Ed Oxenbould as Angus in Jonathan Ogilvie's Head South. Photo / New Zealand International Film Festival
Ed Oxenbould as Angus in Jonathan Ogilvie's Head South. Photo / New Zealand International Film Festival
New Zealand-born filmmaker Jonathan Ogilvie has revealed he was nearly fired by Stanley Kubrick after burning off film star Matthew Modine’s eyebrows in an accident on the set of war movie Full Metal Jacket.
Ogilvie is an accomplished director of short films, music videos and feature-length movies, and recently released the autobiographical film Head South, about growing up amid Christchurch’s post-punk scene, to positive reviews.
But his career was very nearly derailed before it really began when he made an on-set error during his first big break, on 1987 classic Full Metal Jacket.
”I almost got fired by Stanley Kubrick,” he told Newstalk ZB’s Real Life with John Cowan in an interview that aired on Sunday night.
“I had a smoke machine, and Terry Needham, who’s originally from Wellington, was the first assistant director. He was waving a fire bar in front of my smoke machine, and the smoke was so hot that it became a flamethrower!”
Within moments, the fire had blown into the face of the film’s leading man – Matthew Modine, who was playing James T. ‘Joker’ Davis – and singed his eyebrows clean off.
”Stanley’s going to my boss [John Evans], ‘why did you let that happen?’ And John said, ‘well, this is why I don’t like to rush things, Stanley.’”
”He didn’t fire me, so I managed to stay on. And he gave me a bottle of Glenfiddich for Christmas, which was very nice.”
Since then, Ogilvie has made a name for himself as a film director and storyteller. His talents are on show in all their glory in Head South, his coming-of-age film set in Christchurch in the late 1970s, and starring musician Benee.
Benee (Stella Bennett) stars in the new film Head South, a post-punk coming-of-age movie by Jonathan Ogilvie set in 1979 Otautahi Christchurch. Photo / New Zealand International Film Festival
It’s a film following schoolboy Angus as he navigates the hormonal changes, insecurity and new experiences of teenagehood – all set against the backdrop of a burgeoning punk music scene.
It’s a distinctly New Zealand film, a feel Ogilvie is deliberately gunning for in his work as a passionate advocate of local cinema.
”It’s very interesting where we’re at now, at a point, on cinema,” he told Cowan.
”Cinema was the greatest art form of the 20th Century. Whether it’s going to be the greatest art form of the 21st century, I’m not sure. What I’m inspired by is that New Zealanders seem to want to watch New Zealand stories.
”I’m certainly hoping that they will be drawn to this story [Head South] because I think it’s really important that we fight against the idea that America is colonising our imaginations with all the Hollywood films that come in.”
Real Life is a weekly interview show where John Cowan speaks with prominent guests about their life, upbringing, and the way they see the world. Tune in Sundays from 7.30pm on Newstalk ZB or listen to the latest full interview here.
