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| l’A‘$Ol IN! ‘R I “ ANIMU M )N 00 Far;=tAway antom of Liberty rial of Billy Jack The Removalists Shadowman ‘ The Taking of Pelham 123 ii The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Nada Alice Doesn't Live Her[...] |
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| AU ST R AL IAN The AUSTRALIAN FILM COMMISSION is at 60 Pitt Street,[...].P.O.,Sydney. lts telephone number is: 27 7051. The Commission wishes to open direct lines of communication with all sections of the industry. It is em- barking on a period of the widest possible consultation in all States. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee a. |
| [...]Stratton celebrate . - " ~ - ,‘ . .- me Qpgnmg of the 1975 Sydney Fnm , V » Actress Kate Fitzpatrick and CarsThatAteFestival in the Sebel Town House Functlon ~~ . ' . . , . ' . Paris director Peter Weir chat at the 1975 - ~ r .9. . ' .« ‘ - ~ - Sydney Film Festival cocktail party. ggnna FUNC'I‘ION CENTRE THE HOUSE OF STARS This glamorous name was given to the Sebel Town House at a time when a lot of actors and actresses were accommodated at our hotel while appearing as guest- stars in a locally-produced television series. Since then many more celebrities have been hot guests or guests-of-honor at receptions held In the Funt. tlon Centre. and the Sebel Town House has become firm- ly established as ‘The House of Stars’. Recently, we were honored to play host to the dis- tlnguished delegation of film directors who attended the 1975 Sydney Film Festival. in recognition of the film directors’ influence on the Terephone. succesgfallascentota'r.1y‘star',fpSe[...]houid change Sydney 35'8 3244 1 ~ our su -tte to: The ouse o tars an tar-makers. - The Sebel Town House’ Sydney's leading venue[...] |
| .' 4 I: .w‘ ‘ 6 fine Picnicin.‘ N 2“ 4- *x.».“*» M 79-81 CARDIG[...]TE/MELBOURNE ‘Distributors have no . interest in film as art, or in giving the public an opportunity to see good films' —Wi|liam S. Bayer Cineaction proves him wrong FILMS from the VINCENT P LIBRARY Australian Film Institute I91[...]TE/SYDNEY Throw Away Your Books, Let’s Go Into The Streets. Cineaction has moved to bigger and better of- Book now for next year at this year’s rates f[...]thcoming Phone: 329 5422. movies are listed below in bold type. Antartlda, Antonio Das Mortes, Asylum. Before the Revolution, Blood of the Condor, Black God White Devil, Boll, British Sounds, Campamento, Companeras and Companeros, Days and Nights in the Forest, Death of a Bureaucrat, Dillinger is Dead, Distant Thunder, Dream life, Dyn Amo, Etc. Etc. Etc., Film in Revolution: an in- troduction to The Traitors, Fll Portrait, First Charge of the Machete, Going Home, Hallelujah the Hills, How to Draw a Cat, In the Name of the Father, Introduction to the Enemy (Jane Fonda), Jackal of Nahueltoro, Kashima Paradise, La Marseillaise, La[...](Agnes Varda), Living with Peter, Macunaima, Made in U.S.A., Punishment Park, Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania, Rocket Ship (the original Flash Gordon), The Soldier and the Three Sisters, Spirit of the Beehive, Strike, Terra em Transe, Themroc, Throw Away Your Books, Let's Go Into the Streets, Tout va Bien, The Traitors, Tupamaros, Valparaiso/Valparaiso, When the People Awake, Wind From the East. |
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| [...]iews Steven Spielberg: Interview John Moran 106 The International Women's Film Festival Sue Spunner[...]view Sue Johnston 112 1001 Nights and 120 Days: The erotic cinema of Pier Paolo Pasoiini Noel Purdon * 113 Restrictive Trade Practices Legislation and The Film industry: Part ii Antony l. Gin[...]iew Ivan Hutchinson and Peter Beilby 165 Features The Quarter 104 Cannes 75 Antony I. Ginnane 127 Melbo[...]Picnic at Hanging Rock Animation: Disneyland and The Man From Hong Kong 152 . . . ' - The erotic cinema f to Dlsmaland: 139 Production Surv[...]0 Soundtracks Ivan Hutchinson 176 Film Reviews The Removalists Jim Murphy 147 The Godfather Part it Mark Randall 148 The Taking of Pelham 123 John C. Murray 148 Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore Virginia Duigan 149 Nada Lindsay Amos 150 The Trial of Billy Jack Freya Mathews 151 Sunday Too Far Away Jack Clancy 154 Shadowman John O'Hara 155 The Phantom of Liberty Meaghan Morris 157 Book Reviews 173 The Day of the Locust ii_nage and Influence Mick Counihan 1975 Melbourne and Sydney previewed in Cannes 75: 127 Final Cut Roger 0- Thornhiii Film Festivals report: 129 The Hamlyn Series Bill Collins Editorial Board: Pete[...]Papers is produced with financial assistance from the Film. Radio and Television Board of the Australia Council. Signed articles represent the views of their authors and not necessarily those of the Editors. Whilst every care is taken of manuscripts and materials supplied for this magazine. neither the Editors nor the Publishers accept any liability for loss or damage which may arise. This magazine may not, by way of trade. be reproduced in whole or in part. without the prior permission oi the Copyright owner. Cinema Papers is publishe[...] |
| 7% Q SHAKEUP While a large segment of the Australian film industry was attending this year'[...]lm Festival, back at home shock waves passed down the cor- ridors of the Media Department, the Film Development Corporation and the Film, Radio and TV Board. The former Media Minister, Doug McClel|and, had never been very popular with the production side of the local in- dustry. Frequently accused of consorting with the multi—natlonal distribution en- tities, he was[...]for divorcement and divestiture also brought him in for criticism. His permanent head Jim Oswln was a[...]rmer commer- cial TV executive, Oswln was accused of not having the feel for the production re- quirements of an embryonic industry. Film, Radio and TV Board chairman Phillip Adams never made any secret of his dislike for McCiel|and, and his article in The Age on April 16, set his objections out clearly.[...]y 22, Adams announced his resignation as chairman of the Film, Radio and TV Board. Shortly after, The Age insight team, together with columnist John Pinkney, ran a series of ‘exposes’ on the dealings of the then almost defunct Australian Film Development Corporation. Notable was the attempted slur cam- paign against Tom Stacey. the AFDC ex- ecutive director. it was alleged that St[...]uted Sydney criminal, Abe Saffron, as a potential in- vestor ln AFDC-funded projects. Stacey was also accused of attempting to sell both his own and his wife's fi[...]C-funded trips. Shortly after TheAge publication of the insight series, Senator McC|ei|and — and most of his ministerial colleagues — became the victim of a Cabinet re-sh uffie and was transferred to the Special Ministry of State. Dr Moss Cass, previously Minister for the Environment, became the new Minister for Media. Phillip Adams, who claim[...]ntrate on production work on his forthcoming film of David Williamson's play Don’s Party, is known t[...]s cer- tainly anxious to establish pipelines into the industry, and Adams may well be one of them. The new permanent head of the department is Jim Spigeiman, Prime Minister Whlt|[...]etary. His appointment has been widely criticised in the press as “jobs for the boys”. Spigeiman's film interests are un- disclosed. However, he is known to have played an active part in the formulation of new Labor media policy. Meanwhile, the long-advertised posi- tion of executive director of the Film, Radio and Television Bord has been fili- ed by Lachiin Shaw, formerly of Australian Associated Press. FILM COMMISSION The Australian Film Commission is now operative. Spawned from the 1972 Tariff Board report into the industry, the Commission's Bill was bounced back and forth through both Houses of Parlia- ment for what seemed an eternity. Finally on July 1, the Commission opened for I04 — Cinema Papers, July—August business round the corner from the now defunct Australian Film Development Corporation. While the AFDC was controlled by the Media Department, the Film Commission — which takes over the responsibilities of the AFDC as well as Film Australia — is under the direct wing of the Prime Minister's Department. it is rumored in some quarters that the days of the Media Department are in fact numbered. This would certainly seem to be the case if the Labor government falls. The new Media Department’s respon- sibilities now lie solely with the Australian Information Service and the Australian Government Publishing Service. While the Commission is in fact a Whitiam responsibility, cynical observers have pointed out that in the event of the Prime Minister being too busy to con- centrate on the Commission's day to day problems, the duty will fall to the Special Minister of State, who has responsibility for anything the PM is unable to work on. in the recent cabinet re-shuffle this port- folio went to ex-Media Minister Douglas McCle||and. The Commission is headed by a full- time chairman, Ken Watts (former general manager of the ABC) and two full-time members, Pat Condon (producer) and Peter Martin (ex-Media adviser). One of the full-time members is responsible for project support, marketing and management services; the other for Film Australia. There are seven part-time members, including Gra[...], Village Theatres), John McQuaide (ex- president of the Theatrical Amusement Employees’ Association) and Jill Robb (producer with the South Australian Film Corporation). There is also provision for the liberal use of outside consultants. The Commission is already being in- dependently lobbied by local filmmakers and indu[...]or to its policy meeting on July 23, and a number of suggestions have been put forward for fund disbursement. Among the more strongly supported is a proposal to ailocate.20 per cent of production funds to development projects; 30 per[...]al projects. it has been suggested that a number of projects (among them Cecil Holmes’ Call Me By My Proper Name, and John Lamond's Australia After Dark) which were rejected by the AFDC, would have qualified for AFC assistance. According to the report of the interim Board, the Commission is also em- powered to make grants and[...]Further, an appli- cant will be entitled to know the identity of the assessor on his project and object to them if he so desires. There has certainly been a hiatus in local production over the past few months, but now that the Commission IS operative production can perhaps mo[...]TRADE PRACTICES ACT Litigation is aboundlng at the moment under the Trade Practices Act, and the outcome of present disputes and policy making should help to[...]idelines for that brave soul who tries to take on the integrated local film industry. The Commission has a number of cases pending, following the decision in the Sharp Corporation case. Sharp were fined $100,000 by Mr Justice Joske in the Australian industrial Court for "false and misleading advertising", and the publici- ty departments of local exhibition and distribution groups have, si[...]tle bit more cautious with ex- travagant claims. The Commission's attitudes towards mergers is also be[...]105 applications for clearances have been made to the Commission, and to date only about 10 have been refused. Of the 10, three have subsequently received authorizations, following the intervention of the Attorney-General. in two other cases the Commission refused clearance on the grounds that competition was substantially lessened, but granted authorizations because the mergers were in the public interest. The com- panies were apparently abie to show the cost savings which were to flow from the mergers as well as other benefits. However, the Commission refused to grant a clearance to Nationwide Funeral Merchandise Pty. Ltd.'s acquisition of H. H. Webb and Co. Ltd., taking the view that “the integration between the leading supplier and a substantial group of customers must further weaken the com- petitive structure of the industry, and will have the effect of substantially lessening both actual and potential competitive conduct at both the manufacturing and retail levels of the industry." The test is the likely impact of the ac- quisition on competition. This obviously depends on the structure of the industry, the behavior of the firms in it at the time of making the application for a clearance, and the likely behavior of firms after the clearance. The Commission's closing words may be of interest to exhibition majors con- sidering further expansion: “The acquisi- tion will eiiminate from the market a funeral director which has been a signifi- cant influence on the Melbourne market, especially in the matter of price competi- tion and its unorthodox approach". The Commission's views on anti- competitive behavior also got an airing recently when it ruled on the tied house arrangements prevailing between NSW ho[...]hich hotels are restricted to sell only one brand of beer. The Commission concluded such an arrangement was anti[...]dustry franchise agreements are not dissimilar to the ‘tying’ system the breweries use on hotels. Again, this deci- sion will be awaited anxiously. CANNES As reported elsewhere in this issue, Australian filmmakers were represented officially at the Cannes Film Festival this year by a delegation headed by the Media Department's film chief Roland Beckett and the Australian Film Develop- ment Corporation's executive director Tom Stacey. Films screened Included The Man From Hong Kong, Petersen, Piugg, Inn of the Damned, Sunday Too Far Away, Stone, The True Story of Eskimo Nell, Between Wars, Promised Woman and The Removaiists. Media Department and Overseas Trade personnel provided an information stand in the foyer of the Carlton Hotel, and a so-called hospitality suite was available down the Crolsette at the Mar- tinez Hotel, where the officials of the delegation and some producers stayed. Sources indicate that many of the producers were dissatisfied with the un- democratic decision-making structure of the delegation, and lists of alleged inef- ficlencies are apparently circulating. Yet, a number of foreign sales were negotiated at Cannes as a result of the expedition. it is difficult, however, to ascertai[...]g under their own steam (but still with help from the Export Incentives Scheme of the Department of Overseas Trade) could have achieved as much. Sales for Brian Trenchard-Smith's The Man From Hong Kong (a Movie Company-Golden Harves[...]tiated by both Cathay Films and BEF», as well as the director himself. Cathay apparently made sales in most countries for record amounts for an Australi[...]ee. Tim Burstall's Petersen was taken by a major in the U.S. for a rumored five figure advance, and as a[...]Warner for Britain. Richard Franklin's True Story of Eskimo Nell was sold to Canada, the U.S.. Greece, Israel, Britain and France. Inn of the Damned and Plugg sold to Italy, Germany and Spain[...]countries, including Canada. it is reported that The Removaliate was the least successful of the films on view. However, the producers are still waiting for details on possib[...]pating filmmakers are urged to put their views on the 1975 expedition to the newly-established Film Commission as soon as possible, so that plans for Australian participation in the 1976 Cannes festival can be carefully con- sidered. DISTRIBUTORS EXPAND A new development in Australian distribution-production has been the re- cent move by Flimways and Seven Keys into the international market. While BEF set the trend with The Man From Hong Kong — a co-production with Golden Harvest — the creation by Flimways and American associates of. Austamerican Productions for Goodbye Norma Jean[...]rry Buchanan has produced a Harlow-like biography of Norma Jean Baker between the ages of 16 and 21. Flimways contribution to the US$130,000 35mm techniscope produc- tion was litt[...]ad to pay for Australian distribution rights, but in return they are obtaining 50 per cent of all world revenue. Flimways are also negotiating[...]tion titles jointly for Britain, South Africa and Australia. This appears to have been an attempt to keep pac[...]1, and are obtaining films for British release. The British market is a depressed and conservative on[...]r to combine to keep him out. Gaty has also tied in with the Robert Stlgwood organization (he paid a slzeable upfront for Tommy during preproduction, and the returns so far have been record breaking) and a C[...]ate to produce a multl-million dollar production, The Entertainer, with Jack Lemmon, Ray Boiger[...] |
| THE QUARTER What this means for Australian[...]nly these distributors will now be building up an in- formed knowledge of world markets. and a network of international contacts previously unavailable to[...]urther. an Australian producer may now be assured of a West End release if (reportedly like David Baker and The Great Mccarthy) he distributes with Seven Keys. MARKET SLUMP The Common Market debate which swept Britain recently deeply divided the film community, and in so doing pointed up some of the more obvious problems that are going to have to be overcome if the industry is going to properly recover from the withdrawal of American produc- tion capital. On the one hand the executive side of the industry —- the exhibition-distribution combines and their production affiliates — came out in favor of staying in the Market. Graham Dawson. chief executive of the Rank Organization. summed up their position: "Anything that is good for Britain's trade must be good for the film industry; (and) anything that opens up new markets for our skills and talents must be a good thing for the film industry The militant Federation of Film Unions, however. took a different stand. Alan Sapper, the union's secretary, pointed out that the Italian, French and German industries are already saturated with national product and that over the two and a half years of market membership no new money has been attracted to promote production. Sapper also made the point that now EEC productions count as quota films the British quota has been effectively cut by half. f[...]ralling inflation, Sapper contended, will destroy the as V . 1 British film Industry: "The overall effect of our membership . . . has been the con- tinulng scarcity of finance lack of production . . .and the growing threat . . . of unfair competition from the EEC in registration, finance and designation. . The referendum of course resulted in Britain staying in the EEC. it remains to be seen which view of the future of the in- dustry will be the correct one, but Sapper's assessment of the present is certainly accurate. At the time of the referendum only three British films were in production: Gene Wilder's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother; Michael Klinger's Shout at the Devil; and Red Siiversteln’s The Swiss Conspiracy. Things have never looked worse for British film production. ATTENDANCE POLL _ Amid the recent revelations about the importance of the Australian market to the American film industry, questions have again been raised about the size and composition of the local audience. Everyone is well aware that cinema attendances are on the rise, and that clnemagolng habits have changed, but until very recently the Australian film in- dustry has shied away from any indepen- dent att[...]“a nose for show- iz”. Last year. however, the Department of the Media commissioned Australian National Opinion Po[...]ce attendances. Their results are now available. The poll revealed in its main finding that the most avid group of cinemagoers were 14-17 year oids with an average yearly attendance of 16.9 visits. com- pared with 8.9 for the 24-34 year old group. Attendance figures for othe[...]35-plus . . . . . . . . . . . . 45.3% 5.4 times The poll also revealed that the audience is an affluent one. On the A-B- C scale of socio-economic grouping used by the pollsters. 75 per cent of cinemagoers fall into the A-B group and 75.1 per cent into the C group. The poll also shows that the cinema attracts both sexes equally, and debunks the myth that couples stop going to the movies regularly once they are married: in excess of 78 per cent of married 25-34 year olds attended in 1974 compared to 87 per cent of their single counterparts. The survey also revealed a marked preference amongst some filmgoers to attend drive-ins rather than cinemas: the 14-17 and 35 plus groups clearly ex- pressed a preference for ‘hard-tops’. while the 18-34 group were equally divid- ed in their preferences for ‘hard-tops’ and drive-ins. Polls conducted in the United States seem to bear out these findings. A survey conducted by Opinion Research Cor- poration of New Jersey for the Motion Picture Association of America found 72 per cent of the filmgoing population to be between the ages of 12-30 —— a group which, surprisingly, represents nearly 40 per cent of the total population. APOCALYPSE NOW Following the success of The God- father Part ii (the two Godfathers have now grossed in excess of US$100 million). Francis Ford Coppola's network of companies is planning its future development carefully. Sometime back Coppola bought a slice of Don Rugoff's New York-based Cinema 5 distribution[...]were selling interests in a series of future productions solely on the basis of his reputation. The first of these. currently titled Apocalypse Now, has been described as a satirical treatment of the Vietnam war. Godfather Part II personnel Gary Fredericksen. Fred Roos and Dean Tavoularls visited Australia recently to promote Coppola's Mafia sequel and discussed with the former Media Minister, Doug Mcclelland, the possibili- ty of filming the production in Queensland. What response Australian film unions[...]dia Department seminar held last June on overseas in- volvement in Australian production. The recent conflict-ridden Universal co- production The Sidecar Racers certain- Iy did not win any friend[...]hat may possibly be his last film. Titled Deceit. the film stars Karen Black. Bruce Dern and Barbara Harris. The screenplay is by Ernest Lehman (North By Northwest). Bernard Herrman has been approached to do the score. Filming on the largest sound stage at Universal and on locations[...]thout its complications. Studio heads blanched as the production proceeded uninsured. Hitchcock. now wi[...]sufficiently fit by insurance company doctors for the usual produc- tion insurance to be issued. Sets were closed, but worries persisted on the $6 million production. Some four weeks into shooting Hitchcock dismissed the secondary male lead Roy Thinnes (a contract Universal player on view in The Hindenberg). and replaced him with a virtual unkn[...]. it will be Hitchcock's first major venture into the occult. POLANSKI Goffredo Lombardo, head of the Italian production-distribution company Titanus,[...]t a $10 million spectacular entitled Pirates. Two of America's biggest stars have been approached for the production, but no details were disclosed. Other Titanus projects for 1975-76 in- clude Mandrake, with Alain Delon and Cyrano de B[...]n-Paul Belmondo. LAURENTIIS Dino De Laurentils. the Italian producer of Serpico and Death Wish. now resident in New York, is set to produce 14 films in the next two years with a working budget of US$50 to $60 million. Already US$5 million has been outlayed in purchasing rights. One of the films, Buffalo Bill and the Indians. is the first of a three-film deal with director Robert Altman. The $7 million film will star Paul Newman. Also scheduled for. production is King of the Gypsies, based on a forthcoming book by Peter Maa[...]rtin Scorsese. Other titles include One Just Man. The Last of the Mohicans, and an untitled production starring Cha[...]The Man From Hong Kong: launching Australia Into the international market at this year's Cannes[...] |
| [...]interview 27 year old Steven Spielberg, director of the widely acclaimed film Jaws.In the American film industry, Spielberg’s rise to prominence is still talked of with as much enthusiasm as it was four years ago. On finishing a film course at the University of Southern California in 1970, he went straight to work at Universal. Within a year he was directing episodes of such television series as Name of the Game, Marcus Welby and Colombo. During this time he made the TV films Duel (1971) and Something Evil (1972). For Duel he shot 90,000 feet of film in ten days to create what is regarded in the US as a minor classic. So popular was its reception that it was released theatrically in Europe and Australia. Impressed with his skill and exuberance, produce[...]chard D. Zanuck selected Spielberg for Jaws after the three had combined successfully on Sugarland Express (1973), his first feature in the US. At the time that you were making “Duel” did you real[...]e such an important film? Well, I realized that the story was important and that the statement it was making was important, but becaus[...]nk that it would ever find a theatrical audience in Europe and Australia, and also a cult audience in this country. It’s funny, because at the time I thought it would make a terrific television film. And, technically speaking, at the Cannes Film Festival we were illegal- ly qualifi[...]ut feature, for a new director. For that matter, the “Name of the Game” episodes you directed would have to quali[...]They were feature length and they were also made in ten days. It was a good training ground because y[...]nd airtight as possible. You’d vir- tually edit the film before you’d shoot it and that way you’d be sure that what you made would not end up on the floor. The “Night Gallery” episode you made with Joan Crawford, was that the first thing you shot? Well, it was the first professional film I shot. I did short films of my own at college. But it must have been a formidable task in your first big job at Universal, directing Joan Crawford. I was in a state of shock because I got that job on coming straight out of college. In my mind I suppose I wasn’t fully prepared to ac[...]wanted to do was to make my own films and dabble in small in- dependent ventures. But I got this chance, two m[...]ought she was going to tell me how to direct her. In fact, she kept com- ing up to me asking one quest[...]he should be doing. I was prepared to answer some of her “All the symbols others read into Duel. I had encountered or anticipated along the way. But in shooting from scene to scene they were not my pri[...]t I was really striving for was a statement about the American paranoia. Duel was an exercise in paranoia.“ questions but not all of them. She ex- pected me to be George Cukor and I[...]out. Getting back to “Duel”, were you aware of all the symbolism that was to be read into it? All the symbols I read about which others had read into Duel, I had en- countered or had anticipated along the way. But in shooting from scene to scene they were not my pri[...]t I was really striving for was a statement about the American paranoia. In this country we’re getting crazier and crazier and, for me, Duel was an exercise in paranoia. How much did you add to the original TV version of “Duel”? In order to release the film overseas I had to add 15 minutes before CIC would accept it as a feature. I added three scenes, two of which I wanted to put in from the very beginning, but couldn’t, and one scene the producer George Eckstein wanted to have in. For curiosity’s sake, which ones where they? I added the scene where the car pulls up to the railroad crossing and ' the truck tries to push the car in front of the oncoming train. It went over very well and added about an extra five minutes. I loved the idea that the train and the truck were allies; later on in the film the truck signals the train by blasting twice on its horn and the train answers by blasting back twice. Another scene added (because a lot of people wondered with the TV version, why the man didn’t turn back and go home) was the sequence where the school bus locks bumpers with the man’s car. At this point the truck is way ahead of the car, or it is assumed to be, so I had the truck turned around coming back through the tunnel to get him. Originally I wanted to indicate this, that the truck would go to all lengths to tor- ment and terrify this man. The other sequence which was part of the extra 15 minutes was the new main title. In the TV version it began on the open road whereas in the European (and Australian) versions it began with the camera on the bumper of the car; you are the car as it leaves the darkened carport. The impact of “Duel” was that it worried people. Was it the same on TV? Not really, because of the commer- cials. It did have impact and there was a lot of talk when the show was aired twice. But’you get to a point wh[...]ain itself past a commercial, unless you turn off the set or put your hands over your face until the film comes on again. We tried to structure the film into ‘act’ breaks so that you could hold interest, but believe me, _the rating ‘needles’ are going to fall Ci[...] |
| [...]e taken as seriously as cinema features?I think the concept of anything can be taken seriously if the medium you choose to display your work happens to be television. I think people can read past the scanning lines and see what you’re trying to sa[...]ttacker was rather “Exorcist” oriented . . . The film of The Exorcist hadn’t come out at that time and Robert Klaus had already written the screenplay. But in the process of making Something Evil I heard about the _William_ Blatty novel and on reading it said: “My goodness, there are great similarities between the two”. It was good to see Johnnie Whit- tacker doing something really sinister on the screen . . . Yeah, that’s why I cast Johnnie. I purposely cast him because ofof experimenting in that. It was the first time in a television film that hot windows were used; those were all sets and I ‘burned-up’ all the windows to give a kind of hellish effect outside. I don’t know if you rem[...]passes by a window, they almost disappear because the win- dow is so bright they fade out and become stick figures until they pass beyond the light. I thought that the house should be surrounded by a wholly white hell[...]well. Do you like working on subjects concerning the supernatural? I think Jaws is somewhat super- natural in a small way in that we have been able ‘to control all maneaters except the shark. The central character in Jaws is really the shark and it’s not so much super- natural, but[...]lar shark can sense, more than other sharks, when the best time to attack would be. He attacks at night when they are asleep on the boat or when they are looking towards the sun and are therefore blinded by it. He is a witty creature, and there is some supernatural in- fluence which people are going to read into the film. Sharks do not have rational, intelligent b[...]ur shark is also an eating machine but every once in a while it outwits the three humans who set out to catch it. How do you see the nature of the conflict between the three main characters? 108 — Cinema Papers, Ju[...]Express: top Goldie Hawn during location shooting in Texas. 2nd top fugitives Lou Jean (Goldie Hawn) and Cloris Poplin (William Atherton) plot their next move'in their headline-making flight across Texas. 3rd t[...]n) prepares to confront civilians who have taken the law into their own hands. Above Steven Spielberg[...]hael Sacks. Below Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw on the set of Jaws. Well, they’re from three different walks of life. Each man has hisjob to do and each one is, in some shape or form, an authority figure in his own s here. One is the chief of police of t e town and is responsible for the safety of the people on the beach. He has also left New York City retreating not so much in cowardice, but retreating to protect his children. But in the island town in which he settles, the shark is there and he has to deal with the same violence and evil which he had to tolerate in New York City. That character is contrasted against an ichthyologist who is quite rich and somewhat of a dilettante (the Dreyfuss part). He knows all there is to know about sharks and so intellectually he feels superior to the shark. Then there is the Robert Shaw character, who just kills sharks for a living, a shark hunter. He has vivid memories of a revious shark attack and he talks 0 this in a six—minute scene in the third act. Why do you say third act? The film is very carefully struc- tured —— there are three different acts. When you talk of structure, you’re really referring to pace . .[...]I had to slow it down. It begins very quickly and the nature of the controversy in the small town is that the city fathers and the town select-men are worried that ifit’s an- nou[...]ged by sharks off their coast, then it would kill the entire summer season. So, because this is a major controversy in the film, there is a lot of dialogue and argument. A lot happens at the beginning of the film which is out of control. The police chief, our central character, can’t cope with all the problems; he can’t hire the shark hunter Quint, he can’t kill the shark himself because he’s afraid of the water and at the same time he can’t control the town. So there’s this swirl of confusion that surrounds this guy and it gives the first act of the film a very staccato in- fluence. The second act is much slower than the first and concerns finding out what kind of shark it is. Also there is the controversy of whether the town is going to open the beaches for the Fourth of July weekend or close them: whether they’re all going to go on welfare for the winter or profit from the summer tourism. In the third act comes the decision‘ to hire Quint and pay the $10,000 he requires. After this it is all at sea hunting the shark. So I suppose the film is fast-slow and then slow- fast with the third act building to rather a frenzied climax. How different is your interpreta- tion of Peter Benchley’s screenplay from his novel? They’ve become two different statements. The book was about something Peter Benchley was in- terested in, beyond sharks, while the film is based on subject matter that interests me, beyond sharks. The book goes off in one direction and the film goes off in another, but at the end they converge and become the same. As far as the script was concerned I made a lot of changes, virtually every day. I had the actors come in to rehearse and they would come up with ideas and we would change the script accordingly. There were im- provisational readings; often I would wake up in the middle of the night and write down some idea and shoot it the next day. A lot of it was free expression. How long was “Jaws” in the making? Well, I spent about five or six months just editing it. It’s been two years in the making: six months pre- production, six months sh[...]ention preparations for release. Certainly it’s the most commercial venture I’ve undertaken. Duel made $7 million and was put together for $375,000 but the scale of Jaws is greatly in excess of that. Have you got your next project in view at this stage? I’ve ot one in mind but it’s nothing ike Jaws, Duel or Sugarland Express. It’s called Bingo Long and it’s the story of the travelling black baseball teams in this country in the l930’s. For me it’s very interesting because I love baseball and I love the whole era of Sachel Page and all the great black ballplayers who were not allowed to play with White Anglo- Saxon teams. This is in the mid- thirties when these teams would go into a town and cakewalk down the street, get everybody excited and play a nice baseball game in the local stadium against the firehouse nine. It’s very funny and at thethe box-office. Was this a disappointment to you? Yes it w[...]think I was more angered than disappointed. First of all they didn’t sell the film properly. Sugarland never opened big and in some cases never opened at all. People saw that i[...]you know, a real ‘teddy bear’! Also there was the title: most people thought it was a kid’s film. When it opened in New York there were lines of kids waiting outside the theater expecting to see Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. That was a pity because when the film com- pleted its run it was doing very good business. In essence, “Sugarland” was fic- tionalized fact. Did you find any in- herent problems in working within this framework inasmuch as[...] |
| INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S FILM Sue Spunner The role of women in film will come into sharp focus in August this year when the International Women’s Film Festival commences screenings in all capital cities of films made by women around the world. The idea of this festival grew out of the Sydney Womenvision Conference in 1973, when women involved in media discussed the paucity of oppor- tunities available to them in the film and TV in- dustries. They realized that a film festival was one of the means of correcting this imbalance. In September 1974, the Film and Televison Board granted a loan of $20,000 to get the Festival off the ground. The following article by Sue Spunner highlights the achievements of women directors, and ex- plains the need for an International Women’s Film Festival. ‘A’ * ~ * In spite of all the difficulties and barriers which have confronted women directors in film in- dustries around the world, some have created feature length narrative films. Wome_n directors have played a role in every country Wl’l1Cl'l has ever had a film industry. Why then doesn’t anyone know of their existence? _ From the earliest day_s of the industry, women have had the creative incentive to make films. Alice Guy-Blan[...]busy creating filmmaking equipment, she took on the job of making short demonstration films. Her first film, La Fée aux Choux, made in 1896, was completed six months before Melies made[...]until 1905, then moved to Ger- many and later to the U.S., where her directorial career continued until 1925. . Another of the early pioneers of American filmmaking was Lois Weber. Her prolific career began in 1913 as part of a filmmaking team with her husband. However, Weber soon began directing her own films, and in 1916 was dubbed by a popular magazine as “the highest salaried woman director in the world today”. THE FESTIVAL By 1920, she had about 75 one and two[...]several longer films. Weber made six more films in the twenties and thirties, and her last, White Heat. was completed five years before her death in 1939. In the same period other women made fleeting appearances as directors: Frances Marion with Just Around the Corner and The Love Light; Mary Pickford, directing herself in three films; and Lillian Gish, directing her sister Dorothy in Remodelling Her Husband. Yet, while Marion was an established screenwriter and Pickford and Gish the darlings of the screen, these excursions into the role of director were never taken seriously. They were on[...]heir ‘real’ —— sup- portive — work. By the 1930s women had been effectively clos- ed out of executive and creative positions in the American film industry. Those few who remained w[...]Only one woman, Dorothy Arzner, managed to crack the system and work expressly as a director. Arzner began her film career in the twenties, first of all editing, then directing for Paramount. In the thirties, she moved to RKO, becoming H0llywood’[...]irector, working with stars like Rosalind Russell in Craig's Wife, Katherine Hepburn in Christopher Strong and Lucille Ball in Dance Girl, Dance. RKO were known for their B-grade films, and in her autobiography Lucille Ball reveals that when she worked at RKO, Arzner was known as “Queen of the B’s”; the ballyhoo that accom- panied an A-grade film throughout the thirties was not the lot of a B-grade director —— male or female. Ida Lupino, well-known to audiences as an actress in A-grade films, was equally unable to redress the lack ofin order to have artistic control of her work. However, the lirfiited production budgets on most of her films effectively rated them below B-grade. In Britain, the production fund monopoly that crippled Lupino’s work had the same effect on Muriel Box. Between 1946 and 1964,[...]Varda film?‘ Those words, spoken by a director of a major film festival with just the correct subtle balance of incredulity and scorn, epitomize the need for an Australian Inter- national Women’s Film Festival. Other women working in Britain with a freer artistic rein did so at the expense of their in- dependence — women like Alma Reville, Hitchcoc[...]cinematic better half. Olga Preobrazhenskaya was the Soviet Union’s first woman director. She made her first film "in 1916 and made seven more before the Stalinist purges in 1935. Esther Shub, along with Dziga- Vertov, was one of the first Russians to create feature films entirely[...]p: Dorothy Arzner (right) directing Joan Crawford in The Bride Wore Red. Arzner was the only woman working ex- pressly as a director in America during the thirties. Above: Agnes Vardas’ Lion's L[...] |
| The most outstanding woman director in eastern Europe was Poland’s Wanda Jakubowska, who co-founded the Society of the Devotees of the Artistic Film (START) in the twenties. In the thirties Jakubowska joined the vanguard of the prewar documentary movement and by 1949 — with the making of The Last Stage* — she had established herself as one ofthe leading filmmakers in Poland. Since then Jakubowska has made eight more features — the last in 1965. Overall, the degree of emotional and physical support given to filmmakers in communist countries has been greater than in the West. Such support is due, in part, to the policies of official organizations — such as State-run film schools — which do not discourage the participation of women. Consequently eastern European women have not suffered as much as their sisters in the ‘free world’ from the liberal myth that success comes to those who deserve it, and their work has been seriously considered from the beginning. . Preobrazhenskaya, Shub and Jakubowska all worked closely with their male contemporaries in the forefront _of technical innovation and creative experimentation, whereas Arzner and Lupino were denied this sort of ongoing productive association with their contemporaries. Mention here must be made of the extraor- dinary success of Leni Riefenstahl. Extraordinary in that the most totalitarian regime of the century allowed a woman director hitherto unparalleled creative freedom. For the filming of the Berlin Olympics in 1936, Riefenstahl had 29 cameramen at her disposal, and the famous Nuremberg Rally was staged exclusively for the production of Triumph of the Will. After the war, Riefenstahl disclaimed all associations with National Socialism. She is still making films, although in the more remote parts of the world. Only her documentary propaganda films have been seen in Australia. In the West, Agnes Varda is the only woman director to have worked as an equal with men. She was an active member of the New Wave, and her film Les Créatures dates from this period. She was also one of the directors of Loin de Vietnam. The status of women filmmakers today has hardly improved. But w[...]ither. Clear- ly there is historical precedent. *The Last Stage is a documentary reconstruction ofthe fate of. women in Nazi concentration camps. It was made by a cast and crew, including the director herself, who had been im- prisoned in them. I10 — Cinema Papers, July-August Those[...]buted, inadequately publicized, and never receive the serious critical attention they deserve. In addition, the subtext they communicate — that women can make[...]cycle ensues, keeping women either completely out of the in- dustry or working as embattled independents — those very mavericks who, as Pauline Kael has said in a recent New Yorker article, the dis- tributors and studio heads won’t touch with a barge pole. Lina Wertmilller is a glaring case in point. Her third feature Mimi the Metalworker has been released in Australia, but only in a 350—seat government subsidised ‘art’ house. In view of the brilliance and wit with which this unabashedly commercial piece was executed, the fact that it has not had a major commercial relea[...]able. Not that Mimi is an avowedly feminist film; in fact, to many, its commercial appeal is the direct correlative of its rampant celebration of sexism, since the film is told ex- clusively from the viewpoint of a philandering Sicilian male who pursues the double standard with unmatched vigor. One can only hope Wert- muller’s latest film, Of Love and Anarchy, fares better. At present the only film by a woman director enjoying a full com[...]iana Cavani’s Night Porter. So, at a time when the need for women to create and explore their own cinematic images has never been greater, the commercial exhibition of women’s films in Australia continues to be blocked. Agnes Varda and Susan So[...]us Girl (Bloody Mary) is considered too obscene. The need for a retrospective festival of films made only by women is urgent, and a case par ex- cellence for positive discrimination in favor of women. A festival is neither an apology nor a destructively separatist event. The accusation of separatism (after all why not show films about women, not necessarily made by women?) can be met if the unique opportunity International Women’s Year affords is considered. Never again will women have the resources at their disposal to send representativ[...]or films. And perhaps never again will women have the energy nor the audacity to stage festivals in all the state capitals of the country. Moreover, if the notion of a women’s film festival is not to be a mere flash in the same greasy old pan, the original festival should provide an historical context and celebration of the catholic tastes and varied concerns of the numerous women who have been making films since the in- ception of this newest and most socially decisive art form. The success of the 1975 International Women’s Film Festival cannot be measured purely in terms of the audience who sees it, because the vast ma- jorityof Australian women will not. The reason for this cannot, unfortunately, be explained by simply citing admission prices —- $16 in Melbourne and Sydney for full subscriptions. If the Festival becomes the province of the educated middle class it will be because of the nature of the event and not the cost. Women are more likely to be put off by the unfamiliar and opaque notion of a film festival per se. Hence the inroads that are made into the con- sciousness of the community at large will depend on the energy that is directed towards the other ‘events’ of the festival — the video access centers; the proposed screenings of films and videotapes in schools, country centers, shopping center auditoriums and on the factory floor by mobile projection units; the photographic ex- hibitions; the video tuition and the possible film- making workshops. The organizers hope to expand the dimension of this festival by utilising its audience — a fil[...]venues will be provided for people to meet after the screenings in order to talk in warm and sympathetic conditions. The danger inherent in such a festival is that it could become an excuse for passivity, under the respectable guise of a critical evaluation of the past, unless its praxis-making potential — its ability to illuminate the past in order to inspire, inform and emotionally support current or poten- tial female filmmakers — is realized. The existence of such a festival is almost man- datory if women filmmakers are to be exposed to the need for dynamic reappraisal of their own in- dividual perceptions, in order to ensure that a new idiom and new dimensions are added to the art of filmmaking. «Av Above left: Leni Riefenstah'l's[...]rling‘s Night Games. Zetterling will be a guest of the International Women’s Film Festival. |
| Ms Jackson, you said that by the time you were 18 you have decided to be an actress and that apart from a brief stint in a chemist shop you had not considered any other c[...]pect to have any substantial parts un- til I was in my forties. At that time in the theater most of the roles went to pretty blonde ‘juves’. Then it all changed with John Os_borne’s Look Back in Anger, in which, for the first time, working-class life was con- sidered palatable for the theater, whereas previously the country- house set or classical old masters were the only vehicles for actors.Who were the film and stage actresses that inspired you as a g[...]rd, Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn . . . Because of the sort of roles they played? No, because of their acting; but someone I really liked was Esth[...]ring which time you tended to play a certain type of woman. Has that relationship and the particular way he saw you had any effect on the films you have made for other direc- tors? , No, he had seen me in Marat-Sade and asked me as a result to do Women in Love. He was one of the young directors who had come up through television in the post- Osborne era and I had always liked his work[...]ndous energy and so much enthusiasm, but most In 1954 Glenda Jackson entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, following in the wake of actors like Albert Finney, Peter O’Toole, Sarah Miles and Alan Bates. Ten years of demoralizing repertory work followed her graduat[...]s Peter Brook and Charles Marowitz to play a role in the Artaud-inspired produc- tion of Marat-Sade for the Royal Shakespearean Company’s Theatre of Cruelty season. Her rivetting portrayal of the crazed Charlotte Corday on stage in London and New York — and later in Brook’s film of the production — mesmerized audiences. Ken Russell[...]e and was prompted to take her on to play Gudrun in his film of Law_rence’s Women in Love. Her precision acting and raw, un- fashionable type of sexuality immediately established her as a unique actress. W_ithin_ten years she was to become one of the most charismatic screen presences in the world. Glenda Jackson was recently in Melbourne with the Royal Shakesperean Com an , and was interviewed b[...]rnational Women’s Film Festival. Jackson speaks of the ‘dark’ and perhaps demented women she has pla[...]g about Bergman, say that a good director creates the space for the ac- tor’s fantasies. There’s an instance she cites of when she was playing a vain woman who was to walk[...]osen to do a panning shot, but Liv Ullman stopped in front of a mirror in order to roject her thoughts. Bergman hacf) placed the camera exactly because he an- ticipated she might do just that. Great directors have the ability to anticipate or allow innovations to oc-[...]ability. Have you ever had a director place you in a physically harrowing or dangerous position? K[...]ous things so he doesn’t look a coward himself. In one scene in Women in Love, Oliver and I were in a side-car on a low loader, going along a very narrow lane in Derbyshire with deen ditches on either side. We were going at such incredible speed that we went off the road and ended up in the ditch. Only the cameraman’s protest that the speed was quite unnecessary saved us from having to repeat the “The success of any actor in any generation can be traced to the personification of some trait which is fairly common to most of the population . . . “Glenda Jackson personifies a kind of anti-sentimental can- dor which, in our finest moments, enables us to reject the pap, kitsch and schlock that stultify our daily l[...]ready to pick ourselves up and start afresh. On the coldest day of the coldest British winter for years, for the last shot of The Music Lovers in the asylum, I found myself crouched over a grating, in a disused army barracks, clad only in a thin cotton frock, no stockings or shoes. The shot was repeated over and over again during the day until I was literally blue. Eventually, my face had quite frozen —— it looked perfect for the film. For the 1812 fantasy scene in The Music Lovers, Richard Chamberlain and I had to run into the street in a storm. They had got an enormous wind machine wi[...]t literally lifted us off our feet and dropped us in a hea , with me on the bottom. I realized‘: during the moments the bodies above me were getting up, that Ken would b[...]ke flying. To which he responded by ordering that the machine be turned down by half at least. I knew i[...]to be just like that and wanted to do it again. In the context of the rest of your films, “A Touch of Class” is unusual. Why did you do it? F[...] |
| I’m very interested in the preoc- cupation “Duet for Cannibals” has with[...]e ideas evolve?Well. I’m certainly interested in that situation — at a certain point in my life I was haunted by it. But the choice of theme for the film was also determined by a limited budget. So, I automatically thought of a closed situation with few changes of location, a small number of characters and some kind of personal confrontation. I was actually happy to[...]started off negotiating with an Italian producer in Rome and that is why an Italian actress has a key[...]I asked her to come to Sweden. She did, and then the role had to be changed somewhat because she spoke[...]I’m an American, I was originally going to make the film in Italy, and I actually made it in Sweden. Had I made the film in Italy, the characters would have ex- teriorized much more, whereas now the film does have a Swedish flavor. There is a ver[...]outlined personal style that Swedish people have, of feeling with each other, and inevitably the material had to be adapted to that as well. Coincidentally the subject of the film is a theme that is found in Swedish culture especially in the plays of Strindberg. People have said that Duet for Cannibals is influenced by Ingmar Bergman, but this is not so. The only Swedish films most people are familiar with[...]2 — Cinema Papers, July-August As part of the preparations for the Women’s Film Festival to be held Australia-wide from August to September this year, Sue John[...]ms and shorts and to interview women filmmakers. The following interview between Johnston and Susan Sontag took place in Paris in January and was edited from an original interview[...]ore she turned to scriptwriting and film- making in 1969. Her first two films, Duet for Cannibals (1969) and Brother Karl (1971), were made in Sweden because her producer was Swedish and both themes were adaptableto thethe French producer Nicole Stephane and shot on location in Israel. Critical reaction to Sontag’s Swedish[...]astic about Sontag’s intellectual ex- ploration of the constantly changing emotional and erotic per- mutations of her characters with one another, and the austere and tightly controlled cinematic style she has developed. Others find the films oppressively boring. Sontag is not popular with feminist critics because she is primarily preoccupied in her films with intellectual creativity, cinemati[...]ogy, rather than presenting an alternative vision of indepen- dent, fulfilled womanhood. Sontag is typical of women filmmakers emerging in Europe and the US. She both writes the scripts and directs. She also tends to work on ti[...]her than for large film corporations. Similarly, the distribution of her films is handled by independents. Sontag’s[...]r a woman filmmaker and demonstrates her stature in a field where a director’s ability to find a[...]her last film. Promised Lands marks a departure in content and style from the Swedish films and reveals Sontag a filmmaker of versatility and promise. cinema is really not as individualistic about this sort of psychological con- as it would appear, because th[...]conflict. great deal that is just plain Swedish in Bergman. Yes, I know Marguerite’ Duras, and we[...]y independently. We saw each other’s films for the first time when they were both selected to be shown at thein 1969 and had a long conversation about how simila[...]here are even two scenes which are a variation on the same theme — the woman in front of the mirror. Marguerite was particularly struck by the resemblance. Destroy She Said was indeed the first film she had completely directed and it’s true that she also accepted low budget limitations. In “Duet for Cannibals” you use irony to show the role reversals that are taking place. For example, in the first of the two main dinner sequences one of the girls is a guest, and in the second a servant. It’s the kind of thing that works very well in films. Here I am very different to Duras — I’m going to take her as an arbitrary point of comparison. Marguerite is somebody who is recycling the same material in a number of forms and that is a very extraordinary phenomenon[...]m director and also a playwright. There are works of hers which have been written as novels as well as plays, and have also been made into films. In each case she uses basically the same story or situation with similar characters and dialogue — and she can adapt to each of these forms. That’s very remarkable. I don’t do that at all. For me, ifI have an idea for some kind of narrative, I know that it’s either a film or a work of prose. I know it’s one or the other. I can’t imagine that I would write a novel and then want to make a film of it. When I got the idea for Duet for Cannibals I knew it was a film. That kind of role reversal with a guest becoming a servant I saw ab- solutely ‘in a visual way as the difference between sitting and stan- ding, being helped and serving. The things that I like about Duet for Cannibals are p[...]gs, I dislike even putting dialogue or voice-over in films. So far it's been necessary in the three films I’ve made, but I would love[...] |
| Oneiric cinema or onanic cinema? That appears to be the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to create a dream mythology or have a good wank.So when Pasolini’s 120 Days of Sodom finally hits the screens, everyone will nod wisely. “Ah,” they’ll say. “Oh: So that’s where he’s going.” And the seers of the near future will read back to the shattering revelation in a recent review of 1001 Nights, that Pasolini was decadent, a 'voyeu[...]re that lot’s headed, can’t you? Straight for the Pit. This review is typical of many in combining the manners of a really confused sexist bunny with the morals of the zeal-of-the-land ‘Busy’. “Nothing goes downhill so fast[...]ghtfully. Its pseudo-technical com- plaints about the dubbing, the “bad” acting etc, further complicate the ar ument. In the hands of a pr uction company given, like much established[...], to co- production deals, Pasolini is an example of many other French and Italian directors, auteurs[...]rs along with their product and sold to audiences in Arkansas or Adelaide parroting away in Transatlantic. And, precisely because of the extent to which Pasolini uses films as personal essays, a habit shared by other Italian directors (see the monsters Felliniroma and Viscontisdeathinvenice), critics are more prone to pounce on him in terms of per- sonal abuse. And the trouble is you can’t merely blame the producers or translations (grotesque as the dubbings are), since the images for the most part remain intact, and they should still convey their meaning. Can it be true that the once- promising—Marxist-director has gone gaga,[...]c? Top right and right: Rogopag —- religion is the opium, the bleeding heart of a cruel world. Top left: Pasolini as Chaucer in Canterbury Tales and Bottom left as Giotto in The Decameron — the effect is to reinforce the importance of the auteur. Lower center: 1001 Nights IOOI NIGHTS and I20 DAYS THE EROTIC CINEMA OF PIER PAOLO PASOLINI Noel Purdon Or might it be nearer the truth to point out that certain Australian critics, for all the notice they take of visual style or all the skill they have in in- terpreting it, might as well be blind. Comparisons of Pasolini with that Taorminian baron who photographed young Sicilians in Theocritan poses are not entirely irrelevant. Only the function of comparisons in a work of criticism may be objected to, e.g. “Pasolini wa[...]has now become a dirty old perv, and this lowers the quality of his work.” Such accusations are neither recent nor un- usual. A Time critic in 1967 was already billing his review of Theorem as “lilies that fester”. It is amazin[...]inciples suddenly display themselves as champions of Marxism at sight of a prick. It should be possible to lift the discussion finally away from the sniggering innuendoes of the reviewer, and to start from the premise that Pasolini’s art is, like Proust’s[...]his situation seems at all odd can only emphasise the complicated sexism of those who oppose, conceal or ignore it. Physical love between men, repressed in the tough machismo of the subproletariat in Accat- tone, in Christ’s fiery platonics with the Apostles in The Gospel, is given complete representation for the first time in Theorem, in the affairs of the father and son with the young stranger. In Pigsty it becomes guiltily disguised asbestiality in the modern story, and cannibalism in the ancient one. Despite the lusty adolescent nudes who roll through the Decameron, homosexuality is no more than mentioned incidentally, or disguised as fraternal, as in the tableau of Isabella’s brothers. The Canterbury Tales includes a curious sequence inve[...]rch, and, one imagines, his particular phobias at the time. This is his interpretation of Chaucer’s Summoner, which is consciously treate[...]limaxes with a moneyless sodomite being burned at the stake because he cannot bribe the ecclesiastical officers. No wonder he should wish to say in the last reel of the Nights: “The beginning was bitter, but the end was sweet.” Cinema Papers, July-Aug[...] |
| [...]s with heterosexual models or situations.Below: The Decameron. Bottom left: 1001 Nights —— The ‘Caliph’ _who quotes homoerotic poetry to her[...]touch her vu va. Center bottom: 1001 Nights — The secret turns out to be that the Caliph's beard is really on her pudenda. and that anyone. given the right vestimentary sign, can be what they please: Whatever else it is, 1001 Nights remains also the emotional record of a director in the praxis of filmmaking, not in the carefully scripted and ex- teriorized manner of Truffaut’s Day for Night, but in the form of an interior meditation which acts particularly on the montage, creating the process of a journey to the book. and the Arab world. Pasolini’s fascination with Islamic culture goes back at least as far as the poem Ali Degli Occhi Azzuri, which fantasises Europe’s im- migrant class of Arab workers as a revolutionary force teaching Pa[...]free, and giving them back a culture once had by the ancients but lost by Europeans. The Nights embody both his definition of that culture and the last part of his erotic medieval trilogy. It would seem important, therefore, to look at the film structurally, studying some of the codes by which it operates in tcrms_of shot- rhythm, costume, location etc, and giving some account of what it does on the level of aesthetics, narrative and sexuality. SEXUALITY AS STRUCTURE Firstly, it is important to recognize that the structure is essentially sexual, and that, far f[...]rant abuse, this needs critical examination. 1. The polarization of the sexual adventure is begun by the protagonists Zumurrud and Nur-el-Din as soon as they are alone. He puts his prick in the ‘wrong’ place, an action of sodomy returned to jocosely as a threat to him by Zumurrud in the final scene. Here, as the Caliph, she also quotes homoerotic poetry to her lover while making him touch her vulva. In his encounter with the lion in the desert, Nur reaches and passes through the existential crisis of all Pasolini’s protagonists. But he is still to be initiated, and whatever else is sexual- ly accomplished in the film, the reduction of the male principle from the fucker to the fuckable is its final visual point. ll4 — Cine[...]ust {..’:,'4*z£tIa.-t-".~zv4m_v§-Lav:-.. 2. The tale of Caliph Harun and Queen Zobeida is inset with the episode of the Vizier and the three beaming naked boys lined up for his in- spection, just as in the second half of the film Taji’s pursuit of Princess Dunya has cut into it the encounter with the banana-loving Sheikh who offers Taj and Aziz a bath. Homosexual too are the selections of the male contestant by Harun and the female by Zobeida, though their heterosexual dire[...]r is brought out by their fondling as they spy on the adolescent couple. 3. Even the ordinary townsfolk of Zumurrud’s royal city suppose that Nur has been hauled off for the ‘King’s’ pleasure. One comments that he wouldn’t mind having a go at the boy himself. Whatever the prudery and sense of sin with which Islam, like Christendom, may of- ficially regard sexuality, on the popular level of Arab culture all forms of sexuality are at least granted recognition. So if there is more homosexuality in 1001 Nights than in either the Decameron or the Canterbury Tales, that is a just reflection of the preoccupations of the dlifferent medieval societies which produced 1: cm. Caliph, slave, man or woman. In seeing this as an example of Pasolini’s wilful decadence and personal invention, critics are ap- parently unaware of the continuing debate on boy or girl love which runs through the collection, e.g. the tales of the 389th to the 393rd nights. Here, in a debate between a learned and witty lady and an equally learned and witty pederast, the man places his homoerotic preference on a typical male chauvinist base: “Now man is the active principle in life and woman the assive; therefore past peradventure, woman is bel[...]rating women. He does so, not only by eliminating the desperate ver- bal prostitute Shahrazad, who appeared in the writings, but by making another woman, Zumurrud, delightfully incarnated by Ines Pellegrini, the active principle in the film. It is she who initiates the action at the beginning, and she who has the last word at the end. Just as he con- tradicts the basis of the medieval sexual argument, so he reverses the political (i.e. the master/slave) situation in her imperious treat- ment of her owner. “Give me a massage. Take your pants off,” she commands. The secret turns out to be that the Caliph’s beard is really on her pudenda, and that anyone, given the right vestimentary sign, can be what they please, caliph, slave, man or woman. The zero point of the vestimentary sign is, of course, the body itself — as appears in the second ar- tisan’s tale, where the real contrast is between his memorable nudity and the Knight’s metallic cover: thus perish all tinpots! The nude human body, then, in its own shape and color, and the angle from which it is shot, determines the emo- tion we take from it: lust, pathos, sado- ma[...]n a dozen naked female bodies and an equal number of full frontal male ones, Pasolini provides a range of possibilities in the nude, from the voluptuous desert beauty having a dildo fired into her vagina to the pathos of the white buttocks of the slaughtered boy. Is it deca- dent to make art tha[...]mit that you enjoy art that gives you a hard-on? In defending himself at the Venice biennale against attacks on his eroticism, Pasolini drew attention to Marx’s original views on the political nature of love, and lamented the Stalinist chauvinism of the male _left. “Marxism has taken up the old bourgeois ideas of puritanism. It is significant that my books and films are not allow- ed to be translated or seen in the Soviet Union.” |
