Lincoln County Incident

An extremely polished comedy Western made by the students and staff of Lincoln High School in Christchurch. The pint-sized hero is Samson Peabody-Jones (Simms), whose stature stands in comic contrast to the greatness of his name and the enormity of his courage, which is severely tested by ghostly apparitions, unshaven villains, and a bar-tending floozie. The discovery of a dead prospector's map sends Jones - resplendent in green velvet knickerbockers - on his way through the contusion colours (yellow rocks, green ranges, blue skies) of 1881 New Mexico, accompanied by a chicken and a narration whose authentic American accent lets the cast concentrate on getting the action on the screen rather than the kiwi out of the voice. Full of charm, the film has the audacity to decorate its Wildish West with a telephone, a Coca-Cola can, and an anarchic ending; and the aplomb to get away with it.