Michael J. Horton
Encyclopedia
Michael J. Horton is a film editor who works primarily in New Zealand. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the 2002 film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers that was directed by Peter Jackson
.
Horton was born in Lower Hutt
, Wellington
, in New Zealand. He was educated at Saint Patricks College in Wellington. He began working as a film editor with the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation in the mid-sixties. He began working with the director Geoff Murphy
in the 1970s. In 1981 he edited Goodbye Pork Pie (1981) with Murphy, which was very successful commercially within New Zealand and thus an important impetus to the development of New Zealand Cinema. Horton worked with Murphy on two other successful projects in the mid-1980s before Murphy's departure for the United States. Following Murphy's return to New Zealand, Horton and Murphy reunited on Spooked
(2004).
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
.
Horton was born in Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...
, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, in New Zealand. He was educated at Saint Patricks College in Wellington. He began working as a film editor with the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation in the mid-sixties. He began working with the director Geoff Murphy
Geoff Murphy
Geoff Murphy is a successful New Zealand filmmaker best known for his work during the renaissance of New Zealand cinema that began in the last half of the 1970s....
in the 1970s. In 1981 he edited Goodbye Pork Pie (1981) with Murphy, which was very successful commercially within New Zealand and thus an important impetus to the development of New Zealand Cinema. Horton worked with Murphy on two other successful projects in the mid-1980s before Murphy's departure for the United States. Following Murphy's return to New Zealand, Horton and Murphy reunited on Spooked
Spooked (film)
Spooked is a 2004 New Zealand film directed by Geoff Murphy and loosely based on Ian Wishart's novel The Paradise Conspiracy, which itself is based on actual events in New Zealand...
(2004).
Selected filmography
The director's name is listed in parenthesis.- Goodbye Pork PieGoodbye Pork PieGoodbye Pork Pie is a 1981 New Zealand film directed by Geoff Murphy and written by Geoff Murphy and Ian Mune. The film is considered to be one of New Zealand's most popular films, and has been described as Easy Rider meets the Keystone Kops....
(Geoff MurphyGeoff MurphyGeoff Murphy is a successful New Zealand filmmaker best known for his work during the renaissance of New Zealand cinema that began in the last half of the 1970s....
, 1981) - Smash PalaceSmash PalaceSmash Palace is a New Zealand feature film, released in 1981. It was directed by Roger Donaldson and starred Bruno Lawrence, Anna Jemison, Greer Robson and Keith Aberdein. The film has an R16 rating.-Critical review:...
(Roger DonaldsonRoger DonaldsonRoger Donaldson is an Australian-born New Zealand film producer, director and writer who has made numerous successful movies. He was a co-founder of the New Zealand Film Commission.-Life and career:...
, 1981) - UtuUtu (film)Utu is a 1983 New Zealand movie directed by Geoff Murphy. It starred Anzac Wallace. Utu was reputed to have one of the largest budgets for a New Zealand film at the time...
(Geoff Murphy, 1983) - The Quiet EarthThe Quiet Earth (film)The Quiet Earth is a 1985 New Zealand science fiction post-apocalyptic film directed by Geoff Murphy and starring Bruno Lawrence, Alison Routledge and Pete Smith as three survivors of a cataclysmic disaster. It is loosely based on the 1981 science fiction novel of the same name by Craig Harrison...
(Geoff Murphy, 1985) - The End of the Golden Weather (Ian MuneIan MuneIan Barry Mune, OBE is a New Zealand character actor and director. He co-wrote and starred in Roger Donaldson's first film, Sleeping Dogs. He also directed Came a Hot Friday, which featured comedian Billy T. James as the Tainui Kid, and What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?, the sequel to Once Were...
, 1991) - Once Were WarriorsOnce Were Warriors (film)Once Were Warriors is a 1994 film based on New Zealand author Alan Duff's bestselling 1990 first novel. The film tells the story of an urban Māori family, the Hekes, and their problems with poverty, alcoholism and domestic violence, mostly brought on by family patriarch Jake...
(Lee TamahoriLee TamahoriLee Tamahori is a New Zealand filmmaker best known for directing the 1994 film Once Were Warriors and the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day.-Upbringing and early career:...
, 1994) - Cinema of UneaseCinema of UneaseCinema of Unease is the New Zealand contribution to the British Film Institutes Century of Cinema Series. Written and directed by Sam Neill, the title refers to the dark and brooding nature of many of New Zealand's most notable films, which Neill considers a reflection of the nation's struggle to...
(Sam NeillSam NeillNigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill, DCNZM, OBE is a New Zealand actor. He is well known for his starring role as paleontologist Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III....
and Judy Rymer, 1995) - Forgotten SilverForgotten SilverForgotten Silver is a New Zealand film mockumentary that purports to tell the story of a pioneering New Zealand filmmaker. It was written and directed by Peter Jackson and Costa Botes, both of whom appear in the film in their roles as makers of the documentary.-Synopsis:Forgotten Silver purports...
(Costa BotesCosta BotesCosta Botes is a New Zealand writer, director and cinematographer.-Movie-making career:Botes is best known in New Zealand for Forgotten Silver , a documentary he co-wrote and co-directed with Peter Jackson...
and Peter Jackson, 1995) - What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?What Becomes of the Broken Hearted? is a 1999 film, based on Alan Duff's 1996 novel. The film was directed by Ian Mune, and starred Temuera Morrison as abusive Māori husband Jake "the Muss" Heke. The novel is the sequel to Duff's 1990 novel Once Were Warriors, which was made into a 1994 film...
(Ian Mune, 1999) - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Peter Jackson, 2002)
- SpookedSpooked (film)Spooked is a 2004 New Zealand film directed by Geoff Murphy and loosely based on Ian Wishart's novel The Paradise Conspiracy, which itself is based on actual events in New Zealand...
(Geoff Murphy, 2004)