| In this sense, his decision to continue making mass visual fantasies of the great erotic books of historical cultures is an act of mass liberation as well as the purging of personal demons and the airing of personal angels. It is, as he insisted, a political choice to make films such as these, the reverse of the images of television and respectable entertainment.NARRATIVE The Decameron had closed with the half- despairing question: Why bother to make a work of art when it’s much better to dream it? The long- ing for dream-cinema continues in 1001 Nights with the added recognition that one pers0n‘s dream isn’t enough. “Truth lies not in one single dream, but in many dreams.” Besides being a dis- tillation of a particular book, then, the film is an examination of Islamic culture and of the role of collective fantasy in any culture, including our own experience of cinema. Its major experiment is with narrative.[...]lways preoccupied Pasolini, as a poet who came to the cinema via the novel and semiology. His methods of discourse have in- cluded the free indirect narrative of Accattone, the geometrical parallelism of Theorem, the embedding of a Greek play, ahistorically treated, within a par[...]rovided by Boccac- cio, his instinct was to avoid the framework of aristocratic tale-telling, and change the metaphor of tale-telling to fresco painting (Decameron). Since he himself played the Giottesque painter, the effect, of course, was to reaffirm the impor- tance of the single auteur. In Canterbury Tales, despite the communal prologue, he took a further step back by reducing the narrative to the comic voice of Chaucer (played by guess who) rather than using the rich variety of narrative voices in the pilgrims’ tales. For 1001 Nights he mercifully elected to play neither the King nor Shahrazad, and thus achiev- ed his most significant experiment of the trilogy by abolishing them from the narrative altogether. Along with Ali Baba and Aladdin, they receive not a mention. The decision to dispense with Shahrazad as Top left and center top: 1001 Nights —— the tragic sexual sacrifice oi the young. Top right: 1001 Nights — Castration as[...]: I001 Nights — An interior meditation creating the process of a journey to the book and the Arab world. Bottom right: 1001 Ni hts — The nude human body. The angle from which it is shot etermines the emotion we take from it. narrator leaves him free to confabulate the tales within tales as well, thus imitating the sinuous narrative line of the original without slavishly following it. The clearest example of this is his bricolage of the Tale of Zumurrud with the Tale of Nur—el-Din. Achieving a notable new story of the two tales seems to have been what caught his mind: a slave auction in which the witty slave chooses her own buyer, but is abducted by Christians and escapes by posing as a bearded man. In Barthe’s terms, Pasolini has picked up the vestimentary signs of the original, and used them as part of the legitimate code of the cinema, i.e. costume. The Caliph’s beard, as a datum of the cognitive order, takes its place as the central visual prop in the activity of sexual role-playing which is the chief motif of the film. He has similarly picked up the various cultural strata of the Nights, Persian, Damascene, north African, Arabian, and reflected them in his choice of locations: Eritrea, the two Yemens, Iran and Nepal. The original Nights, the Hazzar Afsana or Thousand Tales, ordered into a matrix in 1100, and finally added to and established in Cairo c. 1350. dealt with a culture that extended from Indo-Persia, via the Bagdad of Harun al Rashid to Mameluke Egypt. Very much of a feast for the senses, it celebrates the fruits, flowers, colors, jewels, wines, drugs, erotic encounters and in- trigues of Islam. In finally cutting together a con- versation, half of which is shot by the Red Sea and half in Nepal, Pasolini achieves that polymorphy of image, that mixing of cultural realities in order to create a new reality, which characterizes the cinema as well as the tales. CODES OF MANY DREAMS The f1lm’s epigraph about dreams mirrors the difference between Christian and Islamic cultures put by Norman Daniel thus: “For Christians the prophetic preparation of the Jews leads to a single event, the Incar- nation, which is the inauguration of the Messianic Kingdom . . . For Muslims too there is just one Revelation, of the only religion, Islam, or submission to God; but[...]again and again through successive prophets.” The people of the Nights share each other’s ex- perience (many dreams) by being set in a structure I00] NIGHTS AND l20 DAYS which unifies them by the codes or motifs they have in common. This structure is itself oneiric and aest[...]reference to dreaming, or reading from books, as the cues for the tales to unfold. It is impossible in the end to call them tales, because in the film that is not the unit any longer, any more than the single shot is. The structural unit here tends to be either a nude hu[...]e, whatever other shots or tales surround it. And the images around it take off from whatever particular image it connotes, e.g. food to be consumed/the human body to be made love to: the human body to be consumed/food to be made love to. Pasolini has already reached, in Pigsty, the limits of oral and anal confusion, defined later (and memorably!) by La Grande Bouffe. In each successive film he has tried to purge himself of these two sexual stages, which in a capitalist socie- ty may be seen in their unattractive aspects of consumption and despoilation. The mouth gulps down; the arse shits on. A vision of oral heaven in Decameron is matched in Canterbury Tales by an anal hell, which climaxes with a Boschian hellarse shitting forth priests and friars. The Nights give the two their human expression as places of pleasure. Discourtesy about food is treated with[...]sy about love. Those who put their left hand into the communal rice dish will be executed; Aziza lovingly forces Aziz,to eat the food she has prepared for him, though she herself is wasting away. In some places, notably in the same tale, food and love are fused. Aziz insults the enchantress by wolfing down her pavilion banquet and falling asleep, thus twice failing his erotic test. The dynamic by which this structure operates cinematically may be thought of as: still life con- trasted with invading action, a static setup violated by tracking. The best visual example of this, one which gains a rhythmic effect by being repeated, is seen in the static composition of the fatal rice bowl which awaits each of its victims in turn, as they are tracked or panned with on their entrance to the King’s khan. Sometimes the in- vading action is that of violent reality (e.g. the kidnapping of Zumurrud), sometimes of dream (the pigeons fluttering in the trap), sometimes of overt hallucination (Nur’s encounter with the desert lion). Continued on page [80 Cine[...] |
| Restrictive Trade Practices Legislation and the Film Industry - Part II By ANTONY I. GINNANE In Part l of this two-part article, Antony I. Ginnane examined the ownership, attitudes and practices of the Australian film in- dustry. He also examined the history of anti-trust legislation in the U.S., and described the legislative changes which were needed to break u_p the vertically integrated American industry. In this second part, Ginnane examines the British and New Zealand industries, and the measures undertaken there to combat monopolistic practices. He concludes by outlining the development of trade practices legislation in Australia, and suggests ways in which Australian producers and exhibitors may make the new Trade Practices Act work for them. THE COMMON LAW APPROACH Halsbury’s Laws of England“ state that it is contrary to the policy of English common law for any person, or group of persons, to secure the ex- ercise of any known trade throughout the country, and point out that the Crown cannot grant such a monopoly without statutory authority, except in certain cases. The right of the Crown was further limited and defined by the Statute of Monopolies". In North Western Salt Co. Ltd. V Electrolytic Alkali[...]law an agreement might be illegal if, by causing the control of a trade or industry to pass into the hands of an individual or group of individuals, it creates a monopoly calculated to injure the public by increasing prices unreasonably. Although sixteenth century cases upheld the anti-monopoly line — for example, Mitchell v Reynolds” stated that three inseparable incidents of monopoly were: increase of prices; the deterioriation of quality; and the tendency to create unemployment among artificers — a general laissez-faire had, however, prevailed by the nineteenth century. Even in Mitchell v Reynolds”, Lord Macclesfield had recognized cir- cumstances in which a contract in partial, but not general, restraint of trade could be valid. The courts’ withdrawal from economic regula- tion can be noted in Hearn v Griffin (l8l5)3°, in which two coach proprietors agreed to charge the same prices to passengers, a stipulation which it was claimed was “in restraint of competition in a trade which is so conducive to the interest of the public”, and consequently void. Rejecting the argument, Lord Ellenborough commented: “How can[...]Cinema Papers. July-August - BRITAIN restraint of trade? They are left at liberty to charge what they like, though not more than each other. . The high point of the ‘all competition is ruinous’ argument came in 1937 in the Thorne v Motor Trade Association" case, where the House of Lords unanimously approved the enforcement of group price fixing agreements against members and non-members of the association alike by means of a system of secret ‘courts’, collective boycotts and fines. Similarly, in the notorious Mogul Steamship Co v McGregor, Gow and Co. (l892)", where the defendant shipping lines combined to secure the carrying-trade out of Hankow for themselves ex- clusively (by regulatin[...]ith agents who represented competing shipowners), the House of Lords held that their conduct gave rise to no cause for action on conspiracy charges. In spite of the fact that McGregor, Gow and Co., had sent numbers of its ships to the port to undercut the plaintiffs ship, there was nothing un- lawful about their object to monopolize tl Hankow trade, and the methods used were neither unlawful intimidation n[...]ween fair and unfair competition is enunciated by the court. — Lord Justice Bowen commented: “I my[...]misfortune if we were to attempt to proscribe for the business world how honest and peaceable trade was to be carried on in a case where no such illegal elements as I have mentioned exist, or were to adopt some standard of judicial ‘reasonableness’, or of ‘normal prices’, or ‘fair freights’ to wh[...]otherwise innocent, were bound to con- form.” In Sorrel v Smith (l925)” the ‘conspiracy OVERSEAS REACTION TO FILM INDUSTRY MONOPOLIES doctrine’ crystallized. A combination of two or more persons wilfully to injure a man in his trade is unlawful, and if it results in damage to him is actionable. If the real purpose of the combination is not to injure another, but to forward or defend the trade of those who enter into it, then no wrong is committ[...]Thus most attempts at monopolization or restraint of trade, which are usually motivated by hope of business gain, were preserved." The highwater mark of_ laissez-faire — the en- forceability of contracts in restraint of trade — occurred in Nordenfelt v Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Co (l894)”, where the reasonableness, in reference to the interests of the parties concerned and the public, was held to justify contracts in restraint of trade. The burden of proving the unreasonableness lay with the individual alleging it, and as Walker“ notes in Australian Monopoly Law, the interests of the public were rarely considered. STATUTORY INTERVENTION It would thus seem inevitable that the common law’s failure to discourage monopolistic activities, or protect the public interest, would “precipitate some legislative intervention as the number of restrictive practices grew. In 1948, the British House of Commons passed the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices (Inquiry and Control) Act with three main purposes. The first was to define conditions, ‘monopoly con- ditions’, to which the machinery of the Act was to be applied, when, “in the opinion of the Board of Trade the conditions did,‘or might prevail in any department of trade or industry as regards the |
| supply, _processing or export of goods of any description’’.The second was to institute a commission — originally _known as the_Monopolies and Restric- tive Practices Commission (now the Monopolies Commission) — to investigate and report on monopoly conditions and the practices resulting from, or designed to maintain them. The third purpose of the Act was to provide sanctions in the — form of orders by specified government departments, approved by Parlia- ment and enforceable in the courts by injunction. The purpose of these was to prevent the reported conditions and practices from being used, or allowed to operate against the public interest. In 1953, the Act was amended and the number of members was increased in an attempt to speed up the processes of the Commission. But the 1956 Restrictive Trade Practices Act made radical changes to the 1948 Act, especially with reference to resale price maintenance, and restored the Monopolies Commission to its former size. The Commission is a judicial tribunal with the powers and authority of a superior court of record, presided over by a judicial official with the standing of a High Court judge. It has extensive jurisdiction over restrictive and discriminatory practices currently in force in trade and industry. _ The Act of 1956 further makes certain restric- .t1ve practices liable to registration with the Board of Trade, as opposed to the Monopolies Com- mission, but the control of the practices remains roughly the same, still leaving monopolies to the 1948 Act. THE MONOPOLIES COMMISSION REPORT ON THE FILM INDUSTRY On October 28, 1966 (acting on further amendments to the original 1948 legislation con- tained in the Monopolies and Mergers Act of 1965) the Monopolies Commission presented a report to Parliament on “The Supply of Films for Exhibition in Cinemas”.” At the time of making the report, there were two major cinema circuits in Britain — the Associated British Corporation (ABC) circuit and the Rank circuit. Of the 2013 cinemas in Britain, 600 were operated between them. Distribu[...]ciated British—Pathe — and seven subsidiaries of the U.S. majors. The methods of restrictive distribution discussed in Part I con- cerning the U.S. industry were virtually all in operation in the British industry, with the addition of distance-bars. The problems of time-bars have already been discussed. These barring clauses in agreements between exhibitors and distributors enable the ex- hibitor to get full value from a film by prev[...]r cinemas from playing it concurrently, or before the expiration of a specified period. The Commission stated: “In addition it has become RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES LEGISLATION AND THE FILM INDUSTRY PART II the practice for the barring clause frequently to in- clude a statement that the cinema is entitled to play first-run in a particular area and that other cinemas are not[...]con- currently.” There have been some changes in the British ex- hibition field since then, but only to the extent of revised ownership of the chains and not to the appearance of new competition. Bars thus give formal recognition to the prac- tice of regarding some cinemas as first-run houses and some as subsequent run. The effect of bars is to permanently allocate to cinemas operating them, the right to the first-run of all available films in that release. The Commission recommended that: (a) The two circuits extend the flexibility of their booking arrangements via split releases (as[...]tional splash’) and specialized marketing; (b) The circuits initiate proposals to establish product[...]putes and competitive bidding by exhibitors; (c) The Rank Organisation refrain from dis- ( criminating against documentaries made by others; (d) The Board of Trade review disputes machinery for time-bars and distance-bars, and the time-bars be generally shortened; (e) Distributo[...]act collectively to restrict ex- hibitors’ use of premises. The Commission examined the U.S. divestiture and divorcement experience during its considera- tion of arguments for breaking up the two circuits and splitting production from distri[...]hile both Rank and ABC were large film producers, the Commission found that there was no large specific dominance of the British in- dustry by either organization. Although the two held a dominant position in exhibition, much of the distribution and financing of roduction was done by companies not connecte with ABC or Rank, and which themselves had no stake in ex- hibition. The Commission, therefore, felt that the system of reciprocal preference* which gave rise to the U.S. situation was absent from Britain. The Com- mission also found that the system of local monopoly (‘closed town’) situations which gave ‘in negotiating films for the circuit from the distributors. the corporations lumped together towns in which they had no competition, and those in which there were competitive theaters. They generally licensed first-run release for their theaters of all films to be released by a distributor in a year. and they frequently included second-run film rental in their First-run film hire. _ rise to divestiture in the U.S. was not present in Britain. Competitive biddin and theater-by- theater booking in the U.S. ad produced con- flicting results, and the Commission considered it was not in a position to determine which in- terpretation of these results was correct. The Commission, therefore, set its face against a radical revamping of the British industry, preferring to patch,it up from[...]see some looser and more com- petitive structure in the film industry. But given the situation as it now exists, we are impressed by the formidable, and probably expensive, practical problems in the way of adopting any of the proposals” — i.e. concerning divestiture, divorcement, and the creation of a third circuit booking force.” To a degree the Commission was limited by the tendency of the British legislation to gyrate around the ‘public interest’ rather than to prohibit various practices per se. It is interesting to note that the years 1967-69 saw the virtual take-over of the British film in- dustry by American producer-distributor in- vestment,,which, when withdrawn in late 1969, almost saw the total demise of production. The British industry is now in a sorry state, ex- isting off old formula successes (the Carry On series, etc.) and TV spinoffs. Perhaps a major reworking of the industry could have produced the same vibrant independent output that flourished in the U.S. after the consent decrees in the sixties. A NEW PROPOSAL FOR REFORM In August 1973, the Nationalisation Forum of the Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians published a document called Nationalising the Film Industry which contained some of the most radical proposals vet advanced for saving the British industry.“ The report, which is a mine of factual material concerning ownership of the multi-national production; distribution organizations (parts of which are reproduced in Appendix G*), advocated the com- pulsory acquisition by the Government, without compensation, of the major production, ex- hibition, distribution and[...]ear, two-stage plan is outlined for restructuring the industry together with organizational arrangement[...]ers’ control and forming a democratic framework of decision-making from a local to a national level.[...]these proposals were received with scepticism by the established film industry, and were never general[...]- EMERGENCE, GROWTH AND RELEVANCE INTRODUCTION The general structure of the Australian film in- dustry has been discussed in some detail in Part I of this article. Similar situations have also been found to exist in the U.S. and Britain, and the remedies undertaken have been noted there. Here i[...]trade practices legislation, its development and the scope of the most recent enactment. Considera- tion will be given to how the Act may be applied to various film industry practices. Before doing so, however, it is interesting to note the state of the film industry in New Zealand, where restrictive trade practices legislation“ is quite similar to the previous Australian Liberal Government’s Act. In New Zealand, distribution and exhibition are cont[...]orations. Amalgamated Theatres, who are owned by the American Twen- tieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, control around 35 of the country’s 230-odd cinemas. The other circuit, Kerridge—Odeon, which controls approximately 65 of the country’s cinemas, is con- trolled in turn by the Rank Organisation. The remaining ‘independent’ cinemas are well away from the main centers of Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington, and are unimportant to the total box-office billings. Kerridge—Odeon and Amalgamated Theatres have virtually the same Cinema Papers, July-August — I17 |
| RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES LEGISLATION AND THE FILM INDUSTRY PART II relationship to distribution suppliers as Fox and Rank have in Australia. New Zealand has virtually no feature film out- put, and there are no incentives for either of the two majors to invest in local productions. THE PRE-BARWICK LEGISLATION Australian monopolies le[...]like its British counterpart: a reaction against the laissez-faire attitudes of the common law. As Walker“ points out, early attemp[...]tion received rough handling from judges schooled in common law traditions. In 1906, Federal parlia- ment passed the Australian Industries Preserva- tion Act, an anti-trust enactment that resembled the Sherman Act in all but one clause. It forbade contracts and combinations made with “intent to restrain trade to the detriment of the public”, and monopolization “with intent to control, to the detriment of the public”, the supply or price of any part of commerce. The public detriment ele- ment allowed the courts to inject into the statutory structure the laissez-faire standards of British courts of the nineteenth century. In Hud- dart Parker v Moorehead (1930)‘”, Sections 5 and 8 of the Act purported to regulate anti- competitive conduct by corporations in both inter- state and intrastate trade, and that such conduct exceeded the Commonwealth’s power to legislate with respect to corporations. Then came the Coal Vend appeal in 1910". The prosecution claimed that the defendant mining companies had combined with inte[...]estrain or to monopolize interstate coal trade to the detriment of the public. The defendant ac- counted for 92 to-98 per cent of the local supply, and their activities encompassed all the exclusive dealing, profit sharing activities we are familiar with in the film industry. In the High Court, Mr Justice Isaacs found all charges proved, citing unreasonable price in- creases and restrictions of choice to the public detriment. The Full High Court, however, reversed the decision in a much-criticized judgment which sounded the familiar cry of the evils of com- petition. The court maintained that the public interest was better served by an industry[...]d be what would occur if competition was allowed. The Privy Council approved the Full Court judgment for similar reasons. The Act then was left largely in disuse until the successful prosecution almost 50 years later, in the Redfern v Dunlop Rubber Australia Ltd (l964)" case. Four Australian states have restrictive trade practices acts which antedate the 1906 Federal Act“. Like the Federal Statute they have been largely disused because of “restrictive interpreta- tion by the courts, apathy in government and ig- norance among the people”". THE BARWICK PROPOSALS It was inevitable, therefore,[...]far- reaching legislation would be suggested, and the proposals of the then Attorney—General, Sir Gar- field Barwick, provided some basis for a com- prehensive new Act“. The law was to be based on a case-by-case interpretat[...]were designed to encourage voluntary registration of agreements, and to reduce to a minimum the amount of investigative work. They also applied to vertical[...]gistration scheme was without precedent. Moreover the criterion of ‘public in- terest’ — that a practice is only ruled against if 118 — Cinema Papers. July-August the Tribunal is satisfied it substantially lessens competition — was made more precise. However, the basic dichotomy of the Barwick scheme — i_.e. that list ‘B’ practi[...]r after they have been successfully challenged by the registrar in proceeding for deregistration — was truncated during debate on the Bill. As assented to on September 27, 1966, the Trade Practices Act 1965-66 was a watered-down, toothless version with the ‘B’ practices removed. The purpose of the Trade Practices Act, as stated in the preamble, was “to preserve competi- tion in Australian trade and commerce to the ex- tent required by the public interest.”** The restriction of competition, however, is not paramount: the Act is also subject to the public in- terest requirement and thus may be modified from time to time. The task of the Trade Practices Tribunal set up by the Act was to work out a case- by-case accommodation of the values to be preserved by competition, and the values compris- ing the notion of public interest. The main sections of'the Act deal with the following: (a) Five categories of examinable agreements, some of which must be registered with the Commissioner of Trade Practices and all of which are subject to examination by the Trade Practices Tribunal —— which may declare them to be contrary to the public interest (Section 35); (b) Four classes of examinable practices, none of which are registerable, and all of which may be examined by the Tribunal to deter- mine whether they are contrary to the public interest (Sections 36-37) and (c) Two sub[...]are not subject to registration or examination by the Tribunal (Sections 85-87). The examinable agreements include those which contain restrictions on the freedom to produce (i.e. output), deal and zone. The ex- aminable practices include attempts to claim favorable treatment from a supplier to the disad- vantage of his competitors; full-line forcing; collective boycotts; and mono olization. As the Act stood it was 0 little value to in- dependent cinema operators. Appendix G shows the fate of one typical complaint. It seems abun- dantly clear, as Walker" argues, that a large list of prohibited practices should be enacted: “The Australian approach”, he says, “rests on the assumption that all the examinable agreements and practices are likely to be innocuous in a sub- stantial percentage of cases.” This is clearly not so. He examines and answers affirmatively the question of whether the Australian economy can afford — small as it is,[...]es that some basic prohibitions are necessary for the sake of fairness, because the case-by-case system presents the injustice of some groups being examined early on and others later. Greater use of absolute prohibitions would give Ll'21dC groups a[...]ike price fixing, market sharing and coercion out of their agreements”. CONCRETE PIPES AND BEYOND An opportunity arose for the McMahon government to put teeth into the Trade Practices Act in 1971, when the High Court and the Chief Justice, Sir Garfield Barwick (Strickland v Rocla " The Act is thus aimed at activities that restrict com[...]nopolization. Concrete Pipes Ltd (l97l)“, held the entire Act to be invalid for constitutional reaso[...], chose not to capitalize on this oppor- tunity. The new Restrictive Trade Practices Act of 1971 went little further than the original Act. It did nonetheless provide some ind[...]tunity to phrase their problems more exactly, but the inability of the aggrieved exhibitors to commence proceedings on their behalf limited the usefulness of the Act. (See Appendix F*). The whole structure of the film distribution and exhibition duopoly was considered by the Tariff Board in its recent inquiry into the Motion Pic- ture and Television Industry”, and the Board recommended assistance needed for the produc- tion of Australian programs. During the inquiry evidence was heard from all sections of the in- dustry, and the Board’s findings were presented to Cabinet in September 1973. The Board recommended that some divestiture of present-day cinema ownership be made. It also urged that the present concentration of control within the industry be reduced — specifically, the dominance of the prime exhibition outlets by the Greater Union, Village and Hoyts groups — and the necessary measure of competition be created by providing a greater number of suitable alter- native outlets. The Board believed that once the exhibition sec- tor of the industry was restructured, “the normal interplay of market forces will provide the necessary guarantee of equal opportunity for all films on the basis of their box-office merits with little or no government intervention”? The Board also recommended measures involving the divestiture of shareholding interests by certain parties, to ensure that horizontal and vertical in- tegration within the industry was sufficiently structured, so that no one company could dominate the marketing of films in Australia. It further recommended a limitation on the total number of exhibition outlets held by one person or company in certain key areas, and that limitations be placed on the ownership and con- trol of exhibition companies. A divorcement recommendatio[...]eemed necessary to prevent preferential treatment of films made by dominant producer-distributor-exhibitors. Aware of the constitutional uncertainty of the Restrictive Trade Practices Act, the Board noted the possible use of Section 92D of the Broad-. casting and Television Act (1942-72) which limits overseas holdings in local companies. The divestiture and divorcement proposals — which were similar to parts of the US legislation — were intended to reverse the trend towards in- creased duopolization, and expedite the replace- ment of older cinemas. They were also designed to rov_ide a better range of films, both local and oreign. It was left to the new Labor.government to im- plement the divorcement and divestiture proposals set out in the Tariff Board report. But it has not done so, and there are reasons to believe that the proposals have been shelved. The Labor government has, however, steered through Parliament what has been called in many quarters the most important piece of legislation regulating the conduct of business ever to have been enacted in Australia — The Trade Practices Act of 1974, which fundamentally changes the law on restrictive trade practices and establishes a new agency, the Trade Practices Commission. The new Act makes the following practices un- lawful in most instances: contracts; arrangements or understandings in restraint of trade or com- merce (Section 45); monopoli[...] |
| RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES LEGISLATION AND THE FILM INDUSTRY PART II The Commission is empowered to grant authorizations for contracts, arrangements and understandings in restraint of trade or commerce (other than price fixing of goods, save for joint ‘venture partners), exclu[...]if it is satisfied that they are likely to result in a substantial benefit to the public, and in all the cir- cumstances they are justified. Further the Commission has the power to grant clearances for: (3) Contracts, ar[...]ant effect on competition; (b) Exclusive dealing of the type referred to in Section 47(2) which it. considers would not be likely_ to have the effect of substantially lessening competition in a market for goods and services, and; (c) Mergers which it considers would not be likely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition in a market for goods and ser- vices. The distinction between clearance and authorization is that a clearance is a ruling that the Act does not apply to a particular situation», while an authorization is a ruling that even though the Act does apply, the contract or conduct is justified given all the circumstances. Strong remedies are provided for the Act’s infringement: pecuniary penalties for contravention of Part IV (restrictive trade practices); injunctions; orders for divestiture of shares and assets; and actions for damages for those who have suffered loss or damage. _In_ addition to the rights granted to the Com- mission and the Attorney-General, the Act also provides for an aggrieved individual to bring an action. This private right makes the new Act a potentially powerful weapon in the hands of the independent producer, distributor or exhibitor.[...]hem substan- tially before him, is an arrangement in restraint of trade outlawed by Section 45. Such an arrangement imposes re_strictions_in respect of the terms or conditions subject to which dealing may be engaged in. It also restricts per- sons or classes of persons, or the circumstances in which they may be dealt with. It could also restr[...]cond person, ex- cept on terms disadvantageous to the second per- son. Further, the exhibitor might allege that such a restrictive agreement, and indeed the whole dis- criminatory basis of distribution — exhibition ac- tivities as outlined in Part 1 of this article — amounts to an offence against Section 46 of the Act, the monopolization provision. This section states that “a corporation that is in a position sub- stantially to control a market for goods or ser- vices shall not take advantage of the power in relation to that market that it has by virtue of be- ing in that position to: (a) Eliminate or substantially damage a com- petitor in that market or in another market; (b) Prevent the entry of a person into that market or into another market; or (C) Deter or prevent a person from engaging in competitive behavior in that market or in another market.” Commentators on the new Act suggest that in certain fragmented markets, like the film in- dustry, the test of market control may well be far less than the 25 per cent share of the market criterion which previously held sway. It will be clear that Section 46 of the Act has far-reaching implications for the independent film producer as well, and might well[...]ual against distribution companies here, who with the notable exception of Roadshow and BEF have generally refused to become involved in local production, thereby effectively preventing many producers from entering the market. Penalties under the new Act are sufficiently high for even large corporations to be severely affected. For breaches of Part IV of the Act, the restrictive practices sections discussed, the penalties are a $50,000 fine per offence for an in- dividual, and a $250,000 line per offence for a[...]oted, a private individual may initiate an action of his own volition, or lodge a complaint with the Trade Practices Commission or the Attorney-General’s Department. The $100,000 fines recently handed down against Sharp Cor- poration of Australia for offences against Part V (the consumer protection sections of the Act) show the tough line adopted by the Australian In- Appendix G: Ownership of foreign distribution and exhibition combines operating in Australia (Source: Nationalization Proposal). Rank Group[...]anty Nominees Ltd. (primarily American holdings) The Rank Organisation “II is generally recognised that the leisure industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world today: this is a field in which The Rank Organisalion has been active from the first and is now a leader." The Rank Philosophy Sir John Davis I. General finan[...]I973: £637,038,000 and Subsidiaries. 1000, is the 10th largest life member of Eagle S_iar's board. and the company has been connected with ATV, Scottish Tel[...]11-75 £11-88 (iii) April 1973 £4-25 £4-25 53% of the Ordinary shares, or . by Rank Group Holdings Ltd.[...]nual (0) Rank by 1|-||'fl0V9l' among UK report, the whole of the share dustrial Court. Two further points to not[...]nce for any potentially restrictive practice, and the time for making applications for authorizations e[...]lmost certainly qualify for legal assistance from the Australian Legal Aid Office, if he were to attempt to bring a private action. It is true that in the years since the Tariff Board report there has been a new openness and under- standing within the film industry, in all its sec- tions. However, it may well be that the only way some of the abuses and excesses practised by dis- tributors will be eliminated, and the only way the almost total lack of distributor involvement in local production will be changed, is by individual recourse to the new legislation. FOOTNOTES 25. 23 Ha,lsbury‘s Laws of England (2nd ed.), p. 340; Notes (i) to (It). 26. I7 Halsbury-‘s Statutes of EngIand‘(2nd'ed.)', p. 617 — 27. (I92) I07 I[...]4. See Sykes, E.l. & Glasbecck. HJ. “Labour Law in Australia", pp. 334a.II‘l 333; and Fleming “Law of Torts". pp 664-71. 35. (1894) AC 535. 36. De Q. Walker, 0. “Australian Monopoly Law", p. 28. 37. Supra in 20. 38. Supra fn 20 at p. 15. para 54. 39. Supra fn 20 at p. 80, para 239. 40. ACTI‘, "Nalionalising the Film Industry". l973‘74- 4I. Collinge, J., “Restrictive Trade Practices & Monopolies in New Zmland“. 42. Supra fn 36 at p. 31. 43. (1[...]1912) I5 CLR. 45. (I965) 110 CLR 694. 46. Supra in 36 at p. 35. footnote 47. 47. Supra In 36 at p. 35. 48. "Some aspects of Australian proposals for the control of Rmlrictive Trade Practices and Monopolies“; (19[...]crrllry Korah V. (1964) 38 ALJ 190. 4‘). Supra In 36 at p. 289. 50. Supra In 36 at p. 298. 51. (1971) 45 ALJR 485. 52. Supra in I at p. 1. 53. Supra in at p. 19. Errata and Corrigenda to Part 1 I. Ta[...]rcsarea West Australian exhibition group. Further the word ‘independent' in colriirmr ‘I971-2‘ should be next to Capitol, not Embassy. The ‘I974’ column.hoIewtr_is correct. 2. In the Fifth paragraph on p. 37 when 1 state “Prudenti[...]r interests to Village Theatres“ I did not mean the word ‘forcuf to be used in ii strictly literal way. The Capitol could not get product by rmson oft}: system. Village through Roadshow had access to product. The deallrasctrlaiinly proved to be a profitable one for Prudential Theatres and they acquired. at the lime of the deal referred to, a 50 per cent interest in the Swanston Cinema. B-rgle Star Insurance Company Ltd. Eagle Star. according to The Time.r insurance company in this country and 7th largest non-life insurance[...]s chief executive and chairman. is a (a) Control of the Rank Organisalion about 8 million shares. is own[...]by profit before interest and tax: 21st Source: The Times I000 1972/73 (d) Financial review 1972 1971 1970 195-2157-C 141-9 50-4 36-6 33-7 £ million (e) Shareholdings in the Rank Organisation. Persons or companies holding more than 10%, of the ordinary share capital: capital of Rank Group Holdings "is ultimately owned by the Rank Foundation Ltd. and the Trustees of the J. Arthur Rank Group Charity (to whom these inter[...]ven by Lord and Lady Rank under arrangements made in 1953] and by the Trustees ofthe 1961 Rank Group Charity. The Rank Foundation Ltd. . . is the Company's ultimate holding company." There seem to be at least two other holding companies involved in this rather intricate structure, Group Holdings Ltd. and F. D. & R. Holdings Ltd. The directors of The Rank Foundation Ltd. are: R. F. H. Cowen, chairma[...]e. Mr. Cowen, who is apparently Lord Rank‘s son-in-law, is also a director of Church and Chapel Films Ltd. and Religious Films Ltd. Mr. Giuseppi is a solicitor, and is a director of a number of other companies including Adjustable Nominees Ltd. Mr. Joseph Rank and Mr. J. D. Hutchinson are dircclors of Rank Hovis McDougall Ltd. Mr. Keighley is a former chief general manager of the National Provincial Bank, and a director of the Rank Organisation. Lord Nelherthorpe is the chairman of Fisons Ltd.. a director of. among other companies, Lloyds Bank and Unigate L[...]ormer president ofthe National Farmers’ Union. The Charitable activities of this foundation and the Rank charities deserve further investigation, but the main purpose of the elaborate maze of holding companies is to ensure that the Rank Organisation remains under B1’Il|Sl1 control. There are two kinds of shares in the Rank Organisation, Ordinary and ‘A’ Ordinary, and only the holders of the Ordinary shares have voting rights. About 40 mill[...]uaranty Nominees Ltd., (b) and these shares are in the main held by holders of American Depository Receipts. Although the American shareholders do not have voting rights, they do have a considerable influence on lhe Rank Organisation's policy since t[...]ir shares. When Rank made a ;bid for Walney Mann, the American investors were worried about the possible dilution of Rank-Xcrox‘s profits. They brought pressure to bear on Rank not to continue with the bid, and Rank'was eventually forced to abandon this takeover. Recent hislor y The Rank Organisation was almost exclusively dependent on its film activities, but in recent years it has been ‘rationaIising' its film interests which in practice means closing less profitable cinemas and re-developing the sites. The wealth which came from the film industry has been used to diversify Rank‘s activities. One almost accidental result of this process of diversification was the Rank-Xerox partnership. Originally Rank's Xerox interests were managed by the Rank Organisation, but the Xerox Corporation was not lhappy with this arrang[...]new company. Rank was given zr large shareholding in the new company. Today the profits from this (i) Turnover ‘Z, shareholding dwarf The Rank Organisation's traditional activities. In 1970, 75% of The Rank Organisation's poshtax profits came from Rank-Xerox. In 1971, 82%, and in 1972 the percentage was 72 Z. In cash terms, the post tax-profit attributable to Rank from Rank-Xerox was about £13 million in 1970. about £16 million in 1971, and about £19 million in 1272. Using such massive annual injections of capital. the Rank Organisation has continued its diversifianion. Rank has in the last few years acquired City Wall Properties, But[...]nd Investment. (C) Turnover and profit analysis of The Rink Organisation 1972 1971 1970 Audio Visual[...]I Unallocated Central Costs (4) (7) (5) Figures in parentheses indicate a log for the year. Continued on pages 182 and 183 Bri[...] |
| [...]rst and foremost, a film actor. Apart from a year of classes with the Ensemble Theatre in Sydney, he has had no formal training. _Thompson began acting professionally in 1967 dur1ng_the pioneer days of Australian television drama, and appeared in a number of series including Skippy, Motel and the long-running Ri tide. lin 1969 he played his first film role (which he describes as “third heavy from the left”) in Girl from Peking. _ Then, in 1970, he landed the lead role in a new popular telev_1- sion series, Spyforce. At the same time he also appeared in episodes of Homicide and Division Four for Crawford Produc- t[...]r, able to play a natural Australian character on the screen. In the face of the stranglehold American television series had over the Australian audience this ability gained him considerable recognition. In 1970 he was given his first role in a major feature film —_— Ted Kotcheff’ s Wake in Fright — which gave him the opportuni- ty to work with an experienced feature[...]n widened his television experience through parts in Matlock Police, Boney and Ryan; and in the following year he was cast in a major role in a segment of the Australian feature Libido. In 1974 he played the title role in Tim Burstall’s Petersen - his first feature film lead. The ensuing publicity made his name a household word. Since then Thompson has played the lead role in the South Australian Film Corporation production Sun[...]Scobie Malone for Kingcroft Produc- tions. With the release of Sunday Too Far Away he has achieved a status rare among Australian actors, and his appearance in a film can now be a major factor in its box-office performance. In eight years of wide—ranging experience, Thompson has worked w[...]l directors. and has personally ex-’ perienced the ‘renaissance’ of the Australian film industry. The following interview was conducted by Sue Adler and Steve MacLean after the premiere screening of Sunday Too Far Away at the Sydney Film Festival. Thompson begins by giving his impressions of some of the directors he has worked with. |
| JACK THOMPSON My first real film role was in Wake in Fright. It was a director’s film and Kotcheff was very dynamic in the way he directed my perfor- mance. Working with Ken Hannam was equally exciting but in another way. Ken provided an aura of calm around the camera and around the scene._ That was his dynamic. It made it very easy to flow, very easy to work. In that way Ken was in- spirational, but not as aggressive as Kotcheff, not as Machiavellian in his manipulation of a performance. Ken employs a different directing[...]fiddle, play sweet tunes to impress people, but thethe task ofthe country to do it, although I would like to be given the opportuni- ty to work with people outside Australia, because we’ve made so few films. In Australia we’re not aware of cinematic style in practical terms. But if you’ve been making fil[...]ciousness about how long y0u’ve been doing it. The last film I worked on was Scobie Malone with Cas[...]ging to a recognizable genre, and it will be full of the style of that genre. Casey was on the set just about all the time, and you were always aware he was there. But he never got in the way. He produced the film in the true sense of the word, riding it all the way. He was the critic on matters of style and taste, and he wasn’t afraid to look at something he’d done and say: “Jesus, no way!” Now in Australia, even our wisest filmmaker would have had many qualms about reversing a decision in the middle of making a film. We have to concentrate on keeping[...]Do you think we need co-productions like “Wake in Fright” to help Australian filmmakers develop more expertise? One has to be very careful of co- production, though only in one sense: to make sure you’re not being ripped[...]on is very important. Jesus! Are we going to make the classic colonial error of isolating -ourselves? Do you think that actors in Australia are subjected to the rigors of PR machinery the way they are in places where the film industry and its resources are more fully developed? Petersen was a brilliant example of what publicity can do. It was _]USt un- believable. When I started Petersen I could walk down the street and I sup- pose a few people would have looked at me. But in the eight weeks that I was involved with Roadshow and the promotion of Petersen I c0uldn’t walk anywhere without being recognized. It was beautifully done. The PR in this country is fantastic. We have resources we don’t even recognize. The press and the media are so available given our relatively small population. With Petersen they saturated the entire population in a two-week period. For those two Top: Jack Thompson and Jacki Weaver in Petersen. A brilliant example of what publici- ty can do with an actor’s image.[...]Petersen. a vulgar gothic hero. Above: Thompson in David Baker’s segment of Libido, The Family Man. weeks you got nothing but “Jack Th[...]ieve it — they were packaging me as a product! The popularity happens whether you like it or not. The thing to do is to say to yourself: “Okay, it’[...]ontrol it. My agent, June Carin, takes a look at the work opportunities available and then presents them to me. We've sorted out between us what sort of work I like to do. She manages me along those lin[...]g — not liv- ing for my work. Do you find that the images generated to promote the films you Above: Thompson in Sunday Too Far Away. Hannam’s direction was dynamic and inspirational. act in — for example the machismo Petersen image — affect the sort of work you do? It can be changed tomorrow. The image is made out of the work you do. If you do one rolefand do it well —— and there are a number of roles around like that — then producers and dir[...]ey will always use someone who has done that sort of thing well before, so you end up becoming involved in an im- age whether you like it or not. There was a time when no one would have cast me as a heavy — in fact on the first Riptide I was offered the director wanted to cast me as a heavy, but the producer said: “No, you couldn’t cast him as a heavy, he’s too pretty.” The director Cinema Papers, July-August -— l2l |
| [...]n they saw that they said: “By Christ! That’s the character we want for that coast- guard series!"[...]ian character with some veracity and that becomes the attrac- tivp thing.But it is confining. I’ve been con- scious of trying to steer my way out of type-casting to a certain extent — at least by trying to play a range of characters. But I can’t seem to es- cape the current filmmakers’ preoc- cupation with the proletarian Australian — which is not necessari- ly a preoccupation of mine. Although, of course, I couldn’t have played the Petersen character without some understanding of what he was into, some understanding of what he was reacting to and what his values were. They are not unfamiliar to me in this society. They are, however, unattractive to me. Initially, does the saleability of a film project attract you? Film that is involved with the vox populi always appeals to me. I don’t partic[...]it does have audiences. Ifl wanted to be involved in film regardless of audience, then I would involve myself in experimental filmmaking where I could indulge wh[...]or fantastic whims I might have. I regard being in films as being in an enormous market place, where there are lots of people selling their wares —— themselves. To[...]it; to say that Tim Bur- stall is only interested in making money is absolute nonsense —— to say that Tim is not interested in making money is absolute nonsense too. But in terms of his films, Tim sells what I sell, my wholehearte[...]ed to his fullest extent when he is doing his job of directing a film. Now whether you like his films or not, the criticism must not come in terms of whether you like what he sees or projects, you mu[...]one moment, having worked with Tim, that any one- of his films is not an honest statement of what he honestly believes. I personally find Tony Petersen rather vulgar In a gothic sort of way. In fact I think perhaps that is the reason Tim does punch peo le on the nose when they don’t like is films, because somewhere, the Petersens — the vul ar gothic heroes —— really are Tim's eroes. A lot of people are hailing “Sunday Too Far Away” as one of. the best Australian films evei made. How do you feel about that? It probably is. How did you react to the cuts in “Sunday Too Far A vay?” I22 — Cinema Paper[...]ave at least made a three or four-hour film. But the .script had to be cut out of it, and it was put together with a great deal of love for the story. It eventually turn- ed out —- and it certainly did honor the original — but it was two hours long. Since then it's been cut back to 90 minutes. There were a lot of people who were involved in the making of the film who expected it to look a lot different to the one that was finally shown. Were you one of them? Yes; I think that perhaps all the cast were. I think they are all pretty happy with the film though. Not many Australian directors seem to have the final cut. No, the industry isn’t rich enough for that. We don’t[...]rectors like Kubrick, for example, who any number of producers are willing to back. That just doesn’[...]trolled film production because we’re so aware of the possibility of making mistakes — the whole damn thing has to work every time. Until we learn to write off a few films with some sort of dignity, then we’re not in a position to have that sort of freedom. I don’t think we can write off our failures with any kind of dignity because as soon as we have one or two, ou[...]and we’re pretending it hasn’t happened. Let the film have its faults — let’s not find ourselves in a position where we believe the only films worth mak- ing are perfect ones — i[...]t we’re only fooling ourselves. Nine films out of ten don’t work anywhere for anyone. It’s a difficult problem because everyone wants to make the best film possible. Peter Whittle was talking to Ted Kotcheff, and he asked: “What are you going to do if the film doesn’t turn out as you want it to?” Ko[...]would make another film.” If we make errors on the way, all right — for God’s sake we’re still learning to make films. I think Grotowski once said that the only step worth making in artistic endeavor is the grand gesture, and that it should be a wholeheart[...]’t take falling on your face you shouldn’t be in the public artistic arena. If the thing works, then you’ve made a significant step in your artistic endeavor. I must say that the features I’ve worked on were all grand gestures in their way. Petersen —- whether it succeeds or fails — was a grand gesture in that particular area. Now whether a film succeeds or fails is ul- timately of less importance than the wholeheartedness that went into making it. Of course it’s not sufficient to be wholehearted; a considerable amount of skill is needed as well. I would hope that we can learn that skill along the way — supported by our wholeheartedness. That w[...]ake us hopelessly depress- ed by our failures and the errors we’re bound to make. If anyone’s got a quid, let them put that into it, What do you think of the general state of the industry at the moment? The film industry, along with a lot of other industries, is experiencing a generally depressed financial climate. I said two years ago when the first waves came that I thought we only had two years — and if the government changed back, then that would be about all we’d have. Lots of people see the industry as having floundered on the rocks or something. We were all a bit elated by the sudden boom and we feel that the waves should be crashing all the time. We have to be able to ride it out. For people to be talking about the beginning and the end of the Australian film industry in a two- year period is panicky and very negative. It gets a bit hard and peo- ple start saying that the ship is sinkin . It’s not sinkin — it’s jus[...]g as high and ry as it was. If we can’t weather the economic storm then we’re not likely to become[...]and certainly things will revive enormously with the success of a few more. I think Sunday looks like being a success, and in terms of financial returns Scobie Malone is bound to be t[...]ide, Woohinda, Skippy I970 Homicide. Division 4, The Rovers, Spyforce (regular lead) I97l Spyforce (regular lead) - 1972 Matlock, The Evil Touch, Boney, Behind the Legend, Homicide, Ryan, Line Haul I973 Elephant[...]Matlock, Ryan, Homicide Stage I969 Hamlet (part of Claudius) for the Films Union Theatre I969 Girl from Peking I970 Wake in Fright I972 Libido I974 Petersen, Sunday[...] |
| The 1973 Tariff Board Report on Motion Pictures and Televi- sion proposed a series of blueprints for multi-national exhibitors and distributors to put their houses in order. Although the major recommendations of the report - concerning divorcement and divestiture — have been indefinitely shelved by the Labor government, Hoyts Theatres Ltd., The Greater Union Organisa- tion and Village Theatres Ltd., the three main exhibition groups in Australia, have set themselves to a major re-examination of their purpose and function in the Australian film industry.This re-examination, and its results, is of immense importance to local producers because distributors, with the exception of Roadshow, BEF and F ilmways, have stolidly and steadfastly set their head against investment in local production. Thus many producers will find t[...]Thornhill with Between Wars or Margaret Fink with The Removalists — either dealing directly with exhi[...]ratlon by Andrew Clark picks up a distributor at the end of production, liaising extreme- ly closely with the distributor’s chosen exhibitor to make sure it[...]John Mostyn, newly—appointed managing director of Hoyts Theatres; David Williams, general manager, Theatres Division, of Greater Union Theatres; and Graham Burke, managing director of Village Theatres. Similar questions were asked in each interview in an attempt to find out where this re-examination has led them. A short history of each of the three companies appears before each inter- view. It should be noted that sections of these interviews were con- ducted by written question and answer. In several instances answers to questions have become statements on a particular area of policy, operation or concern. Cinema Pape[...] |
| THE EXHIBITORS HOYTS john Mostyn Hoyts Theatres was founded in 1908 by a Melbourne dentist, Dr Arthur Russell, with the renovation of an old hall in Bourke St. Melbourne which he called the Hoyts De Luxe Theatre, and the formation of a company called Hoyts Pictures. The venture was successful and expanded to Melbourne sub- urbs and the city of Sydney by the end of World War 1. In 1926, Hoyts Pictures merged with Electric Theatres and J. C. William- s0n’.s Films, a combine of Sir George Tassis and former projectionist Frank Thring Snr. The new company, Hoyts Theatres Ltd., quickly expanded and within two years built large cinema complexes in four States. In 1932, after heavy buying on the stock market, the Fox Film Corporation (now Twentieth Century—Fox) became the major shareholder and provided finance for Hoyts to expand all over Australia. During the fifties Hoyts completely re-equipped for CinemaScope, Cinerama and 70mm, and, in 1954 began drive—in operations (opening Australia’s first drive—in at B_urwo0d,_ Victoria). The advent of television, however, forced Hoyts to rationalise its activities and many of the chain’s suburban theaters were sold. In the early sixties Hoyts began a multi-million dollar[...]which is still continuing. With six new theaters in Melbourne, seven to come in Sydney, two in Perth and three in Adelaide, Hoyts is arguably Australia’s best first release chain and a potential gold[...]competitive. Exhibition Trends Hoyts is firmly of the belief that a large proportion of audience over twenty—five years of age has been lost to the film industry and must be retrieved. With this in mind, and for general marketing information, we have initiated a series of studies by Dr A. E. Meadows, formerly University of NSW into patterns of filmgoing, on a suburb by suburb basis, looking a[...]ectations. We intend to engage much more heavily in market research than appears to have previously been the case in the film industry, and we hope that we will have an informed and logical reason for every move we make in future. We will be actively co-operating with the Worker’s Education Association and education gr[...]empty these-days except on Saturday nights. Many of our new theater installations will have 16mm facilities and the new ‘mini’ Cinema 6 we are building in the foyer of the Mid City complex in Melbourne will be similarly equipped. As for sho[...]— are hard to find, but we are continually on the lookout and would welcome film producers approach[...]tempting to encourage dis- tributors to recognise the drawing power of an outside supporting program and we see this as[...]n industry to try out its wings. Theater expenses in our modernis- ed complexes in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, and especially in our old theaters in Sydney — which the Trocadero complex will replace —— are today such that we do not emerge from a fiscal year with vast sums of profit from film screening. It is a myth that we[...]ble organisation, particularly by any measurement of return on current value of assets, or even on funds invested. In fact takings from concessions at our theaters oft[...]ith our only profit. This is a reflection largely of the escala- tion of costs in a labor-intensive in- dustry, which not only directly affect Hoyts but are passed back to us by our film suppliers by way of substan- tially increased film hire terms. Twent[...]nual budget which is mutually agreed, and that is the con- trol which Fox expects Hoyts to observe. Of course they expect a reasonable dividend. We need[...]x if we wish to significantly deviate from budget in a given area. We neither give, nor as far as we a[...]here. Hoyts’ image, I would agree, has an air of ‘wholesomeness’ about it and we will continue to maintain our high standards of film selection. However we are under no obligati[...]s us. Fox film represents no more than an average of approximately 25% of our gross receipts per annum. This year, for instance, Fox represents only 11% of our receipts. Distribution Trends We are pleased with the growth of independent distribution outfits in this country in the last few years. With 7 Keys Films, we have com- peted successfully for the release of much of their film through us. 7 Keys’ success has, no doubt, been due in part to its promotions, which are always uniquely[...]er all decisions made here about film buying from the distributors are made strictly competitively, on the basis of the quality and saleability of the film itself and the terms on which we may buy it. We have no franchis[...]x not infre- quently choose to sell to us because of our marketing and retail expertise. This shows up in an attractive gross return on their film. Local[...]t manufacturers. Hoyts have ab- solutely no plans of involvement in production or, in fact, in any opera- tion where we believe we lack professional expertise. However if we became aware of a script with poten- tial, one which we felt should be made, we would do everything in our power to assist the scriptwriter, even to encouraging Twentieth Centu[...]are most keen to exhibit local product. We have The True Story of Eskimo Nell in current release, The Removalists is about to go and we may be screening Inn of the Damned and End Play. This is in addition to numbers of Australian films which we have already exhibited with mix- ed success. I believe the time has already arrived when local producers and their distributors automatically think of us as the logical first choice for their releases simply be[...]that local producers understand our criteria for the purchase of film from any source. It must be realised that pr[...]Cinema programs cannot be impos- ed on audiences. The television viewer is virtually locked into the programs appearing on his screen. The cinema audience, however, simply will not go to a[...]ustralian—produced films are com- petitive with the film of other sources in standards of technical quality and general professionalism. Additionally, if the industry wishes to be a commercial success, it cannot allow itself the indulgence of total subjectivity. There are certain known elements in movies which are attractive to audiences and these must be embodied in the product. We are always delighted to work with Australian roducers in the provision of in ormation which might help their judgment of the commercial viability of their product, prior to starting the produc- tion process. Unfortunately, few take advantage of this facility. Trade Practices Act I totally agree with any legislation the purpose of which is to eliminate unfair or repressive trade practices. I equally as strongly believe that the purpose of this legislation was not to correct any injustice by the creation of new or different injustices. I know that Hoyts does not trade unfairly in any way. Hoyts cannot be considered a monopoly, any more than any other major retailer of consumer goods or services in Australia is a monopoly. It is true that the Twentieth Century—Fox distribution organisation, which is separate from Hoyts and autonomous in Australia, tends to prefer Hoyts for the first release of Fox product, but this is on competitive grounds. Our terms for film hire of local products are directly in line with those we pay for film from any source a[...]many foreign releases. Not only have we promoted the fair entry of local film into the market but have encouraged such entry, oft[...] |
| THE EXHIBITORS rw},’j'.‘ ,, ,q ,_ i[...]' '. ‘» . _ ». -._ _l-. . \_ . . . -. i I The Greater Union Organisation’s corporate origins lie with three pioneer companies of film exhibition and production: Spencer’s Theat[...]malgamated Pictures Ltd. These companies merg- ed in 1911 to form Union Theatres Ltd., and its product[...]1915 and 1929, Union Theatres built up a network of theaters, constructing cinemas like the Crystal Palace and the Capitol in Sydney for the exclusive screening of films. But the Depression and the necessity to wire for sound hit hard. In fact the market value of Union Theatres’ shares on the ex- change was completely wiped out and unfriendl[...]Greater Union Theatres Pty. Ltd. was formed from the ruins. It im- mediately linked with Hoyts Theatres forming General Theatres Cor- poration, in an effort to stabilize film-buying and to standardize economic methods of operation. The outlook, however, remained bleak. In June 1973, Stuart Doyle resigned as chairman of Greater Union and was replaced by the dynamic young accountant Norman B. Rydge. From Ja[...]wn way again, and Rydge set about re-establishing the company’s credit standing and restoring morale in the organization to allay shareholders’ fears. Rydge built up a lavish collection of theater real estate and ended the Greater Union Organisation’s involvement in film production with the closing of Cinesound as a feature unit in 1940. After the war Greater Union continued expanding its interstate interests. In 1947 it acquired the Clifford circuit in South Australia, and in the fifties it aligned itself with Birch, Carroll and Coyle in Queensland and Ace Theatres in Western Australia to create a national chain. A splurge of theater remodelling and rebuilding in the late fifties and early sixties, coupled with investment in drive-ins, successfully combatted the debilitating effects of TV. At the same time the distribution arm of Greater Union, British Empire Films (BEF), also widened its activities and began buying films from all over the world. In the sixties, Village Theatres sold an interest in its organization to Greater Union, which is now in a very healthy state and has paid regular dividen[...]nhill for Between Wars; BEF has recently finished The Man From Hong Kong; Stone has, or will I believe, cover complete production costs; and Exhibition Trends The Theatre Division of Greater Union is a new entity, and there has been a big changeover in manpower. If you look at the Theatre Division, the controllers of film-buying, adver- tising, theaters and merchand[...]films at Greater Union; everybody that works’at the head of a department now has to be a film buff. New atti[...]de a special deal Greater Union is now a partner in Picnic at Hanging Rock, with the South Australian Film Corporation and_ the Australian Film Develop- ment Corporation (AFDC).[...]cnic at Hanging Rock, but Picnic Productions have the rights for the rest of the world. It will be promoted and shown throughout the Greater Union Organisation. All our people are really involved in this project., We are not knockers of Australian production, in fact we are enthusiastic to find the right subjects. David Williams In the sixties we were basically engaged in remodelling our old theaters. However, it is now[...]o our big building stage. We are starting triples in Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle. We have finished a triple in Brisbane and a twin in Canberra, and we are. finishing a quad in Adelaide. The last step Will be a six—theater complex in Melbourne. Is any consideration being given to 16mm facilities, bearing in mind that a good number of Australian indepen- dent films are being made in 16mm? I have very strong feelings on l6mm, because I believe 16mm is an inferior gauge and 35mm is in- ferior to 70mm and so on. I feel a first class theatrical presentation should be in 35mm. That is the professional medium after all. , This, of course, can make it a little difficult for many A[...]ment assistance to blow-up to 35mm. I am thinking of all the film material that is in the Vincent Library, some of which Village are now screening in Melbourne. Tim Burstall recently presented us with two shorts, one made last year and one made the year before: Three Old Friends and The Hot Centre of the World. We are playing both with Petersen at the moment, but reaction is not good. They are gettin[...]ilm that has been promoted. Local Production “The Man From Hong Kong” was a co—production with Golden Harvest, and a corporation called The Movie Company. Is The Movie Company a Sydney version of Hexagon? In_ a nutshell it is rather similar, but it Will certainly never become a Hexagon. What sort of a deal exists between Golden Harvest and The Movie Com- pany on “The Man From Hong Kong”? It’s a straight out 50-50 deal. Many people in the industry are worried about the tendency of Australian production budgets to creep up and up.[...]hire estimates, recoup its production investment in Australia. Do you endorse that or do you see the international market easier to get into than they do? Take The Man From Hong Kong for example: with Kung Fu and[...]t. Alvin Purple, Barry McKenzie and Weird Mob are of solely Australian appeal. You have to start to take risks out- side the Australian market. Picnic at Hanging Rock could be the first big breakthrough. I think it will be more of an international production, particularly because Rachel Roberts and Dominic Guard are playing two of the lead roles. I also think — and I read a lot of screenplays—that Cliff Green’s screenplay is one of the best I have read. I believe this one has a chance. But even so the budget will be around $400,000. I wouldn’t want[...]dn’t be impossible to recoup that $400,000 from the Australian market. It would only need a box- office of about $1.75 million. Continued on page /8[...] |
