Rewi's Last Stand is the title of two feature films written and directed by pioneering New Zealand filmmaker Rudall Hayward: a 1925 silent movie, and a 1940 remake with sound. They are historical dramas, based on the last stand of Rewi Maniapoto at the Battle of Ōrākau.The Battle of Orakau at New Zealand History
Hayward believed that New Zealand's history offered material as dramatic as any Hollywood western. He set out to make films involving conflicts between Māori and Pākehā "while there were still people alive" who remembered the period accurately.L. R. Shelton. 'Hayward, Rudall Charles Victor - Biography', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 1-Sep-10 accessed 22 November 2012
1940 Remake
In 1940 Rudall Hayward remade his second feature on a more ambitious scale, this time with sound. He cast his future wife Ramai Hayward in the romantic lead.
The 1940 remake was released in a shortened version in the United Kingdom, as The Last Stand. The shortened version is the only one surviving.THE LAST STAND at ARCHIVING PRACTICE, FILM, NZ HISTORY accessed 5 August 2016
References
External links Rewi's Last Stand (1925) at IMDb Rewi's Last Stand (1940) at IMDb Article on the real last stand at NZ History Rewi's Last Stand (1940) at New Zealand Feature Film Database