Ruby & Rata

Ruby and Rata video

Ruby and Rata - 1990

Preston Laing Productions - 101 min.
UPC #8432593002499

Cast: Yvonne Lawley, Vansessa Rare, Lee Mete-Kingi, Simon Barnett, Dr. Debes Bhattacharyya, Russell Smith..
Crew: Screenplay: Graeme Tetley, Gaylene Preston; Production designer: Robert Gillies; Photography: Leon Narbey; Editor: Paul Sutorius; Music Director: Jonathon Crayford; Vocals: Vanessa Rare; Players: Members of the New Zealand Symphony, conducted by Ken Young; Producers: Robin Laing, Gaylene Preston; Director: Gaylene Preston.

Eighty-three year old Ruby fears an excuse to put her in the Golden Age Retirement home and arranges for her nephew to find a suitable tenant for her downstairs flat. Spying Rata, Ruby assumes she is the property-dealing businesswoman Rata says she is. In reality Rata is a welfare-defrauding, aspiring rock singer with an eight-year-old delinquent son. A reasonably well done light comedy, with a fine first role from Lee Mete-Kingi. .

Censor Rating: PG - Review Rating: C+

AVAILABILITY OF VHS OR DVD COPIES

New VHS/PAL copies can be purchased from NZ dealers such as Aro Video in Wellington for $40nz.
An R0 PAL DVD is available from Spanish sources, along with seven other New Zealand films that are available from no other country, including New Zealand. Arrangements have been made for an internet dealer that can supply these titles to provide a "New Zealand Cinema" sub-section to his large catalogue so that you can access it conveniently. This dvd is presented 1.33:1 with Spanish 5.1 and the original English 2.0. It also has Spanish subtitles and includes some Spanish text bios and still photos. It usually sells for 8-9eur. If they say "Sold Out", it only means he is temporarily out of stock, so check back weekly.
Click here to access the EBKDVD New Zealand page

SOUNDTRACK ON AUDIO CD

No known soundtrack CD of this title, but

Link to soundtrack sample download

REVIEWS & MISC

Gaylene Preston 4.5meg showreel

New Zealand Film Archive Info and Reviews

New Zealand Film Commission Synopsis

Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide Review

Russell Baillie Review

Ann Hardy Review

Wellington Film Society Review

"I hate patronising, lower depths- type movies about how ghastly it is to be working class and poor [...] Ruby and Rata is not that kind of film. The heroine, Rata (Vanessa Rare) is allowed a full complement of character flaws, as is her determined antagonist Ruby (Yvonne Lawley). Poverty and age, respectively, are not allowed to obscure the essential humanity of this mismatched pair. Because they seem real, they are likeable and fun to spend time with. .." - (Costa Botes, "Mismatch makes fine comedy", The Dominion, October 1, 1990)

OFFLINE REVIEW SOURCES

North & South Review by Brian McDonnell - October 1990

TRAILER & AWARDS

Official Trailer

Information at IMDB

1990 - New Zealand Film and Television Awards: Best Editing, best soundtrack, best film score, best male preformance: Lee Mete-Kingi.
1991 - Sy;dney and Melbourne Film Festivals: Third Place, popular Choice.
Giffoni Film Festival: Gold Medal.

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