| THE EXHIBITORS VILLAGE Graham Burke Village Theatres began operations as an entity in 1954 when Roc Kirby, Bill Spencer and Ted Alexander opened their first drive-in at Croydon, Vic- toria. The Kirby group had operated a circuit of hard top theaters in the for- ties, but none of the partners had in fact ever seen a drive-in. Initial plans were therefore based on imagination and photographs from trade papers. The theater was an immediate success and attracted a[...]d further drive-ins at Rowville and Essendon, and in the country at Hamilton, Wangaratta and Stawell, and in Launceston, Tasmania. In 1957-58, Village received a major setback as television began to serious- ly affect the suburban drive-ins. However, TV was not introduced to country areas until 1960, and the overall trading of the group, therefore, remained satisfactory. The credit squeeze of the early sixties saw a drying-up of risk capital available for expansion, and a general lack of confidence in the film industry caused by the traumatic effect of the closures of so many suburban theaters. It was at this time th[...]rtnership with Greater Union to establish a drive-in theater at Geelong. This partnership proved so su[...]her areas, and by purchasing a one-third interest in Village Theatres, Greater Union provided an infusion of ca ital to enable a fast expansion into new locations. During this period, in ividual theaters of the Woodrow circuit were offered to Village, and the Rivoli Twin cinemas were developed. Roadshow was started in 1968 with a few drive-in films and the acquisition of the re-issue rights of South Pacific. These films were so successful th[...]ise for American International Pic- tures, giving the company access to a continuing line-up of product. Simultaneously, Village increased its theater holdings, and with the com- pletion of a twin cinema complex at Double Bay in Sydney, the group was in a position to offer producers a viable third circuit release in the two principal cities. Soon after, with the establishment of a luxury twin complex in Brisbane, the network was widened, providing Village with an independent national third circuit. Exhibition Trends The seventies will probably see further expansion int[...]neighborhood houses and local filmgoing. As part of this, drive-ins will probably continue to expand. Sex movies will inevitably run their race as the public tires of their feast of the forbidden apple, and it won’t be long before au[...]out to buy soft drinks while couples copulate on the screen. Out of context sex will become boring because it was nev[...]spec- tator sport — except for a small coterie of lonely old men. Throughout the seventies, Village will continue to expand. This will in- clude further expansion with the Dendy organization, following the successful establishment of the Den- dy, Lonsdale St. This venture was of mutual advantage because we felt at the time that Dendy had access to more specialized films than we did. Consequently, with the availability of Filmways or Dendy film, Village is ensured of being more successful. Warner Brothers With the increase in operational overheads in distribution, and the general shrinking of the market due to television, the seventies saw major companies trying to cut overheads in all countries. Warner Brothers’ Bur- bank execu[...]s created, whereby Roadshow was able to take over the American Warner distribution in Australia. Distribution Trends The American Film Theater is for Roadshow the most exciting challenge in 1975. It represents the biggest single investment in our com- pany’s history. We believe that the American Film Theater is the right format to reach the big audience for quality films that has previously been unavailable because of high promotional costs. The second season of the American Film Theater in the U.S. is even more exciting and we look forward to a big future in this area. The term ‘art’ films today has almost become mea[...]our interest is to continue with strong emphasis in this area, and we have recently acquired a group of films, including Costa-Gavras’ Special Product S, the French film Violons Du Bal, and Sweet Movie. It[...]Village-Roadshow policy to always release films of quality in a subtitled version and never dubbed. This, of course, is with the exception of Westerns and films meant for broad appeal to the public. We also see Australian films as a very significant part of the local dis- tribution scene _in the future._ _ Roadshow-Village’s relationship with Greater Union during the period has been a happy one, with Greater Union maintaining the third interest that they acquired in the ear- ly sixties. Roadshow, however, has since dev[...]ributed through Birch, Carroll and Coyle, and Ace in Queensland and Western Australia respective] , in ‘an endeavour to offset high istribution costs.[...]beneficial distribution ex- perience. It showed in practical terms that good profits could be made[...]cted Stork. However, Tim Burstall’s experiences in four—wall screenings quickly con- vinced the company of the film’s potential, and subsequent distribu- tio[...]to both Roadshow and Burstall. This gave Roadshow the encouragement to enter local production and a det[...]en Tim Burstall, Robin Copping and David Bilcock. The philosophy of the company was to create a continuing film productio[...]These films were followed by Alvin Rides Again, The Love Epidemic, Australia After Dark and the recently completed End Play. Tim Burstall is chairman of Hex- agon and Alan Finney is its executive director. Complete authority for decisions concerning what the com- pany will produce is vested in their hands. It is our philosophy at Roadshow th[...]and marketing expertise. However, we believe that the distribution peo- ple should be the minority part of the team when it comes to making final decisions on[...]. We can rant,_rave, yell and steam, but finally the decision on what will be made must be vested with the creative people. We hope, however, that our com- mercial appreciation will help in assessing their judgments, and might even result at times in a ‘one for you, one for me’ basis. But we will only be successful with the right men as head of production. I believe that with Burstall and Finney at the head of Hexagon production plans, we are assured of a long and successful future. Hexagon, I would hope, has no set or rigid policy of what it will produce and will always retain flexi[...]which would answer critics who ac- cuse Burstall of producing sexist films, because this is a t'irst[...]that could be compar to early Hitchcock or even the film Sleuth. The development of a sophisticated and successful approach to overseas selling is vital to the success of the Australian production industry. There is no reason why Australian films cannot be successful in the world market. The only limitation is our ability to produce and sel[...]le to sell some films to television, but probably the best potential lies in the theatrical market. Alvin Purple was made as a domestic Australian production, and the fact that we have been able to achieve good sales in the U.S. and Britain, and have prospects for a number of other markets, is en- couraging. Our philosophy at this time in selling overseas is to obtain, at all times, an advance of money up front, because this provides a real in- centive for distributors to work hard on the product concerned. Trade Practices Act I don’t believe Roadshow- Warners in any way constitute a monopolization of the market, because there are still six very vigorous[...]op- position distribution companies. Furthermore, the takeover of Warners gave Roadshow a steady flow of product which enabled a base for expansion into A[...]his meant that Roadshow could employ a large team of advertising and publicity people who would be available to work on all films. Without the Warner flow of product it would not be possible to maintain a distribution machine of such a high standard. Roadshow basically applauds the Trade Practices Act as something designed to encourage fair play in the business community. It has always endeavored to operate on the basis of being equitable, and would hope that the Act, for the most part, would not be necessary in an industry that exer- cised restraint and intelligence. ‘Franchising’ has essentially been out of vogue for some time, although it is true that fi[...]. However, it has been Roadshow policy right from the beginning to sell its films where it is felt _best for the producer concerned. Right now we are playing films in Greater Union, I-Ioyts, Dendy and independ[...] |
| Antony I. Ginnane The international film festival held yearly at Cannes Is_ in _a sense at least five festivals in one. There’l's the official festival which screens in the main; theatre on the Croisette. and which this year included titles like The Day of the Locust, Tommy, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, and Yuppi Du. This is a prestigious event inasmuch as the producers and/or dis- tributors of the entrants (and in some cases the governments of the producer’s country) tend to use it as a showcas[...]elves and their stars. As a result, films entered in the official festival generally pick up distributors. ’Secondly, there is the Quinzaine des Reallsateurs (the ‘Director's Fortnight’), which began as a counter festival after the May 1968 student-worker ‘revolution’ in France. it is now a well organized presentation of films that generally approximates what the average Australian filmgoer would regard as ‘fe[...]n, and once a director has had a film screened by the Quinzaine the chances of his next film being selected are pretty high. Thi[...]day Too Far Away (Ken Hannam). As films screened in the Quinzaine general- ly pop up at festivals all over the world during the following 12 months, it was a major coup for Australia's Sunday Too Far Away to be selected. The screening focussed serious attention on Australian film development in a way the official government-sponsored delegation could never have done. The Semalne de la Critique (Critic's Week) is arguably more aesthetically and less politically Inclined than the Quinzaine, but has as much, if not more, art hous[...]ippe Mora’s Brother can You Spare a Dime opened the seven-film season this year and although Brother[...]ion will draw attention to projects Mora works on in Australia. The untranslatable Les Yeux Fertiles was a daily intermediate feature in the main festival building. This section concerned itself with film versions of other media works and includ- ed Bergman's opera film The Magic Flute, as well as two American Film Theater produc- tions — Galileo, directed by Joseph Losey, and The Maids, directed by Christopher Miles. This was a new section this year and was well received. By far the most popular segment of the festival is the Film Market section. The Market comprises single and multiple screenings of films of any kind, presented by their producers, agents or occasionally by their governments (as was the case with the Cana- dians, Swedish and French) or a combination of both (the Australians). Entries range from masterpieces (O[...]core porn, which this year made up a fair segment of Market entries. I propose to comment briefly on highlights of each of these sections as well as discussing the measure of success of the Australian par- ticipation this year. But first a note for the Australian daily press, which seemed to concentrate itself on denigrating the Australian fledgling industry’s involvement. To[...]inue to note _that Australian films were screened in ‘back street theaters’, i would point out that 90 per cent ofail films shown at Cannes screen in back street theaters, and that of the 31 cinemas in Cannes, 28 are in the back streets off the Croisette. And to those journalists who made a to-do of the fact that Tim Bursta|l’s Petersen attracted only 20 people at the first of a series of Australian screenings, i would point out that this screening was a try-out preceding the festival’s official opening and that most subse- quent screenings of the 15 or more local films on view averaged crowds of around 100 (a good average figure for Market screenings). And of course at its Quinzaine screenings Sunday Too Far Away played to full houses. The Official Festival Many of the films in the official festival have either opened, or are about to open in Aus- tralia. So while Fosse's Lenny, Antonioni’s Profession Reporter (The Passenger), Scorcese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Russe|l’s Tommy would be worthy of note and discussion I will pass on to other entries. in my opinion the best film of the official festival was Joseph Losey’s Thethe Mia Farrow role in Secret Ceremony —— divides the household and eventually splits it. Losey’s irony is that the Berger character is living on borrowed time himself and the conclusion has the right measure of pessimism and hope. Glenda Jackson and Helmut Berger In Joseph Losey’s The Romantic Englishwoman. Another feature of the official festival was John Schlesinger’s The Day of the Locust. While, in the past, a ponderous, pretentious filmmaker, Schlesinger has at last found a subject on the one hand so intrinsically allegorical and on the other so glittering that he has produced a major[...]West's story and Waldo Salt’s screenplay is set in Hollywood in the thirties, and at first sight is just a non-freakish version of Heat. However Schlesinger gives it wider im- plications, attempting a decline and fall of the West parable, a comment on Nixonian America. The final riot and killing outside Grauman’s Theate[...]innocence and integrity. John Schlesinger’s The Day of the Locust —— a comment on Nixonian America. The other major item and probably the most widely praised critically, was the new Werner Herzog film The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser starring Bruno S as a sort of in- carcerated ‘wild child’. Herzog’s film examines the deadening powers of bureaucratic authority and the viciousness of society’s repressions in a witty and often moving fashion. Bruno S. in Werner Herzog’s Every Man for Himself and God Against All (The Enigma of Kasper Hauser). Authority of another kind is considered in the new Costa-Gavras Special Section, yet another treatment of French collaboration un- der the Nazis. Especiaily critical of the jesuitical equivocations of Vichy’s lawyers and judges, Gavras’ film combines fast-moving pop politics with a darker sense of tragedy. Cer- tainly less compromised than most of his re- cent work. Costa-Gavras’ special section — yet another treatment of French collaboration under the Nazis. Cinema Papers, July-August — I27 |
| CANNES 75 The Quinzaine mm Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacres lifts cinema violence to a level that will be hard to top in this post-Warhol Dracula-Frankenstein age. The film's brilliance, like Spielberg's achievement in Jaws, is its continued maintenance of suspense. By being plunged into violence in the film's early stages, the audience cringes at the expectation of what is to come. Here a demented group of ‘Okies’ mutilate a party of plcnicking kids — including a wheelchair- bound[...]nce employed by a nearby abattoirs and fired when the plant automated, these violent cretins wage war against the machine age by butchering those who stray into th[...]oper’s imagery — especially a high silhouette in long-shot of one of the cretins chasing a picnicker, the night sky lit by the white trace of smoke from the chain saw and the sound track a screaming mechanical whine —— is superb. Hooper rubs our noses in his gore and the effect is rivetting. Robert Kramer, a former associate of the Newsreel Group and the director of ice and The Edge, has been working for three years on his 200-minute summation of American political history since 1968. Roughly presented in documentary style, Milestones is a sort of underground version of The Trial of Billy Jack; a causes film. Often rambling and diffuse, but frequently moving, Milestones vindicates the views of Kramer and his associates and endorses their claims about American imperialism at home and abroad. The Taviani brothers’ Allonsanfan is an historical[...]score by Ennio Morricone that manages to overlay the film's often glib posturing. Ken Hannam’s Sunday Too Far Away, cer- tainly well received by the European critics at the festival, has pretentions to a definitive statement on the Australian outback ethos. While its ensemble of male players, notably Jack Thompson, Robert Bruni[...]especially his camera placement and juxtaposition of imagery — is flat, un- imaginative and ultimately a dead bore. John Dingwall’s script has the makings of a tough treatise on class interaction and working[...]ics, but as filmed by Hannam it's become a series of sweaty tableaux that would make Leone flinch. Fa[...]e as popular. Ostensibly about homosexuals, it is in fact a Sirkian melodrama about love and possession. Fassbinder himself stars. Finally, note should be taken of Cahiers critic André Techine‘s feature, Memories of France which features Jeanne Moreau in her best role for 10 years. The Critics Week : Philippe Mora’s Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? opened this week. A medley of ups and downs of Depression life strung together as a parable-comment on the United States today, Brother is noteworthy for Mo[...]siastic and wildly spirited selection and cutting of material, as well as for much of the rare footage un- earthed. A more engaging film than Swastika, Brother was one of the few really enjoyable films at Cannes this year.[...]rs, July-August Thlerry Zeno's Vase do Noces, the cause celebre and scandal of Cannes. Thlerry Zeno's Vase de Noces was the cause célebre and scandal of Cannes 1975. Whether it succeeded in putting pigophilia on the map or not is a moot point. It certainly had its director thrown out of the Martinez Hotel for dragging a pig on a leash around with him. The wildly black humor of Vase de Noces cer- tainly vindicates the oddball subject matter. Other titles screened at the Critics Week in- cluded a version of R. D. Laing's Knots by British filmmaker David Munro. A sort of musical/theater event with a Pink Floyd soundtrac[...]e than appeared at Les Yeux Fertiles. Bergman’s The Magic Flute seemed to be a routine recording of the Mozart opera, and Losey’s Galileo was overshadowed by his other reference material festival offering, The Romantic Englishwoman. Galileo is greatly inferior; a mishmash of Accident and Figures in a Land- scape. Topol, however, does give a more r[...]it to Losey for that. Christopher Miles who made The Virgin and the Gypsy some time back presented — for the second series of The American Film Theater — a version of Genet’s The Maids with Glenda Jackson and Susannah York. Both[...]ces; screaming, biting and frothing at each other in a perverted comment on Albee that leaps in half a dozen directions. Miles’ handling of the material however is stagey and routine. Thethe very basis of aesthetic and financial judgments by so-called experts. The highlight of the Film Market this year was Orson Welles’ F For F[...]o after a single viewing. Ostensibly a comment on the lives and lifestyles of two inhabitants of the Spanish isle of Ibiza — Clifford lrving of Howard Hughes fame, and Elmyr de Hory, the celebrated art forger — Welles in fact examines his views on cinema, his own career, and his own films. He comments on the relationships between film and reality and film t[...]revelations about famous art forgeries —— and the critic's bllthe acceptance of them — he queries the very basis of the aesthetic and financial judgments made by so-call[...]nd by implication his own status as a filmmaker. The usual cavalcade of sex and violence was also on view. France's lifting of restric- tions on hard-core porn meant a diverse selection of Gallic offerings on view for the first time. None were of note. Dutch film- makers Lasse Braun and Albert Ferro however topped their last entry, Penetration, with the elegant and glossy Sensations, again starring Brigitte Maier. A Hong Kong kung fu release The Street- fighter, directed by Shigehiro Ozawa headed the list of offensive gore. Mark Lester’s Truck Stop Women, a personal favorite, featured at several screenings and the director was in attendance. Also of note was Russ Meyer's new Super Vixens (competent[...]h Race 2000, a new Corman New World action film. The Australian Representation This year the Media Department and the Australian Film Development Corporation organized an official delegation to the Festival which was endorsed by the Department of Overseas Trade for recognition under the Ex- port Market Development Grants Act. This mean[...]able to recoup either monies advanced to them by the AFDC (this was done in about a dozen cases) or from their own funds. Not all participating filmmakers were happy with the manner in which the representatives of the Media Department and the AFDC con- ducted themselves at Cannes, nor with the Canadian-like ‘umbrella’ structure of the delegation in general. No doubt they will be putting their own[...]consulted for their views and experience, unlike the two or three Aus- tralians present at Cannes in 1974 whose views were not canvassed by Media Depart- ment officials. The films themselves performed as anyone with any knowledge of world markets would have expected them to. Brian Trenchard- Smith’s action film The Man from Hong Kong was a smash hit and sold in almost every market. Smith’s ability to direct action is — on the evidence of Man from Hong Kong — world class. Richard Franklin's True Story of Eskimo‘ Nell was sold to all English-speaking t[...]me foreign language markets. Stone, Plugg and Inn of the Damned picked up a couple of territories each. Tim Burstall’s Petersen will be the first Australian film to be distributed by a major gr.oup in the United States. Sunday Too Far Away was sold to Columbia-Warner for distribution in Britain and deals were made for most territories in Europe. Between Wars, regrettably, less well rece[...]icked up some dis- tribution deals. John Lamond's Australia After Dark was taken for the US and Britain sight unseen. Whether the exercise should be repeated again at offic[...] |
| THE I975 MELBOURNE AND SYDNEY FILM FESTIVALS While in the past the Melbourne and Sydney Film Festivals have tended to be the same festival held in two different cities, this year’s events marked a shift in programming which may herald more divergent approaches to the selection of entries in future festivals. In Melbourne this year direc- tor Erwin Rado exclusively screened special seasons of films by Hungarian director Miklos Jancso and German films from the co-operative dis- tribution and production organi[...]verlag der Autoren, together with a retrospective of shorts by the Polish filmmaker Piotr Kamler. Meanwhile, Sydney[...]‘Salute to Australian Film’, a retrospective of Australian filmmaking from 1911 to 1971. in the face of criticism levell- ed at the festivals that their programs are too narrow in the selection of entries, the in- troduction of more diverse special screenings may provide Australian audiences with a broader view of developments in world cinema. in the Cinema Papers coverage of this year’s festivals a selection of feature films from both festivals, the documen- taries of the Sydney Film Festi- val, the shorts of the Melbourne Festival, and the special seasons of both festivals have been reviewed. The selection of feature films reviewed this year was guided to a large extent by the probability of a film being released in Australia in the near future. Films that have either been bought f[...]have not been reviewed here but will be discussed in future issues. Feature films screened at this ye[...]Film Festival's Salute to Australian Film appear in a special Australian feature film checklist on page 137 Alice in the cities W. Germany Allonsanfsn Italy The Audience, Italy A Bigger Splash Britain Billy and Percy Australia The Brutalisstion of Franz Blum W. Germany Brother, Can You Spare a[...]and Julie Go Boating France California Split US The Circumstance Italy The Confrontation Hungary The Conscript Belgium Cousin Angelica Spain Dreamland Canada The Day of the Locust US Elektreia Hungary False Movement W. Germany Help! The Doctor is Drowning Netherlands Himiko Japan The Holy Office Mexico in Danger and Distress Compromise Means Death W. G[...]rness France John’: Wife France Lina Braake and the Interests of the Bank W. Germany Lovers in the Year One Czechoslovakia Nada France The Middle of the World France/Swltz. The Mouth wide Open France My Way Home Hungary Night of the Scarecrow Brazil Not as Wicked as All That Fran[...]S&M S&M S&M S&M S&M M S&M M Occasional Work of a Woman Slave The Oddballs Orders The Passenger Phantom of Liberty The Pistol A Private Enterprise Red Psalm Romancers The Secret Shadowman Shampoo Silence and Cry The Sandglass Snowfall Sunday Too Far Away snowdrops Bloom in September Still Life Sweet Movie The Valiant Ones A Village Performance of Hamlet With You and Without You Wrong Movement 25[...]SR France France/itaiy US Hungary Poland Hungary Australia W. Germany Iran International Hong Kong Yugosla[...]§an Makavejev: Yugoslav director — now working in America — who presented Sweet Movie Philippe Mora: Australian director — working in Britain — who presented Brother, Can You Spare[...]ritish filmmaker, author and critic. who spoke on the Grierson documentary school ’ Cinema Pa[...] |
| THE 1975 SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVALS MELBOUR[...]l. Italy 1974. ALLONSONFAN Allonsonfan is about the challenges and ex- pediencies of political life — about commit- ment turned sour and causes betrayed. And the fact that it's set in an exotic piece of the past is not supposed to impair its relevance to the present. But Marcello Mastrolanni as an aristocratic revolutionary yearning, in middle-age, for the comforts his affluent childhood accustomed him to[...]ve than anything. You can understand his urge for the quiet life, because his old comrades are clearly losers — and upsetting losers at that — but the con- fusions of the script do not quite allow you to sympathise with[...]llonsonfan is a nineteenth- century adventure set in Lombardy and con- cerned with the fortunes of a sect called the Sublime B. Brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, who wrote, directed and produced the film, are lit- tle known outside Italy but along with Mastrolanni, their cast contains Lea Massari and the American actress Mlmsy Farmer. En- nio Morricone wrote the music. What they have done with Allonsonfan is to attempt a sort of moral extravaganza, since Fulvio lmbriani’s (Ma[...]e is much dashing about and a comic opera feel to the big moments, so that the sight of Mastrolanni wandering through all this theatrical[...]te worked out what he was doing there set up some of the same feeling in me. Sandra Hall The Audience Marco Ferreri. Italy 1972. I30 -— Cinema Papers, July-August THE AUDIENCE (L’udienza) Good jokes against religion, particularly against the Catholic Church, are in rather short supply, so for that reason alone Marco Ferreri's The Audience would be welcome — It is an extended and very effective send-up of the Vatican as a bureaucracy. Like the later La Grande Bouffe it is a Joke in what nice people would think of as poor taste, and all the more effective for it. Amedeo is a former Italia[...]a message which he wants to convey personally to the Pope, and arrives for a public audience. When the officials realize that he actually wants to speak to the Pope, they give him the runaround, diverting him at first by threats and then by throwing him into the arms of a high-class prostitute who helps the Princes of the Church out In a number of ways. Frustrated at every turn, he finally dies. It is a fable of the absolute power of bureaucratic obstruction, the impenetrabiiity of the Church of Rome. Even when he at least whispers his message[...]vish and expensive dinner given by that per- son, the response ls tears of emotion — but he still does not get to the Pope. The court of the Pope is full of the prelates and the prostitutes, fascist princes who enter- tain Portuguese paratroopers (of the old regime), monks who support Mao and sexual liberty, all handled in a manner which makes one think of Bunuel in its coolness and humour. At the same time the Church is portrayed as a sinister monolithic bureaucracy, untouched by reform even under Big Johnny XXIII, in- capable of reform, fit only for destruction, a monster of inhumanity. Unlike Bunuel, Ferreri does not seem to be a captive of the Bakuninist slogan “lf God ex- isted it would be[...]y him", but without personal hang-ups sets out an in- dictment which is the equal of Bunue|’s ridiculing of the Church, and what is more, a program. P. P. McGuinnese The Brutalization of Franz BIt1:gI7§elnhard Hauff. West Germany THE BRUTALIZATION OF FRANZ BLUM (Die Verrohung Des Franz Blum) The Brutalization of Franz Blum (directed by Reinhard Hauff) is not necessarily just a film about |ife.in prison. Jim McNeil|'s plays, for instance, con- centrate on showing the isolation and total other-worldliness of the prison lifestyle. Cer- tainly the performances, script, settings and cinematography in Brutalization make the prison environment totally believable. But on theof the political process in the world outside. Fortune and Men’s Eyes also concentrates on the other-worldliness aspect, showing the prison society as a hierarchy built on homosexual[...]which every prisoner is involuntarily submerged. in Brutalization, not everyone becomes a ranting, raging, violent homosexual with the odd passive martyr. The chances are that at some stage you'll rely on a member of your own sex for some sort of sexual release because he/she is all that is available. However, the man who is actually in prison for a homosexual offence is labelled a ‘deviant’ and a ‘childfucker' and the effeminate ‘Maria’ is regarded as a surrogate[...]. Both are looked on as being quite separate from the mainstream; an at- titude which seems more closely related to generally held sexual attitudes in society. This film doesn't seem to accept the limitations of others of its genre. In fact it assumes that we’ve most probably seen some of the others and doesn't waste footage on carefully explaining the full mechanics of prison life before getting round to making the points it wants to make. A competent, believable and thought- provoking film which avoids the pitfalls of be- ing one in a trend. Jekabs Zalkans THE CIRCUMSTANCE (La Circostanza) Ermanno Olmi’s latest film centers on a middle-class Italian family and the personal crises faced by each member. Deceptively simple on the surface, The Cir- cumstance at first appears totally pessimistic, with a cold, distant mother the apparent head of the family; her husband on the verge of los- ing his job in the wake of a management retraining program; a son who is more in- terested in electronic experimentation than serious study; an[...]sex- ual awakening. Olmi is not only interested in the dramatic situations which bring the family to the brink of disintegration, but also in the change of conditions which can just as easily act as a catalyst in the positive sense. Mother finding a temporary outlet[...]es for a road accident victim, and a baby born to the elder son and his wife, are two events which move the film onto a more sym- pathetic plane. The scenes of cattle being slaughtered and the earlier hints at redundancy are allusions to‘ the larger issues of current economic and social turmoil, which[...] |
| The Conscript Roland Verhavert. Belgium 1974. THE CONSCRIPT (De Loteling) The film is based on a popular novel by the nineteenth-century Belgian author, Henri Conscience, and is set in one of the Flemish districts in 1833. It is only three years since the revolt that broke the union with Holland (imposed after the fall of Napoleon) and less than 24 months since the establishment of an independent kingdom. The army is raised by a form of con- scription called ‘De Bloedwet’ (The Blood Law) by which all eligible males draw lots[...]farmer, draws a free lot, but he is bribed by. the agent of a rich man to take the place of his son; yet again avarice triumphs over good sen[...]s, and Roland Verhavert's direction is meticulous in its careful avoidance of any sense of superiority over the two simple and honest main characters. At no time does he allow his audience a chance to admit even a chink of cynicism into their appreciation of his film, even though to do so would ease for them some of the tension. in other words he hasn't copped out and made an escapist film of what is essentially a beautiful (but oc- casionally depressing) story of the in- domitability of the human spirit. ' Occasionally Verhavert over-reac[...]ed by improbably stun- ningly beautiful nuns. But in the main the film is delicately handled and contains some supe[...]g sequences, and excellent period reconstruction. The Conscript is an extremely well-made story of nobility and dignity among the peasants — the sort of’ thing Troell does so well; though Verhavert takes a third of the time, and for that we must praise him, too. Mike[...]USIN ANGELICA (La Prima Angelica) Claimed to be the first film made about the Spanish Civil War from the point of view of the losers, Carlos Saura’s Cousin Aneiica ex- ploits the stylistic device of having actors in scenes set in the present portray either themselves when younger or other roles in the flashbacks to 1936 — the year of the outbreak of the war. Luis, the central character, is in his forties. His return to Segovia triggers a series of mainly unpleasant childhood memories: the THE 1975 SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVALS cous[...]his cousin Angelica was dis- covered is only one of the traumatic ex- periences which have haunted him for so many years. The point Saura makes so effortlessly is that the forces of repression represented by Luis’ conservative relatives (who back the Falange while his father supports the Nationalists), not to mention the. Church, which is portrayed in a manner best described as Bunuelian are the same forces which assisted Franco’s uprising. The success of the film is in the skillful transitions between past and present, and the apparent ease with which Luis (Jose Luis Lopez Va[...]le to ‘become’ a 10-year-old through a change in facial expression. As an attempt to explain the significance of the Civil War to those too young to have fought in it, Cousin Angelica is a worthy com- panion piece to last year’s Spirit of the Beehive. Lindsay Amos Himiko Masahiro Shinod[...]hiro Shinoda’s Himiko tackles what is still one of the most sensitive themes in Japanese society, the origins of the myth of the divinity of the Emperor. He reconstructs the political powerploys of the tribal, barbaric times when the imperial family was establishing its role; Himiko, the oracle of the Sun-god, tarnishes her special role by taking as[...]r, and so unleashes a bloody struggle for power. The tribal and primitive origins of the myths of divinity and power are not treated with dis- respect or ridicule, but to a large extent this is an essay in demystification of the realities of power and hallowed institutions, of particular force in a country where tradition still has im- mense political significance. The stark iandscapes, the barbaric ritual, the looming ominousness of the development, together with the magnificent photography, make Himiko strongly reminiscent of the powerful re-workings of the Medea and Oedipusthemes by Pier Paolo Pasolini —— the impression of vast scale and historic sweep belies the simple objective fact that the con- flicts displayed were the political struggles of tiny groups like many others. But the winners survived, and the reconstruction and mythologizing of their struggles became the stuff of high drama, in the process becoming part of the collective unconscious of the Japanese people. Shinoda’s film therefore is a major contribu- tion to the understanding of Japan, not because of any matter of historical accuracy but because by its power and beauty it makes clear how powerful is the imperial myth. P. P. McGuinneas THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD (Le Milieu du Monde) The ‘middle of the world’ is a no-man’s-land of normalized people: normalized because they spend[...]fe's intrusions. But their efforts are like those of a run-down clock whose pendulum swings less and less each time. Despite all the assorted efforts to broaden them, man's horizons are diminishing all the time. Fear shortens the extent to which anyone is prepared to go. Tanner[...]- conducive to a trusting relationship. Paul, on the other hand, feels confident about knowing what he wants, but is as un- aware of his own true needs as he is of others’. He is quite oblivious of all around him, in- ciuding his work and political position — and seems destined to remain the same. Surely one can neither appreciate, nor warm to the needs and wants of others if one cannot sense them in the first place. Although Tanner minutely details the breakdown in the couple's relationship, he doesn’t stop there, f[...]blems on a far greater scale. And it is here that the film succeeds particularly well. Tanner ties Paul[...]r into a socio-political framework, not to attack in- dustry and politics by association, as in Shampoo, but to suggest that they are but typical products of such a framework. Their problems and confusions are common ones, shared by more and more each day. in an effort to sort out these dilemmas peo- ple are becoming increasingly self-orientated, and the old-fashioned notions of changing to suit your partner looked down upon as in- vasions of privacy. But it is hard to find answers in a vacuum, and obsessive self- preoccupation only[...]ips are dying is true, but as a thesis it was one of the extremely few ideas of note that the Festival produced. Scott Murray THE MOUTH WIDE OPEN (La Gueuie Ouverte) While Mauric[...]was stylistically inept and un- necessarily cold in its portrayal of the struggles within a family, The Mouth Wide Open demonstrates a staggerindreversai of form and places Pialat alongside Bresson and Eust[...]directors. 50 year old Monique Melinand is dying of cancer in her home town of Auvergne, looked after by her husband Roge[...] |
| THE 1975 SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVALS However the film is less concerned with the death of this woman than with the changes it makes on the family. Roger patiently cares for her, but secretly hopes for the and: only to be stricken with grief when it comes. Meanwhile, he flirts with a customer and a girl in a bar, not because he senses his _ reedom’, but because it eases the pain — to ignore his sexuality while his wife is incapable of sharing it only makes him feel her pain even more[...]fucks among bed- linen and meadow grass. Despite the apparent negatlveness of the situation there is warmth as they struggle to giv[...]ry great and moving film, clearly demonstrated by the extraor- dinary 10-minute take between the mother and son after her return from hospital. They are seated at a table — only Philippe is aware of her true illness. She reminisces about her childhood and her relations, but the sense of passing it conveys is so strong that Philippe can[...]an really say, either to console or reassure. As the track finishes Monique continues her story from where she finished, seemingly oblivious of the pause. But sadly, she is not. Like Bresson, Piai[...]away all that he deems unnecessary or confusing. The camerawork is nicely sub- servient and only once does it deliberately in- trude — the long and harrowing travelling shot away from Roger's shop, doubly reinforc- ing the sense of isolation and distance between father and son. Scott Murray NIGHT OF THE SCARECROW (A Noite do Espantalho) A couple of marvellous gimmicks — Hells «Angels with pret[...]llet from preten- tious artlness. it has too much of the self- indulgence of the art-school, the posturing, the over-use of a good gimmick (the dragon, impressive at first, just becomes a bore) and the air of bourgeois children at revolutionary play, to achieve anything like the greatness of the best films of the Brazilian cinema novo movement. Glauber Rocha does not seem to be producing at the moment; his last project, in Mexico, ran into censorship difficulties. Buy Guerra’s Os Deuses e as Mortos (The Gods and the Dead), which was produced in 1970 but was only shown in Paris at the end of last year, seems to have given rise to Fticardo’s in- ferior imitation, with the sole addition of the urban reference of the motorcyclists. But it is again a struggle over l[...]arving peasants and oppressive landlords which is the central theme, with a story in traditional Brazilian folk-literature terms — the hired gunman, the defender of the people, their rivalry for a woman, passion and bloodshed. into this, as in Guerra’s film, are introduced elements of folk legend, preter- natural participants in the economic struggle. But into it, unlike Guerra, Ricardo also in- troduces a kind of hippie influence which detracts from the power of the myths (by con- trast, when Alexander Jodorowsky did I32 — Cinema Papers, July-August something similar in his extraordinary El Topo, he enhanced the traditional legends because he had much greater feeling for them). « So despite the merits of Night of the Scarecrow, which are mainly in the music and the photography, it is difficult to see that the attention it received at the Cannes and New York Film Festivals last year had any basis other than sympathy for the cinema novo, and a wish to think well of its younger Brazilian followers. P. P. McGuinnes[...]Canada 1974. ORDERS (Les Ordres) Terrorism, as the label implies, is terrifying to non-revolutionaries, and that means most people. The airport bomb, the hijacking, and the civilian kidnapping all create war zones at rando[...]people who don't want to be involved, and making the previously safe suddenly vulnerable. They're hard to defend, and the Canadian propaganda film, Orders, is enormously e[...]se it doesn't try. it concentrates instead on one of the side effects of terrorism: the government which over-reacts against it is in danger of manufac- turing terrorism of its own. in 1970 a British commercial attache, James Cross, and the Quebec Minister for Labor, Pierre Laporte, were kidnapped by members of the Free Quebec Movement, an incident which prompted the Trudeau govern- ment to invoke the War Measures Act and arrest and detain 450 suspects without charg- ing them. Most, of course, were innocent. The police and the government knew they would be, but were prepared to cause a lot of people a cer- tain amount of discomfort in order to save two lives. That, i imagine, is the way the issue looked from Ottawa. And Orders’ director Michel Brault has not mounted a moral dis- cussion about the wisdom of that decision. He has simply particularized it b[...]ctly this discomfort amounted to. No one died and the government did not officially condone the extortion of information from people, but it is equally clear, from the testimonies Brault took from 50 people in order to make this fictional reconstructior that some of them were victimised because their guards took a dislike to them, and all of them, arrested suddenly and without ex- planation[...]d as if they were con- victed criminals, suffered the kind of mental distress which could haunt them for years. in an unsettling parallel with the procedures associated with totalitarian countries the police come at night, and from then on the detainees are caught in the processing rituals of imprisonment: being photographed, finger- printed[...]ing destination, at cell. Brault treats all this in a careful, documen- tary way, enlivened by his co[...]script and some fine performances. Sandra Hall THE PISTOL (Pistolen) Countess Alisla von Sward lives alone in the sombre elegance of her ancestors’ castle keeping company only with her memories of a distant but more immediate past. The present belongs to the grasping bourgeoisie -— the man who cheats her when she hocks a family heirlo[...]as a grotesque when she dis- covers them orgylng In her cellar; and men who do not return her love wi[...]our attachment displays a treasured gift for sale in his shop window. Jiri Tirl’s The Pistol charts her determina- tion to take her own life with an antique pistol that has been in the family for several cen- turies. Tirl is screenwriter, photographer, and director of this charming and strangely life- affirming little film. It is not a maudlin slings- and-arrows-of-outrageous-fortune piece. The Pistol has wit and warmth. It has been said that[...]a sterile present that has denied everything but the short-term future. Mark Randall The Secret Robert Enrico. France 1974. THE SECRET (Le Secret) This film is a must for all practised paranoiacs and lovers of conspiracy theses. it ‘ s a gloriously classic[...]Louis Trintignant as David escapes from some kind of fortress-institution where he has been tortured — it seems. There are some quite remarkable shots of that little trick where water is dripping regularly drop by drop on a person's forehead, taken from beneath the drip, from the perspective of the person's eyes. But it could, of course, be an hallucination. Continued on page 189 |
| THE 1975 SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVALS SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL in the familiar cycle of past years the 22nd Sydney Film Festival devoted scant time and little attention to the documentary film. At best the documentaries were shown as an adjunct to normal[...]simply for their short film entertainment value. The Oscar-winning Hearts and Minds — perhaps one of the most significant documen- taries of the decade — was not shown in Sydney at all. Other major documentaries were relegated to the sub-standard viewing slots of early morning and early afternoon. However, it seems fruitless to belabour the Sydney Film Festival selection and programming co[...]er shown marked preference for, or allegiance to, the documen- tary form. The Festival audiences come to be, entertained, and in their eyes documentaries rate low. So in the main, Festival-goers ploughed through the usual pot-pourri of shorts to see a few realistic live-action subjects. The average ratio was three Zagreb films of universalist whimsy to every documentary short. The ‘serious’ documentaries this year were undeniably serious. Sven Nykvist's The Voca- tion (Kallelsen) provided moving insights into the missionary fervour of last century. Some attempted social relevance: a team of Cana- dian Indians made The Other Side of the Ledger to mark the 300th anniversary of the Hudson Bay Company; and This is My House examined a multi-racial tenants’ co-operative in North London. Piet Mondriaan, A Film Essay a Netherlands film on the life of the painter — showed no new insights into the ar- tist or the art documentary form. This year there appeared to be an in- cestuous (or could it be self-analytical) tendency to make films about films themselves. The Canadian compilation Dreamland told depressingly familiar tales of economic colonialism in the Canadian film in- dustry; while Gift of Laughter was a lighthearted view of Peter Sellers doing a se- quel to The Pink Panther. A Pioneer of Scien- tific Film reminisced about an Italian who made scientific films; and 60 Second Spot took us through the excruciatingly boring, pretentious and expensive process of making a TV commercial. Even Phil Noyce's Finks Make Movies. an innocent verite' record of a bikle gang making their annual home movie- was about just that — and not an expose’ of Australian feature film producers. With such a l[...]Apart from Hearts and Minds, we missed Campanero, the award-winning British documentary about the late Chilean musician Victor Jarra. We also misse[...], a 60 year old con- structlon worker's return to the battlefields of Spain where he fought with the International Brigades. Also omitted were documentaries from the Eastern bloc countries, the Soviet Union, China, Africa, Japan, and the Third World nations. Eighty hours of Australian documentary footage were screened for the judges of the Australian Film Awards this year. Were they all so appalling that only one —— the Golden Reel winner — was invited to be screened at the Festival? Only a very few documentaries at the Sydney Film Festival rated prime viewing time — the most impressive was America: Everything You Ever Dreamed Of, a four-part American verite’ report on bizarre[...]cumentary style that probably won’t be produced in Australia for years to come. Only two feature-length docum[...]aracterized as a satirical extravaganza depicting the American Depression years. Brother was conceived in Britain, produced by an American and directed by an expatriate Australian. Developing in a direct line from Mora’s previous feature, Swastika, Brother shows a mastery of the art of compilation film- making. The American film is eminently malleable, and Mora’s scalpel-like editing makes high dramatic use of the possibilities. At times it must have seemed like trying to build a pyramid with cream cheese — but out of all the sentiment, schmaltz, political tub- thumping and human drama, Mora has weld- ed a film of massive power. One of Mora’s most significant achievements is the incorporation of irony. Coming from a generation that attempted to revive satire and celebrate the absurd, he is able to use irony to make many of the film’s. most salient points..Whether it's James Cagney (on a higher salary than the President) appearing as a sort of thirties Everyman; Hoover's G-Men machine-gunning[...]his yacht while he demands greater sacrifice from the American people; it is the overriding irony that makes Brother, Can You Spar[...]are a Dime? Britain 1974. Also from Britain, but in a totally different style, is Jack Hazan’s firs[...]men- tary — A Bigger Splash — a lush drama on the life and homosexual loves of painter David Hockney. Hockney is shown as a victim of success. With considered pacing, the film explores his world as he attempts to paint his way out of a collapsing relationship with a beautiful boyfri[...]English frankness, has caught Hockney like a bee in amber. impeccable visuals are offset by a Iangourous, informal treatment of dialogue and action. Jack Hazan’s background is documentary camerawork, and his film succeeds in forming a stylistic bridge between documentary authenticity and the need to use dramatic structure to add force to st[...]ery much a fl|mmaker's film, but_lt's experiments in, form mark a hopeful new direction in British cinema, Dusan Makavejev’s first Wester[...]t Movie, like Makavejev’s earlier WR, Mysteries of the Organism, uses a combina- tion of dramatized footage and material that has document[...]motivatory aim, and show an intense concern with the connection between state and personal politics. WR begins with the teachings of Wilhelm Reich and extends into an analysis of Stalinism. Sweet Movie starts with a depiction of Western sexual archetypes, and ends with a truly shattering rendition of the anarchistic body politic of Otto Muehl’s Milky Way Com- mune. In both cases Makavejev is attempting to deal with r[...]theatre than any naturalistic tradition. Because of the super-real, emotionalized impact of characters like El Macho, Miss World, the Potemkin Sailor, and Marx, the film has a didactic quality usually achieved only in documentary. In effect the dramatic sequences exist only to set the audience up for the documentary — the horror of the Katyn Forest massacre, the dis- turbing imagery of the Milky Way Commune as they shit. piss and vomit in public. But all the time Makavejev is presenting evidence — documentary evidence of the penalty of repression in our society. Unlike any other film shown in the Festival this year, Sweet Movie demonstrates the possibilities of documentary material used in a provocative way. its overall effect was to confront and equip one with material of in- tense psychological and political relevan[...] |
| THE i975 SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVALS MELBOUR[...]s racial policies, won this year's grand prix for the best short. The film was shot illegally, so there are no credits. The documentary genre covers a variety of possibilities —- from the cinema verite record of undirected reality, to the often highly poetic documentary reconstruction. Last Grave at Dimbaza falls in between; the selection of material, narration and editing shapes the material to the film’s stated aim —— to reveal the everyday life of the black South African. The film shows the appalling conditions un- der which the Bantu live in Bantustans — ar- tificially created resettlement camps outside the major cities. The South African Govern- ment plans to move four mil[...]ly women, children and aged who cannot work, into the Bantustans — virtually a genocidal at- tack on the Bantu. The film works by contrasting scenes of black and white living and working conditions to illustrate the degradation and horror of the former. Scenes, edited dramatically for max- imum effect, speak for themselves: the bodies of children swollen with malnutrition; black workers having to walk miles to work in the white cities; black ‘nannies’ caring for white children in order to support their own living hundreds of miles away in Bantustans; the Dimbaza Bantustan, where graves have been dug in advance for the children who will die from malnutrition and tuber[...]nt narration, it becomes evident that even during the hour- long run of the film, six families have been resettled; 60 blacks have been arrested; 60 children have died; and the mines have made a profit of $58,043. Mr Symbol Man, (Australia-Canada, 1974), which won the second prize, is a documentary on the highly eccentric inventor of an inter- national symbol-language. He has devote[...]s end, and his new language has opened up a world of communication for children with cerebral palsy. By mixing camera styles, the directors, Bruce Joir and Bob Kingsbury, oblige us to question the way in which we too readily laugh at an apparent- ly ecc[...]d, directed and photographed by Robin Lehman, won the third prize. It is a humorous and well-edited account of the numerous machines man has invented to fly. From[...]ill photographs with narration, including poetry, in a fine attempt to re-create the ‘Harlem Renaissance’ of the twenties. It was one of the best film shorts. Two documentary re-enactments, A Steam Train Passes (Australia, 1974), scripted and directed by David Haythornth[...]ecial awards. Both were craftsmanlike, especially in the imaginative use of sound. However, Valley Forge labored its point — the hardships of soldiers’ lives and the U.S. debt to their sacrifices — by inter- cutting shots of the frost-bitten, underfed soldiers of the American Revolution (1777-8) with shots of the present-day caretaker of the Valley Forge Park sipping his tea and listening to his transistor radio. The film was made under the auspices of the Pennsylvanian Society of the Sons of the 134 — Cinema Papers, July-August Revolution which tends to confirm my impres- slon of its underlying chauvinism. The other documentaries were focussed on such topics[...], hunters, scientists and Rudyard Kipling — all of which I found boring. Even Australian director Dom Crom- bie’s who Killed Jenny Langby?, one of the two documentaries on women (if you don’t count Statue of Liberty: ‘Body of Iron . . . Soul of Fire’, U.S., 1974, directed by Bill Jersey) had nothing new to say. Many of the animated films were excellent: Derek Phi|lip’s The Loser’s Club (Britain), An- toinette Starkiewicz’ Putting on the Ritz (Britain), P. Szakowicz’ Mimosa (Poland). Nedeljko Dragic’s Diary (Yugoslavia), one of the most intelligent and satirical, examined big busi[...]and capitalism through a rapidly evolving series of colorful drawings. Lillian Somersau|ter’s The Silver- fish King (U.S.), presented a funny, but dis- turbing glimpse into the mind of a character whose paranoid delusions about his death at the fin of a siiverfish were conveyed through an exceptionally witty narration. Many of the short films used actors either to present a short[...]dramatize an idea, an unusual or comic situation. The ma- jority of them were extremely poor. Ten Moods of Love dramatized 10 Shakespearean sonnets by placing the poet in various situations with his female lover (usually[...]and with his male lover (never sexual) and having the characters enact a scene accom- panied by a voice-over reading of each sonnet. I Never Promised You a Long Run (U.S. 1972), scripted and directed by Paul Leaf satirizes the double standard with a young woman wanting a one-[...]b to manly charms. John PapadopouIos' Matchless (Australia, 1974) contained a promising idea ruined by unnecessary dialogue and self-conscious ac- ting. The one spark of hope came from Bulls (Australia, Film and Television School, 1974), based on an A[...]amily on an isolated dairy farm. She is terrified of their bull, but more so of her father — the real bull on the farm. Director Christopher Noonan admirably depicts the tension in their relationship through a se- quence of professionally acted scenes in which dialogue is kept to a minimum. The dramatic and inevitable outcome is presented in a well controlled final scene. Bulls is an intelligently made film against which the majority of other shorts appear mediocre. Above: Chris Noonan's 17 minute short Bulls. Australia 1974. MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVAL GERMAN SEASON Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Melbourne Film Festival's season of six German films is its origin. The films were brought here by Mr Klaus Bruecher-Herpel, representing the Munich Filmverlag der Autoren, a co-operative dis[...]production assistance organization. it was formed in 1972 in response to the familiar pressures of American domination of major distribution outlets, and the lack of organiza- tion of disparate local groups. The co- operative first started working with indepen- dent distributors and extended its activities to the festival circuit (58 films in 22 festivals last year suggests a lot of legwork), while at the same time profitably exploring television sup- port; a number of films have been supported by television companies[...]release two years after cinema screenings. Among the six films presented, there was a clear division b[...]l and realist styles, a general tendency towards the consideration of contemporary social issues and an almost obvious determination to lg- nore or avoid the war. (None of these com- ments, I must add, can apply to Alice in the Cities, a film by Wim Wenders, which I unfor- tunately missed. His The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty Kick was one of the more in- teresting offerings at last year's festival.) The most formidable directorial personality to emerge was that of Alexander Kluge, who was represented by two films. Both were marked by a resolutely intellectual approach (the most obvious influence being Godard) to areas of political and social import and a con- cern with interrelationships far too complex to grasp in one viewing. They were not the most popular of the Festival's films, because they made few concessio[...]comfort, yet their relentless rigor, their sense of passionate involvement in the urgency of the here and now, were impressive. |
| Above: Alexander K|uge's Occasional work of a Woman Slave. Roswltha Bronski (Alexandra Kluge)[...]n life, free from dependence. West Germany 1974.The Occasional Work of a Woman Slave tackles the feminist issue at a more profound and complex level than one realised during the film. The central figure, Roswitha, supports her husband an[...]ortions — she preserves her family by disposing of other people's — and we are treated to a very clinical and unnerving sequence of one such abortion. Yet the se- quence is no mere shock tactic; it forces us back to the opening voice-over comment: “Ftoswitha feels an[...]wer exists”, which can be seen to apply both to the life-and-death power of her abortionist role and to the way in which the film demonstrates her growth —— sometimes com[...]occasionally naively ex- hilarating, to awareness of her own power to act to control her own life, free from dependence, and to influence the lives of others in the same direction. On even the simplest level, and ignoring the inserted slogans, cartoons and quotations (“All families in capitalist society are modelled on the bourgeois prototype. This model is ob- solete"),[...]and self-awareness, and made her movement towards the kind of document that, i would MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVAL[...]rec- tor with Melbourne audiences. Most nights at the National Theatre during the Hungarian season at the Festival the ticket-holders trickl- ed in and huddled together, isolated by open spaces like characters in a Jancso’ film. The season turned out little short of a financial dis- aster, especially compared with the German series. The Hungarian season was composed en- tirely of Jancsd films; six of them, from Can- tata (1963) to Elektreia (1974). The films have a popular reputation for being ‘diff[...]goer commented about Jancso’: “Oh yes, he’s the man who makes films about horses and nothing happens.” But beyond that, many of the possible Hungarian audience at least may feel antagonistic towards Jancso’ for arriving at his own kind of compromise with the communist regime. Dur- ing The Confrontation one middle-aged Hungarian was mutte[...]“This film is an insult to me!” Admittedly, The Confrontation (1968) is the weakest of the films shown, dramatizing an extended debate between young party members from the peoples’ colleges and the THE 1975 SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVALS humbly[...]val should not be without. K|uge’s other film, In Danger and Distress Compromise Means Death, is mo[...]l, beginning with an infuriatingly opaque montage of images before proceeding to a weaving of four separate episodes of diverse kinds. I found it less satisfying, because more puzzling, than the earlier film and I have the feeling that even the use of music (the way in which a familiar piece from I/ Trovatore is given in successively changed, jazzed-up and trivialized versions) suggests K|uge’s sense of precariousness of the contemporary social order. Images of destruction and unrest predominate and the comment of one character that “whatever nature does not destroy is destroyed by men" suggests the mood of gloomy uncertainty. By contrast, the three realist films at the Festival made less strenuous viewing. Lina Braake and the Interests of the Bank was a joyful and often touching treatment of old age, with a marvellous central plot idea of an old couple, who resent being treated like chil[...]g out a plot to swindle a bank which has cost one of them her home. The nice irony is that they are like children in the best sense, in a childlike directness, a refusal to accept the demands to be ‘reasonable’ —- other people's ideas of reasonableness is not theirs. Snowdrops Bloom in September was a straightforward enough account of the in- tricacies of an industrial dispute, told from the unionists’ side and with a solidly-sketched-in background of the participants’ domestic or leisure-time concerns[...]er wholly engrossing) but just a little wearisome in its heavily Ger- manic literalness. Senior Master Hofer presents a coolly- detached account of political and class struggles in a small German town in (I would guess) the late nineteenth century. Earnest and perceptive enough, it reduced dialogue to almost the minimum and was revealing enough without ever sug[...]im- aginative spark. John O’Hara students of a Catholic school. And it indicates most clearly the pressures on Jancso’ to turn cinema into political propaganda. The arresting quality of his films, though, depends upon a continued and s[...]ghly distinctive and original cinema style within the bounds of what is con- sidered politically orthodox. An ea[...]elf from polemics and to image a disturb- ing set of relationships in the aftermath of war. The film is set in 1945 during the last days of fighting for the occupation of Hungary. Already Jancso’ has adopted the restless, perpetual camera movement, the slow en- circling of characters, the pronounced depth of field in shots that open onto empty plains, constant changes in position and perspective from one level to anothe[...]scramble and slide up and down difficult terrain. The rhythms of daily existence in a largely deserted countryside are beautifully dr[...]nd increasingly intimate as Jancso’ establishes the relationship between two young soldiers. The film has a dense sculptural appearance that results from camera movements like sweeps of a chisel and exact composition of scenes. As yet, the dramatic relationships are only suggested and mom[...]) appears a more completely integrated film, shot in dazzling black and white from the opening sequence of a man killed against a sandhill and rolling over and over to the bottom. The triangular placing of the killer, the victim and the resting place of his body suggests powerfully a relationship between forces that are represented in these figures and yet quite transcend them. The story is more fully developed and again set in a period of war, civil unrest and military occupation. The drama develops slowly and obliquely, highly stylized through the camerawork and incessant movement of characters against an open and intractable landscape. Even so, many of the audience were asking at the end what it had all been about. Jancso doesn't dwell on the moments of decision, nor on action; his films rather im- age the conditions within which certain lines of response become possible for his characters. So, what to television watchers are the decisive moments, the administering of poison to the husband by the wife for ex- ample, are only passing fragments in the film. Far more important is the careful delineation of the response of each of the characters to the facts of military defeat and occupation: the grinding, often trivial humiliation, the menace of worse and unspoken reprisals, the dis- integration of the man and the constant suppressed anger of his wife. The long se- quences on the farm depict the origins and development of these attitudes, and the im- mediate consequence of attempted murder is inescapable and relatively uninteresting. The Confrontation and Red Psalm (1972) are more directly propaganda films, concern- ed with showing the struggles and eventual triumph of the working class through revolution. Yet they employ very different means. , The Confrontation is about as direct as the title: a relatively undeveloped and possibly clinging autobiographical account of young students and workers in conflict over the place of violence in spreading the revolutionary message. Red Psalm is by far the more interesting film, in its intricate choreography of dance and music, its integration of folk tunes and revolutionary songs, its blended and con- trasted images of flesh, milk, bread, sheep and guns, bayonets, flaming torches and railways. The film assumes the qualities of an extended ballet, and images in a highly fluid way states of oppression, resistance, compla- cent generosity and defiant hopelessness- The eventual massacre of the workers by the military is profoundly moving although it is seen[...]. Above: Miklos Jancso’s Red Psalm. Showing the struggles and eventual triumph of the working class through revolution. Hungary[...] |
