-
Argo director Ben Affleck arrives at the 85th Academy Awards - Source: Reuters -
Related
The director of Argo, Ben Affleck, has responded to questions about his treatment of New Zealanders in the Oscar winning film.
Argo, which is to be released on DVD today, documents the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis where six US embassy staff were smuggled out of Tehran disguised as a film crew.
The film incorrectly depicts New Zealand diplomats, Australians and the British embassy turning away the US diplomats.
It fails to credit Chris Beeby, who was New Zealand's ambassador in Iran at the time, and second secretary Richard Sewell, who secretly helped the staff escape as they sheltered at the Canadian embassy.
Following the film's Oscar win, Affleck was asked about how his film drew flack for some of its treatments of New Zealanders, blending characters and the run down the runway at the end in the film.
Affleck said: "Let me start by saying I love New Zealand and I love New Zealanders. And I'm tempted to end there. I think that it's tricky & you walk a fine line. "
He told Reel Life with Jane that when producing a historical movie you have to make some creative choices about how you're going to condense it into a three act structure.
"It's not an easy thing to do. You try to honour the truth of the essence, the sort of basic truth of the story that you're telling."
He said he is really proud of the movie.
"I'm proud of the people that worked on the movie. The story that we were telling was true and that we told was true. It's not an easy thing, but it's, I think, constructed as well as it could possibly be.
"But the complete credit goes to Chris Terrio rather than me."