Battletruck
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Lloyd Phillips and Rob Whitehouse in Association with New World Pictures Present
A Harley Cokliss Film
Cast:
Hunter - Michael Beck
Corlie - Annie McEnroe
Straker - James Wainwright
Rusty - John Ratzenberger
Judd - Randolph Powell
Wired Willie - Bruno Lawrence
Charlene - Diana Rowan
Bone - John Bach
Alvin - Kelly Johnson
Orrin - Mark Hadlow
Shotgun - Ross Jolly
Rueben - John Banas
Driver - Marshall Napier
Feather - Peter Rowell
Hacker - Timothy Lee
Screenplay By Irving Austin, Harley Cokliss & John Beech
Story by Michael Abrams
Based on original idea by Harley Cokliss
Produced by Lloyd Phillips and Rob Whitehouse
Directed by Harley Cokliss
Soundtrack composed by Kevin Peek, performed by the New Zealand Sympony Orhcestra and Eastern Orbit
A New World Pictures Release
1982, Color, Running time: 91 minutes.
Battletruck (aka Warlords of the 21st Century, Destructors, Le Camion de la Mort) is a Science Fiction action advenure movie filmed in New Zealand about survival in a post-oil future, a future where countries have gone bankrupt and governments have collapsed, heralding a new, lawless age. A time when the normal limits of human behavior have broken.
The film centers around the violent actions of Colonel Straker, leader of the most notorious group of bandits and commander of the indestructible Battletruck. He is plagued by an obsession for Corlie, the mysterious young beauty who refuses to submit to his maniacal tyranny.
In the midst of Straker's evil a hero emerges, Hunter, an armor-clad ex-commando who gives up his hermit-like neutrality to take a stand against Straker. He designs his own vehicle to combat the awesome Battletruck. A terrifying chase ensues as Hunter combines both skill and ingenuity until the seemingly indestructible Battletruck plunges to a fiery death with its evil cargo aboard.
As to be expected from a New World Pictures production with Roger Corman being involved in the financing it was made on a shoestring with excitment in mind. The action is fast if not spectacular, and the story has a few good ideas but not a lot of character development.
At the time it was made Battletruck was one of the largest films ever produced in New Zealand. Director Cokliss told Alan Jones of Cinefantastique magazine that he liked the location because he felt it had a neutral look to it. I'm proud I shot the film there, but I don't want people to think that my film shows all there is to New Zealand.
he said. that wasn't the intent. I wanted to create my own world.
Another reason for using New Zealand might have been the generous tax incentives the New Zealand Government were offering at the time to encourage overseas investment in a fledgling film industry.
Cokliss had come up the idea for the story in the mid 70s during the petrol shortages. While interviewing Roger Corman for a BBC documentary he pitched his four page outline and secured his backing the project. Four years later as the 7 weeks of production were nearly due to start Irving Austin (the non-de-plume of a well know script writer who's identity has to remain secret due to his working on the script during a writer's strike) was brought in to fine tune things.
According to QUIX4U sometime in 1978 the production team were looking to film in Central Otago and put the call out for owners willing to make sites available. QUIX4U's Uncle offered his property which the film makers were happy to use as it was in it's own valley away from public roads, out of view of other properties. Press reports at the time mentioned Crawford Hills of the Raggedy Range near Alexandra.
The film crew went ahead and constructed Battletruck's dome base and the Clearwater settlement on the property.
1964.co.nz reported that Battletrucks tractor unit was built up by Auckland's Jones Odell Motor Bodies from the chassis of a Canadian Pacific P9 Logging Truck, while the trailer came together in Ashburton at Mid Canterbury Transport. The tractor unit was powered by a Cummins 335 diesel engine and Fuller Auxilliary gearbox with two-speed gears and Rockwell direct drive differentials. Top speed was 65 kilometres per hour.
The whole rig was 12 meters long, 3.4 meters high and 2.1 meters wide. It was made from eight gauge-steel, and weighed 20 tons. It was the largest motorised film prop ever to be built in New Zealand. The trailer unit had pneumatically operated side doors, and removable panels were incorporated to facilitate filming. The units took a total of one thousand man-hours to complete; and the interiors were dressed in time for filming following the arrival of the Battletruck in Alexandra by Art Director Ron Highfield.
Alongside the Battletruck were Hunter's methane powered motor bike...
a homemade armoured dune buggy...
and a heavyweight jeep:
The Christchurch press reported the film as having the biggest stunts and special effects (S.F.X.) requirement of any film shot in New Zealand up until that time, but with a schedule and budget that did not really reflect such demands.
The first week of shooting saw a fuel dump explosion which required 2300 litres of petrol and 32kg of black powder. The explosion mushroomed over 90m into the air and many spectators watching from a nearby hill were caught totally by surprise and ran rapidly away.
A methane plant in a shed was also exploded along with rocket hits on the Battletruck.
The S.F.X. supervisor, Jonnie Burke, told The Press I've done-it many times before but still, each time, there is an element of danger and risk. At times it takes a strong nerve.
By the end of shooting all the S.F.X. and stunts had been filmed successfully and totally free of any mishaps.
Soundtrack
In 1982 the band Eastern Orbit was hired to create the music for the film in collaboration with Kevin Peek who is credited as the soundtracks composer.
Eastern Orbit also released a single in Japan of the film's theme song:
Battletruck
Feel The Wind, Ride With The Wind
All ALone
In My Lonely Struggle For For What Is Right
Feel The Wind, Ride With The Wind
Into The Night
In All This Darkness Is There Hope Of Light
| Chorus
| I Was Destined To Fight
| For What I Believe Is Right
| Battletruck Your Blind Ambitions
| You Will Lose In The End
| You Will Lose In The End
| I Will Fight Till I Win
Oh My Love, My Sweet Love
Please Understand
I Was Born To Stand Alone
Oh My Love My Sweet Love
Please Understand
I May Die Fighting For This Land
The Response
New Zealand co-producer Rob Whitehouse was pleased with the film's performance; in March 1983 he was quoted in The Press stating that the film had already earned $US3 million in film rentals in West Germany, and in its first week of release in Japan it had grossed more than $500,000 in 19 theatres. In the last three months alone, Battletruck has returned more than $250,000 to its New Zealand investors, and there is certainly more to come.
Battletruck earned a couple of prizes, with Annie McEnroe named best actress at the 1982 Sitges International Festival of Fantasy and Horror Films (Spain), and the film won a Special Jury Prize at the 1983 Avoriaz Festival du Film Fantastique (France)
Those wins aside, critical response to the film was luke warm but is has a certain cult status as part of the post-apocalypse sci-fi action genre, and was an invaluable early opportunity for New Zealand film crew and actors to gain experience and international exposure.
Daza's Take
Posters
Objects
A film cell.
Japanese special screening ticket
Back of the japanese ticket
PR
The Japanese Souvenir Programe
French special Programme
lobby_cards