| THE 1975 SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVALS SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL 1' HAN F"-!!_ “Here, in a motion picture theater, was a vast audience APPLAUDING the opening titles so vigorously as if all were moved simultaneously by the same instinctive im- pulse . . This is part of the account given by Everyone's for the premiere of For the Term of His Natural Life at Newcastle in June 1927. Much publicized and eagerly awaited over the seven months of its production, For the Term of His Natural Life was the biggest, surest bid Australia had made for recognition on the in- ternational market. The passing of two years and the introduc- tion of the talkies meant that For the Term oi His Natural Life was no longer a sure bi[...]Union Theatres — would never again try anything of the same magnitude. Australian films have always bee[...]isappeared after a successful first release. With the exception of Cinesound films, vintage Australian features have also suffered damage and neglect at the hands of local television stations. The Cheaters (1929) — arguably the better of the McDonagh sisters‘ surviving films — had no release at all, yet it formed a fascinating link with the 24 other features shown at the Sydney Film Festival's Salute to Australian Film. Along with the best of them, The Cheaters is today an Australian film more talked about than seen, and the most valuable aspect to emerge from the Salute has been the opportunity to compare for the first time a wide range of the better Australian films from the years 1911 to 1971. Others at the Salute to have had more recognition included such titles as Longford’s The Sentimental Bloke (1919) and On Our Selection (19[...]les Chauvel, Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940), Sons of Matthew (1949) and Jedda (1955). While Chedworth ranks head-and-shoulders above all the thir- ties films shown, it’s significant to note that by the next decade Ken Hail faced stiff competi- tion from Chauvel and Noel Monkman. Monkman’s The Power and the Glory (1941) is a generally tight wartime propaganda piece with Peter Finch in fine form as a ‘nice guy’ spy and superior ae[...]aphy by George Malcolm and Bert Nicholas. Today, the performances in Forty Thou- sand Horsemen are much better than one had remembered them to be, but even the Norman Dawn's For the Term ofthe magnificence of Chauvel’s ac- tion work. Smithy, however, proved the Sa|ute’s biggest surprise. With all aspects welded tightly into a style far better than the average Hollywood ‘biopic’, what lingers most vividly are the performances of Ron Randell, Muriel Steinbeck and Joy Nicholls, as well as the feeling of ‘bigness’ given able support by the music of Henry Kripps and Alfred Hill. By this time, the thirties teamwork of the Cinesound production crew was reaping rich dividends. The screening of The Romance of Run- nibede (1927) in its tinted nitrate form gave the Salute audience a rare chance to appreciate a sil[...]ike all silent era features and ex- cerpts shown, The Romance of Runnibede was accompanied by Ron West at the State Theatre’s Wurlitzer organ. Among the 32 feature film excerpts was a particularly im- p[...]y sunshine Sally (1923). Plctorlally reminiscent of The Sentimental Bloke , Sunshine Sally was filmed on location in Sydney. And amid the sound excerpts were two from Harry Watt films, Eureka Stockade (1948) and The Siege of Pinchgut (1959), though judging from the audience reaction these films might have been just as well appreciated screened in full. Following these came the best of Watt's work in Australia, an In-full screening of The Overlanders (1946). For the selection committee, the decision to screen the Ealing film and others made here by overseas filmmakers wasn't too hard to make. The intention was to put on display the widest-ranging tribute to Australian feature films yet seen, and a good many of the ‘overseas’ offerings (notably from Ealing, and others like The Sundowners and Wake in Fright) have contributed positively to whatever character an awareness of Australian film has had over the last seven decades. On-stage appearances were another aspect of the retrospective: Ken Hall, Peter Pagan (romantic lead in The Overlanders), Jessica Harcourt (For the Term of His Natural Life), Jack Lee (Robbery Under Arms,[...]Eric Porter (A Son is Born, 1946) all appeared at the State Theatre to in- troduce their films; and among the audience at various times were others like Vera James (A Girl of the Bush) and two of the three McDonagh sisters. Looking »at the Canadian documentary Dreamland, screened at the Sydney Festival proper, made me realize anew what a sub- stantial and varied film heritage we've had. The Canadian film, wittily written and holding few illusions, is a compilation history of Cana- dian feature films to 1939. While there's been a similarity in the political and financial trauma endured by our own and the Canadian in- dustries, Australia, it seems to me, has been far more adventurous, has taken a greater number of nose-dives, and has made more spectacular recoveries. This much, and a lot more besides, was proved by the Salute to *Australian Film. A 20-page program was also published by the Festival and includes a listing — and some reviews — of all feature films made in Australia to date. The selection committee doesn't hold itself entirely responsible for whatever errors and omissions have occurred in the published program, and an attempt at rectifying these has been made in the follow- ing pages. Wilfred Lucas and Bess Meredith's The Man from Kangaroo 1919. |
| AUSTRALIA FEATURE CHECKLI SILEEATU 1906 The True Story of the Kelly Gang J. & N. Tait 1907 Robbery Under Arms[...]eka Stockade George at Arthur Cornwell 1908 For the Term of His Natural Life Charles MacMahon & E. J. Carroll 1909 Heroes of the Cross Joseph Perry 1910 The squatter’: Daughter or Land of the Wattle Bert Bailey 8: Edmund Duggan _ _ Moonlite — King of the Road or Moonlite, The Australian Bushranger John Gavin Thunderbolt John Gavin 1911 Assigned to his Wife John Gavin The Bells W. J. Lincoln Ben Hall and his Gang John Gavin Ben Hall — The Notorious Bushranger Gaston Mervale A Bushrangefs Ransom or A Ride for Life Caloola, or the Making of a Jackeroo Alfred Rolfe celled Back W. J. Llncoln Captain Midnight. The Bush King Alfred Rolfe The Christian Roy Redgrave & J. MacMahon Colleen Bawn Gaston Mervale The Cup Winner Alfred Rolfe Den Morgan — Notorious Australian Outlaw Alfred Rolfe The Double Event W. J. Lincoln The Fetal Wedding Raymond Longford Frank Gardiner, King of the Road John Gavin Gambler's Gold George Wilkins Captain Starlight — A Gentlemen of the Road Alfred Rolfe A Maiden’s Distress, or saved in the Nick of Time Alfred Rolfe Never Too Late To Mend Johnson & Gibson The Lady Outlaw Alfred Rolfe Life of Rufus Dawes Alfred Rolfe All for Gold or Jumping the Claim W. Franklyn Barrett The Luck of Roaring Camp W. J. Llncoln Melee from the Murrumbidgee Alfred Rolfe The Min'er’a Curse Alfred Rolfe The Miner's Daughter Moora Neeya or The‘Messege of the Spear Alfred Rolfe The Mystery of a Ransom Cab W. J. Lincoln The Wreck of the Dunbar or One Hundred Years Ago Gaston Mervale The Romantic Story of Margaret Cetchpole Raymond Longford The Assigned servant John Gavin The Sundowner Johnson 8- Gibson Sweet Neil of Old Drury Raymond Longford A Ticket in Tatte Gaston Mervale Way Outback Alfred Rolfe what Women Suffer Alfred Rolfe Keene of Kalgoorlie John Gavin The Mark of the Lash John Gavin The Drover's Sweetheart John Gavin 1912 Breaking the News W. J. Lincoln Cooee and the Echo Charles Woods con the Seughran Gaston Mervele Do Men Love Women John G[...]IIIII Eleventh Hour John Gavln Hands Across the Sea Gaston Mervale The Midnight Wedding Raymond Longford The Mystery of the Black Pearl Franklyn Barrett The Octoroon Rip Van Winkle W. J. Lincoln The Silent Witness Sydney Stirling or Franklyn Barrett ‘The Strangler’s Grip The Tide of Death Raymond Longford Cast Up by the See John Gavin The Crisis W. J. Lincoln whose was the Hand? John Gavin The Swagman’s Story Raymond Longford Trooper Campbe[...]ord Taking Hie Chance Raymond Longford Tales from the Bush Woman of the People Called Back Franklyn Barrett 1913 Australia Calls Raymond Longford A Blue Gum Romance Franklyn Barrett The Life of e Jackeroo Franklyn Barrett The Melbourne Mystery ‘Neath Australian Skies Raymond Longford Pommy Arrives in Australia or Pommy the Funny Little _ New Chum Raymond Longford The Remittance Man W. J. Lincoln The Reprieve W. J. Lincoln The Road to Ruin W. J. Lincoln The Sick Stockrider W. J. Lincoln 8. Godfrey Cass Ticket of Leave Man Louise Carbasse Tranaported W. J. Llncoln & Godfrey Cass ‘An Australian Hero and the Red spider 1914 ‘The Day Alfred Rolfe ‘It's a Long Way to Tipperary George Dean ‘Percy’: First Holiday Sea Dogs of Australia J. S. Mccullagh The Shepherd of the Southern Cross Alexander Butler Franklyn Barrett's A Girl of the Bush 1921 The Silence of Dean Maitland Raymond Longford ‘sunny South Alfred Rolfe ‘The Swagman’s Story Raymond Longford 1915 -How we Beat the Emden Alfred Rolfe For Australia Monte Luke A Hero of the Dardanelles or The Storming of Gallipoli Alfred Rolfe The Loyal Rebel or Eureka Stockade Raymond Longford a Alfred Rolfe Me Hogan’: New Boarder Raymond Longford The Rebel J. E. Matthews 1918 Advance Australia Australia Prepared The Bondage of the Bush Charles Woods Edith Cavell W. J. Lincoln Get Rich Quick Wallingford Fred Niblo It the Huns Came to Melbourne George Coates La Revanche The Life’: Romance of Adam Lindsay Gordon W. J. Lincoln & G. ti. Barnes A Maori Maid’s Love Raymond Longford The Martyrdom of Nurse Cavell C. Post Mason & J, F. Gavin Murphy of Anzac John Matthews Mutiny of the Bounty Raymond Longford Officer 565 The Pioneers Franklyn Barrett The White Hope Within the Law The Women in the Case George Wllloughby 1917 Australia’s Peril Franklyn Barrett ‘ hcentilebodchr-'[...]from Raymond Longford’s On Our Selection 1920 The Church and the Woman Raymond Longford The Hayseede’ Beckblocks Show Beaumont Smith The Hayseeds Come to Town Beaumont Smith The Life story of John Lee — The Man They Could Not Hang Arthur William Sterry The Monk and the Woman Franklyn Barrett The Murder of Captain Fryatt John Gavin The Kelly Gang 1918 A Coo-ee from Home The Enemy Within Roland Stavely 500 Pounds Reward Claude Fleming His Convict Bride or For the Term of Her Natural Life John Gavin The Hayseeda’ Melbourne Cup Beaumont Smith His Only Chance Just Peggy Joe Llpmen The Lure of the Bush Claude Fleming A Romance of the Burke & wills Expedition of 1960 A. C. Tinsdale Satan in Sydney Beaumont Smith The Waybacks What Happened to Jean Herbert Walsh The Woman Suffers Raymond Longford The Cornstelks The Skirker‘s Son The Squatter‘s Wife's Secret 1919 Coming Home Dad Becomes a Grandad Eureka Stockade Golden West The Octoroon Three Old Maids Woman and Gold Australia's Own J. E. Ward Barry Butts in Beaumont Smith Desert Gold Beaumont Smith Does the Jazz Lead to Destruction? Fred Ward The Face at the Window Charles Vllllers Hinemoa The Laugh on Dad A. C. Tinsdale Scars of Love The Sentimental Bloke Raymond Longford Struck Oil Diamond Cross A Girl lrom Outback The Breaking of the Drought Franklyn Barrett The Golden Flame or The Hordern Mystery Harry Southwell The Jeckeroo of Coolabong Wilfred Lucas The True Story of the Kelly Gang or The Kelly Gang Harry Southwell The Man from Kangaroo Wilfred Lucas. Bess Meredith The Man from Snowy River Beaumont Smith and John Well[...]ford Robbery Under Arms Kenneth Brampton Shadow of Lightning Ridge Wilfred Lucas 1921 The Betreyer, ‘Neath the Southern Cross. Our Bit of the World or A Maid of Maoriland Beaumont Smith Blue Mountains Mystery Raymond Longford Dinkum Oil or On the Track of Oil The Gentleman Bushrangar A Girl of the Bush Franklyn Barrett High Heels P. J.[...] |
| AUSTRAUANlTATUREFHA4CHECKUST ‘ma AUSTRALIA '1 V/1r'r‘<('s' Irv”! m-or the /‘i'n('n' , about V-3--—-' Becmmout Smith’[...]DVENTIIRES OI‘ ALGY wxtlt Beaumont Smith's The Adventures of Algy 1925 Janene FreckeI‘s Love Attair P. J. H[...]d Franklyn Barrett Lie Story ot John Lee —— The Man They Could Not Hang Arthur Sterry lnled in the wilds P. J. Hamster Possum: Paddock Charla: Vil[...]ss Soldiers? silt: and Saddles John Wells Ilile the Billy Boils Beaumont Smith The Guyra Ghost Mystery 1922 A Darghter at Australia Lawson Harris East Lynne A Rough Passage Franklyn Barrett The Tale of a Shirt P. J. Ramster The Triumph at Love P. J. Ramster flhy Men Go Wrong[...]g T923 AnAnstralisn by Marriage Raymond Longford The Dingo lltenneth Brampton The Dillrurn Bloke Raymond Longlord Prdfloric ltsyse[...]Harris Tallies and Hayseeds Beaumont Smith ,Il2r the Kelly: Were Out Harry Southwell Boy of the Derdsnelles The Siaggie’s Story Raymond Longford A D-fitter of the East Bay Darling Dope [Dunstan Webb fisher‘: Ghost iitayrnond Longford Ital Ulcbougal Topped the Score llrio Ilannaduke Beaumont Smith Joe Beaumont Smith ‘I1|e Price Dunstan Webb The llev. Dell's Secret P. J. Hamster A Gentleman in Mufti Raymond Longford 1925 11!: Adventures of Algy Beaumont Smith Around the Boree Log Phil K. Walsh Bound to Win The Brnhwhackers Raymond Longlord Jeweled Nights Louise Lovely 8. Wilton Welch The Ilystery ot a Hensom Cab Arthur Shirley Iolll oi[...]s Chauvel His ot Hate Raymond Longford Hound oi the Deep or Pearl of he South Seas Captain Frank Hurley Woman Captain[...]August Peter Vernon's Silence Raymond Longlord The Pioneers Raymond Longlord ‘The Sealed Room Arthur Shirley Should a Girl Propos[...]te & Raymond Longtord Tall Timbers Dunstan Webb The Tenth Straw Robert McAnderson Those Who Love P[...]tner 1927 Environment Vaughan C. Marshall For the Term ol His Natural Life Norman Dawn The Kid Stakes Tal Ordell The Man Who Forgot The Price 1928 The Adorable Outcast Norman Dawn The Birth oi White Australia Phil K. Walsh Caught in the Net The Exploits ot the Ernden Australian sequences Ken G. Hall The Far Paradise Paulette McDonagh The Grey Glove Dunstan Webb The Menace Cyril Sharpe Odds On Arthur Higgins The Romance ol Runnibede Scott R. Dunlap The Russell Altair P. J. Ramster Tanami Alexander MacDonald Trooper O'Brien John F. Gavin The Unsleeping Eye Alexander MacDonald The Rushing Tide Gerald M. Hayle 1929 coorab in the Island ot Ghosts Francis Birties The Devi|‘s Playground Victor Bradley Trobriana The Cheaters ‘I L If DA tlrll. U cnutuuma[...]illill r:rc.r:'m——A ROMANCE OP ‘ . “NALL OFthe Term of His Natural Life SOUND FEATURES 1930 King Kut[...]co Fellers Arthur Higgins, Austin Fay ‘Out 01 the Shadows A, R. Harwood ‘ShowgirI’s Luck Norman Dawn 1931 spur at the Moment A. Fl. Harwood isle ol intrigue A. R. H[...]Co-respondent's Course E. A. Dletr|ck—Derrick The Haunted Barn E. A. Dletrlck-Derrick & Gregan McM[...]ighness F. W. Thrlng Harmony Row F. W. Thrlng The Sentimental Bloke F. W. Thrlng On Our Selection Ken G. Hall 1933 Two Minute: Silence Paulette McDonagh The Squatter's Daughter Ken G. Hall Diggers in Blighty Pat Hanna Waltzing Matilda Pat Hanna In the Wake ol the Bounty Charles Chauvel The Hayseed: Beaumont Smith A Ticket in Tatts F. W. Thrlng 1934 Clare Gibbings .F. W. Thrlng Secret of the Skies A. Ft. Harwood Splendid Fellows Beaumont Smith, The {nan They could Not Hang or The Lite Story at John ea Raymond Longford The Silence ot Dean Maitland Ken G. Hall Strike Me Lucky Ken G. Hail when the Kellys Rode Harry Southwell 1935 Grandad Rudd Ken G. Hall Heritage Charles Chauvel ‘The Burgomeister Harry Southwell 1936 Thoroughbred Ken G. Hail Uncivilised Charles Chauvel The Flying Doctor Miles Mander Rangle River Clarence Badger White Death Edwin G. Bowen Orphan oi the Wilderness Ken G. Hall F. W. Tl\r|ng's His Royal[...]gers Ken G. Hall Mystery Island Joe Llpman 1938 The Broken Melody Ken G. Hall Below the Surface Rupert Kalhner Let George Do it Ken G. Ha[...]ness A. R. Harwood Typhoon Treasure Noel Monkman The Avenger A. R. Harwood awn TAYLOR (NAMES[...]R Cecil Holmes‘ Captain Thunderbolt. completed in 1951 Dad and Dave come to Town Ken G. Hall Mr Chedworth Steps Out Ken G. Hall Gone to the Dogs Ken G. Hall Icome Up smiling or Ants in His Pants William Freshman seven Little Australi[...]ll 1941 That Certain Something Clarence Badger The Power and the Glory Noel Monkman Racing Luck Rupert Kathner 1944 The Rate at Tobruk Charles Chauvel 1945 ‘A Yank in Australia Alt Gouidlng 1946 A Son is Born Eric Porter Thethe Straight T. 0. Mccreadle Sons ot Matthew. Charles Chauvel strong is the seed or The Farrer Story Arthur Grevllle Collins Eure[...] |
| [...]Mickey Mouse ® Walt Disney Productions The recent release of the highly acclaimed Franco-Czech co-production Fanta[...]rected by Rene Laloux, has refocused attention on the animated film as a popular art form en- dowed wit[...]ic possibilities. Fantastic Planet dispenses with the tired tradi- tion of ‘cute’ characterisation and essays a rever- sal of the anthropocentric perspective depicted in most animated films. Since the peak of its creative achievements in Hollywood in the forties, the commercial animated film has suffered a steady de[...]reshness that has not been seen for 30 years. The animated film as we recognise it today evolved in America contemporaneously with the development of the film industry in general. By the time the Hollywood ‘order’ had established itself, the animated film was a thriving, viable art form, enjoying a great deal of popular success. As D. W. Griffith fostered t[...]h contributed greatly towards what we now know as the narrative feature film, so Walt Disney laid the foundations of the com- mercial animated film. Fantasia marked the climax of Disney’s creative productivity, and following its release in 1940 few new directions were explored and few new stylistic innovations were attempted. The animated entertainment film has subse- quently had difficulty in justifying itself commer- cially, and as a result artistic purity has been greatly sacrificed to the exigency of viability. \ Until recently Australia has always adopted a polite, demurely submissive attitude to the inva- sion of American ‘culture’. A variety of lovelessly mass-produced American cartoon series have, via the ‘Australican’ umbilical cable, pumped local television sets full of unremitting, unmitigated mediocrity. The advent of mandatory local con- tent has done little to change the situation. Q . With the renaissance of feature film production in Australia, the structure and development of the local film industry can be more clearly defined. We are now able to examine the conditions which have prevented animation in Australia from developing beyond the chrysalis stage. The following article examines the rise of animation in America and contrasts it with the non-history of animation in Australia. It sketches . out a history of the developments which took place from the pioneer work of Winsor McCay to the rise and fall of the Disney empire and beyond to the degradation animation suffered as an artfo[...] |
| ANIMATION The Trouble with Ducks . . . Animation offers the urest form of cinematic expression: its potentia is limited only by the creative boundaries of the human mind itself — and perhaps to some extent,[...]s an existential cinematic medium, eschewing what the semiologists call the pro—filmic event. It is ultimately pure cinema. The animator’s pen becomes a magic wand: all laws of relativity dissolve and traditional artistic perspectives no longer have relevance. The following sequence from Chuck Jones’ Duck Amuck (Warner Brothers 1953) not only demonstrates the mechanics of filmic expression itself, but also opens up the possibilities inherent in the animated form. © 1975 Warner Brothers Inc.[...]Unh! Unh! Unh! Unh! Pan with Daffy sword laying in period costume, past period castle background? pa[...]En garde . . .7 My blade Hey, psst, whoever's in charge here? The scenery? Wheres the scenery? Brush enters frame, paints in farmyard. Stand back, Musketeers. They shall samp[...]muffs and winter outfit. Sings: Dashing through the snow, ya-ha-ha-ha-ha, through the fields we go, laughing all the way . . . eee . . . eee. Background has changed t[...]ound. Sings: Farewell to thee, farewell to thee, the wind will carry back our sad refrai-hai-hai-hai-h[...]o find that this is an animated cartoon, and that in animated cartoons they have scenery; and in all the years I . . . Daffy is erased. All right, wise[...]rs, July-August From Dinosaurs to Dynasties In 1887 Thomas Edison began experimenting with the idea of motion pictures and by 1889, elaborating on the more primitive concept of the zoetrope, he had built his first kinetoscope, a kind of peep-show viewer which held about fifty feet of film. Meanwhile in France, the Lumiere brothers, Auguste and Louis, were already[...]images onto a screen with their cinematographe. In 1906, the year J. and N. Tait produced the first Australian film, The True Story of the Kelly Gang, the first animated film was attempted in America. A commercial artist, J. Stuart Blackton,[...]a little divertissement entitled Humorous Phases of Funny Faces; line drawings which didn’t move so much as give the appearance of creating themselves. The first animator to experiment with timing and char[...]Zenis McCay, a virtuoso draughtsman whose Gertie the Trained Dinosaur (1914) was the first really popular animated film. Winsor and Gertie did the vaudeville circuit together with an act which in those days was hard to beat. Winsor would stand on the stage giving commands, and Gertie, up on the screen, would appear to comply. Her piece de resistance was to give the appearance of catching an apple which her ‘master’ would pr[...]erialized animated films had begun to appear. One of them. Colonel Heeza Liar by T. R. Bray explored the possibilities of animated images even further by adding grey tones to the line drawings. Up to that point everything, including the static background, had to be drawn anew for each frame, until the infelicitously named Barl Nurd came up with the idea of painting characters on separate pieces of celluloid, which have subse- quently come to be known as ‘cels’. By 1917 the International Feature Syndicate was releasing animated versions of favorite new- spaper cartoon strips like The Katzenjammer Kids, Krazy Kat and many others. In the same year Max Fleischer introduced the Out of the Inkwell series, a combination of animation and live action. By the time Walt Disney had made the first full-color talkie cartoon Flowers and Trees in 1932 the future of the animated film in the cinematic arts was assured. Walt Disney: Entrepreneur) of the World to the World While visiting Hollywood in 1930, Soviet direc- tor Sergei Eisenstein was asked what in American cinema he admired most. He replied: “Chaplin, Von Stroheim and Walt Disney.” In the face of the then popular opinion that feature-length animated[...]reaming his first animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) into realisation. The entire project was cleverly masterminded to ensur[...]en and adults. It was a gamble, but it paid off. The hermetic, magical, deodorised world of homogenised fantasy explored in Snow White crystallised into what was to become the Disney style of animation — described by art historian and critic Erwin Panofsky as: “A chemically pure distillation of cinematic possibilities.” The style is unmistakable, and is sustained by his st[...]arly gifted animator or filmmaker, his genius lay in his ability to organise other people’s talents[...]There are, for example, five directors listed on the credits for Dumbo and six for Bambi. Disney was obviously conscious of the propaganda possibilities of the animated film. In Snow White, for example, there is a lengthy whistling musical sequence given, basically, to the importance of washing your hands before you eat. In a recent interview Donald Duck reminisced: “We were helping to prepare people for, in effect, Dachau.” Disney’s moral manipulation[...]re alright -— is not only well sugarcoated, but in- tricately iced. And therein lies the essence of all that which is Disney: presentation and enter- tainment. After the box-office failure of what was, ironically, his most inventive and expe[...]e mercantile attitude towards film production. By the mid-forties he had begun to lose critical respect: the naive magic of his earlier work had become heavily diluted with financial con- sideration. The fairytale charm became a com- modity, and Disney[...]ted: “Above all he represented a biting parody of the bourgeois entrepreneur in the competitive stage of capitalism?” LlCORlC£ l '_ _ -~~"‘4=\~,.*[...]le long-time employer and friend. Walt Disney was the su reme packager: Disneyland itself is the perfect ilustration. Hollywood, taken in the overall view of film history, was the point at which the cultural |
| ANIMATION dilemma of industry and art came closest to resolving itself. Art could make money and money could make art. In the context of this en- vironment Walt Disney showed that animation is, on all levels, a viable form of cinematic ex- pression. Of course, the Disney phenomenon by no means constitutes the whole of Hollywood animation. Many other studios (notably Warners, with an output of approximately 1,000 titles from l930 to 1963), were also involved in the creative popularisation of animated entertainment films. But whereas the raison d’etre of other big studios was live-action production, Disney’s was the only one devoting its greater interest to animated films. 9 Hanna-Barbera Mass Mediocrity and the Murder of Magic By 1953 television was posing a serious threat to the American feature film industry, but Hollywood studios were still producing their regular quota of animated films for theatrical release. In that year alone the seven major studios — Disney, MGM, Paramount, T[...]Warner Brothers and Columbia — released a total of 142 cartoons and animated features. None of these were offered to television. By 1957, however, deals were being transacted, and fairly soon the floodgate burst. The ‘Hollywood anthropomorphic animal population promptly packed up their roadrunner traps and cans of spinach, and migrated en masse to daytime television. For those who anticipated the production of animated films for television, it became evident[...]proaches would have to be formulated to cope with the exigencies of the new medium. For a start it meant turning out fifty feet of film a week instead of fifty feet a year! Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera (refugees from MGM retrenchments) were aware of the virgin pasture in the field of television cartoons, and quickly synthesized a st[...]anned animation’ — a term referring simply to the ruthless reduction of the animation technique to its bare marketable essent[...]o enter his philosophy rather more than it should in one who deals in dreams, the Hanna-Barbera team cared very little about creating rainbows: they held greater store by the pot of gold at its end. 94/ as / C/0 C\.c# Australia: Animation Farm Australia does not have a history of continuous animated film production. Of course there have been sporadic bursts of interest, but generally these have not been susta[...]was making minute-long polemical cartoons as part of the Australasian Gazette newsreel. In 1929 Eric Porter, one of the first Australians to make a career as an animato[...]l93l) hasn’t been released to this day. During the Second World War production companies such as the Owen Brothers in Melbourne were commissioned by the Depart- ment of Information (now Film Australia) to produce a series of two-minute propaganda films for wide release in cinemas. I There had been a slow but steady stream of animated advertising film production, but the molehill eruption didn’t really pop until television finally arrived in Australia in 1956. The major reason that American animated films were able to develop both artistically and commercially was that the studios which made them usually controlled their own distribution companies, and in many cases their own exhibi- tion outlets as well. The healthy growth of any kind of film produc- tion in Australia has always been severely han- dicapped by the fact that local distribution houses are set up to function primarily as organs for the greater interests of overseas parent companies. Production costs have also inhibited the growth of animated film production in Australia. To make a fifteen-minute animated entertainment[...]ly costs between $20,000 and $30,000, dependin on the standard of production. Selling such a 11m to television is a highly un- likely event. Networks do buy the occasional special, but prefer to buy packages of 20 to 30 episodes. Television series require high volume production, which in turn requires a large volume of money. Selling to local television is not impossible but it is impractical. The returns barely cover the in- itial cost. One must go elsewhere, and the US‘. is the only market large enough to offer the recovery of costs in one hit. Unfortunately, however, no Australian-o[...]managed to successfully negotiate a network sale in the U.S. API, the Australian house which mainly produces with an ey[...]sold a few ‘specials’ to American televisi0n.'The antipodean branch of Hanna-Barbera trades regularly with the States, although the product isn’t, strictly speaking, Australian. The only remaining outlet for animated films is theatrical release. However, in the face of quality Canadian Film Board and other PR shorts offered free to exhibitors and the growing trend towards double feature bills, this[...]aker will verify, it is virtually impossible with the deals that are offered to cover costs, let alone show a profit. Then one must bear in mind that the average fifteen-minute animated short usually costs three times more to produce than a live-action short of the same length. In the past few years the Australian govern- ment has provided many filmmakers with the financial means to experiment, but it would seem that in the case of animators these grants are not really enough. To make an animated film ef- ficiently requires the work of many individuals — layout artists, animators, in-betweeners, and others — who are both necessary and expensive. There are few short cuts. Australia does have talented animators who are able to prod[...]imated that at present there is a floating number of between 600 and 900 people employed on the production of animated footage. The majority of these are engaged in commer- cials, which constitute between 35 and 40 per cent of all animated work being produced in Australia. In a climate which seems inhospitable to in- dependent animated film production, commercial work offers the best opportunity for creative animation. The other 60% of Australian animated work is devoted to the production of shorts, TV series and the occasional feature — mainly by API, Hanna- Barb[...]a-Barbera have used their Sydney branch as a sort of animation farm, doing all the ‘creative’ work themselves in I-Iollywood and sending very detailed briefs, storyboards, character designs and sound tracks to Australia where it would be laid out, animated, shot and sent back. It is interesting to note that in many cases the names of the Australian animators have not appeared on the credits. This arrangement has had its good points and its bad. Although the animators are paid very big money, the work is seasonal. The peak production period is from May to December, at which time the staff swells to 140. But in the ‘off’ period it is reduced to a skeleton operation, holding only 20 or so. 46“ ~ :. The Light at the End of the Tunnel Despite the prevailing inhospitable climate, in- dependently produced animated films are starting to appear and gain recognition. At the Cannes Festival in 1971 Kim Humphries’ animated film Please Don’t Step on My Sunshine attained the distinction of being the only Australian film to be placed on the official program. _ _ _ At the 1973 Australian Film Institute Awards, Eric Porter’s animated feature Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon was not only the first animated film to win the Director’s Prize, but it was the first animated film to win an award at all. At the resent time there are a number of animated films in production (aided for the most part by government grants): David Deneen and Val Udovenko from Film Graphics are currently engaged in the pre-production of Cubic (30 minutes); Kim Humphries from Film Australia and Ned McCann are making Quick, Follow that Star (20 minutes); and Gary Jackson is com- pleting Give the Dog a Good Name (10 minutes) . . . to name just a few. Given the continuous support of the govern- ment in the form of grants, subsidies, loans, and (hopefully) quotas, local animators may be freed from some of the restrictions imposed by the rigors of financing, distribution and exhibition. Austral[...]o its standing as a popular art form. ll! * 1|! In following issues of Cinema Papers the work of Australian animators will be considered in more detail. FOOTNOTES 1. From Duck Amuck by Ri[...]ith Donald Duck. written by Dave Wagner, appeared in Radical America, No. l, 1973. 3. lbid. 4. From “TV Animation: The decline and pratfall ofa popular art”. b[...] |
| Dealing or dabbling in politics on film has become fashionable and even necessary to a wide grouping of‘ contemporary European directors. Several of their films have been shown in Australia during the past five years, no doubt stimulated by the commercial success of Costa- Gavras’ Z, released in 1969. He followed this with The Confession in 1970 and State of Siege in 1972. These three films dealt respectively with the murder in 1973 ofa Greek left—wing politician, Gregorios Lambrakis; with the Stalinist purges carried out in Prague in 1950-51; and the murder of an American adviser. Dan Mitrione. by the Tunamaros in 1970.A short and selective list of ‘political’ films might include Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, made by Elio Petri in 1970; two films, in the same year, from Bertolucci — The Spider's Strategy and The Conformist; The Garden of the Finzi-Continis from Vittorio de Sica; and Makavejev’s WR: Mysteries of the Organism. These films raise basic questions about the power of the cinema to persuade people to think and even act differently; about the cinema’s capacity to embody complex and subtle values in concrete characters and figures; and about the depiction of shifting, and perhaps ambiguous, relations between ideology and personal beliefs, and the ways these shape events. Such a broad grouping of films raises two ‘ points of particular interest. The first, in view of the large claims made for what has been referred to in Ci'ne’aste as a new genre in the history of cinema, is to try to assess implicit assumptions about the nature and capability of film, about the order designated by the word ‘politics’ and about the filmmaker’s own involvement and intrusion within his films. I’ll take up these points in relation to two of these filmmakers —- Costa-Gavras, who is com- monly regarded as the originator of this style of cinema, and Bertolucci, who is the most in- teresting and obscure. This is not to imply that these two directors polarize the field. In a later ar- ticle I’d like to discuss the films of Petri, de Sica and Makavejev. The second point of interest lies in the way these films are seen to embody a particular[...]elationship depends upon an assum- ed‘consensus of political views, a kind of orthodoxy about what are the central issues in contemporary politics or, perhaps more ac- curate[...]itical systems are chosen and not others and what the relationship might be between ideologies and events (usually how la- ment is transformed into prophecy). So in a recent edition of Cineaste’, a critic talks of“. . . this new awareness” which comes from “many filmmakers who are now examining the whole notion of political film.” 142 — Cinema Papers. July—August A good deal of critical discussion ofthese films, and even comments from the directors themselves, reinforce the impression of-a common understanding about the dramatic function of politics. In practice this rapidly becomes the political function of drama. The relation between documentary and fiction tends to break down, as it does in some modern literature — Armies ofthe Night, fo[...]ler (referred to by Pauline Kael as “our genius in literature” to distinguish him from Brando, who[...]focus on similar issues and problems, they do so in radically different ways. Yet they are so often r[...]packaged and bought under different brand names. The final rationale for this sort of attitude was expressed last year by Ramon Glazer, during an interview in Melbourne when he brought his film Traitors to Australia. “All art,” he said, “is utilitarian and must serve the purposes of the revolution.” The primary judgment that must be made is not one of the relevance of a particular ideology whether it be Marx, Freud or Reich (that about exhausts the present possibilities), but on the style, the cinematic qualities that distinguish the film. The tendency to identify films with their makers (so the life-style includes and assumes the critical judgments) and the ready flow of tape- recorded interviews contribute to the creation of Above: an American adviser (Yves Montand) is kidnapped by urban guerillas in State of Siege. an instant jumble sale in which journalists, critics and directors trade on[...]conceptions, ambitions and hang-ups. This results in a readiness to accept intention for effect, to re[...]n theme among different directors is no guarantee of mutual interests and intentions. However there have been a number of attempts to classify these films according to a common concern that is supposed to characterize each of them in varying measure. These make critical sense only if you assume one of the following: that cinema as an art form is incapable of the subtlety of literature or drama and can be assessed only by reducing effects to the level of ex- plicit and simple statement; that the film in ques- tion is engaged with politics at the level of finding answers to questions that are formulated irrespec- tive of the film; and that cinema is to be under- stood as a weapon in a revolutionary struggle to overthrow capitalism, or even some of its agents. In this last case, the simplifications are considered to be deliberate and the film is understood as a call to action. But all these assumptions reduce the films I want to discuss to far less interesting or even com- pelling works than at least some of them might appear. There seems to be little necessary cor- respondence between the effects they create and |
| vvismm Iaimvis ; ll miniauia Z Above: Z: The Examining Magistrate (Jean- Louis Trintignant) is the hero; the hope that law_ will re—assert the individual’s rights against tyranny. ...";' -;[...].A rvtsutnin mums iirnimim ..z.. - D Above: In Costa-Gavras’ State of Siege we are spared nothing, not even a public demonstra- tion of shock ‘therapy’. the terms of the theory they are supposed to _il- lustrate. This kind of critical persuasion risks dis- torting the individual qualities of each film and, perhaps more seriously, risks reducing film to the equivalent of planned propositions about a par- ticular system of politics. . As a recent example we might take a long arti- cle in Film Quarterly by Joan Mellen titled ‘Fascism in the Contemporary Film’. This is her opening paragraph: “The last few years have seen among serious young Euro[...]e Bertolucci, Costa-Gavras and Saura a resurgence of interest in fascism, not as the arena for physical combat between absolute forces ofin- terest in examining its social structure and its psy- chological origins in the mass man who 1S most suscep- tible to fascist movements". At the outset, these directors are grouped together, not in terms of historical pressures or stylistic qualities, but according to a common theme. Their “resurgence of interest” is stated quite simply as one of two possible alternatives and their concern is stressed as a “social phenomenon.” The point is important, because one of the characteristics of the article is that statements about the supposed content of films assume stylistic references as well. ‘Social realism’ becomes a style and finally a standard of art in_a more subtle but no less real way than that laid down by the Soviet Writers Congress in 1934. Above: State of Siege: playing insistently upon what we are presumed to know is the case in , South America. But Mellen offers a more general explanation of these films. She goes on to say that they: “. . . integrate within their texture three major areas of exploration: the social dynamic and means by which fascism functions, the nature of)the .resistance to fascism and, most successfully, the dissection of the personality particularly susceptible to fascism with its configuration of homosexual anxiety and sado-maso- chism”. Having discovered the unity and central con- nections, Mellen discusses the conditions under which this “reawakened interest” developed: “The upsurge of revolution in the colonial world has meant, for young intellectuals like Bertolucci, an im- petus for reassessing the recent political history of his country. And the worker-student struggles of France and northern Italy in the late sixties suggested an alter- native to the capitulation to fascism no longer passe; directors are sensing the possibility of new fascist repression or even its rise to power in the advanced capitalist countries. It has made them feel the urgency ofexamining the history of fascism and see the study of fascism as relevant once again." Wide-ranging political trends, or trends in dis- sent and repression (represented in the above quote by the ubiquitous “it”) become the specific conditions for “reassessing recent political history" or “suggesting an alternative”. Immediately the argument moves from content to style, describing the kind and type of films in terms of assumptions about their purpose and content: “The new films exploring the fascist sensibility are among the most interesting and challenging work being done in the film today. When they are at their weakest, these films substitute melodrama for a sustained dramatization of the circumstances under which capitalist countries have resorted to fascism." The general characterization of the aims of these films is thus supported through an implicit description of the way they work. At their best, they offer “a sus[...]ization,” at their weakest, melodrama. This use of key critical terms simplifies the conception of both drama and melodrama by assimilating them to an implicit understanding of some sort of realism, as though the film must make present and account for large soc[...]ovements. This assumption is repeated throughout the ar- ticle. For example, “A film treating the origins and methods of fascist power should concern itself with the social and historical milieu in which the charismatic leader con- vinces the masses of people to follow him.” A further implication within this approach is to assume that the forces within a particular society that lead to u[...]on can be adequately grasped and described within the terms of any theory. Even if you accept that this is what these films attempt, it POLITICAL CINEMA says little for the creative imagination of the film- makers if they are simply “searching for a theory to account for this type of latent or manifest homosexuality accompanied by a sense of frustra- tion that finds relief only in continued acts of sadistic brutality.” So Wilhelm Reich is quoted as the guiding prophet whose ideological connections rescue such a diverse group of directors. Mellen goes on, “Petri, Bertolucci[...]ulnerability to fascism, and, as Reich put it, ‘the repression and distor- tion of the sexual life.’ " Or again, “Subscribing to this theory, Visconti, Bertolucci and Saura treat the fascist sensibility in the genre of the family chronicle." The critical attempt to imprison film directors with[...]. So we find this: “Hysterical psychologizing in the worst moments of Investigation, for example, is, in part, a result of the failure of the director to examine the historical relation between the parties of the working class and a capitalism approaching a fascist solution to its problems.“ Or another example: “In his refusal to deal with the politics of fascism, concentrating as he does on the evocation of milieu, Visconti too abstains from the question of resistance and why it failed. The cause lies in his lack ofinterest in dramatizing the history of the period.” This kind of comment betrays an uneasy apprehension that perhaps the theory about the connections between sexual life and fascism doesn’t fit the films as exactly as it might. So we are offered a curious reason for the small part played by the fascists: “Illustrating the directors’ awareness of the tran- sitory impact of fascism is the disappearance of any theory ofgovernment or coherent program ofchange at the end of the films they dominate. And at the end of The Conformist in 1943 the fascist party disappears as if it had never exist[...]at needs to be drawn between ‘fascism’ and ‘the fascist party’, Bertolucci may have been interested in other kinds ofthe level of insight offered into what the theory does allow on screen is at times disappointing: “Z. The Damned and Investigation illustrate how the more secret the working of an organization, the greater its power.” The steady and complete transference of the critic’s vested interests to the filmmaker’s work appears in Mellen’s final paragraph: “Yet it is no less true that because the distortions of the personality make people both susceptible to fasci[...]y equipped to transcend it, man is not absolv- ed of the important task of creating a social environ- ment which will produce saner human beings. It is this fdilmension which we miss in the recent anti-fascist 1 ms.” This dimension (of sensitivity? common sense? responsibility?) may be missing in the recent anti- fascist films, but it is not the business of criticism to restore the balance. Essentially this style of criticism interprets and unifies artistic experience in terms of a felt moral urgency. The critic has taken up the crusade that he finds represented on film. Politics has become a matter of simple moral absolutes; the actors, the motivation and probable destiny are declared befo[...]tly for this reason, such criticism deals largely in plurals, in centralized groupings, and tends to ignore specific differences which might alter the entire pattern. Explanations of particular films tend to be either predictive or therapeutic. So we find phrases like “the important task of creating a social environment which will produce saner human beings” or “the quest for psy- chological health in these films” or, in The Con- formist, “a call for solidarity for those oppressed: by fascism.” Such criticism identifies the point of view of a director with a simple and consistent program and confidently locates fragments in any of his films. Cinema Papers, July-August — 143 |
| POLITICAL CINEMA So the critic can refer equally to the director or his films in any given context. This pervasive tendency fails to respect the autonomy of the ar- tist, both because it summarizes and because it summarizes wrongly. It assumes that the artist, as well as the critic, is simply a social engineer, that his works can be explained and interpreted in terms of a prior commitment to social change, if not revol[...]mes a surprisingly literal correspondence between the verbal language of the theories the films are supposed to exemplify, the language of the criticism itself and the effects achieved on screen. The article I have discussed is not an isolated case,[...]a contemporary and fashionable critical interest in relating sexual and political behaviour. In a later article in Film Quarterly, called Sex and Politics, James Roy MacBean takes on the same field although he extends his coverage. MacBean does mention the article by Joan Mellen, but, although he disagrees on points of detail, he accepts her basic assumptions. Talking about the implication that not all homosexuals display a co[...]chistic pattern, he says, quoting Mellen: “ ‘Thethe implication which needs guarding against is not the obvious oversimplification that all homosexuals are fascists, but rather the more insidious oversimplification that all fascis[...]sexuals or have latent homosexual tendencies.“ The ‘whole argument bears a curiously tangential relation to the film that is supposed to have started it all, Z. The only real link lies in the murderers Yango and Vango, and how many peo- ple remember them? In a more general sense, it’s odd that Costa-Gavras is regarded as the originator of “this new genre”. His films actually reinforce the two crucial elements of traditional propaganda films: firstly their instrumental in- terest in politics and a concern for the mechanics and not the causes of violence; and beyond that, they focus always on the exercise of violence rather than the way in which power is used and played upon. This confusion of violence and political power only reflects an essential simplification that in- volves the other traditional element —— an attempt to te[...]vinegar.” His first attempt came with Z, made in French, just a year after the worker-student uprisings in France. Essentially what the film attempts is to draw out the threads of a state system of con- spiracy. It takes a striking political gesture — the assassination of the deputy Lambrakis — and carefully follows through, picking up clues, to associations between the murderers and the government. The editing is tight and insistent, the musical score by Theodorakis pulsating in rapid, menacing rhythms. The drama focuses on the role of the prosecutor, played by Jean Louis Trintig- nant as he slowly unravels the connections and comes to understand that the government is im- plicated at the highest levels. Costa-Gavras has heightened the tension by simplifying and reducing the conflicts. He has laid out the mechanics of the assassination, relying upon speed and shock to sustain the drama. He cuts rapidly between the Bolshoi ballet and the protest meeting in a nearby square. The camera focuses in unexpected and disconcerting close-ups on the generals and colonels at the film’s opening as they listen to a lectureon the moral welfare of the state. But the director doesn’t intend to create any kind of surreal effect; the film relies for its tension upon an implicit acce[...]ity; closely—observed, external relationships. The script betrays the film’s didactic intentions, hammering the clash between left and right. So the speaker tells his assembled military audience that the holy tree of national freedom is suffering from the dry rot of ideological mildew. 144 —— Cinema Papers, July-August Conformist: M arcello Clerici Above: The (Jean-Louis Trintignant) visits his father at the state asylum. From this point, characters are rapidly in- troduced — the power elite, who are middle-aged, gross, awkward and insensitive. Then the young protesters — sincere, direct, passionate in their dedication to a cause, and insisting that a[...]ce. Costa-Gavras justified this particular piece of stylizing during an interview. He said this: “[...]g. If you take a person fifty or sixty years old. the government ministers, say, they are not good-looking not because of their function. but because of their age. I met something like twenty or thirty Tupamaros and they were all very good-looking. The same goes in France with young people who are extreme left win[...]." This view might well be termed a plastic mode of revolution or seen as a justification in purely aesthetic terms for continuous revolution as each generation topples their ripe elders. In Z the out- standing figure is Yves Montand playing a y[...]istance to unjust repression, but his combination of innocence and determination is conveyed in his shining eyes, his erect physical stance. He appears moulded to the part. And so the film continues to play off one smooth surface aga[...]ach other rapidly: protest, murder, riot. Then to the hospital where the fatally-injured deputy has been taken: long-shots of operating theaters and X-ray rooms. The film plays upon a fascination with technique and this reflects exactly its in- strumental approach to politics. Political values. exist outside individuals: in the relation between general, prosecutor, victim and the anonymous mass who never enter the film, except as a jostling crowd on cue. With the entry of Trintignant, the film’s focus settles down. He is the hero, the hope that law will re-assert the individual’s rights against tyranny. But this hope is never made specific. We don’t see just who the individuals are, nor are we shown why the generals cling to power. The ends are all assumed, it is only the means that are in question. Above: Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Spider's Strategy. The village fascists. Characters summarize their own existence in their appearance; a gross, fat man is clearly des[...]ate that he should mouth right-wing cliches about the degeneracy of long hair, drugs, sex, literature, pop music and, possibly, the Jesus freaks. The very simple ideological distinctions between left[...]r adequately iden- tified. This stems partly from the film’s refusal to admit any aspect of social life that doesn’t bear directly on the investigation. There are occasional flash-backs of Lambrakis, to an affair he once had, but these are fragmentary and irritating. In general the time-sequence is direct and un- complicated. The film’s plot exists in a rapidly- moving present; the past is done away wit and the future awaits only as a long list of suspended liberties at the end of the film. This uncluttered simplicity gives strength and immediate direction to the intrigue, but once you know the answer, so to speak, thein a sense to let events condemn themselves by what[...]chance, nothing is ambiguous. Politics is viewed in terms of moral absolutes: the nature of events accords exactly with their appearance; the exercise of violence, and resistance to it, constitute the central political relationship. The film makes great play with a conception of justice, but nothing is ever said or implied about legitimacy, about the roots and strength of a particular social and political order. Politics becomes a grand jigsaw in which the pieces are hammered into place through acts of in- dividual violence. The following year, in 1970, Costa-Gavras made The Confession, and in 1972 State of Siege. Each of these films repeats the same formula, the same simple strategy, in different cultures and settings. Once you have disclosed the mechanics of how repression operates, all you can do is trick it out with a little local color. State of Siege is set in Uru uay and centers on a kidnapping carried out by the local urban guerillas, the Tupamaros. As with Z, the drama is presented in an apparently documentary style, although the attempt to dis- guise parable as current affairs has become more direct. So State of Siege establishes in painful and ob- vious detail the ramifications of American in- trigue and subversion in this small South American state. The foreign training courses are listed and even the names of those who took part in them. This is, after all, real drama. |
| Above: The Conformist: stylized movements that express an em[...]an opportunity for action that is never seized.The involvement of American advisers with the local police is made clear; the gifts of cars, weapons and torture equipment. We are spared nothing, including a public demonstration of shock ‘therapy’. The fi1m’s whole interest lies in the technical aspects of treachery, in the connec- tions between events whose pattern and lo[...]nvey background and thematic development, just as the interrogation of the American stresses the essential kindness and justice of the terrorists. They are insistent, fair-minded and irresistible. As one of them asks the kidnapped American adviser Santore: “You are a technician?" “I am a technician.” “In the police?" “Yes.“ “And a policeman‘s duty[...]o a slogan about order and progress. We return to the youthful guerillas and Santore asks for a glass of whisky. “Sorry,” they say, “here there’s just water.” As the interrogation continues, and the film draws reluctantly to a close, Santore starts[...]al self. “We policemen,” he says, “all have the same vocation for order. So we don’t approve of change." He emphasizes, “We don’t believe in real men. Just in equality.” The same might be said of Costa-Gavras. And the point is not that he stylizes political protest in representative figures, but that he reduces com- plex relations to easy parody. State of Siege plays insistently upon what we are presumed to know is the case in South America. Social observation that might add[...]Costa-Gavras has found that he cannot just repeat the mechanics of Z, so he has simply insisted on the same points more loudly. The impact and limitations of propaganda become apparent in the heavy didactic purpose of these films, in their apparent documentary realism and their instrumental view of politics. This reduces politics to protest and repression; from conceptions of power and legitimacy to con- ceptions of indiscriminate violence and expedien- cy. For all[...]ms are chaotic, loose and repetitive. And for all the focus on Montand, they betray little psychological suggestiveness, except the classic smile of weary resignation. Literally nothing approaches except death following the inquisition. The films of Bertolucci don’t depend on the sorts of simplification that we find with Costa- Gavras. Although two of them are explicitly con- cerned with fascism and all three of them with politics, they take up the world of politics in a quite different, even metaphoric sense. In each of his three films, The Spider’s Strategy, The Con- formist and Last Tango in Paris, the central character is attempting to discover and a[...]ist: a dazzling rhetorical §:‘!.'p. film of brilliant inventions and studied effects. own identity by exorcising a particular relationship from the past. The young man in The Spider’s Strategy, Athos Magnani, returns to a small Italian town to find out just who his father was. The story is based on a fragment from Jorge Luis Borges’ Theme of the Traitor and the Hero. It’s about a revolutionary who is killed in mysterious circum- stances and it’s not clear whether he died in defending or betraying the revolution. But an in- vestigator decided, two generations later, that[...]y concludes with this sentence: “After a series of tenacious hesitations, he resolves to keep his discovery silent. He publishes a book dedicated to the hero’s glory; this, too, perhaps, was foreseen.” What Bertolucci does is to make the in- vestigator the son of the revolutionary and con- centrate on the son’s discovery of himself by tak- ing on and playing out the role of the father. Ber- tolucci has not tried to convey the elusive sense of Borges, that human events are subject to a strang[...]logical theory about fathers and sons. Something of the same explicit interest emerges in The Conformist, which derives from Alberto Moravia’[...]atic experience when he is sexually at- tacked by the family chauffeur. For the rest of his life he desperately seeks security, even to the point of acting as a secret agent for the fascist government. These two protagonists are both involved in politics, or rather drawn into a political system[...]and how it operates beyond what is necessary for the development of his character. Much has been made of the theories of Wilhelm Reich in relation to these films, and especially the notion of a latent homosexuality that finds relief only in continued acts of violence. So the critics connect sexual repression with susceptibility to fascism. Joan Mellen says that Clerici in The Con- formist, is “covering up conscious homosex[...]by a movement pronouncedly oriented towards feats of male strength.” The overall attempt to explain Bertolucci’s films by recourse to a highly explicit theory of personality type and its relation to a political[...]gain to miss out on what’s genuine- ly original in his filmmaking. This has much more to do_wit_h a complex control of texture and color and lighting in order to convey subtle and elusive effects; to pattern and stylize ambiguity, menace and indecision in imagery like the last tango itself. Of course fascism does appear in the films but fascists hardly do at all. The fascist system rather affords Bertolucci a stage, a ready-made organization of essentially private feelings ex- pressed in frozen public attitudes. And it is this background of repression that enables him to develop his chara[...]identity or security. This process becomes clear in The Spider’s Strategy. As the credits unroll, we are shown a series of animal paintings by Ligabue. They are highly colored, even exotic pictures of birds, snakes, tigers, gorillas. They are very formal sketches, brilliantly blocked out in sharp colors, yet fantastic, expressing the energy and power of these creatures in strangely distorted surfaces. And across the sound-track plays fairground music. The pictures and the music suggest associations from the past that almost become concrete in the present —— but they are gone and the film has moved on. This highly—stylized opening reflects the ways Bertolucci creates effects throughout the film. His approach is to constantly raise suggest[...]that are momentary and elusive but steadily bind the viewer. The credits pass into the opening shots, a tiny and apparently deserted village. A train draws in and a young man gets off, together with a sailor. They are photographed against the dense green background of sur- rounding trees and contrasting sandstone buildings. Again, the line and color create a for- mal and unreal setting, as though we are looking at the way a man might imagine his own past. As the camera follows the young man through the town, other figures appear. But they move as though they’re playing parts in a play; they have no past and no future. And this is the tension upon which the film depends. The young man, Athos Magnani, has returned to the village where his father was murdered by fascists. He wants to dis- cover the truth of his death and he will only find out by pla[...] |
