Ilam Homestead became the home of the Rector (nowadays Vice-Chancellor) of Canterbury College. In 1954, the Rector's daughter (Juliet Hulme) and another pupil at Girl's High School (Pauline Rieper, also known as Parker) bludgeoned to death Pauline's mother while on a picnic at Victoria Park on the Port Hills.

In 1994, Peter Jackson (of later Lord of the Rings fame) made the events into a film Heavenly Creatures. It had a budget of US$5 million dollars. Kate Winslet played Juliet and Melanie Lynskey played Pauline. Photo of Kate Winslet on our bridge.

Many scenes for the film were shot inside the Ilam Homestead and in its grounds and gardens.

The north lounge was decorated as a lounge and the bar lounge as a dining room. The wide opening into the present bar area was transformed into a doorway off a wood-panelled hall. View some of the Interior photos

Sound Track

Mana Music published a cd of the sound track of the movie (1994 74321239392).
01 The Princess of Ilam (Dasent)
02 Meet the Reipers (Dasent)
03 Be My Love - sung by Mario Lanza
04 The Shrine (Dasent)
05 The Fourth World (Dasent)
06 The Donkey Serenade-sung by Mario Lanza
07 The Fourth World (Dasent)
08 Bad Chests and Bone Deseases (Dasent)
09 Funiculi Funicula - sung by Mario Lanza
10 Life in Borovnia (Dasent)
11 To Hollywood (Dasent)
12 Divorce (Dasent)
13 Pauline and Juliet (Dasent)
14 E lucevan le stelle (Puchini)
15 For the Good of Your Health (Dasent)
16 The Most Hideous Man Alive (Dasent)
17 Juliet's Aria (Sono Andati by Puccini) - sung by Kate Winslet
18 A Night with the Saints (Dasent)
19 The Loveliest Night of the Year - sung by Mario Lanza
20 The Pursuit of Happiness (Dasent)
21 The Humming Chorus (Puchini) - hummed by the Hungarian State Opera
22 You'll Never Walk Alone - sung by Mario Lanza

Kate Winslet on Our Bridge
1994 (Photo Wingnut Films)

Ilam Homestead During Filming - 1994

Scene from the movie
Hulme's dining room	The entrance hallway
Hulme's lounge	North lounge