Smash Palace
Smash Palace is a 1981 New Zealand psychological crime thriller directed by Roger Donaldson. The film chronicles Al, a retired race car driver (played by Bruno Lawrence) who runs "Smash Palace", a carwrecking yard in rural Manawatū-Whanganui, with his depressed French wife and their seven-year-old daughter Georgie (Greer Robson). After their turbulent marriage breaks down and his wife obtains a restraining order against him, Al kidnaps Georgie and descends into the rain-forest.
Shot on location in the North Island Volcanic Plateau between February and May 1981, Smash Palace was the second feature film Donaldson directed. Lawrence contributed heavily to writing. The soundtrack was composed and performed by New Zealand-born singer Sharon O'Neill. Concerned that cultural cringe may result in an underwhelming box office performance, Donaldson decided to first release the film in Europe and the United States. Smash Palace premiered at Cannes in May 1981, barely four months after filming began. The film's subsequent American release was met with widespread critical acclaim for its performances, themes and cinematography. It was released theatrically in New Zealand in January 1982 and became a box office success.
Smash Palace is often cited by critics as one of the best films of 1981 and 1982. The film launched Donaldson's international career. The enthusiasm the film garnered in particular among American critics won him interest from Hollywood, and the chance to direct the first of a number of films financed outside of New Zealand, The Bounty. The film's eponymous wrecking yard is a real location that still exists today.
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