| THE REMOVALISTS Jim Murphy“If roots were hamburgers, you could feed a bloody army" is the sort of one-liner which has made audiences cringe. So- called Australian humor on the stage and screen has often been nothing more than locker room phrases tossed in for hopeful shock effect and emerging like poor v[...]enough, or hand-me-down Cockney comedy, which is in- tolerable. David Williamson’s ability to conjure with the heightened Aussie argot and use it to perfectly valid comic or dramatic effect is the mainstay of his own film adaptation of his play The Removalists. Without diminishing the excellent cast and good production values, it is Williamson’s dialogue which is the focal point of the film and makes one overlook the basic in- appropriateness of the material for the medium. That Williamson can make the above-quoted wisecrack (which is not much of a line, even by vaudeville standards) fit naturally into the flow of dialogue and get its required laugh without seeming awkward or embarrassing testifies to his strong grasp of character and his ear for the rhythm of Australian speech. It was evident in Stork and Petersen. It is more refined in The Removalists. The film — or, rather, the play because it is nothing more than a confined two-set theater piece perfunctorily opened out for the cameras — does not fit snugly into any category. The dividing line between comedy and drama is hard to perceive for most of the time and blurs completely in the final half- hour. It is too funny to be called a[...]writer sees to it that all interrelate throughout the play. Even when one is merely observing the others, he’s observing in a way that says something about him. There are fe[...]ngly with two coppers manning a small sub-station in a crime-prone Sydney suburb. Constable Ross (John Hargreaves) is fresh out of training college, non-too-bright and bristling with enthusiasm. even though he was sick the week they studied practical human psy- chology. H[...]Cummins), an amateur Bilko who manages to operate the station without doing anything con- structive. It[...]l a unit, he tells his new subordinate. to handle the big cases, and the minor offences are not worth worrying about. The most important document in the office is the TV Times; it supplies the program listings for the television set hidden un- der the counter. Simmonds is proud that, in 23 years in the Force, he has never made an arrest, never drawn h[...]is strolling to work pounding a rolled newspaper in the palm of his hand with just a hint of aggression. Ross is impressionable, and Simmonds wastes no time in making an impression on him. He imbues the novice with his cynical approach to police work (“Stuff thethe station to make a complaint. Marilyn Cater (Jack[...]k) into seeking police intervention. Not only has the lout beaten her — and she has the bruises to prove it to the goggle-eyed young constable — but he has refused to let her take the furniture out of their home. Simmonds, having given Ross a subtle lesson in the niceties of perving on good-looking sheilas while pretending to be solicitous, assumes the guise of Good Samaritan. He calls a removalist friend to send one of his vans around to the Carters’ flat, and the police set off with the girls to supervise the moving of the furniture. So much for Act 1. The second half — much the stronger — takes place in the flat where Kenny. the husband (Martin Harris) is minding his own busine[...]Homicide re-runs on TV. He vehemently objects to the intrusion of the police, but Sim- monds knows how to deal with agg[...]ood, even their wives. He has Kenny handcuffed to the room divider and cheerfully thumps him every time he says something out of order. . This proves unfortunate for Kenny, because he is one of those types whose talent for colorful abuse is un[...]ow»: Q; s 4 pg, 1 as as W 3 B as _‘v " comic in ‘ ., - .i"mcano vCj~ macaw M n 1 can («tiri-[...]Cummins) has Kenny (Martin Harris) handcuffed to the room divider and cheerfully thumps him every time he says something ‘out of order‘. The more he’s hit, the more he’s inspired to further out- pourings of invective. Like a moth circling closer and closer to the flame, Kenny invites his own destruction. It is the build-up of violence by the policemen — watched with almost complete detachment by the two women and the driver of the removal van (Chris Haywood) — which is the crux of the play. It isn’t so much sadism or anger as over-enthusiastic pursuit of a misplaced ideal. Simmonds, following his own pe[...]or dealing with offenders, just loses his grip on the reins —— in his eyes, the only mistake he has made in his whole police career. It is Williamson's message that toleration of a certain amount of violence is only a step away from total barbarity[...]isively by exercising a light-hearted approach to the first manifestations of brutality. We laugh, we are guilty too, even thou[...]s at cowardice, hypocrisy, sexual frustration and the good old bureaucratic games of buckpassing and bludging on the job. The acting is first-rate, with honors shared by Peter[...]artin Harris. It is not surprising that both were in- Cinema Papers, July-August —- 147 |
| REVIEWS 'volved in early stage productions of the play. At no point does Cummins let the character of the sergeant degenerate into caricature. He is a ruthless product of bigotry and hangups, perfectly illustrated by his bellow “self-control is the test of manhood" as he beats the living daylights out of his handcuff- ed prisoner. Martin Harris has the most testing role as Kenny. being called upon to switch at the end from ranting vituperation to pathetic docilit[...]nd not from congenital imbecility as could happen in a less perceptive approach, and Chris Haywood is a good con- trasting type as the whingeing Pom removalist. forever bleating about “the $10,000 worth ofequipment I‘ve got tick- ing away outside", The girls come off slightly less well, which may be inherent in the script. Jacki Weaver has little to do except look[...]th it. Producer-designer Margaret Fink has spent the $240,000 budget wisely. It's a film without extraneous matter, efficiently directed by Tom Jeffrey within the limitations imposed by the two interior locations and crisply edited by Anthony Buckley. In terms of cinema, The Removalists has little to offer. But in making David Williamson's admirable play available to the widest possible audience, it is an object splendidly achieved with a high degree of professionalism from all concerned. THE REMOVALISTS. Directed by Tom Jeffrey, Distributed[...]Chris Haywood (Removalist). Eastmancolor. 93 min. Australia 1974. THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 John C. Murray- It is still something of a rarity these days to find a film as ef- ficiently conceived and organized as The Taking of Pelham 123. From Peter Stone’s script, which pares away a good deal of the padding in John Codey’s novel, through casting decisions that show a perception of the current role- possibilities of actors like Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, to Jo[...]tion and editing, Pelham 123 never strays outside the limits of its ingenious-crime-by-ruthless-men conventions. That it is a formula film is hardly in doubt. The gang which hijacks one car of a New York subway train to gain a million- ‘ d[...]oftypes we have met many times before. There is the cold mastermind Mr Blue (Robert Shaw), the nervous aide Mr Green (Martin Balsam) frightened by the violence but determined to see the job through, the near—psychotic enforcer we know will sooner or later defy his leader’s orders and put the scheme injeopardy Mr Brown (Earl Hindman) and the unthinking but utterly dependable assistant, Mr Grey (Hector Elizondo) who, the rules dictate, will be the first to go when the;-,shooting starts. Up at ground level, so to speak, we are in equally familiar company. The subway security chief Lieutenant Garber (Walter Matthau) is everything such a character in such a film should be: unsentimental, tough-humored, and capable of matching his adversary step for step in cunning. His aplomb, and that of his right-hand man (Jerry Stiller), both pillars of stability as the crime takes its course, are set against the raw- nerved frenzy of the train controller and his staff, watching the boards which indicate that rail traffic is piling up all over the system. And so the conventions emerge: vacillating public officials and politicians, confused cops, terrified passengers, the wild race against time to get money to the subway before the next hostage is executed, and, classically, the identification of the one surviving criminal by a fate-decreed mischance. In many respects Pelham 123 could hardly fail to cap[...]in interest. Mr Blue’s plan is so ingenious and the situation so fertile (criminals locked below ground as the city above falls into confusion) that they almost[...]nt’s treatment is its sureness and intelligence of touch. To takejust a few instances, one of the hostages is a deadbeat drunk (another formula item, by the way). Her failure to comprehend what is going on[...]arly, and she is visually referred to on a couple of occasions as the story develops. The point that she is in the situation though not ofit is made by one single s[...]a seat, she slides forward like a projectile when the runaway carriage hits a trip-lever and grinds to[...]-August Above: Hijack on a New York subway train in Gerald Greenberg's The Taking of Pelham I23. THE GODFATHER PART II Mark Randall Equally restrained is the handling of a nervous patrolman who finds himself caught between the hijacked car and a team of police snipers hiding in the recesses of the subway tunnel. Wanting to play a part in the action but knowing he dare not shoot at the shadowy figures he can see in the car, he bunches his hand into a make-believe pistol and silently shoots Mr Grey. Worth noting too is the moment when one of the passengers in the careering car closes his eyes and intones a Zen m[...]lgences on Sargent’s part, but given its nature the film cannot really afford to play around with characteriza- tion other than that degree of it needed to give Lt Garber and Mr Blue a dimension. The sense that there are people — human beings —— involved in the crime and its effects has to be generated by these obser- vations and others: the wavery-voiced tension of the two policemen exchanging small-talk as they wait to drive the ransom money from the bank to the subway against the clock, a police commander's disappointment when h[...]not to mount a death-or—glory charge down into the tunnel, the influenza-ridden mayor assessing the vote-winning potential in the situation, the prostitute among the hostages insulted at Mr Brown‘s labelling her a $20 hooker. But among all the achievements in the film, not least of which is the sharply timed and placed intercutting between the llurries of activity in the brightly-lit exteriors and interiors of the city and the grimly dark and silent tunnel, there are some sma[...]s. For one thing, we never gain any insight into the criminals’ reasons for having taken on such a d[...]earned very much about them, but Sar- gent leaves the men almost wholly anonymous, to the extent that the small suggestion that Mr Green is seeking revenge[...]sal as a subway motorman remains uncon- firmed. The complaint might be offered too that the ending (different from the novel's) is perhaps excessively anticipated throughout the film, The underscoring of Lt Garber’s sneezes heard over the intercom system rather gives the ironic finale away ahead of time. But if these are weaknesses, they are minor flaws in a film which is elsewhere so thoroughly and attractively under control. THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123. Directed by Joseph Sargent. Distribut[...]alomar Picture—Palla ium_ Productions. Director of Photography, Owen Rolsman. Edited by Gerald Green[...]story about a family." — Fred Roos, co-producer of'l‘he Godfather Part Two. Francis Ford Coppola's sequel to his $200 million grossing The Godfather is an infinitely more seductive piece of film- making than its predecessor. It is beautifully executed. The cinematography and art direction are dazzling virtuoso examples of Hollywood’s for- midable technical-creative arsenal working at peak capacity. The production values of the film are to be marvelled at. The dollars are up on the screen with scenes of breathtakingly romanticized re-creation. It is a feast for the senses. An epic distraction, reducing complex and disturbing realities into readily digested hunks, not of the new Hollywood ‘realism’ (a la The French Connection), but of new Hollywood myth. What Sam Peckinpah has done for the Western. Coppola has done for the crime syndicate. Part ll pretends to be a lot more than the violent melodrama the original was, and with a budget of$l3 million, Coppola has given full rein to his fl[...]phy, melancholy autumnal golds and browns (a dash of Vermeer through the drapes), historical minutiae from the props department, a cast of thousands, ex- otic European and Latin American locations, and the clever use of sub-titles — the heady stuff of Coppola’s wide-screen myth-making. Part ll moves leisurely through the past and present history of the Corleone dynasty. Back to where it all began in the Old Country with vendetta violence and forced emigration to the States for the young Vito Corleone, up to Michael Corleone’s presence before a Senate committee hearing on ‘The Family’ and its nefarious activities. The film’s scope, in terms of narrative, is flung wide, and in the telling it rarely falters, considering its episodic structure and length (three-and-a-half hours). We see the building of an empire and the personal tragedies bound up in its realization and maintenance. At the end of thethe good things of life, like murdering his opponents. But it’s ha[...]ert Duvall gives his expected stolid support, but the acting honors finally go to the Master of Method, Lee Strasberg. Strasberg’s dyin[...] |
| 5‘ if 5373.2-y ‘I Robert de Niro (right) as the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II. 3;,-Ii: x‘ Al Pacino as The Godfather in Francis Ford Coppola‘s The Godfather Part ll. You can call it popular enter[...]u don’t want to take it seriously, but implicit in Coppola's direction and scripting is that something significant is unfolding before us. The measured pacing and sombre atmospherics demand th[...]ing on an operatic level twice-removed from life. The only thing you can take seriously is his dishonesty — the film is a brilliant cheat. Francis Ford Coppola[...]re they kill people sometimes, but it's just part of business. Rubbing someone out is their way of putting in a hard day at the office. They have families, domestic problems, career worries, sleepless nights . , . family life with the Corleones is open to us all on a reduc- ed level[...]ht with your wife. This ‘humanizing‘ sleight of hand is cunningly used. Vito Corleone blows a riv[...]and goes home to cuddle his baby son. Vito, back in Sicily to finish offa vendetta, slits an old man‘s guts from navel to chops (admittedly the old man shot—gunned his mother) and is then see[...]iscarriage. REVIEWS What really keeps us inside the film, however, is Coppola’s style: that ofthe[...]eeds it to us like a narcotic. There is a feeling of time and place suspended, a baroque unreality about it all suggested by the lighting, the soft colors, the heavy emphasis on violins in the musical scoring, and the anachronistic dialogue (“What did Papa think deep in his heart?”), sometimes bordering on mock-biblical absurdity, like the worst of Hemingway. The crisp edge ofdefinition is missing, as ifit were a dream, a memory, the Mafia holidaying in The Garden of the Finzi- Continis. We are held in this suspended lush state, while the mobsters go about their grisly business. Coppola seems to be saying that the Corleones are just a family, but with a differenc[...]ferencel). They are a super—family trafficking in dark regions of sudden engulfing malevolence and infinite venality. We can know them as men, but we[...]k. A myth we can well do without. And what about the real Mafia? "There was no opposition from the Mafia during the filming. They loved the first film about themselves and were with us all the way for its sequel." Fred Roos No doubt they were. Through The Godfather they’ve become celebrities. There’s your reality. THE GODFATHER PART II. Directed by Francis Ford Coppo[...]lay by Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola. Director of Photography, Gordon Willis. Music by Nino Rota. A[...], is an em- barrassingly unabashed weepie, a kind of ill-conceived Paper Moon or John’s Wife, incorporating some of the grimmer aspects of an Ash Wednesday. The film is built around the depressingly lacklustre exploits of Alice, played by Ellen Burstyn, who has made good use of her dramatic experiences in The Exorcist. Ms Burstyn seems to have decided, or perhaps the casting directors did it for her, that crises are her forte. She is confronted here by a series of unhappy traumas to which she responds by bursting[...]ability, into tears. Her mother was doubtless one of those believers in the virtues of a good cry. Not that one does not sympathize with Alice. Early in the film we experience a profound distaste for her d[...]equally unsufferable male offshoot, Alice remains the kind of tough pioneer doormat who talks stoically about m[...]while her husband rants on about respect. Within the first 10 minutes, however, he is obligingly written off in an automobile accident. Faced with this stroke of good fortune, Alice bursts into floods of tears before packing her son and all her worldly goods into the back of a station wagon and eriving off into the cruel daylight in search ofa better life in Monterey. One wonders about the comfortable home she leaves behind; was it all be[...]t transpires that Alice, when young, was a singer of some pretention. in order to keep the wolf from the door she bravely casts around the small-town bars for work and finally lands a spot in an average—seedy es- tablishment. She also pick[...]ould have told her from a mile off was bad news. The rest of this irksome film details Alice’s brutal comeup- pance at the hands of this character, a desperate flit from the motel, and then — waitressing at an horrific greasy spoon in Tucson. Where, between crying into the steak and two veg, she catches the twinkling eye of bearded David, a local ranch- owner mysteriously[...]like Alice could have wanted: waiting a decorous in- terval before bedding her and chuckling devotedl[...]ers his pitch with Alice, while cementing himself in the audiences affections, by losing his temper with young Tommy and dealing him a mild swipe across the backside. Tommy proceeds to take up with his pre[...]s indicating to his foolish parent just how much in need of the providential kick in the pants he was. All, however, is not lost, this being the kind of just-deserts film it is, and honor is Ci[...] |
| REVIEWS Ellen Burstyn in the Academy Award winning role of Alice from Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. satisfied at the caff next day in an improbably public display of sentiment. It is always tempting for a reviewer to engage in easy mockery at the expense ofa bad film, but some films simply do[...]n Scorcese thought he was making a different kind of film — dealing a well-intentioned blow for Wom[...]kind- ly a women’s flick. Put Elizabeth Taylor in the leading role, and any similarity would have to be[...]t she has an uphill fight to spark much interest in Alice’s soggy saga. There is a drab quality about the film that appears to have been deliberately accented in the settings, real as they are: the“ endless motel rooms and bars, the harsh lighting and discor- dant colors. Those ga[...], depressing buildings remind one disconcertingly of being on the skids in Australia. All this worthy authenticity should have 150 — Cinema Papers, July-August been a strong point in the film’s favor; the fact that one holds it against the film testifies to an overall lack of style which generates an absence of sympathy for the characters. Alice and Tommy’s relationship, wh[...]ative and irritating, partly because Tommy is one of those permanently bored, petty tyrants, partly because Alice is so resolutely the all-American mother, which nowadays apparently means smart-arsing the kid one minute and grovelling the next. And partly, and this applies to the film in general, because their in- teraction is treated with a superficial gloss which effectively stands in the way of any real involvement. The film is not only drab but also curiously scruffy, as though shot on sub-standard film stock and edited in a hurry. lf realism was the intention, again it is thoroughly dispersed in the sillinesses of the story. There are moments, some richly comic scene[...]ed, even moved, but they occur rarely. They have the effect of uncomfortably jolting one’s otherwise negative response; they do, however, prevent one from writing off the film completely. It is possible to gain some semblance of understanding of Alice and her situation, but the honesty which could have saved the film is thrown out in favor of fairly glib cameos and an artificial ending. Mean Streets suggested that Scorcese had the beginnings of an interesting talent. One can only hope that Alice is a tem- porary aberration, a brief sortie into the mawkish meadows of matinee-land. ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMO[...]ner Bros. Screenplay by Robert Getchell. Director of Photography, Kent L. Wakeford. Edited by Marcia L[...]Foster. lll min. US 1974. NADA Lindsay Amos At the outset, it should be noted that the version of Nada screened at the Sydney Film Festival and, presumably, the one which will go on general release eventually is 26 minutes shorter than the British print. Even though a reliable source tells me that the cutting was supervised by Chabrol for the American market, twenty per cent ofa film is an awful lot, and here it results in some irritating holes in the narrative — at least one of which seems to be quite important. This said, Na[...]lly for those who, like myself, have succumbed to the discreet charm of Claude Chabrol. And despite the director’s characteristically off-hand description of it as a ‘Punch and Judy show with bullets’, N[...]esting contrast.to another film also screened at the festival, The Orders, which deals with a similar subject — the sudden eruption of police state procedures in a putative democracy — but the dramatiz- ed documentary style of the latter seems very dull for all its good intentions next to Chabrol’s totally fictional treatment. In Nada, a motley group of anarchists known as Nada (Spanish for ‘nothing’), successfully kidnap the US Am- bassador to France and hole up in a remote farmhouse lent to one of the group. The operation begins smoothly enough, but a -. ...... .. I..;...*...... ,. Above: Tom Laughlin as Billy Jack in The Trial of Billy Jack. An experiment in commercial political cinema. |
| [...]s. policeman and an American agent are killed as the gang make their getaway. The escape is filmed by a government security agent strategically situated across the street and the Minister for the Interior (Andre Falcon) seizes upon the opportunity for a stage-managed show of strength. The bulk of the film concentrates on the interrelationships of the Nada gang, while simultaneously underlining similarities in the tactics of the authorities and the terrorists in achieving their respective political aims. Some years ago, Chabrol almost grudgingly admitted in an interview that he ‘supposed he must be a leftist’ and even today his equivocation is reflected in the political stance of Nada. Nobody in the film gets off lightly. Certainly the microcosmic police state which is defined by the Nada gang's whereabouts is a measure of Chabrol‘s cynicism. The zealous Police Com- missioner Goemond (played with unctuous relish by Michel Aumont), after being placed in charge of the case by the bland Interior Minister, can hardly wait to match the ruthlessness of the terrorists. The itinerant Ambassador can be relied on to keep onl[...]tment—at an exclusive brothel-—which is where the kidnapping takes place. The security agency responsible for the filming of the getaway is currently out of favor with the Ministry, with its chief in jail. Even so this obvious disenchantment with the forces of law and order and almost gleeful depiction of their mendacity and peccadilloes alike is countered by a similar treatment of the anarchist group. The ostensible leader, Diaz (Fabio Testi), who is everybody’s idea of a fiery Spanish revolutionary, com- plete with b[...]t his political manifesto to a disinterested pair in the car he hijacks at a gas station. Treuffais (Michel Duchaussoy), the only intellectual in the gang, has second thoughts, drops out prior to the kidnap itself and is later instrumental (albeit unwittingly) in the subsequent massacre of the others. Veroni- que Cash (Mariangela Melato) has[...]otivation at all, preferring a casual affair with the ageing, former communist militant Epaulard (Mauri[...]I don‘t care if I'm politically dumb!” shouts the alcoholic D‘Arey (Lou Castel) at one point, which could sum up the at- titude of the entire Nada gang — until the realization that the gang is not so much interested in social change as in a grand gesture where the right of the individual to choose his own death is of paramount importance. The filming of the escape during the kidnap sequence and rapid identification of the participants defuses a traditionally stock situation —— the painstaking tracking down of the kid- nappers. The assumption is that Chabrol is more interested in the inevitable confrontation between two equally ruthless fac- tions. In other words the central section of the film, the bloody ‘shoot ‘em up‘ scene around the farmhouse, looks suspiciously as if it was what attracted him to the material in the first place. The quick discovery of the gangs hide-out enables this un- deniably brilliantly staged set-piece to become the focal point of the film. However a synopsis of Nada clearly shows that much of the behind the scenes, interdepartmental give-and-take which takes place in the longer version could shift the emphasis of it in the terrorists‘ favor. For example, the head of the security agency which did the filming is apparently calmly released from jail in return for the all-important film, which here pops up inexplicably in the form of nice, clear blow-ups. What is clear in Nada, is that Chabrol is not only good at showing genteel murder among small-town bourgeoisie. The kidnapping itself embraces several shifts in mood, from Epaulard gently knocking out the ladies in the brothel (including the indignant madam, who’s paying police protec- tion) to the botched-up escape where an agent is shot and D‘Arey kills a cop with a catapult. Later when Gocmond and the Minister meet to discuss strategy they peer around a large table lamp, sizing up each other like a couple of prizefighters in the first round. The farmhouse siege begins as Bonnie and Clyde picare[...]d massacre. Gocmond is quite ready to sacrifice the Ambassador in order to swing public opinion against the terrorists — though the tactics used to accomplish this seems like a classic case of overkill (in its most literal sense) and. in fact, he becomes snared in his own trap. The suspended Goemond, in a futile stand to save his own political skin might be smart enough to lure the surviving Diaz back to his death, but Diaz is eve[...]nce is very satisfying dramatically, and could be the product of any one of Chabrol’s American men- tors. To somebody who has tasted the power which goes with Goemond’s position, Chabrol implies, the next step from political suicide, to somebody as unstable as Gocmond, could well be the real thing. NADA. Directed by Claude Chabrol.[...]Screenplay by Jean—Patrick Manchette. Director of ‘Photography, Jean Rabier. Edited by Jacques Ga[...]aminka (Meyer), Lon Castel (D'Arcy), Andre Fakon (The Minister), Lyle Joyce (Ambassador). Eastmancolor. 108 min. France 1974. THE TRIAL OF BILLY JACK Freya Mathews Here we have ostentatio[...]ke My Lai, Indian victimization, child abuse, and the various other ultra-emotive issues that the Billy Jack films address. The message is wisely dished up with lashings of melodrama — you could even call it home-made myth, the myth of Billy Jack. But what is the message? In considering this, it would be naive not to notice that Tom Laughlin and Dolores Taylor, the husband-and—wife team who, between them, wrote, directed, starred in, edited, produced and finally distributed the films, appear to be the most analytical capitalists in the film business, having reformulated and revamped the old techni- ques of film distribution and exhibition to dazzling effect, The first Laughlin film, Billy Jack has, since its[...]ghlin-imposed terms, grossed $US3l million, while The Trial of Billy Jack has so far grossed $13 million. The effectiveness of the Laughlin marketing techniques is indicated by the fact that when Billy Jack was given an initial ru[...]d be hard to reconcile this capitalistic facility of the filmmakers with any claim of theirs to be making a radical statement. But they make no such claim anyway. The films, for all their urgency, are spelling only[...]democracy — but true democracy, as preached by the Founding Fathers. The outrage is directed only at the abuses of democracy tolerated under the present American system; it is not directed at the system itself. Even so, the populism of the films, and the acumen with which Laughlin markets them, cannot h[...]he is an awesomely hardnosed and artful exploiter of the liberal conscience and consciousness of his audiences, or he is a genuine though remarkab[...]ral, prepared to exploit — and even improve — the available Hollywood system, in order to secure optimal dis- semination of his message. Perhaps ideally the question of the director’s motives should not influence one‘s judgment of a film. One could adopt a kind of Hegelian optimism in this respect —— the Message has a devious autonomy, and finds expres[...]But taking this line we would soon be strangled in all kinds of conceptual tangles about the implications ofjudging a film. Can a film qualify as a ‘committed’ film if the director is known to be a hypocrite? In other words, can ‘commitment’ be simulated — for the sake, presumably, of adding an extra dimension of frisson to the entertainment? Can aesthetic judgment be indiffe[...]itations, I would venture to say that, for films in the glossy Hollywood tradition, Billy Jack and (particularly) The Trial of Billy Jack are impressively out- spoken and ambitious, and that they have in effect defined a new genre — of popular liberal films. _There have been various[...]se have never succeeded. They have never achieved the appearance of Continued on page [54 ‘So the article on Billy Jack in Rolling Stone, July 3, 1975, implies. Cin[...] |
| Top left: Edith runs panic-stricken down the slopes of Hanging Rock. The other three girls remain behind.Top right: director Peter Weir with Rachel Roberts on the set of Picnic at Hanging Rock. Center left: Sara, Dianne and Sergeant Bumpher. Sara is questioned about the dis- appearance of the girls. Center right: Rachel Roberts as the head- mistress, Mrs Appleyard. Bottom left: From L to R, Edith, Jane, Irrna and Miranda leaving the picnic to walk to the base of the Rock, Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]Elroy, Hal McElroy Executive Producer for South Australia . . . . . . . . . . .. John Graves Screenplay .[...]nt Director . . . . . . . .Mark Egerton Director of Photography . . . . ..RusseIl Boyd Art Director[...]illips, Jacki Weaver, A. Llewellyn Jones. Story: The screenplay of Picnic at Hanging Rock, written by Cliff Green, i[...]ay’s best-selling Australian thriller. It tells the story of a group of girls who, with a teacher, set out from an exclusive boarding school to picnic at the Victorian beauty spot, Hanging Rock, on St Valentine’s Day, 1900. Some of the girls never return. Their dis- appearance, never fully explainedfcontinually disturbs a number of exquisitely ordered lives. Woven in with the mystery and drama, in- tricate peculiarities develop within the characters — the girls at the school, the strange headmistress, other teachers and staff, the visiting English youth who could be the prime suspect. |
| Director . . . . . . . . . . .Br§in Trenchard Smith Distributor . . . . . . . . . . .[...]. . . . . . . . ..Brian Trenchard SmithDirector of Photography . . . . . .Russell Boyd Editors . .[...]Story: A Hong Kong cop (Jimmy Wang Yu) comes to Australia to extradite a prisoner. “I wrote the final draft of the film to function on two levels. On the surface it’s knock-down. drag out, non-stop action picture aimed at the widest possible audience; but underneath we tried for a rich vein of humor in which we parody the conventions of the thick-ear thriller”. —~— Brian Trenchard Smith. The Man fr Hong Kong Top: Jimmy Wang Yu flying his[...]ur: Center right: Ros Spiers flies her kite over the Police Acaderrtg parade ground in Hong Kong. Bottom left: George Lazenby and Jimm[...]gh a house — ornfofthe man extraordinary stunts in The Man From Hong Kong. s. .~ \ 5 Cinema[...] |
| [...]ed from page 151 authentic commitment that makes the Billy Jack films so effective. The Billy Jack saga concerns a half-breed Indian (pla[...]war hero. Sickened by his Vietnam experiences and the moral climate at home, he has retreated to an Indian reservation, where he acts as protector of the Indians and thorn in the flesh of the local bigots, while he works on his spiritual improvement under the tutorship ofa cliff-dwelling Indian sage on the reservation. Close to the reservation, Jean (Dolores Taylor) runs what she[...]disturbed can come to practise self—expression in some creative or constructive form. The presence of this ‘hippy' school on their outskirts is also an irri- tant to the local townsfolk, who tirelessly concoct new ways of‘ harassing the children, thereby keeping Billy Jack, defender of the oppressed, constantly on his toes. Billy Jack an[...]tsiders, are drawn together and fall indistinctly in love. Their relationship is en- tirely understate[...]a real electric attraction, unspoken, not exposed in any sex displays, but generating a powerful presence of sex in any case. This mysterious, invisible relationship creates a force field from which the films derive much of their impact. From the rape of Jean by the son of the town’s reactionary political boss in Billy Jack to the campus massacre and numerous actual political references in The Trial of Billy Jack, Laughlin proceeds from a perspective[...]announced‘ that we can expect further progress in this direction in subsequent Billy Jack films. The critical charge that has been consistently levelled against The Trial of Billy Jack is that it cannot support the weight of all the issues to which it makes reference. But this charge ignores the film’s attempt to provide a context — in the shape of the Freedom School, which is a kind ofincarnation of the dissident, liberal, pacifist consciousness of the American campus of the late sixties — which justifies these references. For the roots of this consciousness, the roots of the phenomenon of campus revolt, are in reality ramified widely and deeply into the foundations of American society. Thus any portrayal of campus revolt will entail — or at least accom- modate — reference to a wide range of American issues. The unity beneath this tangle of reference is that they are American issues — they are all inextricable components of a particular national outlook in a particular era. The breadth of the spectrum of issues which the Billy Jack films try to encompass is thus not gr[...]y, Billy Jack himself is best seen as a superhero of the Left, a kind of Liberal Avenger, whose exploits are as ex- aggerated as those in a comic strip, and as predictable in their outcome. And his audiences seem to react to him in just this manner, cheering him On, relishing his victories in advance, hissing the baddies and celebrating the retribution inventively accorded to them, one by one, by Billy Jack. The trouble with the Billy Jack films, however, is that they are what[...]rioriate rapidly upon being exposed to, or stored in, grey matter. My own experience was ofemerging from the cinema tingling with exclamation marks, only to a[...]orning to find it all turned pretty much to mush in memory. The indisputable and enduring value of the films, however, is as experiments in, and precedents for, a commercial political cinema. THE TRIAL OF BILLY JACK. Directed by Frank Laughlin. Produc- e[...]creenplay by Frank and Teresa Christina. Director of Photography, Jack A. Marta. Edited by Tom Rolf, M[...]comparative reasons, since it has clear title to the best Australian film to emerge from the great revival. To do so would be to underrate the achievement; this is a film which deserves praise at the international level, if not perhaps at the highest level. Many of our feature films so far — the Alvins, the Bazzas, Petersen —— have been unpleasantly contemptuous of their audiences. Even when commercial success ha[...]July-August Above: Striking shearers brawl with the scabs in Ken Hannam’s outback drama Sunday Too Far Away. Alvin Purple and The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, there have been factors, like the novelty of the Australian film, the publicity value of some of the stars, the shock of daring R cer- tificate scenes in an Australian context, to account for the success. An interpretation of the fate of the sequels seems to confirm this. Others have been perhaps insufficiently aware of their audience. The True Story of Eskimo Nell created a fascinating sub—text on m[...]trong enough to support it or firm enough to drag the customers in. And the otherwise admirable Between Wars, in its muted tone and strict avoidance of anything like melodrama, in its very evenness and thoughtfulness, took a terr[...]ore is hardly responsible, let alone appropriate. In the still precarious climate for Australian films, t[...]ucers, directors and backers are made pretty much in the dark and failure of nerve in either direction is understandable until audiences, and film- makers, have learnt a great deal more. (All of which, to my mind, makes the vituperative outburst by National Times critic Mc[...]o Far Away is an episodic, almost anecdotal study of the life of Australian shearers in I955. It is virtually plotless and though it star[...]t all that many memorable incidents. Yet it keeps the audience constantly alive; they laugh happily or[...]ed and made to understand and feel sympathy. All of this emerges from a patently felt and demonstrable honesty of approach, apparent in the unpretentious, yet effec- tively direct, visual style, the individual and ensemble acting which rarely falte[...]as a fine ‘actor’s director‘ and finally in what can only be called a sense of ‘touch’. The center ofthe film is Jack Thompson’s Foley, the former ‘gun’ shearer returning to the game to make a nest-egg big enough to give sheari[...]round him are a predictable enough assortment — the aged alcoholic, the learner, a couple of veterans with no ambitions and no il- lusions, the young outsider who reads books and writes letters home and Arthur Black, the new competitor for Foley’s title. The competition between Foley and Black Arthur is the only constant thread of action in the film’s structure; and it must be said that Arthur’s disappearance from the scene before the strike with which the film concludes is a disappointment and a weakness in the script, especially since the beautifully cool reserve of Peter Cummins’ playing of Arthur has led us to want more of the character. Incidents are handled quietly and surely, relying on ‘touch’, a sense of rightness in script and acting. The language is naturalistically effective, yet fresh — with the prize going to Foley’s classic one—liner. As the ‘cocky’ frets up and down the shed worrying about his stud rams surviving the shearing in- tact, he starts to drive the men mad. “Tell him," says Foley, “if he doesn[...]ook with its head cut off, he‘ll be ankle-deep in pedigreed balls.” The succession of incidents has its touches of Lawson-like grotesqueness (the burial arrangements via Holden utility for a dead shearer) of rough and tumble (as Foley has to get rid of the mountainous and poisonously bad cook) and of beautifully effective understatement. There is a marvellous moment as the ‘cocky‘s’ daughter, having manoeuvred her way in to the shed to watch the shearing, says thank you as she leaves. The men, standing round the tea—table at the other end of the shed, give her the barest, or no, acknowledgement; she is a woman and like anything extraneous to the job in hand, she is an irrelevance. For students of sexuality and/or sexism in Australian films it is a choice moment. The same daughter is involved in the film's weakest and most jarring scene, a complet[...]y life, finally breaks down into sobs. It is not the Foley we know from the rest ofthe film and the scene proceeds from, and leads to, nowhere. I would not, as some people have, level the same criticism at the conclusion. The ‘open-ended‘ strike, the fight between strikers and scabs, the almost freeze-frame concluding shot and even the final information given to us in titles seem to me to fit appropriately enough to the pattem-and texture of the film as a whole. And this pattern, and Hannam‘s sureness in controlling it, is the essence of the tilm’s strength. With the aid of John Dingwall‘s script, Geoff Burton’s cinematography and an almost flawless group of performances, he achieves the very difficult task of keeping us interested and involved while never identifying totally with the men or the ethos. Ultimately, beyond the mateship and the humor, the loneliness of these men is their own; the film allows us to glimpse but never penetrate, to sympathize but never finally to come too close. In this it is utterly true to its subject. Old Garth the alcoholic calculates that he has spent three years in 25 of llis married life at home; the tilm’s title comes from the shearer’s wife’s lament, “Friday too tired,[...]orporation. Screenplay by John Dingwall. Director of Photography, Geoff Burton. Edited by Rod Adamson.[...]sford), Jerry Thomas (Basher), Graeme Smith (Jim the Learner), Gregory Apse (Frankie). Eastmancolor. 94 min. Australia 1975. |
| [...]ju has described his films generally as examples of ‘cinema fantastique‘. By this he means three[...]de I'i‘nsolité; and [e ciriéma de Fangoisse. The fantastique lies in the form; the insolilé, in the atmosphere; the anguish in the uncertainty, the unknown.”Clearly Franju is attracted by the figure of Shadowman: his mysterious origin, his ability to take on a malevolent role and play with it, the tension between the apparent naivety of his ac- tions and their murderous consequences. so Franju remarks that the film should be approached “rather like those c[...]to rediscover your innocence.” This conception of a moral fable disguised as comic melodrama might have sprung from the mines of Jean-Louis Barrault in Les Enfants du Paradis . But the figure of Shadowman engages other references as well, especially the comic-strip heroes of the fifties: Batman, the Phantom, the Shadow. Their success doesn't depend upon any sense of mysterious powers or problematic identity (we all[...]t might cause us to question ourselves, our sense of innocence or reality. The adventures of these characters depend upon a very clear distinction between reality and fantasy. And the opening shots ofshadowman rein- force this distinction for the audience. A scripted introduction tells us about the order of Knights Templar whose last Grand Master was burned at the stake on March 11, 1314. The order was reputed to have hidden fabulous treasur[...]man is anxious to pry such an- cient secrets from the grasp of an old historian, Maxime de Borrego. The main action of the film concerns the relative success and repeated failure of different strategies to track down the treasure. Franju relies upon recreating the surface appearance of the old serials with their fades, wipes. cross-cuttin[...]flashbacks. Actions are deliberately stylized so the characters appear like puppets, springing about in a grotesque parody of comic-strip heroics. Dialogue, too, follows closely the cliche versions of thousands of indifferent detective films. The butler, Albert, says to detective Sorbier in passing “If you only knew . . “Ah,” breaks in the alert cop, “then there is something to know." Later he muses that “the butler lied to me, and I fell hook, line and sinker for it.” There are the usual small accom- paniments: “You won’t regret it, I'm sure of that", or “I hope. you’re right for your sake, Doctor.” The problem with fidelity to the basic formula is that it doesn't allow much imaginative scope or any unexpected com- plexity. Much of the humor derives from recognition of the situations drawn from a deliberately absurd thriller. So we meet the historian seated at his desk, engaged in a trivial con- versation with Albert. He explains[...]pening his mail. Albert asks for time off to see the dentist. This scene is cut with shots of a concealed passage opening from the bookcase; stone steps wind down into an underground chamber, the scene of fantastic rituals. What interests Franju is the mechanism: the sliding door, the revolving panel and the air of apparent seriousness with which the historian clasps his graven idol and enters the sanctuary. This repeated combination of trivial encounters, vaguely menacing threats and a fascination with the techniques and in- struments of sorcery and murder make up a good deal of the film’s appeal. But they issue in farce rather than any sense of mysterious unease. Franju commented upon one scene in which a car drives into an empty courtyard and stops. “The simple fact," he said, “of holding on the empty courtyard for five seconds made the spectator think: ‘Well, if he's so insistent about it, he must have a reason‘. What reason? There’s the uncertainty, the un- known. And just then the car comes into frame. And since the car was a veritable apparition, it boded something. It was bringing a message; and since the scene took place at the morgue, it must be a messenger of death. But on another level, of course, it boded nothing since there was no message what- soever." It seems to me the film doesn’t generate this sort of anxiety because of the satirical attempt throughout. Pauses simply appear as the exaggeration essential to catch the spirit of such desperate teenage thrillers. But repeated ex[...]ying, and there is curiously static quality about the film that derives from several sources. The constant fades and dissolves break down tension; the storyline is-so thin and the dialogue so insistently cliche that there is little suspense in terms of the unexpected. Franju seems to have concerned himself mainly with the ingenuity re- quired in setting up situations rather than resolving them in any necessary sequence. When, for example, the murdered historian‘s nephew Paul and his companion Seraphin are trapped in a museum by human robots, there is a long tracking shot of the slow advance Above: Shadowman. of these staring, clacking figures, waddling rather like geese. Just as they are about to stab the two shrinking victims, one of them hits on the idea of wrapping a red cloth around his arm. This apparently acts as a signal to the robots and they turn away. But the audience had no clue beforehand that such a simp[...]derers. Again there is a sequence aboard a train in which Shadowman scrambles along the roof, enters a compartment through the window, murders the occupant and steals what he wants. The action is surprisingly slow, perhaps because it‘s made to appear just too easy. The idea of this novel burglary and how it might be carried out seems to have fascinated the director and he concentrates upon the small suction pads that enable Shadowman to clamber about the outside of the train. Too often, the studied execution of novel ideas slows the pace ofthe film. It’s almost as though it is made up ofa succession of cartoons. Characters exist only in their appearance, like Dick Tracy. The detective is a gross, lumbering figure who makes the most elementary miscalculations and scandalously neglects security arrangements. So too the police appear as inept, blundering figures throughout. Shadowman moves with sweeping gestures in his blood-red hood, cape and gloves. He is less a[...]s his comedy. So Shadowman sits like an executive in his underground cave, watching color television and browsing through office files. Or he guides his dummies through rem[...]adgetry, or knifes his victims with a quick flick of the wrist. He is not an elusive figure but a vague one, endlessly plotting strategies whpse out- come leaves the drama more or less where it was at the begin- ning. So at the end, he steals away and his escape leaves the way clear for a successor to Shadowman. His accom[...], played by Gayle Hunnicut, who appears as a sort of super-secretary, cool, ef- ficient, capable of murder on the side, and quite properly, hav- ing no sexual relationship with Shadowman. You wouldn‘t want to risk the jeers of the jellybean gallery. Above: Georges Franju’s[...]sguised as comic melodrama. Shadowman is a film of fascinating surfaces and novel effects. It recreates so exactly the fantastic adventures of the master criminal that it's difficult to tell where the satire begins and the literal copy ends. It’s enjoyable enough, and sometimes very funny but it doesn‘t create the kinds of resonance Franju clearly expected. SHADO_Wl\/IAN[...]Georges Fran- JU. Distribution Company, Filmways Australia Distributors Pty Ltd. Produced by Raymond Froment[...]Milan). Screenplay by Jacques Champreux. Director of Photography. Guido Renzo Bertoni. Music by Georges Franju, Hec- tor Berlioz. Players, Gayle Hunnicut (The Woman), Gert -Froebe (Commissioner Sorbier), Josephine Chaplin (Martine), Jacques Champreux (The Man), Ugo Pagliai (Paul), Patrick Prejean[...] |
| [...]COLOR ' ‘ RELEASE THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA BURT LANCASTER HELMUT BERGER __ . SILVANA MANGA[...]-produced Music by ' n May and released ' Filmed in Australia and on location in Montreal and _ [IV I 0 I Sept |s|es,Canada. co|0,[...]Now showing at leading cinemas ‘ throughout Australia I kg: soon ron RELEASE __/ |
| PHANTOM OF LIBERTY Meaghan MorrisFrom a reviewer’s point of view, one of the nicest things about Phantom of Liberty is that it completely releases you from the irksome if self-imposed responsibility to say somewhere what the film is about or, more crudely, to tell the story. It would be impossible for this film, unless you were to reproduce the whole script. That’s only to be expected from a work Wl'llCl1 generates a lot of humor by playing with the con- ventions of various human communication structures. Bun,uel makes it very hard to write the formal quickie con- sumer s guide to his film, but at the same time if you read reviews before seeing the film then you do so at your own cost. The reviewer resorts to describing bits of the film, which then become mythologised in advance for most potential viewers — classic cases being the pornographic postcard scene, where the cards turn out to be views of tourist spots, and the ‘dinner’ scene, where the bourgeoisie charmingly meet at table to ex- crete together and discreetly slip away solo to eat in closets. By the time you actually see these sequences, they aren‘t quite so funny; the joke is on your expectations. If it’s impossible to tell the story of Phantom of Liberty, it's because the joke is also on our tenacious expectations about[...]a middle and an end; or presents a certain state of affairs, then a transform- ing event and then a new, reorganized state of affairs. There is some continuity of character, even if it’s only the narrator. That particular way of structuring communication has existed in practically every art form, and of course attempts to destructure, distort, defy or[...]ime is doubly funny because he has exploited much the same methods as eighteenth-century French novelists did — especially Diderot in Jacques Ie Fataliste —-— and they were quite as embarrassed by the phantom of liberty in artistic crea- tion as any of their descendants might be. So the film’s innova- tion is bound to a very old trad[...]uel does is to set you up expecting a ‘story’ of: some kind, and then hejust breaks it off at the most interesting point and blithely passes on to[...]begin- ning, middle but no end. There are dozens of stories ofall kinds which remain poten- tial in Phantom of Liberty. In the first twenty minutes or so we pass from a gothic horror structure (threatened necrophilia in a Spanish church by a captain in the invading Napoleonic ar- my) to bourgeois satire of the bourgeoisie (the postcard scene) to a surrealist tale (the father in bed watching his clock jump an hour every few sec[...]through his bedroom) and then to what seems to be the beginning of a story of ‘real life’ (a nurse going to see her dying father). The transitions between these half-finished stories all seem perfectly natural, because each method of transition is itself a convention of narrative. The shift from Spain under Napoleon to contemporary Paris is made because the Spanish part turns out to be a representation ofa story being read out by a French nursemaid in a park. The children take the cards home from the park, the father mentions that his nights have been disturb- ed and then we see what they are like; and then, of course, he goes to the doctor and there is, naturally, a nurse there who[...]her father is ill. lt’s about this point that the unwary viewer starts to realize that this trackin[...]on, with no return to what has been left behind. The only ‘character‘ which gives continuity becomes the camera itself, which seems to develop a personali[...]oo fanciful to describe as pathologically curious in a fickle sort of way. It observes a scene for a while, then loses[...]ystander or a minor character to show that person in the midst of their own story, and then it is off again followi[...]t between situations which are presented as being the very stuff of narrative and an ‘observer’ oblivious to the demands of that sort oflogic; oblivious like the birds who stare out of the screen (or back at the cameraflnarrator) looking mildly amazed by something for a moment, then disappearing. As a result, Phantom of Liberty is a frustrating but tantaliz- ing film t[...]chasing a phan- tom. Something is always just out of reach, or being snatched away from before your eyes. The film takes you on a most peculiarly guided tour of society, with the camera playing a paradoxical, picaresque role, like the eighteenth century narrator who hated narration, the observer roaming through society following only the dic- tates of chance and fortune, yet in the exercise of this very ‘liberty’ returning inevitably to his point of departure. And it is chance, ‘le hasard‘, which is deliberately celebrated in the hilarious inn sequence by the hat manufacturer of Nimes, when he takes an extraordinary collection of people REVIEWS Phantom of Liberty Luis Bunuel during the shooting of Phantom of Liberty. gathered there by the accident of a snowstorm and submits them to his own particular order of performance, or visual spectacle. The film itself, of course, returns to its point ofdeparture; it begins and ends with theThe film, in its refusal of one kind of ordering of events, produces another order; the perfect — and absurd — form of the circle. The idea of linear progression is confronted by that of cir- cularity. On one level, the whole of the film is a parody of the concept of linearity, political and historical as well as aesthetic. One thing follows another all right in Phantom of Liberty, but by means of a principle of random, ‘free’ selec- tion. We get causes without effects, or we are not permitted to perceive the effects, or the effects are not at all what classic linear models lead us to expect. If parody and dislocation of conventionalized ways like narrative, of ordering communication is a general structural principle of the film, that same principle is reproduced inside the film on a thematic level. At the beginning a painting comes to life and becomes a story; then a statue in the story comes to life and thumps the captain who had come to life from the painting. People ‘read’ messages all the time in the film, sometimes in a way which is equivalent to our own (the nurse’s telegram, the father’s correction of his daughter's interpreta- tion of the spider pictures), sometimes following a code which is entirely different (the ‘pornographic’ postcards). A similar thing happens in the comedy of social exchange structures in the film. The social meanings of eating and ex- creting are simply inverted, the disappeared child is ‘found’ only when the police chief decides she may be considered to have achieved that state, the courtroom becomes a place where a sniper is conde[...]eceive everyone's con- gratulations and go free. The film becomes a satire on the arbitrary nature ofsigns, in fact. One can be surprised by this, taken unawares like the man in bed expecting that the sweep of a clock must ‘mean’ that an experienced hour of time should pass. Or one can accept it, like the prefect of police who passes calmly from one world where he[...]paranoiac impostor to another where he really is the double of the prefect of police and politely chats with him before going to some unspecified crisis at the zoo. He just crosses a threshold. And again, as with the remark about chance, there is a com- ment inside the film itself about its own process; a teacher of police mumbles on at length about the relativity ofthings. His class is, of course, continually interrupted and his lesson never finished. The title and the use of the Goya painting at the beginning seem to me also to be jokes about expectation in the unwary. One expects, I think, an overtly or explicitly political film, or at least a predominance of social satire. In the introduction to the script of the film published by L'Avan1-Scene du Cinema, Roxane Saint-Jean claims that Phantom of Liberty is Bunuel’s revenge for the reception of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. He has repeatedly refused to be asso[...]films are persistently interpreted as allegories of the decadence of capitalism. I suppose you could do this to Phantom of Liberty as well, but you‘d come up with somethi[...]s us but can never be seized and held, and aren't the bourgeoisie ridiculous?) The film certainly does have political implications, but they need to be read in the way the film turns in upon itself; it's a film about film, if you like. Even the dinner sequence seems like somebody’s misquotation of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. One other interesting point is the element of parasitism in the social satire of this film. The role in which Bunuel is best loved often tends to be a ra[...]sturbing to hear people laugh and cheer at satire of what is pretty much their own lifestyle ——- one which they are not likely to abandon because of Bunuel. Maybe the final phantom is the liberating effect of the cinema. THE PHANTOM OF LIBERTY (LE FANTOME DE LA LIBERTE). Directed by L[...]froy. Players, Adriana Asti (sister ofthe Prefect of Police), Julien Bertheau (lst Prefect), Jean-Clau[...]cauld), Adolfo Celi (Dr Legendre), Paul Frankeur (The Innkeeper), Michel Lonsdale (The Hatter), Pierre Maguelon (The Policeman, Gerard), Francois Maistre (The Professor), Helene Perdriere (The Aunt), Michel Piccoli (2nd Prefect), Claude Pieplu (The Com- missioner), Jean Rochefort (M Legendre), Bernard Verley (The Cap- tain), Milena Vukotic (The Nurse), Monica Vitti (Mme Foucaulo). Eastm[...] |
| [...]erator ' ' ' ' ' ' "M ' ' ' ' "flack FrlI3edm:n THE DEv|L’s PLAYGROUND Gaffer . . . . . . . . . . .[...].John Andrews Production company . . . . . . . .. The Film House A3SiSt8nt Editors - - - - - - - - - -[...],K"°° 9 i W d b C airuned ” Synopsis: Story of truckdriver and hitchhiker on Thomas Kohooiiy, Ge[...]-» J03“ C00i9Y Darreiyri GUr15i39rQ Director of Photography ........ .. Mike Edols Music Bruce Sm[...].DavId S.Waddlngton miss Ai Er Ai synopsis; story of the mysterious dis- Assrsm'n'r'&r'r'e'c‘rb'r§ ' '[...]roductlon B'add°” ”°V°i b°9i"”i"9 with the murder °i 3- Camera Dem or O n eee Production Co[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Gilda Baracchl (Australia) EV! Entertainment CADDIE Director of Photography . . . . . ..Robln Cgltrplng Grip _ .[...]ant _ ' ' . ' _ _ _ _ _ _ “Wendy weir synopsis; The body or 3 beauflfui p|ayq]ir| is Synopsis: Based on the story of a young woman Assistant Director . . . . . . . .[...]visor _ _ ’ _ _ _ _ _ _ Judy Dorsman found deep in the labyrinth of the Opera House. and her two children during thein Soive rne mystery, "‘i’i'°5- Came“ Assisi[...]ditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Andre Fleurin the outcome revealing the different strata of Director of Photography . . . . . . . .. Peter James Boom Ope[...]r _ ‘ _ I . _ _ _ _ _ “Monty Fiegrnn Director of photography _ , , _ _ _ _ ,i(oiih Lambert Contin[...]léshbased ‘on th: legenils arid TR“-OGY 35mm IN RELEASE 33!? :,'ir:i:ti(')graphy ' I I _ . . ' '[...]. . r "Pet$;ri:/3|/cléign'Ir?(rea gosruedsetaiis of the following films see previous éssgclare Producer[...]e, Julie Day, Daphno Miller. Synopsis: A trilogy of fiction films. Director of Photography ..,Bruce McNaughton Cast: Peter Thom[...]h Furst. synopsis: Feature length sex-comedy set in Perth, relating the misadventures of a bumbling private eye in his efforts to close down the The Removalists The Great McCarthy The Cars That Ate Paris Sunday Too Far Away Alvin Pur[...]s, Pussycat Escort Agency. - John Morgan Director of Photography ....Brian Probyn BSC §§,’,,‘,‘',,,'i,',°'‘‘’ "'8 own Above: Dave and Jeff — the winning pair in Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..[...]tion Manager . . . . . . . . . . . .. Pat Clayton The True story or Enirirno Noii Sidecar Racers[...] |
| [...]; Synopsis: “A contemporary ritual presentation of Euripides’ me|odrama” — Ken Qulnneil.Phot[...]oft, Joe Balza Synopsis: A co-operative effort by the director and cast to create a satire on our daily[...]eff St John, Kahvas Jute Band. synopsis: Opening of the Opera House and the variety of entertainment and events celebrating it. A musical fantasy seen through the eyes of Bo Diddley. Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]t: Davld Leahy, Beverly Slulter Synopsis: A film of ritual and confrontation between an artist and a[...]Kostiuk. Julie Rysdaie, Robert Davies. Synopsis: The last days of a perverted student's life. Director of Photography . . . . . . .. David J. King Editor[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . Final post-production THE DEV|L’S PARTY Director . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]gress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..in production DON’T TALK TO ME ABOUT THE BLUES, BABY Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...], Judy Matthews, Michelle Napier. Synopsis: Story of an undercover dope ring in Sydney. Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..John Robinson Director of Photography . . . . .. Richard Bradley Editors .[...]ason Production Company . . . . . . . . . .. Film Australia Cast: Henri Steps, Peter Cummings, Robin Leven,[...]tary and part drama- tized fiction. Dr. K. traces the life of Dr. Archie Kaiokerinos and his work with aborigines in the northern New South Wales town of Coilarenebri. Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Unknown THE FAR OUT ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN COOL Director . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Edois Synopsis: The clash between white and black cultures in the Northern Territory. Photography . . . . . . . .[...]. . , ..Esben Storm Music . . . . . . . ..People of the Mowanlum Tribe Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Re|ease print THE FURTHER OUT ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN COOL Director , . , . . . . . . , . . .[...]. .. Starting 2 months GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAY IN THE SUN Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]Simon Anderson, Mark Warren. Synopsis: A look at the way Australians escape from the cities spanning the country from the Nuiiarbor to Surfers Paradise. Budget . . . .[...]: Satire concerning a footbailer/politl- cian set in an Australian context. Photography . . .[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Eastman HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]x Gillies, Chris Haywood, John Stephan. synopsis: Australia is given her first chance to contribute a role in the long running All Nations Review. She makes it, but the cost is a loss of in- nocence. Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]g' Above: Angeiia Korvlsianos and Kent Sanderson in a scene from Aicestis,directed by Ken Qulnneil. |
| BDACK ISSUES copy(ies)of Number 1 @ $2.25’ . . . . .. E] copy(ies) of Number 2 @ $2.25‘ . . . . .. E copy(ies) of Number 3 @ $2.00‘ . . . . . . G copy(ies)of Number 4 @ $2.00’ . . . . . . D copy(ies) of Number 5 @ $2.00‘ . . . . .. "‘Includ[...] |
| [...]UMES VOLUME 1 1974 NUMBERS 1-4 HANDSOMELY BOUND IN BLACK WITH GOLD EMBOSSED LETTERING. 400 lavishly illustrated pages of 0 Exclusive interviews with producers, directors[...]ilm and book reviews I 0 Surveys and reports from the sets of local and international productions BOUND VOLUME[...]FREE Please send me ........ '4 bound volume(s) of Cinema Papers, Volume I, 1974. Enclosed ch[...] |
| [...]n Kay, iA|an Money. Synopsis: A young couple live in an almost hallucinatory world. The film makes an attempt at extending consciousness beyond the limits imposed by our ego.Athol Shmlth, Shelia[...]. . . . . . . .. Norman Kay, Alex Berry Director of Photography .. . . Wolfgang Bellharz Editors . .[...]s Cast: Arthur Dlgnam Synopsis: Film chronicles the after-life of the main character Jog. A born loser, he goes through the process of changing his self-crea- ted hell into a personal paradise. Director of Photography .Brian Probyn BSC Art Director[...]tson, Maureen Sadler synopsis: Twenty-four hours in the life of a crime writer, in which he confronts the characters in his latest novel. Photography . . . . .[...]erry Archibald Synopsis: Animated film satlrlsing the world and its constant urge to destroy itself by[...]Nankervls, Rod Bishop. Synopsis: Sensitive study of a faltering relationship between two young people. Director of Photography . . . . . . ..Gordon Glenn Editor .[...]al surf stars. Synopsis: An entertaining coverage of the world's richest surfing contest held in May 1975. Interviews include: ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomeu (winner of eating contest, record 2.8kg of rice, vegetables and fruit) and ‘Snowy’ McAlister, winner of Bondi Title 1975. Titles . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Re|ease print stage THE UNDERSTUDY Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]spires when actors don't relate to a situation as the director believed they would" (Eric Luighal) Pho[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pre-production ON THE TRACK OF UNKNOWN ANIMALS Directors . . . . . . . . . . .[...]life documentary that turns into a who—done-It. The film explores the possibility of the existence of a large, unknown striped animal on the Australian mainland. Photography . . . . .[...]Michael Peterson. Synopsis: Current surf trends in four countries —— Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, South Africa. Photography[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Reiease print stage in view of the rapid growth of Australian production the co- ordinator of this column would be greatly assisted by in- dividual producers and direc- tors sending their[...]Cox directs Tony Llewellyn- Jones and Gabi Trsek in Illuminations. Above right: Bob Wels’ Children of the Moon. Cinema Papers, July-August —— 161 |
| [...]Z - Sydney -l. 412‘4O5.5E For your supply of Studio & Projection Lamps Color and Lighti[...] |
