Rudall Hayward
| Rudall Hayward | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Rudall Charles Victor Hayward July 4, 1900 Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England |
| Died |
May 29, 1974 (aged 73) Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Education |
Wanganui Collegiate School (1916/17) Waihi School of Mines |
| Occupation | Film director, film producer |
| Years active | 1920–1972 |
| Notable work(s) | The amazing dolphin of Opononi (1956), To love a Maori (1972) |
| Spouse(s) |
Hilda Maud Moren (1923–1943) Patricia Rongomaitara Te Miha, aka Patricia Miller (1943–1974) |
Rudall Charles Victor Hayward (4 July 1900 – 29 May 1974) was a pioneer New Zealand filmmaker from the 1920s to the 1970s, who directed seven feature films and numerous others. He was born in Wolverhampton, England, and died in Dunedin while promoting his last film.
He was the son of Rudall and Adelina Hayward, who came to New Zealand in 1905. With Henry John Hayward (1866–1945) Rudall senior’s brother, his parents were involved with entertainment and silent cinema in New Zealand, in West’s Pictures and The Brescians.
Rudall (junior) was educated at Wanganui Collegiate School and the Waihi School of Mines. He worked in Australia c1920 under Raymond Longford (who in 1915-16 was filming in New Zealand), on some of Longford's films: "The Sentimental Bloke", "On Our Selection", and "Rudd’s New Selection".
He made his first two-reel comedy The Man from Freeman’s Bay in 1920 (which his uncle Henry offered him £50 to burn!). He was prosecuted by the Auckland City Council in the Police Court and fined £1 on each of two charges for putting up posters for The Bloke from Freeman’s Bay in unauthorised places contrary to city by-laws, in October 1921.[1]
His first feature was My Lady of the Cave (1922), then Rewi’s Last Stand (1925), The Te Kooti Trail (1927), and The Bush Cinderella (1928).
In 1928-30 he made 23 two-reel "community comedies" with local settings and actors at various towns, and titles like: Tilly of Te Aroha, Hamilton’s hectic husbands, A Daughter of Dunedin, Winifred of Wanganui, Natalie of Napier, and Patsy of Palmerston. Lee Hill worked with Haywood on these, then went into competition with him.
His first sound film was On the Friendly Road (1936) with Colin Scrimgeour, and he remade Rewi’s Last Stand with sound (1939).
After World War II he worked in England, then made his most successful film “The Amazing Dolphin of Opononi” about Opo the dolphin. He made educational films in New Zealand and overseas, then his final film To Love a Maori (1972), which was shot on 16 mm.
References
- ↑ New Zealand Herald (Auckland) of 10 December 1921 p8
Celluloid Dreams: a century of film in New Zealand by Geoffrey Churchman etc. (1997, IPL Books, Wellington) ISBN 0-908876-96-3
External links
- Rudall Hayward at the Internet Movie Database
- NZOnScreen entry
- Dictionary of New Zealand Biography entry
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