MAURICE AND I - An enduring legacy

MAURICE AND I is a richly told, brilliantly edited story that unveils the personal dynamic between Sir Miles Warren and his architectural partner, Maurice Mahoney. Leveraging Sir Miles’ charisma and flair alongside Maurice’s understated attention to detail, the pair brought modernism to Christchurch and brutalism to New Zealand.

Of the thousands of homes and commercial buildings they designed, one changed the world. With the acoustic innovations of Sir Harold Marshall, the Christchurch Town Hall revolutionised the design approach to performance spaces and acoustic engineering and became a favourite venue for some of the globe’s biggest stars. The Christchurch Town Hall was regarded by many, including the architects themselves, as their finest work. Internationally renowned for its elegant, brutalist form and sophisticated interiors, and world-leading acoustics.

So when the government’s post-quake plan threatened to demolish this icon, Sir Miles and Maurice Mahoney (then in their 80s) joined hundreds of others to fight for its survival.

Through rare archival footage and exclusive interviews, including their final conversation together, MAURICE AND I reflects on the remarkable legacy of Warren and Mahoney, the community impact of their bold architectural vision, and the enduring importance of architecture in shaping and enriching our lives.

Co-directed by Jane Mahoney, the film is a love letter from a daughter to her father, a celebration of community, a tribute to the loss and trauma that a city lived through, and a cautionary tale of the social and environmental cost of a government-led ‘fast-tracking’ imperative.

The film enjoyed a successful, limited release as part of the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival in May ‘24. It has been running in Christchurch theatres since then - smashing box office records to become the highest grossing film ever at the Deluxe Cinemas. In October, the directors will take it international to show at the Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam - one of the world’s most prestigious architecture film festivals.

Audiences at home have been captivated by the documentary from day one. Directors Rick Harvie and Jane Mahoney (daughter of the late architect, and 'title character', Maurice Mahoney) have had their inboxes flooded with response from cinema-goers.

 

For more information and screenings visit: https://www.mauriceandi.com/

The making of MAURICE AND I

MAURICE AND I was co-directed by Christchurch-based filmmakers Rick Harvie and Jane Mahoney.

Jane describes her father Maurice Mahoney as the “not-so-well-known half of the architectural partnership Warren and Mahoney.”

As a child, she remembers he would often be asked: “Why is it that Miles Warren gets all the credit? ...all the publicity? ...the recognition? ...the knighthood?”

“Maurice’s reply was always the same,” says Jane. “He was genuinely non-plussed, he would brush it off, ‘Oh, he can have it! I’m quite happy to be in the background. I much prefer it here!’ Maurice was shy, modest, hardworking, and a man of few words. In making this film I have come to understand that he was also, (he’d be squirming now) a genius.”

Rick Harvie first caught a glimpse of the potential for a documentary when he met and interviewed Sir Miles Warren in 2010.

“Over the course of our interview, we talked about the design and build of the Christchurch Town Hall – from its conception in 1966, to its completion in 1972. Throughout the interview Sir Miles regularly prefaced his statements with ‘MAURICE AND I…’. It became apparent that this remarkable building wasn’t the achievement of just one man but was a collaboration between Sir Miles and his much less well-known partner, the somewhat enigmatic Maurice Mahoney (and as I now know, the eminent acoustician Sir Harold Marshall).”

Rick was intrigued to find out more about this ‘silent partner’ who had clearly played a key role in bringing Sir Miles’ creative visions to life. Soon after this initial interview with Sir Miles, the Christchurch Town Hall story was to take an unexpected twist. 

In 2011, almost the entire built legacy of Warren and Mahoney was destroyed in less than 40 seconds.

On 22 Feb 2011, the people of Christchurch had their lives turned upside down. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck at 12.53pm on a Tuesday. It was shallow, incredibly powerful and centred close to the city's CBD.

Years later, in 2018, Jane popped into the studio to let Rick know that Maurice had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was expected to only last a few months.

“This was our cue to stop talking and get started,” says Rick. “Wasting no time, we launched into filming interviews with Maurice at his home, and with Sir Miles and Maurice together at Miles’ home Ohinetahi. It was to be their final interview together - Maurice died only a couple of months later in October 2018.”

Jane says it quickly became clear that the story was much bigger than the architects or the building.

“MAURICE AND I explores the universal themes of respect, love and loss. It's a story of the creative power of true partnership, of craft, passion and innovation, and the transformative power of architecture.”

“On a personal level, it has been incredibly satisfying to shine a light on my father Maurice and his essential contribution to the Warren and Mahoney partnership,” says Jane. “Although in life he was content to work away in the shadows, more than happy for Miles to be the frontman and take the accolades. Dear Maurice would be quite perplexed by all this fuss I’m sure.”