A Tall Long Faced Tale (2008)
An interviewer once asked Margaret Mahy: "If she were transformed into her true self, what would she become?" Mahy replied, "A tall, long-faced tale". What better way to describe a person who is widely acknowledged to be one of New Zealand's greatest writers? In tonight's NZ Festival documentary A Tall, Long-Faced Tale, viewers get an opportunity to see the real Mahy - Mahy the intellectual, Mahy the magical, Mahy the witty, the whimsical and the wicked, as interviewed by some of her own fictional characters and fellow author Elizabeth Knox. Animated paper cut-outs like the Lion from The Lion In The Meadow and the Witch from The Witch In The Cherry Tree step into Mahy's living room and her life. They leave as they came, appearing and vanishing as slickly as a Cheshire cat. The young adult characters from her books are portrayed by students from Toi Whakaari, New Zealand's National Drama School, and are seen in live action excerpts until, fascinated by their origins, they appear in Mahy's lounge, office and garden to ask her their questions. Adding to these fascinating characters are interviews with some of Mahy's extraordinary illustrators - Quentin Blake, Steven Kellogg and Jenny Williams.
Primary Title
- A Tall Long Faced Tale
Date Broadcast
- Saturday 5 April 2008
Release Year
- 2008
Start Time
- 13 : 00
Finish Time
- 14 : 15
Duration
- 75:00
Channel
- TVNZ 6
Broadcaster
- Sky Network Television
Programme Description
- An interviewer once asked Margaret Mahy: "If she were transformed into her true self, what would she become?" Mahy replied, "A tall, long-faced tale". What better way to describe a person who is widely acknowledged to be one of New Zealand's greatest writers? In tonight's NZ Festival documentary A Tall, Long-Faced Tale, viewers get an opportunity to see the real Mahy - Mahy the intellectual, Mahy the magical, Mahy the witty, the whimsical and the wicked, as interviewed by some of her own fictional characters and fellow author Elizabeth Knox. Animated paper cut-outs like the Lion from The Lion In The Meadow and the Witch from The Witch In The Cherry Tree step into Mahy's living room and her life. They leave as they came, appearing and vanishing as slickly as a Cheshire cat. The young adult characters from her books are portrayed by students from Toi Whakaari, New Zealand's National Drama School, and are seen in live action excerpts until, fascinated by their origins, they appear in Mahy's lounge, office and garden to ask her their questions. Adding to these fascinating characters are interviews with some of Mahy's extraordinary illustrators - Quentin Blake, Steven Kellogg and Jenny Williams.
Classification
- PGR
Owning Collection
- Television Vault
Broadcast Platform
- Television
Languages
- English
Captions
Live Broadcast
- No
Rights Statement
- Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
- Mahy, Margaret
- Documentary films--New Zealand
Genres
- Animation
- Biography
- Documentary
- Interview
Contributors
- John Bach (Actor)
- Matthew Chamberlain (Actor)
- Sophie Hambleton (Actor)
- Kate Harcourt (Actor)
- Bernard Kearns (Actor)
- Miranda Harcourt (Actor)
- Elizabeth Knox (Interviewer)
- Elizabeth Knox (Writer)
- Yvonne Mackay (Director)
- Yvonne Mackay (Producer)
- Margaret Mahy (Subject)
- Euan Frizzell (Animator)
- Production Shed Television (Production Unit)
Subjects
- Mahy, Margaret
- Documentary films--New Zealand