By Irene Gardiner of NZoSIrene Gardiner from New Zealand on Screen chooses New Zealand’s top 10 television commercials of all time. 1975: The Great Crunchie Train RobberyGenerally accepted as New Zealand's longest-running TV commercial, this ad for Cadbury's Crunchie chocolate bar features a who's who of New Zealand acting talent of the time. 1981: Dear JohnTVC director extraordinaire Tony Williams is also the man behind the Dear John ad for BASF cassette tapes. The shock value of that word, the role of Hercules the dog, and the performance of the hapless farmer - in the tradition of Dagg and Footrot - made for Kiwi pop culture magic. Television commercials can be an annoyance, but they can also be tiny works of art - little bits of beautiful filmmaking, clever humour, or both.

Source: New Zealand Herald July 18, 2016 17:03 UTC