| [...]nancial support January-June 1975.Preproduction Approvals Bruce Beresford Brixton Productions Pty. Ltd. Project: The Getting of Wisdom D. Chidai, I. Barry. H. Hall, E. Walker Project: The Wild Colonial Boy Mary Hayward Project: Ballad of a Country Girl Chris Lofuen Project: Oz Tom Jeffrey Samson Productions Project: The Reckoning J. P. O'Sulllvan Project: Old Charlie[...]$736 $1,910 $3,250 $3.050 $4.000 Production Approvals H. Crawford Crawford Productions Project: The Box D. Waddlngton Waddington Productions Project: The Territorians Richard Brennan B. C. Productions P[...]Caddie C. E. Bulenda Austraiiana Films Project: The Last of the Stoneage People $700 H. Crawford Crawford Produc[...]Ronda MacGregor Project: Wheels Post-Production Approvals R. Raymond Robert Raymond Associates Project: The Australian Ark Margaret Fink Margaret Fink Productions Project: The Removalrsts P. Cornford Span Films Project: Birdman David Baker Stoney Creek Films Project: Salute to the Great Mccarthy $7,800 $3,000 $20,000 $170,000[...]ect: Naturally Free Bruce Petty Project: History of Australia $1 .398 $1,675 $12,580 $2,500 SOUTH AUSTRALIAN FILM CORPORATION AN EXPERIMENT IN MEDIUM DENSITY Director . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]ary on three families who have had burn accidents in the home. Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]. . . . . . . . . . . .. Malcolm Smith Synopsis: in service training for teachers Photography . . .[...]lm Smith synopsis: Expressive and performing arts In the primary school. Photography . . . . . . . . . .[...]h Synopsis: Six short films on further education in South Australia. Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Mi[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eastman THE MIKADO AND THE GONDOLIERS Director (film version) . . . . . . . . . . . ..GiI Brealey Synopsis: Film version of stage performance. Photography . . . . . . . . .[...]. . . ..Bob Talbot Synopsis: Documentary on town of Monarto. Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]lm Smith Synopsis: Motivated reading for students of all ages. Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . Eastman SURVEY A ROAD IN TIME Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]n company Bosisto Productions synopsis: History of roadmaklng in South Aus- tralla. Length . . . . . . . . . . .[...]. . . . .. Scope Films Synopsis: Documentary on the making of Sun- day Too Far Away Length . . . . . . . . . .[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Jiii Robb Synopsis: The commercial development ofWest Lakes, Editor . .[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 16mm WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE Screenplay . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...], , . . . . . . . ., 35mm Above: David Baker on the set of The Great McCarthy. Cinema Papers, July-Au[...] |
| Bolex announces the H16EL, with a new kind of meter that is ultra sensitive to light changes and built for hard use. A built—in light meter once turned even. a ruggedly built pro camera into a delicate instrument. Enter the Hl6EL, with a silicon cell instead of the conventional CdS cell. Results: 1. Instant respon[...]ure variations. 3. No corrections needed, because of its straight response curve. 4. Equally responsiv[...]red. Manual light measurements are made through the lens in the body of the camera so the camera can be fitted with any optics, including[...]lenses, even extension tubes. For extreme changes of light, use a lens with built—in automatic exposure adjustment. Bayonet lens mount[...]and precise changes. So strong that you can carry the whole camera by the lens. Film speeds 10-50 fps, single frame, rever[...]ically regulated and are coupled automatically to the meter, with a selector knob rated from 10 right up to 630ASA. The motor is electronically controlled. When you stop, it stops. And the shutter closes. You can use your original film without having to cut frames from both ends of each take. The viewfinder has high brightness and 13x magnification, plus built—in comfort with either eye. Two red light diodes in the viewfinder indicate correct aperture. No waiting for a needle to settle down. The diaphragm of the new Vario-Switar 12.5-100mm f2 lens is fully open[...]ng and closes down automatically when you squeeze the button. Power is supplied by a Ni-Cd battery. Take your choice of two power packs, two chargers. With the usual Bolex attention to detail, a full range of accessories is available, including a removable 4[...]a take-up motor providing constant film tension. The whole unit is built like a tank. It is a rugged and reliable piece of gear that is as fail- safe as Bolex know-how can[...]weight (about 7lbs for body and power pack). The Bolex Shoulder brace provides excellent stability with good weight distribution, and frees the camera- man's hands to operate camera and lens. E$|_E)( Contact Photimport in your state for further information or a d[...] |
| Could you describe your approach to scoring a film from the initial con- tact with a director to the recording sessions?When I’m together with the direc- tor I try and find out who he is and what he is. I’m terribly interested in his approach. I’ve almost come to the conclusion now that I loathe readin scri ts. It’s the old complaint — t e fi m isn’t like the book. If I read the script my approach is similar to the book; I hurl myself into it and try to make it come alive and inevitably I build up enormously strong ideas of what the characters are like, who they are, how they react. Would it be commonplace in your experience in this country for the person who is writing the music to be come involved in the film at script level? No, it’s not. Actually that’s a terri- ble thing; sometimes you get the feel- ing that you’ve been brought in as some sort of unimportant element. In fact it’s even gone so far on a few things I’ve done that they actual- ly sent the film off for opticals before I was approached —- and then there were the most horrendous timing problems. So, providing the film hasn’t already had its opticals done . . .[...]dragged off to see either rushes or rush cuts. The director is obviously in- terested in my reaction to them, and I try to be honest. I tr[...]stunningly rare — he’s worked out some things in his own mind. And, if he’s buried in his film and really believes in what he’s doing, he’s basically talking emoti[...]thing because I may mis- interpret what I see on the screen. Bruce S_meaton is one of the few well-established names in a comparatively new field, for Australian musicia[...]tures, and has been involved to vary- ing degrees in composing literally hundreds of soundtracks for commercials, documentaries and audio-visual presentations. Smeaton’s most recent projects include the new ABC TV series Ben Hall and Peter Weir’s la[...]by interviewed Bruce Smeaton recently at his home in Melbourne. Maybe he’s deliberately got the ac- tors to underplay the whole thing because he wants to topple it a cer-[...]tell me what to do. From then on we’re usually in dead trouble in Australia, because at that stage they usually take out the latest LP they’ve bought and play it. So, depending on how broke I am, I either submit or dig my heels in as early as I can or resign thejob on the spot, because if that’s what _the direc- tor wants, the LP perhaps, he should have bought it or he should go and do a course at thein — and he has to be as sensitive as the director to minute changes of rhythm in the film. Often he is — more so. One thing I’ve learned the hard way is that you need a good visual trigger to get the music in. So with the music editor, I look for the precise point to bring the music in and the precise point to take it out. Getting out is thethe use of me saying, “Yes, I can hear 500 bass flutes come howl- ing in here,” when they might only have enough money t[...]So we go through all these points and we add up the total amount ofthe following week. I eventually get to the stage where I’ve got some sort of idea going in my head and I’ve got a fair idea of what I physically need to bring a thing off. Then it’s largely a matter of sitting down with the timings in feet and frames, breaking them down into seconds with the aid of an electronic calculator, then cor- relating them[...]e. At that stage I usually get around to booking the musicians and theof musicians and gradually work through to fewer and fewer until you’re finished. At the end of that we mix and it goes off to the film editor who lays it up in sync with the film and the other sound tracks. I prefer to attend the film mix, although I’ve only been invited once in my life. It must be fairly important to be aware of what other sound effects are being used in a scene for which you are writing music. Are you kept in- formed of what sound effects are be- ing used? By an intelligent person, yes. Have you ever had the experience of finding that your music has vanish- ed under the effects? That doesn’t worry me, funnily enough. I regard a film as a whole in which the music is only one element. In fact I like a lot of films that have no music, and I believe would be ruined if they had. As a matter of fact I advised David Baker only a couple of weeks ago not to put music Cinema Papers,[...] |
| BRUCE SMEATON in a brilliant film of his called Squeaker’s Mate. I could have made myselfa few hundred bucks and kept the studios rolling, but it would have ruined the film. There was a sequence in “The Cars That Ate Paris” that was very ex- citing because the music was quite different — in sound and concept — from anything I’d ever heard on the screen. I’m referring to the scene where the first car was lured off the road. Just before the crash there was tremendous tension built up with the sound. The sound I used there was produced by a new synthesi[...]an- tage'over other synthesizers; you can control the length of a portamento.* In this case, I put a massive logarithmic portamento from the beginning of the sequence to the end and I triggered it so that when it reached the end it let out this howl and fell away. There we[...]d there, though. I used those toy super- balls on the end of a stick dragged across tympani and piano frames,[...]. I try and think what would I like to hear and, in the same way that I demand an emotional approach from[...]t kickoffa totally emotional one. Then I look for the equivalent — how it can be physically produced. For example, in The Great ‘A continuous sliding from one note to another. McCarthy there’s one section, dur- ing the rag-time theme, where the sound I wanted I had to make myself. There was no musical equivalent. On the other hand, the music that you wrote for “Seven Little Australians” was a deliberate attempt to write in the musical style of the period. The producer of Seven Little Australians, Charlie Russell, left me with an incredible impression of what he wanted, which was music not untypical of the period, but allowing him all the dramatic content he need- ed —— which to the average listener could have been music from that period. We eventually used the full Mel- bourne Symphony Orchestra, but to get dramatic interest I found I used a lot of techniques that are associated with the twentieth century rather than the nineteenth. Although in one sense it was a very straightforward job, in actual fact it was quite a com- plex one. Even the melody of Seven Little Australians, which is seeming- ly so simple, was a pig of a thing to orchestrate. “The Great McCarthy” called for music to run with football scenes. How did you do that? Number one, talked the director out of what he wanted. What did he want? He wanted lots of people singing pie-type songs and banging beer cans together. But I felt that the way the footy things were shot — with a sense of purpose and drama — that it just didn’t requi[...]ng and rattling their cans together. As a matter of. fact, the crowd always seemed to be treated en masse unless[...]or emerging from them. Never did you actually get in- volved with the crowd — which may be a strength or weakness of the film. The crowd was there, like at the Roman games, and one of my first kickoff points was that amazing divi- sion between the spectators and the players. So my problem was to get across the excitement of football, but as a stylized ritual. Eventually I based the music on a South American Indian rhythm ~— whic[...]cally it’s a rhythm section with something over the top. I also used a wordless soprano. You‘re cu[...]th Peter Weir — “Pic- nic at Hanging Rock”. The book of “Hanging Rock” has a lot of mysti- que, a sense of unease: this must have been a very challenging concept for a score. I should say at the outset that since seeing Picnic at Hanging Rock I[...]ccessful film before effects and music were laid. The music is ic- ing — attractive, I hope, but icin[...]ar dif- ficulties, because you’ve not only got the problems of each individual episode, but also the problem of es- tablishing a theme which has to carry over a successive number of episodes, sometimes up to 26 or even more. How do you approach scoring for a series? The big problem with TV series is the lack of money. Imagine you have 26 one-hour episodes and each episode requires ten minutes of music — and that’s being incredibly modest — then there’s 260 minutes of music! So there is an immense budget problem. This is usually overcome in a number of ways. One is to use library music, in whch case I never get to first base. Another is to write theme music. And then the problems are entirely different — the theme has to have long legs; it’s got to carry the mood of the series; it’s got to attract people’s attention in the same way that a television commercial has to. It[...]elodic but I don’t believe — probably because of my distaste of the sung word — that it should be sung. Aren’t fi[...]generaliz- ed library which can be drawn upon as the series progresses. If they need more specialized music they call ex- tra sessions. Is this the function of a music editor? Below and right: a music flow sheet - to Bruce Smeaion‘s specifications — shows the music. dialogue, effects and action in rela- tion to frames and electronic metronome clicks for the first car crash in The Cars That Ate Paris. /' Lani‘[...] |
| Ururr.‘ Smval ‘In F.’ »‘~ I7 -‘H 3% n_-} 7-r .15: IV-r Cw . One of the functions of a music editor. One of the others of course —-— at least in the States —— is to take full responsibility for the synchronising of the music and all the nitty gritty of briefing the composer and organizing the recording. Have you got any favorite writers tha[...]on film? I know you have a great liking for some of the Italians. I love Nino Rota because of the way he and Fellini work. I also ad- mire Morricone, Rustichelli and some of the John Barry stuff. A lot of other composers I admire as craftsmen but not as[...]sily. Do you try to avoid themes that may work to the detriment of the film in the future? Yes, and I have actually warned some fi[...]Peter Gunn and a few other things — it wakened the greedy producer to the possibility of laying any form of music whatsoever up against film, as long as it is ‘com- mercial’, and then making immense amounts of money by selling it separately. This still dictates the selection of a lot of American film music. I thought that Malik’s “Badlands” was one of the most exciting films of the last 10 years. Often the music in that — written by George Tipton — was the complete opposite of what you saw on the screen. but it worked extremely well. This is what Rota does. That’s where the whole adds up to more than the sum of the parts and that’s the whole business of integration. Obviously the director and composer - ~% T‘ V r aw; in -T@ have got together and talked about what the[...]a shooting script is even produced. If you think of 81/2, 21 lot of the music in that, which gave you a most incredible yearning feeling for something you didn’t even know, was in fact vulgar and banal circus music. You indicated in the answer to an erlier question that you found inade- quacies working in Australia. par- ticularly in the area of equipment and facilities generally. Yes, inevita[...]original music, despite his professed great love of music. This could be a budget problem. In terms of facilities, a lot of studios here grew up and were paid for by doing t[...]oundtracks. So there’s a large emphasis on what the adver- tising agencies require. I don’t think the standard is anything to be ashamed of, in fact it’s high in some areas — but certainly not as high as it should be. I also think that the lack of train- ing for sound engineers is a bit of a pity. I know of no studio that en- courages study or breadth of outlook via internal or external training progra[...]oesn’t seem to be an apprenticeship system like the United States has. One typical thing in Australia seems to be the lack of providing for the future in areas like this. In film recording I’d say that most of the knowledge is based on finding out the hard way from TV and radio commercials. But I fi[...]any knowledge whatsoever or very little interest in the recording of film music in Australia. Do you think it’s still necessary in Australia for people who want to score films to travel ove[...]are any oppor- tunities here, except perhaps at the ABC. I’ve received six bi—monthly newsletters from the Film and Television School and I don’t think the word ‘music’ was even used once. There was certainly no discussion on the subject. Sound got one mention. Obviously there[...]elieve there should be something, even if only on the mechanics of budgeting and scheduling. Otherwise we’re likely to produce a race of monsters, descending upon me or my fellow compose[...]om I972) FEATURES 1973 Libido (two segments — The Priest and The Fami- l_v Man) The Cars That Ate Paris The Great M eCarthy Picnic at Hanging Rock Devil's Playground 1974 I975 I975 I975 TV I972 Drop in the Ocean (featurcl I972-73 Seven Little Australians (series) I973 Castaway (series) I973-74 Rise and Fall of Wellington Boots (series) I974 Cannes for Parents and Other Children (feature) I974 Birds of Passage (feature) I975 Ben Hall (series)[...] |
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| Although originally a musician, an abiding in- terest in natural history led Noel Monkman to ex- periment[...]nd eventually with films.Monkman screened some of these films for Fox Movietone News, who bought a[...]lso viewed by Frank Thring Snr., who had launched the Efftee Film Studios in Melbourne. Thring offered him work as a photograp[...]a new company, Australian Educational Films, for the production of short natural history films. In 1931, Monkman went to the Great Barrier Reef for six months to produce five[...]oral and its Creatures, Strange Sea Shells, Birds of the Barrier, and Secrets of the Sea. The series won popularity with critics and the public. Further shorts followed, among them The Cliffdwellers, Nature’s Little Jokes, and The Winged Empress. Thereafter, Monkman’s work was[...]two feature films — Typhoon Treasure (1938) and The Power and the Glory (1941) — and served as an underwater came[...]eral productions, including Lee Robinson’s King of the Coral Sea (1953) and the American film The Sea Around Us. Monkman also made documentaries for the Commonwealth Film Unit —— such as Makers of Wine (1948) — and wrote books on natural histor[...]— Escape to Adventure (Sydney, 1956), and Quest of the Curly-Tailed Horses (Sydney, 1962). He gained mo[...]rvedly forgotten. A staunch and active supporter of government aid to the Australian film industry, Monkman worked with gre[...]press reception and were moderately successful at the box-office, Monkman became disillusioned after the failure ofthe Quota Act in New South Wales and the vir- tual shut-down of feature production during and after World War 2. He then turned to concentrate on his scientific work in northern Queensland. He was assisted in all his work by his wife, Kit- ty (credited in Typhoon Treasure by her maiden name, Kitty Gelhor). Since Monkman’s death in 1969, she has been preparing a biographical study of his career. TYPHOON TREASURE (1938, sepia, 89 mi[...]Music: Tchaikovsky‘s “Swan Lake". Distributed in Australia by United Artists. Cast: Campbell Copelin . . .[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. Patrol Officer Utan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .[...]8. Dedicated to that force as ‘elemental‘ as the typhoon, The Spirit of Adventure. Noel Monkman’s first feature, was a very active schoolboy yarn told with a minimum of dialogue and a maximum of novelty and action. The story follows the adventures of Alan Richards, the sole survivor of a pearling lugger wrecked on Pakema Reef during a typhoon. Richards sets out to retrieve the pearls, taking a treacherous overland route through dense jungle, whicn is the haunt of headhunters. Most of the film was shot on locations in coastal Queensland, although the story was nominally set in New Guinea. Since Monkman was known for his nature studies, scenes of wild life were woven into the story, with the hero disturbing a huge flock of birds or fighting savage crocodiles. Romantic r[...]ralian actress who had won attention for her role in Ken Hall‘s Orphan of the Wilderness (1936). Campbell Copelin, who played the hero, was an ac- complished actor usually seen on both stage and screen in the role of a suave ‘lounge lizard‘. In the early 1950s rights to the film were bought by George Malcolm, who had photographed the film, and it was re—released in a substantially shortened version under the title The Perils ofTHE POWER AND THE GLORY (I941, b&w, 93 minutes) Production company[...]. General manager: Frederick Daniell. Distributed in Australia by MGM. Cast: Katrin Roselle .. . Elsa Marnelle[...]nded as an attack on fifth columnist ac- tivities in Australia. An introductory title declared: “Out from the mists of man's early beginnings springs the brutal in- stinct to kill and destroy. So today. if civilised man would survive, he must groan under the burden of armaments to protect himself from the primitive beast. who even yet would deluge the world in blood." The story follows the persecution of a peace-loving scientist who es- capes from Czechoslovakia to Australia, bringing with him a valuable formula for a new motor fuel. The Nazis in the film are stock caricatures of evil: leering, paranoid and vicious. More sinister still are the Australian fifth columnists who, to all appearances, are normal Australians, watching a military parade in Martin Place or being ‘one of the boys‘ in the RAAF. The film's highlight is the climatic aerial sequence, with a spectacular dogfight. staged for the film by the RAAF. Also of special in- terest is the acting of Peter Finch, his tirst major role in an Australian film. The veteran Australian director of The Sentimental Bloke, Ray- mond Longford, can be identified in an early scene as a Nazi admiral. V; "I5 f,-' Above left: The Nazi high command \ - ' in Noel Monkman‘s The Power and 1 the (.‘lnry. Sydney Wheeler (centre). : Raymond L[...]xtra. V '-.- . i ', Above right: Noel Monkman on the \ . 3 ‘a » set of The Power and the Glory. : = - iv/?:?":.~;r 1.... Art‘[...] |
| [...]ONAL FILM AND TELEVISION ARCHIVE This column is the first to appear in Cinema Papers concerning the activities of the recently-formed Association for a National Film and Television Archive. Earlier detail progress can be found in a letter publish- ed in the March/April issue of this year, but since that time a steering committee has been formed and has held four meetings — three in Sydney, one in Melbourne. All meetings so far have dealt with the Association's draft prin- ciples and long-term plans. At the recent Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals, the Association issued a leaflet stressing the need for an autonomous and conveniently-located film and television archive in Australia. It was the first public move made by the Association, and was well responded to, with a large number of people requesting further information and submitt[...]sponsorship. Receipts are now being sent out, and the sponsorship has helped cover the printing cost of the ‘Films in Peril’ sheet as well as the printing of the Association's Principles and a suggested archive ‘Growth Plan’. It was felt that the Association was ex- posed to the danger of criticizing production and archive concerns for the work they haven't been doing to date, rather than trying to develop a construc- tive relationship. The need to circularize industrial and political links was also regarded as crucial, and to this end the Association intends to circularize a questionnair[...]ations that might have an interest or involvement in the preservation of film and television material. The president of the Association's steering committee is Barrie King, who has long advocated the setting up of an autonomous film archive. He is being assisted[...]Ian Griggs as treasurer and membership secretary. The Committee will serve in this manner until the Association adopts a con- stitution. The Association hopes to take an in- creasingly active part in pressing for a national film and television archive, and might even influence the preservation of the TV series Rush, which ‘the festival leaflet says has been marked for destruction by the ABC. For enquiries about the Association's activities, write to: The Secretary Association for a National Film and TV Archive P.O. Box 137 Gordon, N.S.W. 2072. THE AUSTRALIAN CINEMATOGRAPHERS’ SOCIETY The annual presentation of the Milli Award has become the Australian CInematographers' Society's highest recognition for the most outstanding professional skill displayed in film production. in addition to the Milli Award, there are also the Golden Tripod and Merit Awards for entries in various categories. The presentation of awards in May, at the University Theatre of the Macquarle University, attracted more than 200 peo- ple from the film industry. I70 — Cinema Papers, July-August of the Association's. @ The screening of the films began at 6 p.m. and ended around 9.30 p.m., dur- ing which time the awards were presented. Bert Nicholas ACS, who made the presentations, was given a standing ovation. He was retiring from the industry and the occasion was a fitting climax to a man whose life and efforts have been so closely associated with the pioneering of the film industry in Australia. Compere Stuart Wagstaff's light- hearted and witty praise of those in the industry portrayed the congenial and sincere relationships evident in the in- dustry in ‘Australia. in congratulating the winner of; the Milli Award, Russell Boyd, we also can- gratuiate winners of the Golden Tripod Award, the Merit Award and all those who participated. ACS[...]ganizing this year's Milli Award presen- tations. The standard was high, even higher than that of the previous year. Thanks, too, for the hospitality extend- ed to the Victorian president, Mr Vic John, by Mr Bruce Hillyard and the com- mittee of the federal body In Sydney. Mr John said it was interesting to note[...]documentaries, followed by feature productions. The presentation of the Milli Award to Russell Boyd was in recognition of his work on Between Wars. The outstanding camera techniques and superb lighting[...]ms as Alvin Rides Again, Petersen, Scobis Malone, The Sidecar Racers and The Removaliats. Australian box-office successes prove that the application of professional skill, linked with modern technology, make the film industry here a major contributor to world film markets, and proves the skill of ACS members in film production. THE AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR CH|LDREN’S FILMS AND TELEVISION The Australian Council. for Children's Films and Television evolved in 1958 from the express request of State Coun- cils for a national body to co-ordinate the activities of those interested in the children's cinema movement. Since then, under the guiding Influence of its president, Mr W. H. Perkins, (recently retired) the Council has grown from an organization whose principle con- cern was to encourage screenings of suitable films for children, to one which is actively involved In the purchase, promotion and distribution of entertalnmentjllms for children throughout Australia. Since its Inception, the Council has been closely linked with the Children's Film Foundation in Britain. it was not long ago that no one con- si[...]. Parents and teachers alike were con- tent with the medlocrlty and 'safeness' of films, so long as they were rated ‘Suitable for General Exhibition’. it took the inspiration and determina- tion of the late Mary Field to persuade Lord Rank to set up the Children's Enter- talnment Film Division of the Rank Organisation which, in 1951, became the Children's Film Foundation. This organization _ is entirely run and sup- ported by the British Film industry without government assistance. The simple theory behind this extraor- dinary success story is the fact that people, even very little people, respond to quality. And quality is the hallmark of the CFF product. The lists of credits Include many of the ‘greats’ among the filmmakers — names like Hugh Stewart, Michael Powell, Emerlc Pressburger. Children play the principal roles. but supporting adults In- clude such artists as Jimmy Edwards, Wilfred Bra[...]nvaluable experience working on films produced by the OFF. It is this combination of high professional stan- dards and constant re-assessment of children's needs and interests, together with a continuity of production, that predrrces an end product spelt E»N'EERTAlNMEN».‘iT. with tinanclal assistance from the Film and Television Board of the Australia Council. the ACCFT is now the principal distributor of the CFF in Australia. Twenty-four features and an equal number of shorts are distributed with the co-operation of the independent cinema owners and the big chain exhibitors. with the pleasing result that more and more Australian children are ‘going to the pic- tures'. At a time when cinemas are fighting for survival and the novelty of color televi- slon is already making its mark. go[...]eed to be encouraged and supported. A great deal of money is being poured Into the re-establishment of the Australian film industry. In Britain, more than 60 per cent of the films being produced today are for children. Those in authority and those educators of our future filmmakers may well be advised to look to the Children's Cinema Movement. This Council believes that herein lies the audience of tomorrow, and we con- tinue to plead that for children, only the best is good enough. THE AUSTRALIAN FILM COUNCIL Now that Australia has become the se- cond Iargest buyer of American films (Italy is first), it is important to know what it means to the local industry. Consider the statements of Mr Jack Valenti (or should that read ‘reconsider’ because I am sure most of us are aware of Mr Valenti's presence around us?) as president of the Motion Picture Export Association of America, and as president of the Motion Picture Association. Mr Valenti has made no secret of the fact that a major part of his task is to protect the commercial interests and enhance the prospects of American films in the international market, and is on record as saying: "We are engaged every day in fighting back foreign government attempts to strangle, smother, dlsfigure, alter and involve itself in our business abroad."; "A loss of only 10 to 15 per cent of the overseas market would cue an in- dustry and Hollywood disaster"; and "We are co[...]overnment from which we derive 50 to 51 per cent of all our income." These quotes leave no doubt that Mr Valenti and the American film producers see indigenous film production in- dustries as the enemy. in Australia as elsewhere, Mr Valenti can achieve his objectives by striving to hold the situation where open entry, the control of distribution and exhibition out- lets, and the existing market arrangements allow American film[...]t a token level. American film companies operate in Australia through the Motion Picture Distributors’ Association. Their domina- tion of and influence on film distribution and exhibition in Australia is detailed in the Tariff Board report. I hope the new Media Minister, Dr Moss Cass, and the new Media Depart- ment head, Mr Spigelman, have read it. THE AUSTRALIAN WRITERS’ GUI-ED It has always angered me to see students jumping up and down protesting about the state of the nation or, seemingly, anything else for that matter — without the tiniest clue on how to solve the problem or, perhaps worse, without having even an alternative method of handling the situation. So it is with me with grants. Not tha[...]anything can be done about it. However, I think the various govern- ment bodies, at this particular stage of the industry's growth, would be better served If they forgot about the word ‘ex- perimental’ when assessing applicat[...]ree thought must be kept within bounds. it is one of the most important lessons the young radical has to learn if he is to be truly c[...]st have its freedom dis- cipiined. It is only out of that discipline that true freedom can spring. In[...]m and It destroys itself and everyone around it. In writing, as in any creative process, we must know the rules before we can break them with success. All I ask, perhaps, is that the goodly government bodies be aware of the fact. is there, after all, any point in granting applicants the money to run, before they can walk? Peter Scott, President FILM EDITOR'S GUILD OF AUSTRALIA The committee of the Film Editors’ Guild of Australia not only organizes monthly meetings for its members and the annual editing workshops for trainee editors, It also represents the members on the board of the Australian Film Coun- cll. This is an important part of FEGA’s operation as the Film Council gives the film industry a collective voice in some important areas. A representative of FEGA also attends meetings of the Australian Standards Association. Our April general meeting was held at Atlab film laboratory in Sydney. This was a tour of the facility, and senior members of the Atlab staff were on hand for dis- cussion. We felt it was an opportunity for our members to keep up with the latest |
| innovations in laboratory work, and also to be able to discuss openly both editors’ problems with the labs and the lab’s problems with editors.The May general meeting was a screening of two Australian-made historical stories. The first was one of the episodes of Luke's Kingdom, the joint Channel 9-Trident TV series. The editor of the episode, Richard Hlndley, answered questions after the screening. The other film was a dramatized documentary about the Prime Mlnistershlp of Billy Hughes during World War 1. This was made by the ABC and won an impressive list of awards. We have regular screenings of films which we think hold interest for our member[...]as a film which might interest our members at one of our screenings. THE FILM PRODUCTION ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA Our Association's recent activities have. by necessity, been centered on the survival of our film and television production industry. We were actively in- volved during and after the passage of the Film Commission Bill, and will be most vitally concerned with the forthcoming Performers‘ Protection Act. Our copyright and ownership in a film package we produce must be protected, just as much as the rights of an actor or writer, otherwise we will not be able to attract financial investment in production to employ them. Several producers attended the recent MIP-TV market in Cannes prior to this year's Film Festival. it was[...]ee how well our local TV programs com- pared with the European, British and American average budget pro[...]h budget programs such as Upstairs Downstairs and The Six Million Dollar Man. Sales were made to the fringe markets, but very few significant sales have yet been achieved with the more lucrative British and American markets. At the conclusion of the TV market, The Film Production Association of Australia, on behalf of the Australian producers sent the following cable to the then Minister for the Media, Senator Douglas McCleiland: “The Association is now more than ever firmly of the opinion that it is necessary for a reciprocal arrangement to be entered into with Britain and the U.S., whereby they purchase from Australia the same number of hours of program material as they-export to Australia. '‘It should be pointed out that the only English-speaking countries that have any mea[...]value to our Australian Industry are Britain and the U.S. These countries who find Australia so profitable for program sales must be made to realise that the ‘one way street‘ is not giving Australia a fair go. “We protect all other industries from exports from these countries, and while at the moment we are not advocating tariffs, without an[...]grams will be sold to these vital markets." With the increasing costs of local TV productions and the imminent cost of residual payments to artists, coupled with the claimed lack _of finance from television stations and networks, our sur- vival depends on sales to the prime inter- national markets of the U.S. and Britain. Employment within our local fi[...]ion production industry is now at its lowest ebb. The current economic downturn has slowed up the production of local TV commercials. The lack of finance of networks and television stations has curtailed some long-running TV series, and the uncertain result of profits of Australian feature films has slowed up the 1974 rash of feature film production. However, all is not los[...]cumentary producers found a very receptive market in Cannes this year and on the home front Film Australia and the ABC are both busy with production. the latter because of its involvement with co- production, where overseas sales are en- sured by the co-producing partner. The industry's survival, therefore, rests not just with massive injections of government funds, but also with protec- tion, as[...]for both television and cinema production, where the right to our own lucrative market must be bartered for by sales of Australian-produced product overseas. THE NATIONAL LIBRARY In April, the National Library Council approved in principle the development of the National Film Coiiectlon's film study resources to meet the demands of students undertaking such courses throughout Australia. Over the next three to four years, it is proposed to purchase some 1200 titles from all periods and genres, bringing the National Film Coiiectlon's total resources to sup[...]to over 2000 titles. This development will follow the policy set out in a submission sent by the Film, Radio and Television Board of the Australia Council to the National Library in March this year. Preliminary work has begun on the ex- pansion of the collection, especially in the areas of Australian cinema, documentaries and the avant-garde films. Arrangements have been made for all 17 of Ken G. Hail’s productions to be made available for study. This group in- cludes the films Hall made at Cinesound in the 1930s as well as Smithy, which he made for Columbia in 1946. in addition, there are four titles by Charles Chauvei: in the wake of the Bounty with Errol Flynn, Heritage, Un- civilised and The Rate of Tobruk with Peter Finch and Chips Rafferty. Among other recent acquisitions are five cinéma verité films by the Drew- Leacock team, including Jane and Nehru. Tit[...]ick Wiseman are expected shortly. A large number of recent American experimental films is also being received for circulation through the film study collection. These include films by Bru[...]d Schmeerguntz). PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS’ UNION OF AUSTRALIA Submissions to the newly-formed Australian Film Commission made recently by the Professional Musicians‘ Union of Australia: The Union's submission to the Com- mission was that all background music used for films made by the Commission or made from funds allocated by them should consist of Australian-composed. arranged and recorded music. Reference was made to the bad situation under which the Union operates at the moment, that is there is no performers’ protection legislation in existence in this country up to this time; but it was hoped that this would come into being very shortly. As the Film Commission will no doubt be allocating monie[...]on television and possible series produc- tions, the Union indicated that it would look at any proposal whereby the producer wanted to purchase the sole rights of the musicians’ work for an ad- ditional fee. As indicated in the press, the PMUA, in conjunction with three other television in- dustry trade unions, banded together to fight fo[...]ampaign was headed under a docu- ment known as “The Crisis in the Televi- sion industry", which has also been sub- mitted to the Australian Film Commission for consideration. The unions also want each station to increase its specific Australian content each week to four hours of drama, three hours of variety, six hours of news and current affairs, and one hour of documentary. Each station should telecast at least one hour of ‘approved’ chiidren’s drama and four hours of ‘other approved’ children's programs each week. The document stated that, in order to offset the enormous price advantages enjoyed by overseas programs in the Australian market ($5,000 for imports, $35,000 for Australian drama). some degree of support was necessary. An Australian television service was a national interest, deserving of assistance. in the document the unions called for an $8 million injection into the television industry to cover the additional cost of the Australian content quotas. The economy of television was currently so strained that the quotas, es- sentiai_ to protect employment and Australian television, would place an in- tolerable burden on the system unless some assistance were forthcoming. The Unions have called for a fund of $1.25 million to “improve the standards and quality of Australian production" and a fund of $750,000 for investment in pilot programs "to create a diversity of program types and producers". The total financial assistance called for was $10 mi[...]h providing alter- native services for filmmakers in dis- tribution, exhibition and filmmaklng resourc[...]vice from existing commercial enterprises. Since the formation of our association, filmmakers in other States have recognized similar needs, and we are now a part of a national network of filmmakers’ co-operatives. The recent 3rd National Conference of Filmmakers’ Co-operatives decided to co-operate more closely. particularly in the area of distribution. As a result of this decision we have just produced the first national catalogue for the states of NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. It lists 600 films made by independent filmmakers, and contains many new titles not previously listed in any publication. it is a comprehensive production contain- ing 200 stills from the films and several complementary indexes. The indexes are by film title, name of filmmaker and subject. There are 27 categories in the subject index which should help in selecting films with a particular theme. Access, to films for interstate borrowers has been simplified in several WANTED FILM MAGAZINES AND BOOKS ANY SORT WRITE TO THE LIBRARIAN, CINEMA PAPERS, 143 THERRY STREET, MELBOURNE 3000 COLUMNS ways. First, the National Catalogue links all existing Co-op film[...]incorporates freight bills which were previously the hirer’s responsibility. The 15 per cent surcharge on the ren- tal value of films covers freight within Australia. This will make it easier for other states to book films from the two main Co-op libraries in Sydney and Melbourne. Thirdly, each Co-op will ac[...]er Co-op, by booking specific films and answering in- quiries about films held In other State libraries. Since only Sydney and Melbourne Co- ops have operating budgets for distribution, the Co-ops in Brisbane, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth will work fo[...]luntary labor until more funds become available. The screening of films has always been important, although it was not until increased support from the Australian Government became available that we we[...]a. We have now been screening films for two years in the Filmmakers’ Cinema in St Peter's Lane, Darllnghurst. Our programming p[...]etely each week, and also offering a wide variety of films. Our main promotion emphasis is for indepe[...]ays during special interest seasons. We recognize the need for increased ex- posure for new Australian films and are planning to do longer runs than one week in the prime 8 p.m. sessions. We are also looking for new material. and welcome any suggestions for programs in the future. We have recently begun organizing resource facilities for filmmakers, and In- formation for those interested In learning more about filmmaklng. We are in the process of compiling a resource book so our staff can handle any queries. We hope to participate in the Film, Radio and Television Board's proposals for[...]ienced filmmakers. With nearly 300 full members, the Co- op ls able to serve and represent a large body of filmmakers. in addition, we offer associate membership to non- filmmakers who are interested in our organization, particularly our screenings program. This group exceeded 700 in they first 12 months of operation. We look forward to a continued level of support from the film community. -I: . '1:[...] |
| [...]imself and God Against A I. Below: Vase do Noces (The Wedding Trough).Above: Good And Evil. Right: Pure Shit. International Women’s Film Festival In Sydney and Melbourne more than fifteen feature fi[...]merous documentaries, shorts and animated films. The other States will offer selections from the main program. .\_ . The first Australia-wide‘, international Women’s Film Festival consisting entirely of‘ films directed by women. Sponsored by Inter- national Women’s Year and the Film Radio and Television Board. . /. 4/ OF[...]ainst All (Werner Herzog, Germany); A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, U.S.A.); Mutter Kuste[...]; Lancelot du Lac (Robert Bresson, France); Touch of Zen (King Hu, Hong Kong); Moses and Aaron (Jean M[...]roeder, U.S.A.); Sunday Too Far Away (Ken Hannam, Australia); Pastoral Hide and Seek (Shu)l Terayama, Japan);[...]er (Peter Fonda, U.S.A.); Pure Shit (Bert Deling, Australia); Bruno The Black (Lutz Elsholz, Germany); Lacombe Lucien (Louis Malle, France); Walkabout Bilong Tonten (Olivier Howes, Australia); India Song (Stephane Tchalgadjieff, India); A B[...]charndorf); Lea Tours Gris (lradj Azimi, France); The Occasional Work of A Female Slave, Artists at the Top of the Big Top:. Disorientated, Yesterday Girl, The Middle of the Read is A Very Dead End (Alexander Kluge, Germany); The intrigues of Sylvia Couski (Adolfo Arrieta, France) and more .[...]Sept. 12-14 Perth Octagon Subs $8.00 c/o Guild of Undergraduates University of W.A. Crawiey 6009 Sept. 20-23 Canberra Coombs L[...]1969): Lions Love, Agnes Varda (France/USA 1969); The Cheaters, McDonagh sisters (Australia); Promised Lands, Susan Sontag (1974); A Very Cur[...]ody Mary), Nelly Kaplan (France 1969); Love Under the Crucifix. Kinuyo Loneliness (Olivia). Jacqueline[...]57); Dance Girl Dance; Dorothy Arzner (USA 1940); The Girls, Mai Zetterling (Sweden 1968); Duet tor Can[...]inding Sentiments, Marta Mezsaros (Hungary 1965); The Blue Light, Leni Riefenstahl (Germany 1932); Maedchen in Uniform, Leontine Sagan (Germany 1931); Lady from[...]na Wertmuller Haiy (unconfirmed). Documentaries The Passionate industry, Joan Long (Australia 1970); Antonia, Portrait of a Woman, Collins 8- Godmllon (USA 1974); Behind the Veil, Eve Arnold (USA 1971); Women of the Rhondda, London Women’s Film Group; Stirring. Jane Oehr (Australia 1974). |
| £3 Image and Influence: Studies in the Sociology of Film by Andrew Tudor: Allan & Unwin 1975. Recommended price: $18.90 Mick Counihan Not the least of the merits of this volume is its accessibility to non-specialist audiences. Image and Influence is both level- headed and relatively free of extravagant typologies and sociological jargon. A[...]and synthetic theory —— a hopeless task given the meagre and misconceived empirical work on which s[...]e based —- than to draw attention both to areas in which work needs to be done, and to some general models and guiding images which might profitably in- form such detailed studies. Some may see Tudor‘s reiteration of the tentative and provisional nature of his enquiry as excessive humility, a mere authorial conceit; on the contrary, by resisting the temptation to indulge in flights of theoretical fancy, the author ensures that sociological hypotheses about the relationship between cinema and society remain in intimate contact with human reality. To summarize the wide range of problems and materials surveyed in this book is impossible here, but mention should be made of the overall logic of the exposition. The book falls into two parts; firstly, after. a chapter on general models of the communication process, Tudor examines film communicators and film audiences, which together constitute the cinema as a (sub)society, with its own culture and social structure. The second part raises questions, at a macrosociological level, about the interaction of this film world with the culture and social structure of the over-arching society. Successive chapters explore[...]on German Expressionism, and popular film genres in which the Western, gangster movie and horror film are singled out for special attention. Bridging the two parts is a chapter on film language for Tudor, quite correctly, sees the problem of meaning as central to any investigation of a cultural domain such as the cinema. Obviously this summary gives the impression of a schematicism which Tudor opposes and successfully avoids. In fact the book. while inevitably uneven, contains a wealth of arguments and examples and draws freely on a diverse array of sociological and film studies. A polemical strain runs through the book, and justifiably so. Tudor is concerned to combat any sociology which reduces the complexity of the problems involved, whether by asserting simple ca[...]ations between films and society, or by ignoring the richness and sub- tleties of film meanings. In particular the debilitating ‘mass society’ theories, which h[...]refutation. Tudor emphasizes ‘interaction’ is the antidote to such unilateral theses. However, on the question of the relationship between sociological approaches and actual film criticism, the book is less satisfactory. Would an adequate soci[...]nt or replace criticism? Generally Tudor stresses the former, for both sociology and criticism are seen as forms of disciplined subjectivity with different aims, but occasionally there are hints of the latter: “Critical acumen is still essential and[...]hasis added) we have a complete working knowledge of film language". Even if this complete knowledge is an unlikely eventuality, the formulation contains unfor- tunate echoes of the scientism Tudor has so capably attempted to exorcise. Rather than attempting either to describe the book in detail, or to cruise through its pages doling out a plus here or a minus there, I will restrict the rest of this review to two questions: What is the conception of ‘theory’ operative in Image and Influence? And what are some of the implications of this? What does the ‘sociology’ in the sub-title mean? For sociology is hardly a unitary, self-evident field. Tudor, after lamenting the dismal past, “the unthinking empiricism and cultural prejudice” of media research, comments: “I wish I could claim[...]ot . . . it is a continual struggle to even avoid the same old traps . . . (however). In what follows I have tried to add my own small push away from the scientism and objectivism which has so often characterised media research.” In this case, not an anti- empiricist reeonceptualiz[...]ughtful empiricism. Tudor remains totally within the problematic which produc- ed the work he deplores, despite the equivocations and apologetics with which he prefaces every substantive statement (‘this is a sketch of a sketch‘ or ‘this is purely a preliminary, p[...]problematic, here I mean an empiricist conception of knowledge. Crudely, this involves writing discrete facts on bodies of information into models or simplified pictures through a process of abstraction, then confronting the model with further data (reality), revising it progressively, until “when most of the gaps have been filled in, he (the sociologist) might have something approaching an acceptable theory”. Thus ‘theory’ is after the event, is an ultimate goal dependent on, and distinct from, the process of abstracting (non- theoretical) facts into (non-th[...]y’ (what else could it be?) whose specificity, in part, lies in the denial of itself as such. The empiricist problematic, having banished ‘theory’ elsewhere, can now annex bits and pieces of other, incom- patible, theories. But only on the condition that these are fragmented, defused, purged of_their ‘extremism’. Hence Tudor‘s eclecticis[...]lgar variety) and some sensible struc- turalism. In Chapter I Berger and Luckman‘s ‘Social Construction of Reality’ is dismissed as no real advance. In the conclusion it is invoked as “especially relevan[...]ques are uni- que to film and can be analyzed “in terms akin to ‘grammar’, i.e. as a set ofrules independent of semantic questions”, which is precisely the point Pretz has been arguing against in the arti- cle used a couple of pages earlier. And so on. Because theoretical questions are treated as some sort of im- possible dream or optional extra, Tudor feels[...]y havent been discredited by now, never will be. Of the numerous other points that could be raised, I am[...]or film?) and society, is obviously doomed unless the native of the society(ies) within which this cinema exists is s[...]er. 50 Superstars by John Kobal: Spectacular! The Story of Epic Films by John Cary; and War Movies by Tom Pe[...]magazines. She knew all about Sight and Sound and the intellectual film magazines. She wanted somethin[...]eks later, she told me that she had bought a copy of the magazine but was disappointed because it was “n[...]t are films anyway? Surely one wants stimulation in pictures as much as in words. Films may be recalled by stills, even if the stills do not add up to an experience commensurate with seeing the films themselves. This brings me to what I particularly like about the Hamlyn books —— the pictures are worth as much as the texts. And the texts are as enjoyable to read as the pictures — black and white, color and huge gate-folds — can be gazed upon in awe. Spectacular! The Story of Epic Films was written by John Cary and edited by the ubiquitous John Kobal, whose ap- parently inexhaustible supply of film memorabilia has provid- ed this massive volume with illustrations to complement the subject matter. One of the special pleasures of this book, and so many ofthe Hamlyn film books, is the large number ofpic- tures in color. Spectacles and spectaculars are often tre[...]Cid. I can remember, as an enthusiasticfilm buff in his teens, almost feeling guilty and lacking in taste because I loved beyond reason Mervyn Le Roy[...]r than dimmed my ardour for this glorious example of MGMagnificence. Surely any film addict, anyone seriously interested in film- making must find something enthralling about the big pic- tures. The sheer mechanics involved in manufacturing a spec- tacle are sufficient to mak[...]This Hamlyn book should have an instant appeal. The text by John Cary is reliable and informative, ev[...]it he is pretty spot- on about Richard Thorpe’s The Prodigal, although I think it is one of the greatest bad films ever made, monumental in its vulgarity, its idiocy and its Biblical nonsen[...]S /mi :1,;_,-.,){,5t,.,_\- _ lllbliy pa,-(ls One of the best sections in Spectacular! is an interview with director Robert Wise, whose newest project, The Hindenburg, is being cut and shaped for release. He comments about the making of Helen of Troy, one of the superior films in the genre, in spite of some miscasting, with a justification for do- ing[...]ng off an epic. That‘s what got me into it”. The stills are well-chosen to illustrate Cary‘s various chapters. I think his treatment of Gone With the Wind, among others, is a little brief to be adequate, but the film has been ex- haustively discussed in other books, most intriguingly by Gavin Lambert in his book about the making of the film. Cinema Papers. July-August — 173 |
| [...]ourne, A delaide and Brisbane. We’ve also got the information, ring Sue-Ellen Doherty (Sydney) 31 0[...]roach to conferences throughout South Pacific and AustraliaIN FILM BOOKS AND MAGAZINES (for Fans and Professionals) We now stock the Focal Press technical series including The Technique of . . . The Motion Picture Camera Special Effects Cinematog[...]ation Documentary Film Production Film Editing The Sound Studio Lighting for TV and Motion Picture[...]ing: Bergman on Bergman Kazan on Kazan Garbo and the Night Watchman Cinema in Revolution Italian Cinema Eisenstein Write for o[...]ers postage extra @ GRANADA FILMS Now Available THE FACTS ARE THESE — 16 films on cancer, smoking,[...]e and obesity. THE LIVING BODY — 11 films illustrating human anato[...]uction, etc. THE DISAPPEARING WORLD — 15 films on civilisations[...]RIMENT — 20 films showing important experiments in ad- vanced school physics and chemistry. THE MAGIC OF MUSIC — 10 films for children who have no knowledge of music, who are shy or reluctant to sing or unaccu[...]TO READ — 26 eight-minute films designed as an in- troduction to reading in English for children. All films are available in 16mm colour or b & w for purchase. For informatio[...]7. 283 ALFRED STREET / NORTH SYDNEY, N.S.W. 2060 AUSTRALIA Telephone: 92-1354 |
| [...]ith Spectacular! is to quibble about minor lapses in a volume which in pictorial brilliance, entertainment value and com[...]th its nearly $10 cost.What more can you expect of a book that gives you a gate-fold still from Ben[...]tend that it be dismissed. It is worth every cent of its cost. It's just that many of the stills in color are somewhat murky and untrue to their originals. Perhaps that is a minor point of criticism. I like the sheet-music covers and the film posters, the fan magazine covers of the l940’s and such rare items as a color lobby card of The Private Life of Don Juan with Douglas Fair- banks, a stunning color portrait of Hedy Lamarr and some charming pictures of Jeanette MacDonald (with and without Nelson Eddy)[...]h books on films, there are tantalizing glimpses of scenes from features one woud love to seejust onc[...]ighting, garish posters and scenes are juxtaposed in a kaleidoscope of Hollywood glamor and occasional realism from the silents to the recent past. War Movies, written by Tom Perlmutter, wit[...]y Derek Ware, also has superb pictures taken from The Kobal Collection Ltd. London. It is not a definitive book on films of war and man's inhumanity to man, but its well-written text is worth reading. Like the other three books. War Movies should find two ea[...]d anyone who has begun taking a serious interest in films and wants a useful book with which to make[...]fMovi’e Posters is a collection ofreproductions of daybills and one-sheet posters, lobby cards and[...]ys, intended for ephemeral urgency and selling to the millions, are now elevated to something akin to t[...]ry art. This I76-page treasure is to be indulged in out of sheer obsession with the popular cinema. Since the cost of authentic posters is so high, and since they are largely unavailable anyway in Australia, this book is a dream come true in allow- ing a buff to have a collection of posters at reasonable cost. Once again I have some reservations about the color. The original, lustrous brilliance ofa number of the posters is reduc- ed to a murky spectrum — but many are still delightful. Final Cut: The Making and Breaking of a Film by Paul Sylbert: A Continuum Book. Recomm[...]are being published at an astonishing rate, only in the last year has any material been published on the business side of film production. Much ofthis recent material is not available in Australia, even from specialist bookstores, and some of it is only contained in limited circulation American commercial law journals and syllabus courses. . The Final Cut is about the making of the Joe Levine-Avco Embassy film The Steagle, which was directed by Paul Sylbert. The film has never been released in Melbourne, nor to my knowledge anywhere else in Australia. Final Cut is not a film business text as such, but its novel- like structure has a wealth of information on American film industry practice, s[...]ction concepts and backroom pressures. It is thus of more than usual interest. Sylbert wryly describes his first meeting with Joe Levine in a cavelike office above the Avenue of the Americas, as Levine screams on the phone to Carlo Ponti in Rome over budget problems. Sylbert‘s style is acidic. The book is clearly the catharsis of what he sees as the destruction of his film by crass fat-cat money men. Avco Embassy’s cash flow was obviously tight at the time of Sylbert‘s problems with The Steagle, and he notes the straightjacket-like insistence on budgets of ‘a million five‘ (the average feature budget in the US. is $l,700,000). More damning is the casting pressure exerted on him by Av- co. Levine forced Sylbert to cast an ingenue starlet in a most difficult part; the starlet apparently having an affair with a high level Avco executive at the time. Sylbert is cleared as director on the project because he shares a mutual knowledge with Levine of an American painter. He claims that Levine never read the script. Although Sylbert was forced to make The Steagie with a main role cast by Avco executives, he had a relatively free hand in the rest of the casting. Richard Benjamin and Cloris Leachman accepted the main roles. Crewing was also left to Sylbert, alt[...]f became another heavy millstone. Shooting, both in New York and on the sound stage at Burbank, went smoothly, but Sylbert refused to film sequences involving the executives girlfriend. The head office seemed to accept the decision. But with the conclusion ofthe filming, the assemblage ofthe material, and the trimming and shortening of the footage down to a screening version, the ‘earthquake’, as Sylbert calls it, occurred. While college students and associates of Richard Benjamin and Sylbert liked the film, exhibitors and the heads of Avco's foreign and domestic distribution set-up gave it the thumbs down. Levine took the film away from Sylbert, forbade him access to the print, cut it from 120 minutes to 9]. and threw it into a first release in New York’s East Side with crummy ads, where it died after two weeks. It was finally re-released as the top half of a double bill with The Ski Burn. under the title The Playboy. Sylbert suggests that Levine has no Thalberg-type sense of public taste, but merely an ability (evidenced in his initial block selling of films like Hercules) to con an audience with ham advertising techniques. Avco, of course, are now purely a distribution entity for[...]evine himself is no longer with them. Sylbert, on the other hand, has yet to make another film. Final Cui emphasises. with example after example, the dichotomy between the commercial and creative elements of the film industry. There is no easy answer to the problem. What appears to be necessary is more awareness on the part of the writers-director, more tolerance on the part of producers, more informed market research, and less seat-of-the-pants decision-making by the entrepreneurs. BOOKS SUBMITTED FOR REVIEW The Art of Walt Disney Christopher Finch Harry N. Abrams I[...]Pan Books Distributed by William Collins $1.95 The Strange Case at Alfred Hitchcock Raymond Durgnat[...]a Filmways Val Frost Hexagon National Library of Australia Andrew Pike Roadshow. Graham Shirley South Aus[...]ey Film Festival Perth Film Festival Cinemahouse Australia John Moran Sue Johnston International Women’[...]anger Brian Brandt & Associates National Library of Australia Jack Tauchert Cineaction CORRIGENDA Number 5 March-April 1975 page 31: The still on this page of Tony Buckley’s article You Know Where We've Bee[...]ction (1932) page 72: Comercial Production (1) The Egg Board’s “Shopkeeper" — a Grahame Jennings production —— was edited by Richard Clark of The Kiwi Film Company. (2) Camel’s “Ahab The Arab" — an East Coast Films production — was edited by David Huggett of The Kiwi Film Company. (3) Mum Deodorant’s “Youn[...]by Richard Clark, and post production was done by the Kiwi Film Company. Inside every film review there's some factual information I trying to get out. . . . Most of itgets into the 4 . Film Bullet in Reviews. synopses and full . credits of every ‘feature film _ released in Great Britain Subscription rates: E2.50;'S6.75 per year. inclusive of postage. Reduced rates for _full members of the British Film institute Specimen copy sent an request Published‘ by the BRITISH FILM lNSTlTUTE PUBLICATIONS DEPART[...] |
