaves a petrol station without paying after filling up. Shirl is horrified that they left without paying and states she would have paid, Gerry says he would have refused this as then he would have had to listen to her talk.

As a result of stealing the petrol the car is reported to the police. At around the same time it is discovered that the stolen wallet was used to hire the Mini and that Gerry is the culprit. The police label them the Blondini gang, and a rather comedic pursuit is on.

The trio drift south, paying their way by selling parts of the car as they drive. In doing this they meet some rather shady characters.

The metaphors aren't subtle. Gradually it becomes clear the only person with a place to go is John, whose heart belongs in Invercargill. The plot is minimal, basically man alone becomes two men alone. But the dialogue is realistic and often witty, as are a series of visual jokes (including a much quoted jump cut from Gerry vomiting to John splurting ketchup on his dinner). The film is really made by a series of non-CGI car chase sequences, including hide and seek in the Horopito Smash Palace car wreckers and a stunning pursuit through Wellington's railway station ending in the Mini driving from a platform into a moving boxcar.

The film itself is filmed across New Zealand in Auckland, Wellington, Picton, Christchurch the Southern Alps, Dunedin and finally Invercargill.

[edit] Cast

Tony Barry as John Smith
Kelly Johnston as Gerry Austin
Claire Oberman as Shirl
Shirley Gruar as Sue
Bruno Lawrence as Mulvaney

[edit] Summary

Though coming after Sleeping Dogs, the release of Goodbye Pork Pie is considered to be the coming-of-age of New Zealand cinema as it showed that New Zealanders can make successful films about New Zealand. It was the first really financially successful New Zealand film of modern times.

[edit] Trivia

The film was actually filmed chronologically from start to finish, over six weeks in late 1979. Filming began in Kaitaia and ended down in Invercargill.
The director, Geoff Murphy, was good mates with Tony Barry (Smith) and Bruno Lawrence many years prior to Goodbye Pork Pie. They were all in Bruno's Blerta.
Geoff Murphy would direct another New Zealand car chase related feature film, 1988's Never Say Die, with Temuera Morrison - and Tony Barry - in lead roles - being chased by Police from the West Coast to Auckland (although using a much more spacious Ford Falcon).
The film is one of New Zealand's most highly regarded feature films.
It was the first New Zealand movie to make a profit at the local box office.
The yellow mini was a 1978 Morris Mini 1000, registered IZ6393.
Three 1978 Minis were used, loaned from the New Zealand Motor Corporation (assemblers of British Leyland products in NZ). One was set on fire, another got fitted with a Holden engine, and another was cut up.
The Police Holden HQs utilized in the film doubled as towing and support vehicles for the cast and crew. It is the same police cars chasing the Mini throughout both the North and South Islands!
An early scene in the film shows Smith and his partner in a taxi, after she has officially left him, crossing the old Mangere Bridge. The new bridge, at the time of the film's production was on hold for a couple of years in an unfinished state.
A later scene in the film shows Blondini and Smith in Cromwell, Central Otago. Where they were in Cromwell (as well as the rest of the main street) is actually now underwater, due to the Lake Dunstan project.
The scenes in the Mini done in the Wellington railway station, prior to the car being smuggled into a railway wagon destined for the Interislander ferry were actually rather cramped. In the Mini was a camera, a camera operator, sound recordist, actor and stunt driver. The car could only get around the tight corners by utilizing handbrake turns.
A scene which involved a Holden traffic officer car being jumped into a West Coast lake (no-one had any idea of how deep it was) was (due to the budget being too minimal to fly in a stuntman) performed by Geoff Murphy himself, without any considerations to safety. This particular Holden (which was originally a red car resprayed in Traffic colours) was then towed out of the lake, dried out and sent back up to Auckland!
A recurring scene that involved a holidaying family in a similar yellow Mini with fighting kids, featured Ian Watkin (a mate of Geoff Murphy and Tony Barry's from Blerta), Geoff Murphy's wife Linus, and two of Bruno Lawrence's kids.
Almost all of the dialogue in the chase scenes had to be re-recorded in post-production, due to the loudness of the gravel road surfaces.
The scene at McNab, Southland where Gerry "Pork Pie" Austin is caught by the police shows a decrepit old toilet block at the side of the road. It was actually a temporary structure built specifically for the film.
A scene near the end of the film showed an Invercargill hotrod club and their cars, communicating through CB radios with Country Music playing over the stereos. This hotrod club were "The Southland Sports Car Club".
All radio stations shown in broadcast, being Radio Hauraki (Auckland), Radio Windy (Wellington), 3ZB '(Christchurch) and 4XO (Dunedin), were actual AM radio stations (there was no FM in NZ in 1980) at that time.
Brass instrumentals, which generally soundtrack the film, were done by John Charles.
Street Talk, whose music appears throughout the film, were a real band. Led by Hammond Gamble, they were one of Auckland's major bands of the late 1970s, and almost scored an international record deal from Kim Fowley. They had split up by the time the film was released however.
The film had much beneficial assistance from Air New Zealand, the Interislander ferries, and NZ Railways.
Goodbye Pork Pie was released to New Zealand Cinemas on February 6th, 1981.
After 10 weeks in New Zealand Cinemas, the movie grossed over NZ$1 million dollars.
The first time the movie was screened on New Zealand national television it was viewed by over 50% of the population over the age of 5years old - 1.5 million people.
Over 25 years since the film was released, Kelly Johnson (Gerry "Blondini" Austin) is still instantly recognisable as being Blondini. Interestingly, he is now a popular lawyer in Whangarei. Apparently whenever he visits clients in prison, they often jokingly shout out "Blondini!", and ask him to steal them a yellow Mini.
In 2002, the Wellington dub band Rhombus did a brilliantly made video for their song "Clav Dub", which paid homage to Goodbye Pork Pie. When asked to appear in the video as "Blondini", Kelly Johnson jumped at the chance. The Yellow Mini that appeared in the video was actually an Australian Leyland Mini Clubman 1275, and in a much better condition than the cars in the original film.
Many New Zealand films since Goodbye Pork Pie, particularly car related, have paid homage to it. Notable ones include 1988's 'Never Say Die' (another car chase film, and featuring Tony Barry), and 2001's 'Snakeskin' which in the end scene (after a Valiant VJ convertible is pushed over a cliff and blown up), a Yellow Mini appears, complete with the IZ6393 numberplate.