PARADISE

An old Wellington building with World War II tunnels and air raid shelters has been invaded by a film crew and cast.

The Dominion Museum building off Buckle St has been transformed into an American military base in an upcoming independent film.

The political thriller – with the working title Emperor – is based on a true story around Japan’s surrender at the close of the war and is being directed by Girl With a Pearl Earring’s Peter Webber.

Lost star Matthew Fox is cast as General Bonner Fellers, a leading American expert on the Japanese during World War II, who was charged with deciding whether Emperor Hirohito should be tried as a war criminal.

Fox is with the crew in Wellington to shoot scenes in the building, which is now part of Massey University and posing as Tokyo’s Dai-Ichi building where American armed forces based themselves at the end of World War II.

The crew set up a convoy of trucks, complete with its own kitchen and barista, on the corner of Taranaki and Buckle streets and were due to wrap up filming today.

The building, which opened in 1936, originally housed the National Museum, the National Art Gallery of New Zealand and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. It was used by the defence force during World War II. Tunnels and air raid shelters were constructed underneath the grounds of the museum.

It is now protected by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

The film’s Oscar-winning production designer, Grant Major, known for his work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, said the museum was chosen for its architectural style and relevance to the era of the film. Major found removing fire hydrants and modern fixtures from the main hall and exterior a challenge.

“Most people don’t notice them but it’s my business to try and find the period style, so getting rid of that stuff is the main task.”

But its historic appearance was one of the main reasons location scouts for the independent film had picked New Zealand.

Most of Emperor’s filming was done in Auckland, before moving to a Japanese garden in Hamilton and Wellington’s museum. It is then due to be shot in Japan.

In November, Webber told The Dominion Post New Zealand’s summer fitted in with the movie release schedule, which was set to be August.

He also quoted Sir Peter Jackson’s film empire as being a drawing point for the location.

“You’ve got fantastic crews here, you’ve got really good resources. We checked out a couple of places, but we came down here and New Zealand seemed the most attractive to us.”

The film’s post-production work will be done at Jackson’s Park Road Post facility in Miramar.

- © Fairfax NZ News