| Ivan Hutchinson The current series of RCA recordings by Charles Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic Orchestra of extracts from famous film scores such as those of Korngold, Steiner, Herrman and Rozza, are a reminder to writers of film music that they are working in a field that is no longer unnoticed. These work[...]siastically snapped up by a large public desirous of recapturing some of the romance and idealism of their-youth. Considering how rare it was for a composer of this period to have his ‘background‘ music pr[...]native orchestration went into its making. Today the preservation ofa film score on disc is — at least for most major films — a matter of course. Given the current interest in the music which is today rather tiresomely called ‘Hollywood’s Golden Years’, it is difficult to recall the snobbish attitude held by most critics about film music in those days. The general opinion seemed to be that such music, if it was to be successful. should not be noticed by the audience. The corollary of that attitude, of course, would seem to be that little effort or ta[...]o self-effacing as to go unnoticed. This might be the function, say, of Muzak, but it has never been the intention of such fine composers as William Walton, Vaughan W[...]Korngold, Max Steiner and Bernard Herrman. While the music had to be functional (in the sense that what was written had to accompany, not overwhelm. the visual) it by no means meant that such scores had to be merely twentieth century equivalents of nineteenth century salon music; nor did it mean that such music could be successfully written by anyone with the barest modicum of musical talent. “Good composers,” according to Tony Thomas, “write Film Review Information Service The George Lugg Library welcomes en- quiries on local and overseas films. On request, photostat copies of synopses, ar- ticles, reviews will be forwarded.[...]s 50 cents search fee for each three titles to: The George Lugg Library P.O. Box 357 Carlton South Vic. 3053 The Library is operated with the assistance of the Australia Council Film, Radio and Television Board 176 —[...]ly-August good music, film or otherwise.” One of the happier results of the advent of the long-playing record has been to prove that statement beyond any shadow of doubt. But all this is by way of a preamble to the situation of writing music for films in the seventies — a radically different proposition, in many ways, from writing music for films in the thirties and forties. The symphonic-styled romantic scores that seemed perfectly appropriate for the escapist films of those times would sound odd juxtaposed with the images of big city crime capers or blood-spattered Westerns. The strong jazz elements which started to make themselves heard on such soundtracks as Bernstein's Man With the Golden Arm and Sudden Fear in the fifties suddenly took over altogether, it seemed, by the beginning of the sixties. The com- mercial success of Henry Mancini and others led to a virtual jettison by the film interests of the symphonic tradition, in favor of the more commercial pop—orientated composer. Often, scores were given to people in no way known for their compositional work (such as Errol Garner and Peter Nero), but whose name on the screen, or an album cover, meant something to the record-buying public. These days are not over, but there are hopeful signs that the occasions on which a film could be ruined by the intrusion ofa ludicrously inept tacked-on theme tune, or the use of a jazz ensemble, purely for commercial purposes, are slowly passing. Creative composers, well-versed in traditional compositional techniques, but aware also of the manner in which jazz, pop, or rock elements may be used to advantage (to say nothing of the electronic instruments and effects now possible)[...]n released: Sisters by Bernard Herrman; Murder on the Orient Express by Richard Rodney Bennett; Chinatown by Jerry Goldsmith: and The Godfather Part II by Carmine Coppola. For Sister[...]pent a considerable amount ofhis budget to obtain the services of Bernard Herrman, a more than apt choice for what[...]ery dollar spent to obtain Herrman was worth it. The opening music behind the bizarre credit design (featur- ing foetuses in various stages of development) combined an agitated four-note theme on the horns, with pizzicato strings, overlain with glock, chimes and synthesizers, gradually work- ing down into the darker reaches of the orchestra. This, along with colors Herrman loves to use in his fantasy scores, immediately involved the audience with hints of the horrors to come. The record, conducted by the composer, is, unlike so many discs, completely worthy of the music as heard in the film. The John Brabourne-Richard Goodwin recreation of Christie's thirties thriller Murder on the Orient Express (EMI — EMC3054) was astutely set right in period, and Richard Rodney Bennett‘s music is perfectly in tune with that approach. The salon-type pastiche used behind the credits (redolent of french windows and potted palms) is a delight, as is the lilting waltz which accompanies the Orient Express on its journey. On the other hand, the string harmonics, punctuated by the ominous orchestral chords, that accompany the kidnapping se- quence are equally appropriate in an entirely different way. Again, the recording is a worthy reminder of the film. In Chinatown (lnterfusion —- L 35,319), Jerry Goldsmith’s music works well, but separated from the striking visuals it is not exceptionally interesting in itself. Goldsmith, born in Los Angeles, came through CBS radio to television in the fifties (his music for Thriller first brought him to my attention), and throughout the sixties he firmly es- tablished himself as a new force in film music, with scores as diverse as the jazz-flavored The Stripper (1963), to The Sand Pebbles and The Blue Max (1966), which featured symphonic orchest[...]some prepared piano and various string effects. The Academy Award winning soundtrack of The Godfather Part II (lnterfusion — L 35,425) scor[...]has also been recently released — and is a bit of a rip-off. _ The best of the music (Rota’s main theme) was already used in Part I, and recorded. This record adds very littl[...]f can do, and has done, better than this. * FROM THE 1974 LONDON FILM FESTIVAL A werewolf stalks the corridors of power in this hilarious homage to horror films set in the chaos of contemporary American politics. 'WEREwOLF could well be the DR STRANGELOVE of Watergate.‘ Sigh! and Sound. NOW IN RELEASE from RONIN FILMS 136 Blamey Crescent,[...]: ROFILM Canberra ALSO RELEASING: KON ICHIKAWA: THE WANDERERS ‘A funny, beautiful and anti-heroic period film, one (the only one in recent years) well within the great tradition of Japanese period films.’ (Donald Fiichie, New Yo[...]Sound). English dialogue. Color. SATYAJIT FlAY: THE INNER EYE From the 1974 Sydney Film_Festlval. Ray's moving short film about the blind artist Mukherjl. English commentary[...] |
| [...]er offer any technical criticism — for instance in the flat corridor sequence in “Sun- day Bloody Sunday”, the sound has an echoing quality . . .?No, Schlesinger deliberately chose that sound for the sound track. Sometimes in post- lsynching I hear a line I’ve interpreted with the wrong tone or inflection and, if possible, altera[...]ny directors expressed a preference for using you in long or middle shots as opposed to close-ups? Sometimes, I have suggested that a full shot would enable the full body to make a gesture that interpreted the mood more effectively than just a close-up of the face. Do you believe a film could be made throug[...]rity to make decisions and keep a balance between the con- flicting claims of the actors‘ ideas. Otherwise, working together can[...]ersonally destructive. It’s too easy to forget in those situations that the text you‘re dealing with probably represents a greater mind than all the ones that are interpreting it. You have to have respect for the text and believe that what you are making is more than the total of the egos involved in it. It’s particularly true in the theater, where the original idea will have come in a far more filled-in form than in films, where the director may only bring the skeleton for the actors to flesh out. Someone like Peter Brook would always listen to and try out what any of‘us had to say. A great director is great becaus[...]ve your feelings hurt you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place. A film is obviously different from a theatrical production in that it can be altered after its completion. Have you ever been concerned that the direction of the finished product has been changed either by the editor or an entrepreneur? No. Have the roles you played ,ever affected your life and the way you were living? Not in films, because all the energy goes out so quickly. Making a film is like live first- nights in one day. It’s so physically demanding that by the end of the day there’s nothing left. In a play, if you’re doing it for a long time, it[...]t each time. During Marat-Sade it was like living in a lunatic asylum, and one day it occurred to me that everyone I had talked to that day was in- sane. Have you ever been offered scripts by large. American companies? Yes, but the scripts were all unsuitable. If you were offered[...]g a script written by a woman added to or altered the interpretation of your role? No, Schlesinger had suggested the idea to Penelope Mortimer years ago. She was in New York when we were shooting, and I think they had long conversations on the telephone over it. What did you feel about the unhappiness of the characters at the end of the film? Do you think they should have been allowed[...]istic. People manage personal relationships worst of all - the important thing is that they go on exposing thems[...]oving. What’s so remarkable and admirable about the film is that_the sexual aspect of their relationships is underplayed — they all r[...]and shoot themselves. But they were all there at the end, alive —— certainly scarred. Peter's spe[...]u know absolutely that suicide‘s not on for any of them. If you were presented with a responsible p[...]n and directed by women — delineating new forms of social relationships, would you be willing to assist even to the extent of taking a deferred salary? Yes, because no actress should be» in the business for the money. l’ve already done this in The Triple Echo with Oliver Reed. We both took hardly any money and shot it in an in- credibly short time because we believed in what it was about and that the director knew what he was doing. What kind offilms would you like to be making in thethe money to finish it. Even when Loach had actually got the money and made the film, he met a more in- sidious form of censorship. In Britain, there’s the Board of Film Cen-. sors, but the real censorship comes from the distributors who will not distribute these films once they are made. Triple Echo, which is set in the war and is about a woman who shields a deserter, is a case in point. It was never, properly distributed, and ha[...]APHY 1967 Marat Sade I968 Negatives 1969 Women in Love l970 The Music Lovers 1971 Sunday Bloody Sunday (John Schlesinger) UK 1972 The Boyfriend (Keri Russell) UK The Triple Echo (Michael Apted) UK I973 A Touch of Class (Melvin Frank) UK Bequest to the Nation (James Cellan Jones) UK (Peter Brook) UK[...](Keri Russell) UK (Keri Russell) UK Mary Queen of scars (Charles Jarrot) UK 1974 The _ _ Temptress (Damiano Damiani) Italy 1975 The Romantic Englishwoman (Joseph Losey) UK (Incom[...]AG Susan Sontag Continued from page 112 I think the irony in “Promised Lands” is what makes it such a thou[...]d stimulating documentation. You use it first at the very beginning of the film in the war cemetery memoriaI service scene. Yes, those are the people from the British Consulate, who are doing this annual thing at the Jerusalem War-Cemetery in commemora- tion in l970 of the British soldiers who died in Palestine. I notice in all three of my films — Duet for Cannibals, Brother Karl an[...]hat you talk about when you speak ofirony) a kind of binary construction in which a scene early in a film will have its complement later on. From a purely formal point of view, I‘d say that the two dinner scenes that you mentioned in Duet for Cannibals are parallel to the two cemetery sequences in Promised Lands. There is the'completely absurd non-mourning in a cemetery at the beginning where people are chattering and completely removed from any grief and at the end of the film there is real mourning, with the parents, brothers, sisters and children of people who have just died. It is when you get to the end of the film that you see that first cemetery sequence in another wa . Tliat is the natural form of construction that I've always used. I don’t decide in advance that I am going to look for two scenes th[...]to work out that way. It’s a very natural form of construction, and when you work in a non- fiction film it’s very exciting. I didn[...]re is both less and more freedom — less freedom in the way, of course, you can’t control things. lt’s real life, the peo- ple are doing what they’re doing. You can’t tell them to stop and cry again if you didn't like the way they sobbed last time. Its true you have no[...]t to make a documentary. How did you get involved in doing it? Well I had the idea, but it wasn’t any kind of long term project. The war in the Middle East broke out and I thought surely there[...]e. I’d never been to Israel but I had followed the situation pretty closely and I think I was interested in making a film in a war zone. At one point in my life, after visiting Vietnam I had wanted to m[...]ut I was not completely certain that I really had the ar- tistic ideas to match the moral ideas which were motivating me. A French producer, Nicole Stephane, who also produced To Die in Madrid encouraged me very much. The whole thing was completely different from the two feature films I made in Sweden. The crew was put together in a matter of days — you can’t ask a war to stop —- and I went off. Then I found that I loved doing it. I loved the risk of not knowing what was going to happen when the camera was on. I think that this experience was[...]ifferently because I changed when I didn’t have the kind of control that I was used to having. In Duet for Cannibals and the second Swedish film, Brother Karl I was extremely authoritarian as a director and I wasn’t in- terested in any kind of improvisation. The ac- tors did exactly what I wanted down to every movement of the head and hand. I remember there was a sequence in Duet for Cannibals when the actor who plays Thomas was coming into the study, and it starts with a shot of him in the doorway. We worked it out, walked it through and[...]m exactly where I wanted him to do it - which was the way I was filming the whole left foot?” I burst out laughing because[...]a little thing. I said, “OK. now, you step over the threshold”, and he said, “The right foot or the bit. I didn't want him to feel that he couldn't m[...]ey even have to imitate his voice. It’s a style of operation like any other. Some directors allow a lot of freedom to the director of photography and the editor. I had very detailed shooting scripts for[...]really just pasting it together and chopping off the little bits that didn’t work, like Hitchcock do[...]ction film like Promised Lands, with eleven hours of material and knowing I had to make a film under[...]. I think I now might be a little more interested in ‘ac- cidents’ in feature films that’) I was before as a result of working in non-fiction. © Sue Johnson FILMOGRAPHY DUE[...]t cinematic venture is a low budget feature film in black and white. It is a psychological ‘chamber’ film using only two locations and four characters. The main theme is the hypnotic manipulation and the exploitive influence an older couple exercises over a younger one. A political scientist, Professor Bauer lives in exile in Sweden with his Italian wife Francesca. I-le hires a young student, Tomas, to live in as a private secretary in order to edit his voluminous notes for a new publication. In addition to his secretarial duties, Tomas is aske[...]Meanwhile, Tomas’ mistress, Ingrid, watches‘ the situation developing within the Bauer household with alarm and urges Tomas to res[...]im leaving, Bauer persuades Ingrid to protect her in- terests by moving into the house as well. Thus the older couple enlarge the scope of their predatory and emotionally manipulative games with the younger pair. BROTHER KARL (Sweden 1971) Black[...]English soundtrack. Another ‘chamber’ film in which Sontag continues the exploration of human relationships started in Duet for Cannibals. P‘ROMISED LANDS (Israel 19[...]ack. A feature length documentary (her first) on the Arab-Israeli wars shot in color on location in Israel. With intellectual detachment, Sontag explores the background to, and the present eruptions of, Arab- Israeli antagonisms in her search for a personal vi- sion of the tortured land. Cinema Papers, July-August — 177 |
| THE 1975 SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVALS Hungarian Season Continued from page /35 Throughout the film the images and rhythms penetrate to emotional states beyond the obvious political rhetoric; but again what limits[...]a preoccupation with an explicit, literal pattern of revolutionary activity. Elektreia (1974) is radi[...]. This is unmistakeably Jancso"s masterpiece, and in- terestingly, he has taken the story from the Greek drama by Euripides. This source provides the framework that is only there in his earlier films either by implication or represented in exaggerated political gestures. The drama is set in the country of Aegisthos at the annual feast of justice. Aegisthos is celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of his assumption of power after he murdered the previous king, Agamemnon. Electra is set apart, mourning the death of her father, and awaiting the return of her brother Orestes to slay the king. Again it is the exact timing and rhythm of the restless movements of people and animals and flights of birds that steadily bind the audience. The rituals express preciselv states of abandon and assumed ecstasy. The camera roves around the green plain, across rocky pools, along sun-bleached stone walls; focuses briefly on naked women, bowls of wheat and rice, nets, swords and daggers. Objects[...]work. So conflicts are made to appear as simple, in- evitable and universal. The smooth and un- broken camerawork — the whole film shot in nine or ten takes — creates a sense of timeiessness, especially in the constant view of distant perspectives drawn out to the open plain. Miklés Jancs6's Elektreia The conventions of stage drama have been done away with more completely than in any other film I can recall. Even the dialogue is spare and insistent. Electra begins by telling us that her presence reminds her countrymen of the need for justice; she goes on to insist that she is justice. She assumes the condition that she describes. The acting of Mari Toroc- sik is meticulous, perfectly modulated as she uses the ceremonies of the feast day to isolate herself from the king and his subservient people. Jancso’ uses no formal chorus, yet indicates the relations between individual figures and society through an exquisite choreography of small groups that form, break up and re-form in apparently endless and intricate variations on ri[...]Unfortunately, Jancso’ feels bound to stress at the end the revolutionary potential of his drama, and he introduces a brilliant red helicopter together with a stream of propaganda about the workers’ Utopia. This doesn't destroy the spellbinding effects of Elektreia but remains as an uncomfortable reminder of the difficult position Jancso finds himself in: an exceptional stylist forced to ac- commodate his work to intrusive political demands. Over the years, the Festival has been criticized for its concentration on traditional sources of fiimmaking. it would be a sad irony if the commercial failure of the Hungarian season forced a reappraisal of the kinds of special series that are offered to festival- goer[...]e nice to have an Australian retrospective season in Melbourne as well as in Sydney, but not at the expense of a film- maker like Mikl6s Jancso. ir F SEEING W[...]re skint) we thought we would use it to tell you the following: Captain Cool 467 Old South Head Rd R[...]'5"""' 16mm SOUND 8‘ Producers and distributors of {Super 8 only) 2 16 mm Educational Film and C O[...]lti-Media Material — ' covering a wide range. of __ Please state gauges and i:?i:f§1':§‘.L'[...]nd preview facilities contact: Educational Media Australia 237 Clarendon Street, SOUTH MELBOURNE. VIC. 3205.[...]SOUND. The Home Talkie C0. of Australia 100% Australian Owned. Established 1948 AUSTRALIA’S FIRST and LARGEST SUPER 8 SOUND FILM HIRE LIBRARY. We offer the largest combined film library in Australia — Entertainment — Religious — We sell almost all brands of package home movies at dis- count prices that are[...], WOODY WOODPECKER, BUGS BUNNY, TOM & JERRY, etc. in Super 8 Sound; Color. For an up-to- date listing of films and features available for outright sale from THE HOME TALKIE COMPANY OF AUSTRALIA, plus stock lists and new release schedule[...] |
| MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTIONS PTY. PROUDLY ANNOUNCE THE FORTHCOMING PRODUCTION OF A NEW FEATURE FLM T H E Y H U N T ED T[...] |
| [...]DAYS RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES LEGISLATION AND THE FILM INDUSTRY PART II 1001 Nights and 120 Days C[...]page /15 Here Pasolini is dealing not only with the European nature morle but with the long tradition of the still life in Persian painting, and especially in Persian verse. The Nights contain poems that praise pomegranates and apples as well as beautiful boys and girls. Often the imagery ofboth sensualities is mingled and overpo[...]little Aleppan little yellow and green girls. In the film, the fruits and the cities of Islam are pressed into the same participation in the sexual game. The Frank gives the drug to Nur on a banana. The spirit of Mosul equals purity; Aleppo is sin; Bagdad the penis; the love of the two mosques the buttocks. This mixture is what gives the repeated still-life establishing shots of strawberries and decanters and fruit-piled bowls their quality of voluptuousness, just as it gives the human nudes a quality of vulnerability as well as beauty. What you take from the film depends very much on your willingness to have this kind of distillation of the taste of the book made for you. In this sense II Fiore Delle Mille e Una Notte (The Flower of the I001 Nights) which is what Pasolini called the film, is no affec- tation. It states directly that the film is a highly organized selection from the book, and that the selection has been made on aesthetic considerations which are essentially Eastern. Pasolini is faithful to the preoccupations of the Nights, though he neglects the broad comic elements found in the tales of fools, hashish eaters, bath attendants and gulled[...]lso be annoyed to note that he leaves un- touched the tales concerned with female homosexuality. Surprisingly, he also ignores the great cycles of tales about hidden treasure, taking their motif from the economic and cultural transformation which occurs when an individual is suddenly possessed of magical wealth. All the underground treasure here is sexual. AESTHETICS The light patterns of the film take their cut from intense contrasts of blackly shining hair and whitely gleaming teeth.[...]o dark interiors might almost be described as one of its structural principles, from the souk’s thatched roofing to the alabaster windows of Dunya’s pavilion. A visual peak is reached with the glorious camera-paintings of Isfahan, gleaming like oriental scenes by Giovanni Bellini, and the interiors glowing with light and mirrors. In this Islamic conception of light, where what is reflected is considered more beautiful and mystical than that which shines, all the com- positions now take on this luminous quality, the reds and blues of the procession gleaming on the other side of the lake, the Frank’s head framed against the pure green of the pool, the green corn running up to the exterior walls of the city. Herein lies any visual magic which the film has —— certainly not in the opticals. Rank (who provide excellent special eff[...]on their performance here, though it looks as if the footage supplied to the lab by Pasolini was in any case ill-matched in lighting and grading tone. Magic here lies in the same control of structural detail as in the other elements of the film — the static scene of the city awaiting Zumurrud in its mysterious ranks arrayed outside the walls; the low-angle face-frame ofthe enchantress performing[...]. Sequences such as this become as formalised as the narrative and reach perfection in emblematic scenes in which people lay signs on each other by mime or codes: I. Aziz and Aziza are paralleled in their pain, but only Aziza is conscious, and her bandaged head is as emblematic as the cutout moon behind her. 2. The splendid montage sequence of bells over twenty dialogue-free shots of Nepal. 3. The cut to a still-life which introduces the central dream, craning up the dream-face and room to a dream landscape full of zither music and birds trapped and flying. The dis- solving pans over the fields and the turning face of the dreamer suggest their identity. This last provides a further example of the use made of ob- jets (fan as formal elements in the aesthetic composition. Zumurrud’s embroidery, the Vizier’s poem, the palace book, Aziz’s scroll, Taji’s and Dunya’s mosaic assume talismanic importance as evokers of dreams within dreams, tales within tales. They serve the function of brass lamps summoning djins, at the same time as providing a formal and artistic comment on the narrative and the composition, (“The whole truth is never in one dream but in many dreams”), and, in the case of Taj, pushing along the narrative (by representing and exorcis- ing the princess’s dream in the gold and blue mosaic he will win her love.). 180[...]do these motifs and codes act together to create the hypnerotomachia of the film? Briefly, to recapitulate: The first section is taken up with a balancing act which claims equality in love between men and women. Implicit in Zumurrud’s witty reversal of her situation, it becomes explicit in the formal debate between Harun and Zobeida as to whether the boy or girl is more beautiful. The debate is resolved, with the conscious reasoning that typifies this part of the film, by their concurrence that the lovers are mirrors of each other, two bright moons in the same sky. The tone deepens in the sacral presentation of Zumurrud’s abduction, where the solemn music works in the same way as it did in Accattone, dignifying and making epic the brutal action. Similar rituals are enacted in the shot styles and rhythms of the sequence in the khan leading up to the execution of Barsum and Jawan. MEDITATIONS Now follows a series of meditations on the nature of sacrifice in love. A pigeon delivers its mate and is sacrific[...]who mourns and understands only after her death. The girl entomb- ed by a demon sacrifices herself rather than harm her lover, who watches her chopped to pieces in front of him. The Princess of the Far Isles sacrifices herself in order to free the same man from his transformation into a monkey. A pigeon delivers its mate on the mosaic, and Taji is united with Dunya. It is within this dream, and story within the dream, that the triumph of oneiric cinema occurs. All the action becomes con- tained, not only by the poolside book but by the dream of Dunya. especially since the first situation is no more returned to as a framework than the induction to Taming of the Shrew, whereas the second completes this whole most oneiric se- quence. The structural dimensions become deliberately com- plicated by the further device of tales told by the artists who are meanwhile completing the dream work of the mosaic. These two tales mirror each other in their particular tragedy, ie. the sexual sacrifice of the young (two girls in the first tale, a boy in the second), and the consequent sacrifice which must be made by their fatal lovers. Dismemberment of woman as sexual revenge by a demon male further parallels castration of man as sexual revenge by woman. The first tale, referring back to Aziz, also provides the final contrast in Pasolini‘s polarization of his two main actors: Citti (Accat- tone, Oedipus,[...]ngelo, Fra Ninetto, Fool and ultimately, Angel). The two mosaic workers have renounced sexuality along with their renunciation of power. They are the only two characters in the film who have, and their adventures are a moral fable warning us and their listeners of horrible possibilities; ghouls, naked girls chained in dungeons, hands hacked off, boys played with in the bath and then stabbed. The conclusion of these two sublimating artists, both significantly filmed at beginning and end in the Himalayan, and non- Islamic cities of the Katmandu valley, is to become pilgrims, lowest wo[...]both rely for their central erotic experiences on the sealed underground chamber; girl-rape and boy- mu[...]-escaped-to-tell-you. Both artists had to descend the same magic ladders into the earth; both found there an erotic experience whic[...]s and transfigured them. Thus their relevance to the central ex- perience of Zumurrud and Nur-el-Din, whose fundamental problem is to find each other. This is the nearest Pasolini comes to stating a religio- economic message in the Nights. He certainly hasn’t foreborne doing so in most of his other films. But such messages clearly won’t do for mass entertainment, religion being the opium, the bleeding heart, etc, of a cruel world. You can con as many people by making a savage version of religion (Diirer and Caravaggio and Janacek and E[...]their bit) as by treating it with kid gloves. And the success of the Gospel undoubtedly owes a lot to this and its sub[...]icture that it provides. He closes 1001 Nights on the sheer secular and erotic note of Zumurrud and Nur getting together and ready to fu[...]edieval trilogy have gradually taken sexuality as the particular arena of their drama, provoking pseudo- Marxist hysterics from bourgeois critics whose real objection may be found in their puritanism, and lubricious sneers and handrubbings from distributors. With the 120 Days of Sodom, which he is now shooting, we will see how[...]is able to create a new dialectic for a position in which he will otherwise find himself stuck, if for no other reason than having to collude, in this tolerated but cen- sured way, in the sexual fantasies of an essentially sexist society. It may well be that sex and not religion is what we can‘t get enough of. Of that the fantasy and voyeuristic dream of the cinema have become essential to us. It may be that sex is the opium, the bleeding heart, etc, of a cruel world. And if so, where would people be t[...]Legislation Continued from page I19 Appendix F: The fate of one typical exhibitor's complaint under the old ‘Concrete Pipes’ Restrictive Trade Prac- tices Act. cnuuonwuuvx or All EYIALIA OFFICE OF COMMISSIONER OF TRADE PRACTICES an-vi:-I 4...... IAIIVIHIII r... .. I February 1971 Dear Sir. Thu Off1car—in—Chnrne of the Comm1ssAonnr'a Malhnurne ortlcc has reportod tn me your orni complaint about your uirrtcuitias in obtaining ccrtuxn rxiuu rar your theatres. You su[...]d theatre chains, namciy uoyts Theatres Ltd., and The Grcatvr Union orguntsntinu pty. Ltd. ruujnctlvvly, and that films nnt wanted by the rolntcd chntns arc thuu uffered, in the cnsa ar Tuontiutn Century Fox rlimu to orcntcr Unlan and then to Village DrIYe—tn Tunutrcs Pty. Ltd. nnd in the case at a.p.a. films tc vttiaac nnd than to unyts. Thn rrsuit in that you have to noise: from those riimn left ove[...]e usually or‘ rulatively poor i]u...lit:y. Pnr the matter an be crnminubiu under tna rrua. Practices[...]g_I amt -it}. zrnnL|i2_r:,_p it takes its a:2_J . The idfierttgutiuua cnrrxud out E7‘th1§ UTr1Eo d5'ha I-\Pul that the companies cunccrnnd ur-e natirig under ngrcmcxtz .|iI tI...i. in Khrrvlurr nv action that this hfllc. A5 nl[...] |
| [...]id Proudly distributing: Bernardo Ber1oluccl‘s THE sPlDER’S STRATEGY (NRC) nmnn r:-um senvices offers the film maker full facilities for all negative matc[...]I AM CURIOUS — YELLOW (R) Maximilian Sche|l’s THE PEDESTFIIAN (NRC) I Plus these[...]ple who want to get more value and enjoyment from the films they see. Lecturer: Peter Hourigan teleph[...]ing st rozelle nsw 2039 tel 827-3444 This is one of a wide ranging program of adult education courses beginning on September 9. Ask for our Spring Handbook now. Council of Adult Education, 256 Flinders St., Melbour[...] |
| RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES LEGISLATION AND THE FILM INDUSTRY PART II Restrictive Trade Practices Legislation and the Film Industry Part II Continued from page /19 The profit calculations are for the Company and not for the entire Rank Organisation. The total pre-tax profits for these years were: £1[...]10-5 Group 50-5 36-6 33-7 Company profits as 3; of group 32% 26% 31%’, The profits from outside the company come from Rank‘s investments in associated companies. The most most notable of these, as has been mentioned, is Rank-Xerox. The other important associated companies are‘ Perc[...]outhern Te1evision—UK 38‘)./, Rank‘s share of after-tax profits in Southern Television was about £550 thousand in 1972. The subsidiaries of the Rank Organisation, that is the companies within the Company in which the Rank Organisation holds a controlling interest, are: But|in's Ltd. (I)—Leisure City Wall Properties Ltd.—[...]y English Numbering Machines Ltd.— Manufacturc of counting and numbering devices. A. Kershaw & Son[...]ibition, property, television rental and retail. The Odeon Theatres (Canada) Ltd.— Film exhibition ([...]nk Aud.io—Visual Ltd.—Manufacture and factors of audio-visual, professional film, electronic and[...]equipment. Rank Bush Murphy Ltd.—- Manufacture of television and radio receivers. Rank Film Distr[...]). Rank Precision Industries Ltd.— Manufacture of optical, mechanical and electronic equipment. Ra[...]operty. Rank Strand Electric Ltd.— Manufacture of theatre lighting equipment. 0ddenino's Property[...]operty. Notes: (1) Butlin's and Oddenino‘s are recent acquisitions, and their figures are not included in the 1972 accounts. But1in’s made a pre-tax profit of ‘at least‘ £4-2 million in 1972. But1in's has eight holiday camps in this country. one in Ireland and three holiday hotels in England. 0ddenino’s had a pre-tax profit of 132-] million last year. Most of this profit came from its hotels which include the Royal Garden Hotel in London and a number of hotels and restaurants in Europe. The property side of this company's activities includes a £46 million development in Australia and another large development in Canada. The largest part of 0ddenino's holdings is , however, in the United States, and it consists in the main of shopping zones. A number ofthese are in Washington. On completion of the Rank‘s takeover, The Guardian commented: “Thus Rank is buying a portfolio which will avoid the influence of the UK government and there is no question of the deal falling through, as Mr. Bloomfield (the ‘creator‘ of Oddeninds) has accepted in respect of the board's 27-5 per cent and his two institutional shareholders-financiers. Pearl Assurance and the ICI Pension Fund, for a further 41-2 per cent."[...]ust exhibition subsidiary has acquired about 12% of Global Communications, Canada's new third television network. (3) The description of the activities of these subsidiaries comes from The Rank Organisations 1972 Annual Report. Curiously the author or the authors of the report have omitted ‘film exhibition’ from the activities of Rank Leisure Services Ltd. which manages all the Rank cinemas, The details of Rank's shareholding in Fox~Rank Film Distributors Ltd. is not yet public. The company started eliective operations in December 1972- so it is not clear whether Fox-Rank is a subsidiary of the Rank Organisation or an associated company. The name of the new company suggests that Fox has the majority holding, if there is a majority holding. Ranks 1972 report defined the activities of the new company: “Following the establishment of the new company, both Twentieth Century Fox and Rank[...]ontinue independently playing their leading roles in the Industry. . . . Rank Film Distributors will maintain control of The Rank Organisation's investment in film production. and will service the Industry through its Despatch and Examination Dep[...]ll also be responsible for worldwide distribution of products, following the recently announced integration of Rank Overseas Film Distributor‘s activities wit[...]ontinue with its world production and acquisition of British product, the control and booking of its theatres and will retain its interest in British Movietonews Ltd., its 16mm. operation and other ancillary activities. The new company will not operate in Eire or, for the present, in Northern Ireland, nor will it handle sales to tel[...]films." Other subsidiaries: Rank has a number of subsidiaries which do not appear on the list given above. Top Rank Film Processing caters for the amateur market, and is now the second largest amateur film processing company after Kodak Ltd. Part of this operation was acquired from Ilford in 1971. The Rank Organisation markets Pentax, Nikon, and Mamiya cameras in this country as well as Akai tape recorders and[...]or such companies as: Avco-Embassy, British Lion, the Children‘s Film Foundation, Cinerama, MGM, Disney and Warner Bros. Rank Credit Facilities specialises in the provision of hire purchase arrangements for radio and television receivers. In addition, Rank seems to be involved in three exploration consortia in the North Sea. Rank's hotels include The Royal Lancaster and the soon to be opened Gloucester, as well as hotels in Portugal and Sardinia. Rank ‘s Film Interests Rank is a vertically integrated company. In film industry temis. this means that Rank produc[...]seats and screens. Production and Distribution: The annual reports provide the following information concerning Rank's productio[...]lion) 1-45 1-7 1-5 Rank's annual reports provide the following information concerning its provision of production finance “in whole or part”, its production output of first and second features, and its distribution a[...]ion First features 8 13 8 Second features 1 5 6 In 1972 Rank distributed “ll British films (one a second feature) and 21 foreign films (9 second features). Of the 32 films, 19 were produced by Universal." In 1971 Rank distributed 19 films and in 1970 it handled 28 features. The company operates in Eire, Malta and Gibraltar. Rank‘s accounts lump[...]duction figures together, but a comparision with the accounts of ‘ Rank Film Distributors Ltd. provides the following percentages for distribution as a percentage ofTheThe profit margins in this area of the Rank Organisation's activities for the some years were: 1972 1971 9-2?/,’, I-’l-6"/,1 1968 77 "/ --/u 1970 l3»l‘,’,, I969 2i-2°, The decline in profit margins seems to be due to the decreasing profitability of Pinewood Studios. Sir .lohn Davis commented in the 197.7. annual report: . . I find it difificul[...]why there is such a great resistance to reducing the number of studios to a more efiective level in relation to potential demand. This would be in the interests and well-being of the employees in the Film Production Industry and would create financ[...]its. Unfortunately, we only seem to make progress in rationalisation in periods of crisis. The recent curtailment of the number of studios at Shepperton can only be of help to them and the whole industry." In 1971 the laboratories contributed 85% of the pre-tax profit for this sector of the Rank's activities. In 1969 it was 74 ‘Z. Exhibition: Direct exhibition income to Rank comes from two sources, its cinemas in the British Isles and its overseas cinemas which are mainly in Canada. Rank has continued to close some of its cinemas. In 1968 it operated 272 cinemas. In spite of some initial doubts, Rank is now convening a number of cinema sites into multi—cinema units. Sir John Davis again: “At the commencement of the year (1971-72) we were operating 233 sites with 244 screens; at the close of the year the figures were 210 and 232—a move in the right direction." The profit margins for domestic exhibition were: Do[...]eas 10-8% ll-2"/a- ll-9% ll-2"/,2 108% Analysis of Rank’s film interests Taking the three Rank accounting areas—Film production and[...]dios and laboratories, and domestic exhibition —the organisation's involvement with its film interests has steadily been reduced, as can be seen from the following table: Film interests as 3",’, of: Total Company turnover 1972 1971 I970 I969 196[...]8 28-0 34-5 38-6 42-1 44-5 Film interests as "/3 of: Total Company profits I972 I971 1970 1969 1963[...]an's report with these words: . . I am yet again in the happy position to be able to say that The Rank Organisation continues to look forward to a substantial increase in its profits.” EMI Limited Recent history EMI Ltd., Electrical and Musical Industr[...]ew up with its record business. Today it is still the main element in the company‘: sales and profit columns. In the financial year 1971/2, 55°/,, of its sales and 41% of its pre-tax profit came from its record and tape activities. EMI is one ofthe largest. if not the largest, record producers in the world. Its main labels are: EMI Records, His Master's Voice, Music for Pleasure, and Capitol in the United States. In addition it owns record and music companies in about 30 countries throughout the world. In some sense the Beatles made EMI. The company's profits soared from about £56 million in 1961 to £11-3 million in 1966. This was due to a substantial increase in record sales. Between 1962 and 1964 production of 45's and LP‘s increased by about 25 "/,’,, while E-.V1I's profits for the same period almost doubled. Although this increase was not solely due to the Beatles, one estimate suggests that in the financial year 1963/64 the Beatles contributed about £2 million to EMl's profits. With the profits from its record business, EMI started to diversify into the leisure field. By 1968, The Times was able to call it the “biggest entertainment group in Britain”. In 1967 EMI took over the Grade Organisation for £7-5 million. Lew and Les[...]r provided EMI with strong financial connections in television, the theatre, the Shipman and King cinema chain, and a number oliagencies. In 1968 it acquired Warner Bros, 25 "4, holding in the Associated British Picture Corporation for about £9-S million. In 1969 it acquired the rest of AEPC for about £30 million. With ABPC it acquired a majority holding in Thames Television. The minority holding in Thames was given to Rediflusion, a subsidiary of British Electric Traction. The ITA required EMI to reduce its holding in Thames, so it sold off some of its shares in Thames to Sir Charles Forte and South Bank Estates Ltd. Quite recently EMI has taken over The Golden Egg Group Ltd. EMI has also considerably developed the property side of its business in recent years. A partial list of its property companies includes: Associated Brit[...]% —« Operating and associated companies Most of EMI‘s subsidiaries and associated companies are[...]s music business. but a few are worth mentioning. In addition to its holding in Thames Television, it owns about 13% of Independent Television News Ltd. and about 30% of Technicolor Ltd. It also has a franchise, with Radio Rentals Ltd.. for a cable television service in Swindon, and has just acquired 50% of an important electronics manufacturing concern in Italy which, among other things, produces televis[...]s from Capitol Industries Inc. EMI owns about 70% of Capital, but outside the USA the company scents to be doing well. It recently opened a £4 million production and distribution centre for the UK market. It has contracts with a number of major pop singers, including all four of the ex-Beatles. It has 28 retail outlets in this country. The sales of its HMV outlet in Oxford Street exceeded £1 million in 1972. In the entertainments area, EMI owns The Blackpool Tower Company which operates The Opera House. It also backs live theatre productions, and I125 recently built and opened a new theatre in London to add to its substantial theatre holdings in the West End and throughout the country. EMI‘s electronics activities cover a wide range of production from electronic instruments to fire prevention and security systems. The major emphasis is, however, electronic equipment[...]y for recording and television. A high percentage of the colour television cameras used in this country are manufactured by EMI. The company also has a number of important contracts for defence equipment. Television in the companys breakdown of turnover and profits seems to be exclusively that of Thames Television. Thames contributed about £5 million to EMI's pre-tax profits in 1972. The profits from its entertainment sector, which inc[...]heatre activities, were just under £5 million. The comparative profit margins from these two sectors of EMI’: activities are revealing: 1972 I971 1970[...]8-2"/,, 9-3 ‘X, EMI’s film activities Most of EMI‘: film operations come under two of its subsidiary companies: EMI Film at Theatre Cor[...]. and EMI Cinemas & Leisure Ltd. Unfortunately at the time of writing. the most recent accounts available for these subsidiaries were for the financial year ending in 1970 when EMI was still in the process,of rcorganising its film interests. so the data available is not very useful, The figures do, however, give some idea of film finances within EMI: EMI Film & Theatre C[...]2,; Other activities 6,062 19",’, Total 32,651 The total turnover for ‘entertainment’ in EMl's 1970 annual report was 131,647,000. Profi[...]tion (81) 2% Other activities 391 1 I ‘X, Share ofthe following results in 1970 (£ thousand): Turnover 1,167 Profit 266 It is not clear from the accounts whether the groups live theatre activities come under ‘cinema etc’. or ‘other activities‘, but certainly the cinema sub-headings include some other items. su[...]stribution (2-1 %) Other activities 6-5 ‘X, At the date of writing, EMI owned and operated 233 cinema sites with 269 screens. EMI's 1971 report discussed the development potential ofits cinemas in these words: “Following the Group‘s acquisition of ABPC, the value and asset potential of each of its 260 cinemas have been studied and their profit contribution appraised. In addition to our considerable programme of cinema conversion and modernisation, we are developing both cinema and other sites for commercial purposes. The results of this activity form a major part of the profits arising ' from property development." E[...]nd MGM-EMI Distributors Ltd. Ofthe 100 £1 shares in the company, which was set up to handle domestic the[...]MI, and this company has recently opened a Branch in New York.‘ The Future of EMI There have been a number of City rumours about an imminent take-over bid for EMI. One report which appeared in the trade press was that the buyer might be Gulf and Western Industries, the American conglomerate which owns Paramount. ‘ EMI is also in the process of increasing its non-theatrical film activities. It recently announced plans to produce television series for the world market, and it has established two companie[...]t, to produce non-theatrical films. According to the company's 1972 report, RM EMI Visual Programmes "secured a number of important orders during the year, including a contract with the National Westminster Bank to make an information[...]finance for film and video casette purposes“. The principle activity of this company is, according to its articles, “to[...]ently making information films commissioned. by the CBI. The American Majors GENERAL INFORMATION Financial Pe[...]fier lax (5 million) Accounting periods’ ending in: Company 1967 1968 1969 1970 I971 1972 Columbia[...]profit/loss “ Excludes music division Source: The Ecoriomisl, August 26, 1972, p. 59. Share of U.S. Theatrical Film Rentals by Company: 1972 Share of marker: Rmiking Company 1972 I971 Ranking 1970 R[...]43% 10 Total market shares do not add up to 100% in any year. Smaller companies, states~rights distributors and other independent companies account for the residual five to ten per cent share of the full domestic market. Source: Variety, January 24, 1973, p.5. Columbia Pictures Industries Inc. Souroa of income (5 million) 1972 1971 Feature films Thea[...]60 25 ‘X, 47 2] ‘Z Total 241 213 Figures for the six months ended December 30, 1972: Revenues 132[...]Activities Columbia has recently merged a number of its overseas distribution networks and its domestic studio facilities withthose of Warner Bros. It has also recently reached arrangements with a consortium of 14 American banks to‘ provide a revolving credit of $180 million. It is promoting a number of non-theatrical exhibition systems: Tele-Theater[...]mbia owns four television and two radio stations in the United States. Its record and music division had the'best year in its history in 1972. It is also involved in the production of television commercials and of educational films through its subsidiary company, the Learning Corporation of America. |
| [...]pe and music 20 20 Other 1 Total: 169 171 Sources of prafil/Ins: Feature films 18 (10) TV Prograrrun[...]ry items 9 10 . Net income/profit 17 1 Noll: The extraordinary items for I971 seem to include the sale of MGM't Lot 3 in Culver City and its Auslnlian cinemas. Most recent quarterly figures: First quarter of financial year 1972/3 and 1971/2 (5 million)[...]Nan. rm extraordinary items for me first quarter of 197.) include ma after in profits from the sale of its smash music publishing company 10 EM] for sin million. Activities MGM has been involved in a long take-over bid by Mr. Kirk Kerkorian, Chairman of Tracey Investment Company and of Western Airlines. Mr. Kerkorian has sold his interest in a hotel in Ins Vegas to MGM. The company plans to develop this hotel into the largest luxury hotel complex in Las Vegas. The hotel will be called the Grand Hotel. MGM's chief executive has predicted that this hotel will make a profit of $5 million in the first year ofits operation. Paramount Pictu[...]nt company—Gu1f and Western Industries Source: of sale: and pr:-lax profit I97) and [972 Sales[...]ctivities ofpnratt company Gulf & Western is one of the prototypes of a conglomerate company. Between 1965 and 1968 it acquired ten companies with assets of more than £10 million. The companies ranged from an investment and financing company with assets of 51-5 thousand million to New Jersey Zinc Co., Co[...], and South Pucrto Rico Sugar Co. Its entry into the ‘leisure‘ sector resulted from the acquisitions of Paramount in 1966 with its asets of $167 million and Desilu Productions in 1967 with assets of 516 million. By 1971, according to Fnrtunt. Gulf & Western was the 74th ranking industrial company in theThe main element in Gulf & Western’s leisure time division is the Paramount Picture Corporation which produces and[...]es. Gulf & Western also owns Famous Players Ltd., the largest cinema chain in Canada with 388 cinemas, and Famous Music Corpora[...]heatre operations 65 22 64 23 Other 41 14 32 11 The main source of income for Paramount in the two years given above was from Love Story and The Godfather. The Godfather, which was made for £25 million is expected to earn about £60 million in worldwide film rentals. Paramount has cut back considerably on its production investment in recent years, and has concentrated on reducing the chances of box~ofiice failure. It produced 15 films in 1971 and only 9 in 1972. Paramount‘s foreign earnings have remained at the same level, 545 million, for the last three years. — Twentieth Century- Fox Corporation Sources of income 1972* 1971 (5 million) 7.; 7; Feature fil[...]1 3 Net profit 8 To ‘ (53 weeks) Activities The company‘: laboratory is DeLuxe General Inc. Fox owns major chains of cinemas in Australia and New Zealand. It is also involved in a number of property development companies. The ABC television network rents a part of Fox‘s Hollywood studio, and Fox handles oversea[...]Avco-Embassy, Cinema Center Films and Walt Disney in a number of countries. Fox also owns and operates a number of music publishing companies, and one television station. Fox's 1971 annual report discussed the company‘: future plans in these *terms: “We believe that diversifying into related business activities will have the efiect of broadening our profit base. We are convinced that we have ample opportunities in businesses akin to our own. We will seek investments or acquisitions in a number of fields, which include: Music. We believe that the music field holds further potential for us, . .[...]ng. We believe that there are still opportunities in this area with strong profit potential; Outdoor[...]s‘. We will pursue opportunities to participate in the developing markets for getting paid entertainment into the home, such as via cable, video cassettes and othe[...]62 43 ‘preliminary accounting Transamerica is the 6th largest ‘diversified financial company‘ in the RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES LEGISLATION AND THE FILM INDUSTRY PART 11 United States according to Farmne'.t 1972 listing. Its main source of income and profit is the Occidental Insurance Company of California, which For-Imir ranks as the 21st largest life insurance company in the United States. In 1971 Transamericafs main sources of revenue were: Life insurance 4 I -9 °,, Leisure services 18- 1 9,, Property insurance 15 Of", Lending services 10 03,; Real estate services 6-93,, Manufacturing 7-4‘?/,', Other 07 ‘Zr, Its sources of profit were: Financial services Life insurance[...]5,, Other (17 3/,,) -Non~film leisure service: The travel subsidiaries of Transamerica are Trans International Airlines, 21[...]es and related “em-5 88 75 Profit/loss 1 (13) In 1970 there was an additional provision against losses on investment in film production of about $28 million. but this loss was covered by retained earnings from the previous year of $77 million. UAs_ profits from theatrical and television film operations showed a Profit of $48 million in 1971. United Artists Records lost S3-8 million in 1971. A press release on the 1972 performance of United Artists Corporation says that ii, “Enjoyed an excellent year. with film operations achieving the highest gross in its history." Universal Pictures Parent corripany—-MCA Inc. (formerly the Music Corporation of America) Financial dam 1971 1970 Revenues 334 335 Earnings before tax 22 24 Net income 17 13 Figures for the first six months of 1972 show a net income of 310-7 million as compared with S9 1 million for the same period during 1971. Sources of revenues 1971 ‘X, 1970‘?/,, Film rental and r[...]. and a mail order business It also owns a bank in Colorado, Columbia Saving and Loan Association, which contributed almost $2 million to its net income in 1971. Like most of the other Hollywood majors it is involved in the “commercial redevelopment of studio land not required for motion picture purposes". Some of its studio property is being used to build a hotel and for a new Technicolor laboratory. The company also operates tours in Washington DC. and in its Hollywood studios. MCA is developing a home v[...]me before tax 71 56 Income after tax 42 34 Equity in: National Kinney Corp. 5 6 Garden State National[...]ted from amounts previously reported to include the acquisition of Cypress Communications Corporation and Televisio[...]enses and related electronic equipment throughout the world. The company also controls the Licensing Corporation of America, an agency which licenses brand name endo[...]back publishing, magazines, comic books, and MAD. The company is also involved in graphics for educational and industrial uses. Warners has undergone a number of corporate transformations in recent years, first as Warner—Seven Arts, then as a part of Kinney Services. In 1972 Kinney and Warner set up as separate companies though they are still linked, Kinney is involved in real estate services. cleaning, construction, and parking lots. As can be sccn from the figures given above, Warners also own a share of a New Jersey bank. In January of this year Warner Communications announced the completion of a loan agreement for $200 million “for the construction and development of its cable communications business“. Walt Di[...]ishing, merchandising, and music 27 8 23 13 The massive increase in revenues and profits which appear in the 1972 figures are due to the opening of Disney’s second amusement park, Walt Disney World. The 1972 fil.rn rental revenue includes theatrical distribution revenue of about $69 million, almost 40% of which ame from foreign distribution, ‘and abou[...]Walt Disney Educational Materials. more than half of which came from worldwide distribution of 16mm films. Other activites include Walt Disney Travel Company and the live road show “Disney on Parade". Eastman Kodak Co. PARENT COMPANY Financial Data In 1971, Eastman Kodak was the 28th largest industrial corporation in the United States by turnover (S2,975,982,000), the 22nd largest by assets (S3,298,032,000), and the 10th by profits ($419,305,000). Eastman Kodak shares at the end of 1972 cost $145 when shares in Transamerica cost about $15 and shares in Gulf & Western cost $30. Walt Disney Productions[...]1971. and its after tax profit was up 30 ‘X, in this fashion: Canada and Latin America 19% British Isles and Europe 69% Africa, Asia, Australia and the Far East. 127/.) Eastman Kodak, unlike any othe[...]ic film and then diversified into related areas of chemical production. Today, among other things, the company produces the bulk of filters for cigarettes. Eastman Kodak's two phot[...]onal industrial, and commercial photography, and the company also has its linked suppliers and processing facilities. Theof uses, and chemicals which range from industrial[...]astman Kodak is a typical multi-national company. In 1970 it had about 44,000 employees outside the United States. It operates directly in 41 countries and indirectly, through distributors and dealers, in 80 more. The company which eventually became Kodak Ltd. was started here in 1891. Kodak Australasia was founded in 1908, Kodak-Pathe and Kodak AG in 1927, Brazil in 1949, Argentina 1967, Mexico 1969, and so on. The parent company controls the vital elements: chemicals, film base, dyes, dye[...]. Any expenditure over £10,001) must be approved in Rochester, the Company‘s New York headquarters. The vast majority of the expenditure on research and development is reserved to the parent company. In addition. Eastman Kodak has a virtual monopoly on the production of professional colour motion picture film. The company is the constant subject of anti-trust actions brought by other American companies. There are at least two such actions in progress at the moment. One of them is being brought by Bell and Howell. It has in the past been found guilty of monopolistic behaviour, but it has consistently found new ways of tightening its grip on the world photographic market. The company plans to spend $360 million on capital projects in this financial year. An article in the Kodak News of March 16, 1973, outlines the company's overseas capital projects: "In Europe: construction of an administration building and continued construction of a research laboratory facility in Harrow, England; expansion of the headquarters facility and construction of a synthetic chemicals plant in France: enlargement of colour print and processing facilities in Germany; construction of new otfice. warehouse and laboratory in Finland and. Greece; completion of construction of a new ofifice and warehouse in the Netherlands, and continued expansion of warehouse facilities in Switzerland. In Latin America: construction of colour sensitizing facilities in Mexico and completion of paper manufacturing facilities in Brazil. In Australasia: construction of buildings for photochemiczils production and warehousing at Coburg, Australia. In Asia, Africa and Middle East: projects include completion of its warehouse and processing laboratory in Makali“. The capital cost ofthesc projects will be about $90 million. In addition the US photographic division will spend S179 million and the chemicals division $90 million. (3 million) 1[...]‘estimates ‘rincludes extraordinary item of $148 million from the sale of real estate in UK and Belgium. In 1970, excluding interdivisional sales, Eastman Kodak's total sales was divided among thethe three years were: 1972 1,018-7 1971 789-7‘ 1 970 IPD Sales In 1970, overseas sales were divided 751-7- Kodak[...]million Taking Eastman Kodak‘s 1970 accounts, the following figures result: Kodak Llzl. British as a ‘)4, of: Total Foreign Isles & Europe Sales 7 22 32 Pm-ta[...]assets 1 Employees 12 .‘i. Nam: exchange rate of 52-4 to the £. No precise break-down of Eastman Kodak's sales are available but the companys 1970 accounts do state that -} of the sales in the British Isles and Europe are for amateur products. A very detailed analysis of Kcclak's position in the amateur colour market can be found in the Monopolies Commission report on the supply and processing of colour film published in 1966. Ciba—Geigy AG (Switzerland) Ciha-Geigy AG is, according to The 7'inie_r L000 for 1972/73, the 32nd ranking European company. It produces and sells dyes, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. It is the second largest Swiss company after Nestle-Alimcii[...]urnover 762-6 7090 After tax profits 9-6 8-6 As of December, 1970, 35 ‘)1, of the groups fixed assets were in Switzerland, 31 3,; in the rest of Europe, 26?; in North America, and 8‘)-;, elsewhere. The group had about 68,000 employees, 12,000 of which were in the United Kingdom. /lIi(Ily.ti': of [970 IurHai'(-I": Pharmaceuticals 29-0 5;; Dyest[...]‘Ilford Ltd. became El wholly owned subsidiary of Ciba on the 1st day of November, 1969. This breakdown, therefore, only i[...]ber, and December. Ciba-Geigy (UK) Ltd. owns 10% of Ilford Ltd. The remaining 90"/_, is owned by the Swiss company. The UK company had about 7,000 employees at the end of the 1971 financial year. (f. million) 1971 1970 Turnover 5-5 3-3 Ilford Ltd. The 1970 Ciba—Geigy report describes its photographic activities in this way: “Photographic division sells to industrial, professional, and amateur users of photographic nmterials. The range ofiered covers films. plates, p'apers an[...]graphy, graphic arts and x-ray use. Ilford is now the focal point of the d‘ ision‘s manufacturing activities." The 1971 Ilford report describes the company's production in the following way: “A comprehensive range of’ monochrome photographic products is produced by the Company. principally for the specialist, technical, medical and scientific uses including in particular X-ray materials. HP4 and FP4 monochrome film and ILFOBROM paper continue to be the Company's major branded lines produced for genera[...]duced. ILFORD materials for colour photography on the other hand are Supplied only to major contractors[...]ges (yearly total) 7-3 7-8 6-0 ‘ (14 months) The loss for 1971 was due to a number of factors. Ilford ha been involved in a large capital expenditure programme of about £5 million for building and machinery, at[...]n-line computer control labomtory". Production on the new machine only started in 1972. The company sustained losses in disposing of two subsidiaries, Zonal Film (Magnetic Coatings)[...]itannia Works Co. Ltd. to Rank Audio-Visual Ltd., in the cause of product mtinnalisaticn. There were also some accounting adjustments which are non-recurring. The sales break down in this manner: 1971 19707 1969 Domestic sales 8-3 10-7 9-8‘ Overseas sals 22-2 23-7 17-0' of which Exports 13-9 16-1 12-0 ‘ estimate 1' (14[...]Geigy‘s photographic division’ also has units in France and Switzerland. |
| y Scobie Malone Congratulations to the South Australian Film Corporation on the forthcoming release of its Sunstru ck first feature film The Adventures of Barry ‘McKenzie Far Away Morning of the Earth Crystal Voyager Drouyn On Any Morning starring A Winters Tale "°inkaI'}?.Tfl'Z§°" The Cars That Ate Paris ".u'Z'i?J'r'i.'o"rL"a'l° an[...]an B?tWeen Wars Executive Producer: Gil Brealey of Fear Directed by Ken Hannam Stork Petersen Picnic at Hanging Rock Alvin Purple The Great McCarthy Inn of the Damned Victorian Film Laboratories |'/\vant'Scén The Removalists REQUEST FOR INFORMATION Name and Ad[...]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. The Man from Hong Kong The True Story of Eskimo Nell Rolling Home °" Sunday Too Far Away I would like to receive free ofof 120 slides never before released; ex- tracts from the ' s of Renoir, Eisenstein, Welles, Godard, Fellini, Bunu[...]otheque de l’Avant-Scene 20 integral recordings of classical and modern plays The AFDC is proud», to have played its part in the development Of the Australian o‘l"Avant-Scene’s publications com[...]l‘c?tos. Foreign: 6.50 F. 0 15,000 subscribers in 65 countries. 27, rue Saint-André-des-Art[...] |
| The Exhibitors/Hoyts Continued from page 124The Australian Film Commission The chairman of the Australian Film Commission is, I understand, a person of considerable integrity and skill. Only time will tell if the AFC will work as well as its English counterpart, which has a wider spread of membership representing all sections of the industry and a nice balance of totally impartial members. I believe that the AFC, in the es- tablishment of its priorities, may well place high on its list the present method of funding local product. It may well recognise that the Australian domestic market alone is, with rare exceptions, incapable of sustaining an Australian film in- dustry. It may conclude that Australian productions must be in- ternational in character and quality and therefore that consolid[...]proliferation is desirable. We would hope to see the AFC en- courage the production of bigger budget films; perhaps fewer in number than at the moment but which, by the availability of more funds per picture, would allow the producer to make an internationally competitive product. Censorship I oppose censorship, simply on the democratic principle. However I do not believe that the industry will benefit from the entry of hard-core productions. Overseas precedent, particularly in the United States, tends to suggest that this type of product is attractive only to a small proportion of the market, and at the same time has severely alienated a large segment of the cinemagoing audience. Voyeurism is short-lived a[...]s are left without audience. Hard porn denigrates the industry and leaves the conservative audience convinced that the cinema is no longer for them. Divorcement There[...]x film represents a relatively small propor- tion of Hoyts turnover and that we trade heavily with oth[...]an distributors, and we exhibit a good proportion of Australian film. TCF primarily looks to us as a[...]we show American, Australian or Afghan movies is of no great con- cern. In fact if anything TCF tends to err on the side of encouraging us to be particularly sympathetic when considering the purchase of Australian product. Divestiture I don’t quite understand what the divestiture issue is all about as the number of theaters owned, or their traditional location, is no longer the sole criterion for the successful ex- hibitor — if indeed it ever wast Interlocking pattern of ownership: Hoyts[...]W0”/n twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (Australia) PIL Hoyts Theatres Ltd. Cinesouno[...]a Theatre WL 100%, Associated Theatres F’/L -4 The Arrnidale Theatre Ltd iJn=. OZONE Suburban THESVB[...]P/L '00,,” Auto Theatres (Ausi| P/L ‘."._’ The Ashlield Theatres P/L UL. Ozone Theatres (GleneIgl P/L ‘ Drive-In Lessor) l [Drive-In Lessor) ' (Investment Company) (Non-Operating) ,.,.‘ reater Suburban Theatres -m’. Ballarat Drive-In Theatre P/L ,.;.,;.. Australian cassettes P/L “,4. Ozone Theatres (Aust) P/L P/L (Theater Lessor) (Drive-In Lessor) (Non—Opera1ing) (Non-Operating] . Hoyts[...].:.:‘.°' 4 « - — . GI ‘ rn t PIL , . The lllawarra Pictures P/L Cambridge Buildings F’/[...]0" rr‘?.’a'§rar'i§’$?ap§r'ly'lessart ‘ inIn Lessor] l 9 9 . t __ _ gage". Nominees p/L H,“[...]) (Drive- n essor _j_ . __ Development P/L A West Australia (Hoyts) PIL Murray River Theatres II_J’.|'-- A[...]:pLyI:neégprielheggféisznoratlon (Drive-In Operator) Source: Department of the Media Planning and Research Section (Non-Operating] THE EXHIBITORS The Exhibitors/Greater Union Continued from page 125 I have such faith in Picnic at Hanging Rock that I would certainly thi[...]a production need to be Australian before it gets the label ‘Australian production’? I think it mainly depends on where the finance comes from, but I would say at least three to four keys. Let’s face it, down the line they are going to be Australian, but I would say it certainly should be an Australian cinematographer. The only excep- tion would be if you have an overseas partner in an investment who is in- sisting on a particular star or direc- tor. I would say these are probably the only two areas where there should be some leeway.[...]ctices Act Greater Union has. no doubt, examined the new Restrictive Trade Practices legislation. How[...]n individual or company — which is provided for in the Act — against its vertically integrated struc- ture? I feel that most of the Trade Prac- tices Act is based on the American legislation, and it is from the U.S. experience that we get most of the advice we have had. I don’t think anybody knows[...]u think we have gone about as far as we can go on the ‘R’ cer- tificate? Robert Ward. for example,[...]esn’t feel films like “Deep Throat” and “The Devil in Miss Jones" should be exhibited here. Do you hold the same attitude? Yes, I couldn’t agree with him[...]wouldn’t like to see films ofa hard-core nature in release. Could we talk about the relationship between State and Federal authorities on censorship? I am thinking now specifically about the newly-formed Queensland Film Board of Review, with which BEF has had a couple of run-ins recently. Does Greater Union feel that the Queensland Board is an encumbrance, and that there should be only one central authority? In my view there should only be one central authority. The Tariff Board Report As far as the Tariff Board is concerned. Greater Union is still a typical example of a vertically in- Cinema Papers, July-August — 185 |
