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Sleeping Dogs (1977)Recluse Smith (Sam Neill) is drawn into a revolutionary struggle between guerillas and right-wingers in New Zealand. Implicated in a murder and framed as a revolutionary conspirator, Smith ... See full summary » Director:Roger Donaldson |
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Title: Sleeping Dogs (1977)
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1 nomination.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Sam Neill | ... |
Smith
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Nevan Rowe | ... |
Gloria
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Ian Mune | ... |
Bullen
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| Warren Oates | ... |
Col. Willoughby
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Ian Watkin | ... |
Dudley
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Clyde Scott | ... |
Jesperson
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Donna Akersten | ... |
Mary
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William Johnson | ... |
Cousins
(as Bill Johnson)
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Don Selwyn | ... |
Taupiri
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Davina Whitehouse | ... |
Elsie
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Melissa Donaldson | ... |
Melissa
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Dougal Stevenson | ... |
News Reader
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Bernard Kearns | ... |
Prime Minister
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Raf Irving | ... |
Reporter
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Tommy Tinirau | ... |
Old Maori Man
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Recluse Smith (Sam Neill) is drawn into a revolutionary struggle between guerillas and right-wingers in New Zealand. Implicated in a murder and framed as a revolutionary conspirator, Smith tries to maintain an attitude of non-violence while caught between warring factions. Written by Mike Welsch <m.welsch@az05p.bull.com>
Plot Keywords:
new zealand | two word title | resistance | repression | freedom fighter |Certificate:
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Details
Country:
New ZealandLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
1 April 1979 (Norway) See more »Also Known As:
Coup d'État See more »Filming Locations:
New ZealandBox Office
Budget:
NZD 450,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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company contact information
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Technical Specs
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The name of the special anti-terrorist police force of the right-wing government police state was the "Specials". See more »Goofs
After Bullen crashes the red car, the front left headlight is alternately damaged/undamaged in subsequent shots. See more »Quotes
Col. Willoughby: [to Smith] I got my eye on you, boy. I got my eye on you really good.See more »
Based on the novel Smith's Dream by academic C. K. Stead, Sleeping Dogs is set in a totalitarian New Zealand. Smith moves to the country to escape trouble but is framed by the state as a terrorist.The rest of the film involves his attempts to avoid arrest and his eventual fate.
Released in 1977, the film possessed a poignancy for New Zealanders, who at the time viewed the then Muldoon National Government with some suspicion. A scene involving riot police in an Auckland street was a chilling portent of events during the 1981 Springbok rugby tour to New Zealand, and indeed on its release in the USA, some Americans confused the film's images with media reports of the tour protests.
Notable for Sam Neill's role as Smith, the movie started a late 1970s revival in the New Zealand film industry, including movies such as The Scarecrow, Skin Deep, and Smash Palace.