THE UNDERCOVER GANG

New Zealand, 1986, 73 minutes, Colour.
Jon Trimmer, Elizabeth Moody, Peter Hayden.
Directed by Peter Sharp.

The Undercover Gang is an entertaining children's telemovie from New Zealand. Set during World War One, it captures the flavour of the period in a small country town. The film focuses on a group of children, a sympathetic Irish teacher, the town's villain and his mother - he is an arsonist and the children are able to discover the truth about him.

The film has a nice flavour of New Zealand and the countryside, as well as interesting characters. Children and family audiences should be able to identify with it. There is comedy, there is action - and, of course, truth prevailing.

A pleasant family film.

1. Family entertainment? For children? Children and school, activities outside school, detective work, finding out the truth?

2. The New Zealand settings? The small town? The period, World War One and patriotism? The scenes in the bakery, in the school, at the swimming-pool? Action sequences? The score?

3. The title and the focus on the children?

4. The group of children, in the bakery, at school, Irene and her rich parents? Their friendship? The leadership of Mr Hedges? Activities in school, with the patriotic pageant and their various roles, rehearsals and performance? Their discovering the truth about the villain, pursuing him, the swimming-hole? His chasing them? Talking to the police? The emergence of the truth? The sketch of the characters of the four children? Their age, experience, playing together, friendship?

5. Mr Hedges, good teacher, friendships? Exciting their imaginations? Telescope? The swimming-pool? Helping them in their investigations?

6. The villain, setting fires, his mother and her protection, the red balaclava? The questions, the lies? Confrontation and his being caught? The cans of petrol in the bottom of the lake, in the barn?

7. The police and their investigations? Believing the children or not?

8. The parents, their friendship, support, at the pageant?

9. Mrs Bolton and the patriotic pageant, the performance? Poking fun at Mrs Bolton?

10. Popular themes of adventure, detection, play - and life in New Zealand at the beginning of the century?