A servant of many masters: a history of the National Film Unit of New Zealand, 1941 to 1976

Abstract

This is a study of the National Film Unit between the years 1941 and 1976. It will consider changes that occurred in the organisation of the Unit over that period. It also addresses the following questions: the role of individuals in influencing the development of the Unit and the attempts of various politicians and civil servants to control the creative image of the NFU. In particular the thesis looks at the influence of three key men: John Grierson, the man who founded the British documentary movement, John Thomas Paul, the Director of Publicity during the war and Ernest Stanhope Andrews, the first Producer of the NFU and the man responsible for the direction the Unit took, until his departure in 1950. The second area that this thesis will address is the degree of independence the National Film Unit had in terms of the creative image that was created. Certain periods in the Unit's history are highlighted: in particular, the war years when the ideas of Andrews were given expression, the change of government in 1949, when controls were placed on the Producer and the Unit, and the advent of television in 1960. This thesis will argue that there was, at times, considerable tension between various governments and the Unit, between the ideas that each had in what exactly film should seek to achieve and what image should be represented. This thesis does not criticise films per se, but does use the film record to illustrate many of the points made.