| THE EXHIBITORS tegrated organization in which ex- hibition and distribution, and to a very minimal degree production, are all channeled through the one cor- porate structure. In fact, the Tariff Board recommended the divorcement of exhibition from distribution, and divestiture of certain theaters from the chain. What are Greater Union’s attitudes to those recommendations? This is the way of the world . . . it is the way of exhibition world-wide. It is even the way here in Australia, now that 7 Keys and Filmways have their own thea[...]hey have two circuits — Rank and EMI. Both with the same style of operation. I can name you the circuits on the East and West coasts of the U.S., Singapore, Hong Kong and New Zealand, as well as Canada. It’s the same thing everywhere in the world. There was a major attack on vertical integration in the U.S., both through legislation and the courts in the late forties and early fifties. As far as the major exhibition groups in the U.S. are concerned, it is true that distribu- tio[...]ce- ment were to take place, it wouldn’t affect the status quo? No, it must affect the status quo, but this is also what killed the studio system. Look at the U.S., they are trying to reverse this decision and the courts are looking into it to see ifit’s possible. You could use the argument that big circuits are the only way the in- dustry can exist. A good film will always find its market. This is the way of the film industry, and it is not unique to this territory, it’s world- wide. By the same token it would be true to say that if two equally good films were sitting on the shelf and one had been acquired by BEF, and one by an independent distributor, then things being equal, the BEF film would get the date. Not necessarily. Everybody wants prior playing time, so it comes down to assessment. What is the key film for the key date? I’ll give you an _ex- ample: Between[...]ad a chance. Now either Between Wars or Murder on the Orient Express could have been playing at the Gala Theatre at Christmas. Anglo EMI wanted a Christmas date for Murder on the Orient Express. We looked at it, and decided we w[...]to feel we are under an obligation. I am certain the same thing must apply in the opposition.-Ir I86 — Cinema Papers, July-August Interlocking pattern of ownership: Greater Union Aninlg-y[...]The Flank Org.:i.i~:a.irior 0‘ Em;ia'ii1[...]0"/'; Australasian Film iHzirdingsl p/L 50V” _ TheThe-.1"(=5 F’/I 'H(jy|"'nf<Yr(f‘I ‘n-=r.'rr-5 F[...].r gt-rev, vii f.r V :-ii" _ - ,,_ J " L|';'‘' The-iires F . “I—],'l‘dlI4.¢‘l 1 \l£r ti~r_[...]L ' 5":',":'L°"“‘5 ‘Oh Oneon theatres 0! Australia 75‘/e _ . _ ‘= C0f‘lI'|E’Iifli Enterpris[...]v.¢lonn .n5r\ V _ _ Yr, p,rL » - _ rewwnv Drive-In Theatre mom." can“ Productions P-'t P/L Film production lAusiraiian Mowe Ma ezinei -1, | 50% in rm Qusarrbeyan Drive-In P/L Highway Motors Ltd twentieth antury-Fox Film[...]V-ilaqo/Roadshow Chart) P/L 0°” Seaview Drive-In Theatre :1 Hr» Roadshow Distributors P/L Mimwest[...]how Chart) VEW-8 Kalgoorlie 0°/e ourriiine Drive-In Yhoatre 50'/. Village Drive-in (Essendonl 'P/L ' P/L (see Village/Roadshow Chart[...]Ipswich DrlVt'.|.|n p/L °/' T50-/. 01:, . h I o/ the Ace Group (W A i P/L >0e,- . ’ - g1T:;me:'a5T:d I3 Drive-ms to motels Maryborough Drive-In P/L ' 4 cinemas o-/. 50% U'1iO!1 Yhealres l\/ic) P/L Flnckria-npton Drwn-In 9/L 0°” 50“: Winter Garden ‘heave F’/L 5[...]Wt ‘Con!’ “. ' ’/.— » . ' 100°’ 50 the Downs Theatres F"L 0 C'0yd0" pl“-‘Utes “'1[...]e -Audrey Twenties P ‘t. .\.ourcc Dcpzirtmcni of the Mctlia Planning zintl Research Sccti-in Boondali O7tVE—l|'1 P-L L’. c 9 E in 3 1: E 100’! .Capalaba Ficrures P/L 9! I5! - western Drive-In P/L (Old) ,7’. Roadshow (Oldr P/L 100’!- T[...]tre F/L Darwin Cinemas P/L 1 ‘I. Darwin Drive-in Theatres P/L my," Starline Drwe—ln Thea[...] |
| The Exhibitors/Village Continued from page 126Consequently, the Act has not made any difference to Village’s at- titudes in relation to selection of theaters, because we believe it is our responsibility to act in the best in- terests of the producer concerned and select the theater most suitable for his film, giving consid[...]arring’ or ‘protection’ is no longer a part of our vocabulary. When a theater completes an engagement of a Roadshow film, we «employ no restriction whats[...]any competitive exhibitor starting that same film the very next day. Further- more, if we open a film in one city there is absolutely no restriction on any exhibitior opening the same film in another city, providing that it is not harmful to the first person. Basieally, we see the Act as something that encourages fair play and equity. We believe that if we ex- ercise responsibility in the market, then we are adhering to the Act in the manner that it was meant to apply. Interlocking pattern of ownership: Village Tim aursia-I 5 Assoevares PIL[...]illage Concessions PIL ‘ -Ar ‘/u viilugc Own-In icroydoni P/L . 100‘. Melbourne ‘ - rooxlyn[...].-iio- ’ E‘ V :1’: 3 V ’ g wesiern Drive-In F'/'L / ' vicioria 162% J A Laldlow A-era‘. .2[...]ilizigc Concessions (Rowviiiei Pry Village Drive-In mawviliei PJL ' anuramc Amen-iio\ u.'L[...]Village Drive-‘H (Wangaranal PIL viiiaqe Drive.in (Ham-iicnl PIL Baiwyn cinema Inier[...]N warn and as m -my c»-am Source Depiirlmcnl ol the Media Planning .ind Rcscarrh Section ‘Roadshow[...]Melbourne in \ ~\ 40 55’; . ':9"f" -"1' - . ‘ i '[...]: '1. R F Hamser Blackburn -‘ ""-Esme of A l. Allition V H Bioomcamp Sorrenlo[...]SAS-13 -‘«:i.»Ia-W. THE EXHIBITORS The Australian Film Commission Village and Roadshow welcome the Australian Film Commission as generally beneficial, and the spearhead for assistance to a healthy local production industry. Our opi- nion of part-time members having a pecuniary interest in the industry is that it is essential, if the Commission is to have available to it the full range of the best brainpower from produc- tion and distribution. The proposed quota for shorts can only be of assistance to the industry in terms ofimproving the standard of short subjects shown in theaters, and more importantly, in giving young directors experience. The Tariff Board Report The Tariff Board Enquiry, in our view, was very positive. It was probably brou[...]te that had previously prevailed, where two sides of an industry, namely dis- tribution and production[...]gue, and were continually attacking one another. In the general distribution and ex- hibition business th[...]ple who were just plain negative and uninterested in Australian film production. On the production side, there were a number of producers who were making what could only be call[...]when they probably should have only been shown to the producer and his friends. The Tariff Enquiry opened up the whole arena, and out of it has come an atmosphere where distribution and exhibition are now working with production people in recognition of each other’s problems with a view to ‘building’ films. ‘Building’ being the operative word, because we will only have an industry in Australia if there is co—operation and unity from all sections of that industry — from production through promotion and exhibition. The Tariff Board report contained some recommendations which were positive and constructive, including the recommended establishment of what was then known as The Australian Film Authority, which was to have a bu[...]oduction and also to assist with distribution. At the same time, there were many misleading and inaccur[...]. But this is understandable when one con- siders the scope of the Enquiry, as well as the fact that in spite of the sincerity and intelligence of the in- vestigating body, a year’s theoretical experience in the film business would probably be as good as a year’s theoretical experience in flying a Concorde jet.ir The above interview was conducted by Antony I.[...] |
| THE FILM, RADIO AND TELEVISION BOARD of the AUSTRALIA COUNCILPO, Box 302, thside Gardens North Sydney[...]t, N.S.W. 2060 N1\cI)r§h“Sydney . . . . 2060 THE NEXT QUARTERLY ASSESSMENT FOR APPL ATIONS[...] |
| Out this month is the new Catalogue Of Independent Films. This catalogue is a listing of all the films currently available from the Australian Film- makers Co-Operatives.Over one hundred pages thick, the catalogue has listings for more than 500 films. As such it represents the largest collection of Australian films (from documentaries to features) in the country. The following films represent a cross section of some of the films listed in this catalogue. SUNSHINE CITY Albie Thoms 117 minutes, colour Sun your mind and expand your notions of what cinema is and can do: an eye-boggling diary—]ourney- doco through the artist's Sydney 1971, CHINA — THE RED SONS Roger Whittaker 50 minutes, b/w One of the most extraordinary events in contemporary history has been the Chinese attempt at continuous exam- ination of their own society — the Cultural Revolution. Despite the sexism of the film's title (an error which the Chinese themselves would never make . . .l, the film shows plenty of evidence of "red daughter's" as well as sons, and provides a rare opportunity of learning about Chiria through Australian eyes, showing t he experience of a group of Australian students who visited the country in the late '60s. FILM FOIR DISCUSSION Sydney Wlomens Film Group 25 minutes, b/w Jenny working in the typing pool, talking about marriage with her girl[...]ilariously horrifying family dinner squabble ends the film but leaves many questions — about work, re[...]and what a young girl does about it all. WHAT'S THE MATTER SALLY? Robyn Dryen, Meg Sharpe, Dany Torsh[...]really work anyway, if so, why isn't it included in the national accounts? Would wages for "houseworkers" simply reinforce women's position as the lowest paid workers in the system, or is a pittance better than nothing at a[...]ampionship bout, finds a girlfriend among a group of activist University students who use him in a aboriginal rights campaign. Conflict arises as[...]riticise him for turning his back on his own kin. The film shows the difficulty of being an aboriginal in a white society. YAKETTY YAK Davy Jones 86 min[...]ak is a film about ‘film’, a deliberate study of arousing and de- feeting audience expectations. It sends up the Godardian cinema of political commitment, mocking its director ‘star’, and co-actors. The film is often very funny amid all the throw-away comments about film as a theoretical weapon, about film as a commando assault on reality, about the role of chance in the creative process. CALCUTTA Paul Cox 28 minutes[...]Calcutta with original Bengali music and poetry, the film /vas shot on the teaming streets of the city and leaves you with the feeling of knowing the people's life style from the inside. It is not a fleeting tourist glimpse of pretty pictures. ATTICA Cinda Firestone 79 min[...]n September 13, 1971, forty-three unarmed inmates of Attica prison in New York State were killed by state marshalls and over 200 were wounded in the most violent confrontation in the U.S. since the civil war. The film ‘tech- niques used to document these events are worthy of study in themselves as are the political implications of the film. NIUGINI-CULTURE SHOCK Jane Oehr, Ian Stocks 45 minutes, colour Scenes of village life and interviews with urban Niuginians document what is happening as the old and stable cultures of Niugini are thrown into contact with the contradictions. of modern western civilisation. Winner of the Reuben Mamcuulian prize for the best film in the Greater Union awards. Sydney Film Festival, 1975.[...]y’s famous — or infamous — animated version of the history of Oz Zany, uncomfortably accurate and a visual deli[...]es, colour Black South Africans record on fi Im the experience of living under aprartheid. The film is essential information — which we will n[...]television » for anyone who wants to understa nd the reality of the South African pr )|itical system. |
| [...]EI.Y? For anyone concerned with booking films the FILMMAKE RS Name ................................[...]...................... .. CO-OPERATIVES CATALOGUE OF INDEPENDENT FILMS for 1975/76 is an important, comprehensive reference. In it Address ......................................[...]......................... .. you'll find details of over 500 mostly Australian films. Films on the following topics —— ADOLESCENCE, ECOLOGY, ENV[...]XPLORATION, ANTHROPOLOGY, FILMS CHILDREN . copies of the Filmmakers C0-Operatives CATALOGUE OF LIKE, COMEDY, HUMOUR, sATIRE, RELIGION, MEDITATIO[...]PTURE, CRAFTS, MUSIC, DRAMA, POLITICAL FILMS FROM AUSTRALIA, CUBA, EUROPE, THE MIDDLE EAST, LATIN AMERICA, NORTH AMERICA, THE U.S.A., FILMS ON FANTASY, MAGIC, LIFESTYLES, FEST[...]uit your every program needs. Write for your copy Of the catalogue now. Send $2.50 (includes postag[...] |
| THE 1975 SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE FILM FESTIVALS Feature[...]s but then realizes that he will have more chance in the isolation of the country. We dis- cover that — according to him[...]t ‘they’ will stop at nothing to destroy him. in the country he finds a couple living in a ruined chateau. They persuade him to stay, decide to protect him, and finally set off with him in a desperate attempt to escape. Meanwhile the authorities are spreading the news that a dangerous lunatic has es- caped, one who gives every appearance of Iucidity in his accounts of persecution (an in- teresting estimation on the probabilities of this world) until he is threatened; then he kills[...]bert) and Thomas (Philippe Noiret) start to steal the show. Their acting performances are remarkable. T[...]onted with two coherent and probable explanations of David’s behaviour, which are mutually ex- clusi[...]tely secret. Julia is increasingly con- vinced by the maniac theory, particularly as David is ,.threate[...]ationship with Thomas (especially if he's telling the truth). Apart from the way the film is consistently terrifying, and apart from the rather ingenious and horrible way the question is finally resolv- ed — which is just[...]erdone — there are two very interesting aspects of this film. One is the notion of paranoia itself. The audience starts off trying to choose between ‘r[...]him) and ‘manic’ paranoia (They're not). Then the two things start to merge, so that by the time we are told for sure, it’s not really the point any more. lt’s a familiar idea that clinical paranoia is an extreme but accurate representation of conditions of the real world; but the film shows us that the opposite is also true. Even if David is not clini[...]anoia is justified originally, then he ends up at the point where he must murder anyone who comes near him, like a maniac. The other thing is the fine handling of the development of the personal relationships of the trio. The woman, of course, loses; but for once in a way which shows very sensitively why and how. A[...]erally ac- curate, her personal fears are perhaps the most reality-based of all. SNOWFALL (Hdszakadas) One of the more underrated films of the festival was Ferenc Kosa’s Snowfall, possibly because of its straightforward storyline. However a closer examination reveals that Ko'sa and his cinematographer, the excellent Sandor Sara, have put the resources of film to better use than some of the more flashy direc- tors. The film opens with a series of long track- ing shots, in autumn hues, of a military en- durance race towards the end of World War 2. Abruptly the colours and shooting style change as we move into the long central sec- tlon. Using an almost static camera and the lush greens of the forests and fields, Ko'sa shows the winner of the race joining his grandmother in a search for his missing father. They are captured by a border patrol, and after a series of cat and mouse interrogations, released. They continue up the mountain leaving the forest for the steely grey of the harsh outcrops of rocks where they find the father. Although they are recaptured, the young Meaghan Morris soldier manages to kill hi[...]then returns to fight against his own side, while the grandmother dies in a snowfall. From the fast tracks of the opening to the slow zooms of the final sequences, Kosa and Sara superbly show, in a purely cinematic way, the change in the soldier from patriot to resistor without resortin[...]. David Pearce STILL LIFE (Tabiate Bijan) When the old man who tends the rarely- used level crossing in Sohrab Shahid-Saless’s Still Life asks what his[...]y from now on”. it's a rather sick joke because the most important event in his life appears to be the operation of the level crossing gates. in its depiction of the life of the old man and his wife over a period of a few days, Still Life is slow, elegiac and conte[...]ibly is more informative about subsistence living in the Iranian outback than the most probing documentary. Made with non-professi[...]with no credibility gap) who convey an impression of continuous imperturbability, small, routine gestures emphasise the more important oc- currences. Since the temporal nature of Still Life is integral to its success, there is always an awareness of the time of day, and here the director is ably assisted by the meticulous photography. Although a brief description of the film tends to be a bit intimidating, once one becomes accustomed to the pace and realizes that this is not only a film ab[...]ustoms, but also about a more universal theme — the indomitability of the human spirit — it is a totally rewarding ex- pe[...]day Too Far Away can be confidently hailed as one of the best features made in Australia within the last 35 years. it certainly ranks with Charles Ch[...]a|l’s Smithy (1946); and, to quote one instance of overseas involvement, Ted Kotcheff’s Wake in Fright (1971). Significantly there are links between Wake in Fright and Sunday Too Far Away, not the least being the best film work to date of actor Jack Thompson, and other performances that prove we have supporting actors every bit the equal of those more regularly employed overseas. But while Wake in Fright focussed on a concept of Australian mateship revolving around an all-demanding allegiance to red dust, booze, and the ritual slaughter of animals, Sunday Too Far Away is more con- cerned with men in isolation. Well practically, for the only women in sight are the boss's daughter and a barmaid, and their sexual in- volvement is well-nigh negligible. The shearers of Sunday Too Far Away are still bound by the same ethos as the men in Wake in Fright, yet their interaction, particularly their method of dealing with a newcomer, is far less open to sinister implication. The film, however, is no more about mateship than it is about the 1956 shearers’ strike. And while the first half of Sunday is strong, the structure, overall, is at best episodic, the theme being allowed to fizzle after the petty jealousies have been es- tablished, and ver[...]ught to a logical head. We might have learnt more of the men's antagonism to Beresford’s (Sean Scully) letter writing, or of Foley’s rivalry with Black Arthur (Peter Cum- mins). But instead, the filmmakers have tried to sum it all up with a frozen frame of Foley preparing to lay into the leader of the shearing scabs — and it’s not enough. As a m[...]y continually calls to mind similar relationships in Howard Hawks’ Only Angels Have Wings (1939) and Cecil Holmes’ Three in One. All three films have theirold-hands, raw rec[...]day Too Far Away works as well as it does. While the epic undertones in the early part of Sunday Too Far Away are never realized, there is[...]developed by Hannam and writer John Dingwall are the most closely scrutinized of any film yet made in Australia. There’s just the odd feeling that what you’ve seen isn't as much[...](Tiizolto Utca 25) It's now 12 or 14 years since the intra- revolution In Hungarian cinema took place. One of the brightest and youngest of the new directors that the upheaval created was lstvan Szabo, whose tenth film is 25 Fireman's Street. The film marks no significant dramatic departure by Szabo from the thematic cons- tant he has established in his previous major films: however this time he wi[...]ther generations than his own for ex- amination. The film opens with a series of highly photogenic demolitions of old buildings in a shabby-genteel district of Budapest. Doubtless these exquisite old buildings[...]y are), but Szabo’ doesn't concern himself with the future. He looks at each of this particular old buildings oc- cupants on the night before they have to move out. it is one of those hot, sultry nights that happen in towns built in that kind of topographical situation (St Louis has them): peop[...]sleep is fitful —- and dreams inevitable. But the way Szabo has gone about con- structing his film, It might just as well be the building that is dreaming, because the lives, hopes and fantasies of the occupants are all exposed along with their disappointments and defeats. He examines the living and the dead and interweaves their relationships, creatin[...]and imagination — and sheer wishful thinking. The style in which he achieves this involves both objective and subjective techniques; characters speaking to the camera and mak- ing their excuses and rationaiiza[...]ugh to themselves. And no-one is excused, neither the living nor the dead, from making their statements: perhaps because their very existences are part of the fabric of the old apartment building now and are up for demolit[...]s an easy film because it is very demanding until the residents’ characters emerge Into recognizable[...]evels and into his rhythms. it's not impossible, of course, that one’s satisfaction with the film erupts from a sense of accomplishment, a relief after triumphing[...] |
| [...]dfrom page /38 1950 Bitter Springs Ralph Smart The Kangaroo Kid Lesley Selander Wherever She Goes Michael S. Gordon 1951 The Glenrowan Altair Rupert Kethner Kangaroo Lewis Milestone ‘Mike and Stelani R. Maslyn Williams 1953 The Phantom stockmsn Lee Robinson The Back of Beyond John Heyer 1954 King at the Coral Sea Lee Robinson Long John Silver Byron Ha[...]nto Paradise Lee Robinson, Marcel Pagliero Three in One Cecil Holmes Smiley Anthony Kimrnins 1957 Robbery Under Arms Jack Lee The Shiralee Leslie Norman 1958 Smiley Gets a Gun Anthony Klmmins Dust in the Sun Lee Robinson Night Club A. R. Harwood The Stowaway Lee Robinson. Ralph Habib 1959 Shadow of the Boomerang Dick Ross Summer ol the Seventeenth Doll Leslie Norman On the Beach Stanley Kramer ‘The Restless and the Damned Yves Allegret English Version: Lee Robinson The Siege of Pinchgut Harry Watt 1960 The Sundowners Fred Zinnemann 1961 Bungala Boys Jim[...]ick 1966 They're a Weird Mob Michael Powell ‘The Witnesses David Baxter, Frank Radd 1967 Journey out at Darkness James Trainor The Pudding Thieves Brian Davies 1968 Time in Summer Ludwick Dutkiewlcz 1969 The Intruders Lee Robinson It Takes All Kinds Eddi[...]l: A Postscript Brian Robinson, Phillip Adams Age of Consent Michael Powell 1970 Adam‘: Woman Phi[...]ead Eddie Davis Dead Easy Nigel Buesst sympathy in Summer Anthony i. Glnnane Nothing Like Experience Peter Carmody squeeze a Flower Marc Daniels Thein Fright Ted Kotchell Walkabout Nicolas Roeg De[...]Stockade Hans Pomeranz Stork Tim Bursteli And the Word was Made Flesh Dusan Marek The Naked Bunyip John B. Murrav Marco Polo Junior Versus The Red Dragon Eric Porter Shirley Thompson versus the Aliens Jim Sharman Night of Fear Terry Bourke Sunstruck James Gilbert Private Collection Keith Salvat The Adventures of Barry McKenzie Bruce Berestord ‘About Love George Schwartz ‘The Hands of Cormac Joyce Fielder Cook 1973 Alvin Purple Ti[...]ng Don Quixote Rudolph Nureyev. Robert Helpmann The Office Picnic Tom Cowan Libido John B. Murray,[...]McKenzie Holds His Own Bruce Berestord Sabbat ol the Black Cat Ralph Marsden Stone Sandy Harbutt Number 96 Peter Benardos Petersen Tim Burstall The Cars That Ate Paris Peter Weir 27A Esben Storm[...]poulos Woksbout Bilong Tonten Oliver Howes 1975 The Firm Man John Duigan Avengers of the Reel Chris Mccullugh The True Story or Eskimo Nell Richard Franklin Promised Woman Tom Cowan The Love Epidemic Brian Trenchard-Smith Sunday Too Far Away Ken Hannam The Great McCarthy David Baker The Ftemovalists Tom Jeffrey Inn of the Damned Terry Bourke Picnic at Hanging Flock Pe[...]cobie Malone Terry Ohisson Plugg Terry Bourke The Man From Hong Kong Brian Trenchard-Smith Ride a[...]Proposition Don Chaffey End Play Tim Burstall The Golden Cage Ayten Kuyululu The Box Paul Eddy Angel Gear Esben Storm The Understudy Eric Lulghal NOTE: in 1966 two Japanese leatures were shot here: 'Moepu Tairiku (The Blazing Continent) Sogoru Nishimura ‘Keys No Toseinin (The Drifting Avenger) Junya Sato in 1971, an Italian feature was shot here: ‘Bella One-sto Emigrato Australia Sposerehbe Com- paesana Illibala (A Girl in Australia) Luigi Zampa ‘ These films were apparently never released In Australia. ©Ross cooper, Andrew Pike, Joan Long and Gr[...]s with fact as long as its not a cop-out or where the truth has been altered. If I can preserve the truth and make it an entertaining journey then I would much rather do that than make a documentary of Sugarland in 16mm with a hand—held camera. Sugarland could have very easily been Battle for Algiers; I could have shot the whole film behind police lines with long lenses b[...]e could have been two—way conver- sations where the only time you see the terrorists and the police car would be with a super—long lens over a cop’s shoulder. In the early stages, that was one way I thought I’d make the film. But I felt there was valuable entertain- ment in the subject matter, at least in the relationship that existed inside that car. Those people were all alike. The two men were intended to bejust like brothers, to look alike and act alike. One rather popular criticism of “Sugarland” was that it lacked credibility: especially the endless stream of police cars moving across the screen . . . To a certain extent I would now agree with that. But in actual fact, I decreased the truth. We had 45 police cars and no more in a caravan behind the hijacked car. In actuality there were 90 police cars which queued up and spent the better part of 36 hours chasing those people. One of the things which influenced me to make that film was simply the image of that ribbon of red lights go- ing to the horizon. I suppose I knew that it would be hard to swallow but it actually happened. It was one of the most amazing media events that has ever happened in this country. Were any sequences edited out of “Sugarland”? I very rarely lose sequences from films. I’m careful in that I start with a very short script so that I c[...]working for performances and for visualiza- tion of the film and, when you get back into town, suddenly you have three hours of film. Now, too often you have to edit an hour of it; that hour can mean weeks of hard work. So I‘d much rather shoot a 90—page[...]lly I don’t throw much away . . . I shoot a lot of takes and use the best one or the best parts of two or three. Nearly all of “Sugarland” was shot on location; organizatio[...]must have been a problem. It was. It took a lot of time to hire the drivers, to line the cars up and block the traffic. Logistically it was a nightmare. But now[...]re and went to work. People see different things in different films. In making “Sugarland” what did you hope to get a[...]rland was a very important film for me to get out of my system because I’ve always been interested and slightly embarrassed at the way the television and the news media take a situation which might be very small and unimportant and then suddenly inflate it, making it very heroic and newsworthy. A[...]making a common- place story newsworthy is a lot of window—drcssing, editorializing and sensationalism. For instance, although the Patty Hearst kidnap - ing took place after we ma 6 Sugarland Express, the two were very similar events. The Patty Hearst kidnapping was sustained and given fresh air by the news media and was made a top story for months an[...]ting compa- nion piece to Billy Wilder’s “Ace in the Hole”? Well, that was very intentional because I am a great admirer of that film and of course I’m a great ad- mirer of Billy Wilder. But with Sugarland I wanted to go a bit further in that these media events not only changed the shape of opinion but also they changed the people in- side the car, and I thought that that was very important. Because the media could go right to the source, it affected emotionally the people con- cerncd and, more importantly, it altered the whole natural course of the event. Do you see it as a sad film? Yes, it is a sad film, but I like to think of it as a bitter-sweet film. Probably it's sad because the central characters are caught up in something they don’t understand and which gets completely out of control. Apart from Billy Wilder, whose other work have you admired on the screen? I’m very influenced by John Ford’s The Searchers and a number of his other films. I’m influenced by early Stanle[...]ng he does is all Stanley Kubrick. I always think of Paths of Glory as starring Stanley Kubrick and co-starring Kirk Douglas. That film in par- ticular was an ovcrstatement just as all his films are. The one thing about Stanley Kubrick, I feel, is that[...]. He can take a film like Dr Strangelove and walk the very narrow line between totally ab- surd farce a[...]and horror. FILMOGRAPHY I970: For ABC Movie of the Week — Night Gallery, The Psychiatrist, God Bless the Children. Plus episodes of the TV series Name of the Game. Marcus Wellry, Colombo. I971: For T[...] |
| [...]Intention and Effect Continuedfrom page [45Each of the early shots, as he walks through the town, have an unusual depth of field. The perspective lengthens behind him, in perfect focus. We see glimpses of courtyards behind doors, hidden places; and the presence of the young man becomes a means to order pieces in a pattern. The constant long-shots suggest a pressure to return to the source of a mystery, to turn inwards, to deflect attention[...]resent complexity. This feeling is reinforced by the dissolves between shots. One sequence simply gives way to darkness for a moment before the next. Again the impression is created of a series of fragmentary recollections. These have far less to do with theories of personality types or social scrutiny than with an attempt to image a process of memory. But The Spider’s Strategy is less effective when it deals with motivation, with causes, with rational explanation of behaviour. We don’t really understand why Magnani, the anti- fascist hero, acted as he did. It’s not clear what sort of under- standing his son comes to about his father. What really in- terests Bertolucci is not the unravelling of the past, dissecting motive and opportunity and plott[...]d music and tapestries steadily unfold and gather in a series of fragmented andifrozen attitudes. People are caught and fix- ed at a moment of crisis where several explanations might do justice to their decisions and actions. What the real course of events was doesn't interest Ber- tolucci so much. He has simply focused on those moments in which the past appears to echo the present. It’s an intricate, formal study, an at[...]guity and uncertainty. Characters become figures in a fantastic landscape, separated from each other.[...]against pictures. It's rather to suggest moments of incoherence, an inability to deal with large ques[...]early push their way into a film on fascism. So the focus remains on the relation between father and son. Time is suspended, the son takes on the father’s role, though not the feeling. And what I've been trying to suggest is that the style of the film prevents the relationships becoming any clearer. The fear of fascism is there, of the hectoring, brutal mob. The instinct of self-surrender towards a theatrical anti- fascism[...]nger. But any sharper definition is swept .under the grand image of Rigoletto and the careful melodrama of Magnani’s death. The Spider‘s Strategy looks as though its about resistance to fascism and perhaps the per- sonality of the fascist. But the social background ofthe village is restricted to one man’s fragmented and often oblique recollections. The irresistible logic suggested in the title breaks down to a more gentle, more romantic[...]hes illusions beautifully. This is clear as well in The Conformist, a dazzling,-rhetorical film of brilliant inventions and studied effects. Its critical reception, though, has tended to stress the more obvious and least satisfactory elements. So Charles Champlin wrote in the Los Angeles Times that Bertolucci was suggesting that there was a moral degeneracy at the heart of the fascist experience. And the corollary of this view: the film “has captured the twenties and thirties with a fidelity which is amazing.“ Contrary to this opinion, the success of the film seems to have nothing to do with attempted[...]c style transforms what we accept as reality from the opening scene. Clerici is lying on a bed, weary perhaps, resigned, yet tense and watchful, his hands clasped in front of him. The camera, in tight focus, picks up the deep, subdued glow of a massive white chair cover. The notes of intense color contrast, just too strongly and vib[...]t, she left with him?“ Then, “I’ll meet you in front of the hotel.” The camera draws back and we see quite unexpectedly a naked woman lying asleep on the bed beside Clerici. There is nothing sinister in this, but it is certainly disconcerting. His beha[...]s suggested a solitary intrigue, perhaps menacing in his curtness and restlessness. He takes out a revolver, pulls a sheet over the woman and leaves the room. The tight close-up photography, the continuous glow of color and sudden contrasts, the elusive suggestions of intrigue in the telephone call and the momentary flash of a revolver create a complex sense of a personality — intense, anxious, even rigid, f[...]expected them but he does not control them. From the outset he appears as a character in a film, yet the drama becomes a projection of his mental and emotional condition. The point here is whether Bertolucci can make a film that embodies in its texture and development the psychic distur- bances he diagnoses in his character. It seems he doesn't do this, but rather leaves a constantly vague and threatening feel- ing in each of many different scenes. Where Bertolucci makes po[...]CAL CINEMA appear either trivial or obvious. Yet the brilliance of so much of his imagery, of his characters’ fantastic ritual behaviour, transforms the film into a more suggestive melodrama than a restrictive emphasis on psychological realism would allow. The traumatic episode with the chauffeur, for instance, is simply too crude a device to sustain an entire strategy of adult betrayals. The relation between Clerici and his wife is too frag[...]e is simply and perhaps cruelly mocked, a figure of dubious nor- malcy. And the relations between the four central characters, the Clericis and Quadris, are confused and blurred. The whole incident with the chauffeur becomes, curiously enough, a succession of quite separate moments. This effect comes through the studied camera work, the rhetorical detail of the gun placed between the chauffeur’s legs, the series of bullet holes blasted in the crumbling walls and, earlier, the dance on the lawn as man and boy weave about the car. The suspense and interest in psychological effect is thus broken down, as though the two figures are playing out a charade. It is a ballet of gestures to do with command and submission. You remember the gleaming headlamps of the car, the shining flow of the chauffeur’s hair, the heavily grained bullet holes and the sweeping vista of the city lying silently below the actors. This amounts to an attempt to freeze an appropriate emotional response to the dramatic situation, to distract atten- tion from the whole to parts or moments in order to emphasize a lack of conscious volition or control by the actors. They are both playing games which directly and yet only marginally in- volve the otherperson. Consistently through the film sexual contact is deflected into ritual; the bougeois girl falls predic- tably from the couch to the floor allowing Clerici to escape her sexual invitation, the intimacy of their love-making on the train after they are married is broken down by un[...]herself to Clerici is cut into a ballet class and the relation between the two women, Anna and Guilia, is heavily stylized in a formal dance sequence. The film proceeds through this creation ofintricate and for- mal patterns, an attempt to freeze and express the essence of an emotional condition at a moment when several alternatives are offered to the characters. But there can be no real decision because the aesthetic reconstruction of events dictates its own logic and necessity. Places themselves are seen to embody the only kind of life that can be lived within them and characters[...]essity. So Guilia comes to life like a butterfly in front of the Paris dress shops or Anna directs the ballet lesson, where she can hope to resist and command Clerici. The pressure to break down drama into farce, to subvert ex- pectations of dramatic intensity, continues throughout the film. When Clerici receives his pistol from his superior in the secret police, he adopts a fighting pose, pointing the weapon one way, then the other, and finally at his own head. This reminds him he has forgotten his hat. Or at the film’s opening three pop singers are carolling a sweet and vapid tune while the blind man declaims that Italy and Germany have rediscovered their spiritual unity. The effect is not simply to counter-pose different elements ofa popular culture, but to destroy a level of seriousness. This seems quite deliberate on Bertolucci’s part, as though the conception and style of a succession of fragmented images were more important to him than their precise expressive significance. The obvious anti-fascist demonstration is less interesting than the continuous pressure to photograph backgrounds and image characters in order to convey effects of emotional and volitional decay. Curiously, these are not related to the dramatic development of different characters. The film really progresses from one theater stage to[...]ach separate melodrama breaking down expectations of psychological or historical realism.‘ The scene in the woods where the professor and his wife are murdered is the most abruptly horrifying of the film and the most unsettling in terms of the film's own dynamic and ten- sion. The repeated flash-backs have taken place from the car in which Clerici and Manganiello are chasing Anna and her husband, the professor. Eventually, they catch them up and the camera cuts from their car to the professor‘s as a third car slides to a stop on the road in front of his, blocking his progress. Clerici’s car stops further down the road and the professor is trapped. But he could swing the wheel and accelerate past the ob- stacle in front. His wife is terrified; she has already pointed out the car following them. The professor understands about the fascists; Anna knows Clerici is a secret agent: both of them must suspect an assassination attempt. But he decides that he must go and see if the driver of the car ahead is injured. In any realistic terms this decision is inexplicable. He leaves the car to investigate and is repeatedly stabbed by men who appear through the forest. The stabbing is cut with shots of Anna’s face frozen into horror as she watches a prolonged series of gyrations. The professor staggers round in a grisly and deathly dance, until finally he lies still and the murderers approach Anna. She runs to Clerici’s car where she bangs on the window, screaming at him, whether in panic or fury, entreaty or reproach, it is dif- ficult to say. He ignores her, only his eyes moving in his shadowed, impassive face as hers is pressed against the glass. She breaks away and runs off. the camera remaining for a mo- ment on the beaded glass before tracing her crazy escape through the forest. Her pursuit is punctuated by echoing gunfire and slipping angles as the hand-held camera darts among the trees. She is shot and collapses, her face covered in blood. The entire se- quence is introduced by a shot of vivid sunlight radiating through the trees to half suggest martyrdom or trans- figuration. But the essence of this lengthy sequence is the confrontation between Anna and Clerici. It is amb[...]unreal, and it deflects rather than intensifies the horror of the professor’s murder. This is the critical point in the film where the pressure to break down drama into a mess of insinuation conflicts radically with the development of the story. Quadri’s slow and staggering dance as he is stabbed appears grotesque and cruel. And the long moment between Anna and Clerici ends with an entirely inappropriate shot of water trickling down the glass, as though there is now nothing between them. This sort of poetizing makes trivial two graphic murders and C[...]lucci organizes and unfolds a decorative pattern. The essence of this pattern is its disconnection, the way in which drama repeatedly breaks down into farce or[...]chain, a dramatic development. And this is where the film doesn’t succeed. Bertolucci has yet to find a means of dramatic progression to accommodate his startling imagery. In this view, then, his films have little to do with attempts to depict the condition of society in which fascism developed. They do not attempt to describe the personality type that may have been attracted to fascism, nor the resistance to fascist repression. Equally, both films resist being pocketed into any theory of relationships between sex and politics. The story line of The Conformist and the broad explanation put forward for Clerici’s behaviour confiict with the continuous attempt to break down the story and the need for explanation. \ The Spider's Strategy and The Conformist illustrate a fan- tastic attempt by in[...]to play at politics, outfitting themselves with the necessary weapons and attitudes. Political intrig[...]d perhaps half-suggestive attempts to reconstruct the past. Bertolucci’s films engage a radically different understanding of politics and drama from those of Costa-Gavras. The prolonged and doubtful arguments about homosexual[...]r filmmaker, although for different reasons. And the overall attempt to assimilate them both to a declared ‘genre’ of political cinema ignores specific differences in the work of both directors. Costa-Gavras’ films attempt t[...]between individuals who represent different kinds of institutions. He characterizes the oppressive and intrusive nature of the state through the sheer scale and authority of its covert operations. Although even this is to claim too much; for Costa-Gavras the state exists as a dictatorship prepared to exercise any con- ceivable violence in order, presumably, to retain power. The relationship between suppressing dissent and reta[...]clear. It is simply assumed that one is necessary in a fairly fixed ratio to the other. So authority figures are rigid, unyielding[...]ic and compassionate. An initial conviction about the inherent evil of particular regimes and the moral necessity of resistance shapes the dramatic development of the films. This approach has more in common with Elio Petri than Bertolucci, though ag[...]portant differences. Bertolucci attempts nothing of Costa-Gavras’ kind of realism. His exquisite interiors of the twenties and thirties don’t reflect directly on the moods and characters of in- dividuals, but seem to embody private life that stems from in- tense, brittle emotional encounters. These appear to spin out in a series of relationships that are continually being consumed, as though each incident exhausts the implications that can be drawn from it. Costa-Ga[...]suspense could hardly be more different. So, as in the scene of the chauffeur’s attempted seduction, Bertolucci is continually breaking down expectations of a dramatic development in any simple, continuous way. At the same time his films implicitly deny any cumulative diagnosis of fascism’s inner spirit and, more importantly, in view of what’s been made of them, they undercut the value of any theoretical analysis carried out in such sweeping termsnk Cinema Papers, July[...] |
| OUR ASIAN NEIGHBOURS is a programme of films which aims to convey everyday life .. . _ in Asia. The first of the series, covered Thailand. This series is devote[...];f _ customs and their music. Each film captures the ' lifestyle of the people in theirown environment and vividly identifies with the viewer. These films are made so as to stimulate interest in and to promote a greater understanding of our asian neighbours. . [>|2Q|:>uClED BY $2Z§f?£§:;’:l3'§l:'I2;,slfi lS, in mos cases, e ac ua /‘I/‘Sr sounds recorded on location; the actors are the people themselves who live, work and play in this absorbing and fascinating region. FILM AUSTRALIA Eton Rood Lindfield [PO Box 46 Lindfield] NSW 2070 Australia Telephone do 3241 Telegrams ‘Filmoust Sydney Te[...]atives: Canberra House, 10-16 Maltravers Street, The Strand, London. WC2R 3EH. Australian Informatio[...]all Australian official posts abroad. DEPARTMENT OF THE MEDIA |
| Colorfilm will extend its film laboratory service into the video tape world this year 1975 and will p[...] |
TXT |
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| HIM COMMISSION The AUSTRALIAN FILM COMMISSION is at 60 Pitt Str[...]Its telephone number is: 27 7051. The Commission wishes to open direct lines of communication with all sections of the industry, it is em barking on a period of the widest possible consultation in all States. Placed by Dept, of the Media. |
| [...]SYDNEY THE HOUSE O F STAR Actor Jack Thompson, Lis[...] |
| [...]from the V IN C E N T[...]N STREET, Australian Film In stitu te CARLTON SOUTH, 3053. TELEPHONE: 347 68[...]365A PITT STREET, interest in film as a rt, SYDNEY, 2000 o r in giving the public[...]Throw Away Your Books, Let's Go Into The Streets. proves him wrongCineaction has moved to bigger and better of- Book now for next year at this year's rates[...]movies are listed below in bold type. Antartida, Antonio Das Mortes, Asylum, Before the Revolution, Blood of the Condor, Black God White Devil, Bof!, British Sounds, Campamento, Companeras and Companeros, Days and Nights in the Forest, Death of a Bureaucrat, Dillinger is Dead, Distant Thunder, Dream Life, Dyn Amo, Etc. Etc. Etc., Film in Revolution: an in troduction to The Traitors, Fil Portrait, First Charge of the Machete, Going Home, Hallelujah the Hills, How to Draw a Cat, In the Name of the Father, Introduction to the Enemy (Jane Fonda), Jackal of Nahueltoro, Kashima Paradise, La Marseillaise, L[...]Agnes Varda), Living with Peter, Macunaima, Made in U.S.A., Punishment Park, Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania, Rocket Ship (the original Flash Gordon), The Soldier and the Three Sisters, Spirit of the Beehive, Strike, Terra em Transe, Themroc, Throw Away Your Books, Let's Go Into the Streets, Tout va Bien, The Traitors, Tupamaros, Valparaiso/Valparalso, When the People Awake, Wind From the East. |
| [...]Consequently Gevacolor Print film - be critical of the end result. After photographic materials for[...]they can tell at a glance is a good example of the material more example of the advanced if a job is up to standard.[...]cause they are specialists Type 985 sets the standard for provide for professionals in they are very conscious of the consistent quality, pin-point cinematography and television all quality and reliability of the materials sharpness and reproduction from over the world. they use. That's where Agfa-Gevaert originals. It is fast and easy to enter the picture. handle for any laboratory using the AGFA-GEVAERT Ltd., P.O. Box 48 Agfa-Gevaert, the leading European current processing[...] |
| [...]hn Moran The erotic cinema of to Dismaland: 139[...]Paolo Pasolini: 113 The International Women's Film 112 The Day of the Locust Festival Sue Spunner 1975 Melbourne and Sydney previewed in Cannes 75: 127[...]1001 Nights and 120 Days: The erotic 125 cinema of Pier Paolo Pasolini 126[...]Legislation and The Film Industry: Part II 142[...]127 The Exhibitors Antony I. Ginnane 129[...]149 The Quarter 150[...]Hanging Rock and The Man From Hong Kong[...]Film Reviews The Removalists Jim Murphy The Godfather Part II Mark Randall The Taking of Pelham 123 John C. Murray[...]Nada Lindsay Amos The Trial of Billy Jack Freya Mathews[...]adowman John O'Hara The Phantom of Liberty Meaghan Morris[...]Roger O. Thornhill The Hamlyn Series Bill Collins[...]is produced with financial assistance from the Film, Radio and Television Board of the Australia Council. Signed articles represent the views of their authors and not necessarily those of the Editors. Whilst every care is taken of manuscripts[...]and materials supplied for this magazine, neither the Editors nor the Publishers accept any liability for loss or damag[...]which may arise. This magazine may not, by way of trade, be reproduced in whole or In part, without the prior permission "of the Copyright owner. Cinema Papers is publishe[...] |
| [...]SHAKEUP business round the corner from the now been a little bit more cautious with ex Yet, a number of foreign sales were[...]negotiated at Cannes as a result of the W hile a large segm ent of the Corporation.[...]The Commission's attitudes towards ascertain[...]year's Cannes Film Festival, back at While the AFDC was controlled by the mergers is also becoming evident. Some[...]wn steam (but still home shock waves passed down the cor Media Department, the Film Commission 105 applications for clearances have with help from the Export Incentives ridors of the Media Department, the Film -- which takes over the responsibilities been made to the Commission, and to Scheme of the Department of Overseas Development Corporation and the Film, of the AFDC as well as Film Australia -- is date only about 10 have been refused. Of Trade) could have achieved as much. Radio and TV Board. under the direct wing of the Prime the 10, three have subsequently received[...]Minister's Department. It is rumored in authorizations, following the intervention Sales tor Brian Trenchard-Smith's The The former Media Minister, Doug some quarters that the days of the Media of the Attorney-General. In two other Man From Hong Kong (a Movie McClelland, had never been very popular Department are in fact numbered. This cases the Commission refused clearance C om pany-G olden H arvest co with the production side of the local in would certainly seem to be the case if the on the grounds that competition was production) were negotiated by both dustry. Frequently accused of consorting Labor government falls.[...]ranted Cathay Films and BEF, as well as the with the multi-national distribution en authorizations because the mergers director himself. Cathay apparently tities, he was attacked again recently The new Media Department's respom were in the public interest. The com made sales in most countries for record when his controversial letter to Jack sibilities now lie solely with the Australian panies were apparently able to show the amounts for an Australian film and it is V[...]lic. Information Service and the Australian cost savings which were to flow from the reported that Fox have taken up U.S. and[...]slation concerning Tariff Board While the Commission is in fact a However, the Commission refused to recommendations for divor[...]sen was taken by a divestiture also brought him in for have pointed out that in the event of the Merchandise Pty. Ltd.'s acquisition of H. major in the U.S. for a rumored five criticism. His permanen[...]usy to con H. Webb and Co. Ltd., taking the view figure advance, and as a result sold[...]o unpopular. A former commer centrate on the Commission's day to day that "the integration between the leading South America and Europe. cial TV executive, Oswin was accused of problems, the duty will fall to the Special supplier and a substantial group of not having the feel for the production re Minister of State, who has responsibility customers must further weaken the com South Australian Film Corporation's quirements of an embryonic industry. for anything the PM is unable to work on. petitive structure of the industry, and will Sunday Too Far Away was taken by In the recent cabinet re-shuffle this port have the effect of substantially lessening Columbia Warner for Br[...]tential competitive Franklin's True Story of Eskimo Nell was Phillip Adams never made any secret of McClelland. conduct at both the manufacturing and sold to Canada, the U.S., Greece, Israel, his dislike for McClellan[...]retail levels of the industry." Britain and France. Inn of the Damned in The Age on April 16, set his objections The Commission is headed by a full[...]ime chairman, Ken Watts (former The test is the likely impact of the ac Spain, and Between Wars to several general manager of the ABC) and two quisition on competition.[...]m e members, Pat Condon depends on the structure of the industry, reported that The Removalists was the his resignation as chairman of the Film, (producer) and Peter Martin (ex-Media the behavior of the firms in it at the time least successful of the films on view. Radio and TV Board. advisor). One of the full-time members is of making the application for a However, the producers are still waiting[...]or project support, clearance, and the likely behavior of for details on possible sales. Shortly after, The Age Insight team, marketing and management services; firms after the clearance. together with columnist John Pinkney, the other for Film Australia. There are[...]ticipating filmmakers are urged to ran a series of `exposes' on the dealings seven part-time members, including The Commission's closing words may put their views on the 1975 expedition to of the then almost defunct Australian Graham Burke (managing director, be of interest to exhibition majors con the newly-established Film Commission Film Developm[...]Quaide (ex sidering further expansion: "The acquisi as soon as possible, so that plans for president of the Theatrical Amusement tion will eliminate from the market a Australian participation in the 1976 Notable was the attempted slur cam Employees' Association)[...]can be carefully con paign against Tom Stacey, the AFDC ex (producer with the South Australian Film cant influence on the Melbourne market, sidered. ecutive direct[...]ion). There is also provision for especially in the matter of price competi Stacey had abused his position by the liberal use of outside consultants. tion and its unorthod[...]ed Sydney criminal, Abe Saffron, as a potential in The Commission is already being in The Commission's views on anti A new development In Australian vestor in AFDC-funded projects. Stacey dependently lo[...]t an airing distribution-production has been the re was also accused of attempting to sell and industry groups prior to its policy recently when it ruled on the tied house cent move by Filmways and Seven Ke[...]film scripts meeting on July 23, and a number of arrangements prevailing between NSW into the international market. While BEF here, and while[...]hotels and brewers, by which hotels are set the trend with The Man From Hong trips. fund disbursement. Among the more restricted to sell only one brand of beer. Kong -- a co-production with Golden[...]strongly supported is a proposal to The Commission concluded such an Harvest -- the creation by Filmways and Shortly after TheAge publication of the allocate .20 per cent of production funds arrangement was anti-competitive. American associates of Austamerican Insight series, Senator McClelland[...]Productions for Goodbye Norma Jean and most of his ministerial colleagues -- experimental or[...]ents marked another step forward. became the victim of a Cabinet re-shuffle 50 per cent to commercial projects. are not dissimilar to the `tying' system the and was transferred to the Special[...]Veteran AlP director Larry Buchanan M inistry of State. Dr Moss Cass, It has been s[...]has produced a Harlow-like biography of previously Minister for the Environment, of projects (among them Cecil Holmes'[...]Norma Jean Baker between the ages of became the new Minister for Media. Call Me By My[...]16 and 21. Filmways contribution to the Lamond's Australia After Dark) which[...]dams, who claims he resigned were rejected by the AFDC, would have As reported elsewhere in this issue, tion was little more than they[...]officially at the Cannes Film Festival this rights, but in return they are obtaining 50 forthcoming film of David Williamson's According to the report of the Interim year by a delegation headed by the per cent of all world revenue. play Don's Party, is known to be able to Board, the Commission is also em Media Departm[...]o make grants and loans, as Beckett and the Australian Film Develop Filmways are als[...]sh pipelines into cant will be entitled to know the identity Tom Stacey. distributor Scotia-Barber to buy produc the industry, and Adams may well be one of the assessor on his project and object[...]tion titles jointly for Britain, South Africa of them. to them[...]. Films screened included The Man and Australia. This appears to have been[...]an attempt to keep pace with Andrew The new permanent head of the There has certainly been a hiatus in of the Damned, Sunday Too Far Away, Gaty's Sev[...]Spigelman, Prime local production over the past few Stone, The True Story of Eskimo Nell, operating a London office si[...]s former private press months, but now that the Commission is Between Wars, Promised Woman[...]operative production can perhaps move The Removalists. release. widely criticised in the press as "jobs for the boys" . forward[...]Media Department and Overseas The British market is a depressed and[...]TRADE PRACTICES ACT stand in the foyer of the Carlton Hotel, showmanship and marketing may[...]ospitality suite was make a sizeable dent in it -- unless other played an active part in the formulation Litigation is abounding at the moment available down the Croisette at the Mar established British distributors endeavor of new Labor media policy. under the Trade Practices Act, and the tinez Hotel, where the officials of the to combine to keep him out. outcome of present disputes and policy delegation and some producers stayed. Meanwhile, the long-advertised posi making should help to[...]Gaty has also tied in with the Robert tion of executive director of the Film, guidelines for that brave soul who tries to Sources indicate that many of the Stigwood organization (he paid a Radio and Television Bord has been fill take on the integrated local film industry. producers were dissatisfied with the un sizeable upfront for Tommy during ed by Lachlin Shaw, form erly of democratic decision-making structure of preproduction, and the returns so far Australian Associated Press. The Commission has a number of the delegation, and lists of alleged inef have been record breaking) and[...]cases pending, following the decision in ficiencies are apparently circulating.[...]a FILM COMMISSION the Sharp Corporation case. Sharp were[...]multi-million dollar production, The fined $100,000 by Mr Justice Joske in the Entertainer, with Jack Lemmon, Ray The Australian Film Commission is Australian[...]and Sada Thompson. now operative. Spawned from the 1972 misleading advertising" , and the publici Tariff Board report into the industry, the ty departments of local exhibition and Commission's Bill was boun[...]have, since then, and forth through both Houses of Parlia ment for what seemed an eternity. Finally on July 1, the Commission opened for104 -- Cinema Pap[...] |
| [...]THE QUARTER What this means for Australian British film industry: "The overall effect of Age Group Cinemagoers yearly Attendance were selling interests in a series of future production is not clear. Certainly these our membership . . . has been the con productions solely on the basis of his distributors will now be building up an in tinuing scarcity of finance . . . lack of 14-17 y rs ................. 90.4% 16.9 times reputation. The first of these, currently formed knowledge of world markets, and production . . . and the growing threat. . .[...]titled Apocalypse Now, has been a network of international contacts of unfair competition from the EEC in 18-24 ..................... 92.5% 15 times described as a satirical treatment of the previously unavailable to an Australian reg[...]The referendum of course resulted In[...]an Australian producer may Britain staying In the EEC. It remains to The poll also revealed that the Fredericksen, Fred Roos and Dean now be assured of a West End release if be seen which view of the future of the in audience is an affluent one. On the A-B- Tavoularis visited Australia recently to (reportedly like David Baker and The dustry will be the correct one, but C scale of socio-economic grouping promote Coppo[...]he distributes with Sapper's assessment of the present is discussed with the form er Media Seven Keys.[...]inly accurate. used by the pollsters, 75 per cent of Minister, Doug McClelland, the possibili[...]cinemagoers fall into the A-B group and ty of film in g the p ro d u c tio n in MARKET SLUMP At the time of the referendum only[...]three British films were In production: 75.1 per cent into the C group. The Common Market debate which Gene W ilder's The Adventures of[...]ilm unions swept Britain recently deeply divided the Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother; The poll also shows that the cinema would have to this `talent' invasion is un film community, and In so doing pointed Michael Klinger's Shout at the Devil; and attracts both sexes equally, and[...]certain. No cast or crew details have up some of the more obvious problems Red Silverstein's The Swiss Conspiracy. the myth that couples stop going to the been discussed, but a strong line was, th[...]ed: taken by local unions to so-called co the industry is going to properly recover Things have never looked worse for in excess of 78 per cent of married 25-34 productions at a Media Department from the withdrawal of American produc British film production. year olds attended in 1974 compared to seminar held last June on overseas in tion capital. 87 per cent of their single counterparts. volvement in Australian production. The[...]recent conflict-ridden Universal co On the one hand the executive side of The survey also revealed a marked production The Sidecar Racers certain the industry -- the exhibition-distribution Amid the recent revelations about the preference amongst some filmgoers to[...]es and their production affiliates importance of the Australian market to -- came out in favor of staying in the the American film industry, questions attend drive-ins rather than cinemas: the HITCHCOCK Market. have again been raised about the size 14-17 and 35 plus groups clearly ex[...]and composition of the local audience.[...]now completed Graham Dawson, chief executive of[...], shooting at Universal Studios on what the Rank Organization, summed up their Everyone is well aware that cinema while the 18-34 group were equally divid may possibly[...]thing that is good for attendances are on the rise, and that ed in their preferences for `hard-tops' Deceit, the film stars Karen Black, Bruce Britain's trade must be good for the film cinemagoing habits have changed, but[...]Dern and Barbara Harris. The screenplay industry; (and) anything that opens up until very recently the Australian film in[...]away from any indepen Polls conducted in the United States Northwest). Bernard Herrman has been must be a good thing for the film industry dent attempts at market research,[...]ut these findings. A survey approached to do the score.[...]e conducted by Opinion Research Cor The militant Federation of Film Unions, quality referred to as "a nose for show poration of New Jersey for the Motion Filming on the largest sound stage at however, took a different[...]Picture Association of America found 72 Universal and on locations at San Fran Sapper, the union's secretary, pointed[...]isco was not without its complications. out that the Italian, French and German Last year, however, the Department of per cent of the filmgoing population to be Studio heads blanched as the production Industries are already saturated with the Media commissioned Australian[...]d. Hitchcock, now national product and that over the two National Opinion Polls, McNair Anderson between the ages of 12-30 -- a group with a heart pacemaker, was not and a half years of market membership Associates, and Morgan's[...]audience attendances. Their per cent of the total population. company doctors for the usual produc promote production.[...]closed, but worries persisted on the $6 Sapper also made the point that now The poll revealed in its main finding[...]EEC productions count as quota films that the most avid group of cinemagoers Following the success of The God the British quota has been effectively cut were 14-17 year olds with an average father Part II (the two Godfathers have Some four weeks int[...]30 per cent to 15 per cent. yearly attendance of 16.9 visits, com now grossed in excess of US$100 Hitchcock dismissed the secondary male This, coupled with spiralling Inflation, pared with 8.9 for the 24-34 year old million), Francis Ford Co[...]ontract Universal Sapper contended, will destroy the group. Attendance figures for other age of companies is planning its future player on view in The Hindenberg), and[...]slice of Don Rugoff's New York-based kidnap murd[...]l over Hitchcock's first major venture into the[...]Goffredo Lombardo, head of the[...]of America's biggest stars have been[...]approached for the production, but no[...]Other Titanus projects for 1975-76 in[...]Dino De Laurentiis, the Italian[...]producer of Serpico and Death Wish,[...]now resident in New York, is set to[...]produce 14 films in the next two years[...]with a working budget of US$50 to $60[...]outlayed in purchasing rights.[...]One of the films, Buffalo Bill and the[...]Indians, is the first of a three-film deal[...]with director Robert Altman. The $7[...]of the Gypsies, based on a forthcoming[...]titles include One Just Man, The Last of[...]the Mohicans, and an untitled production[...]The Man From Hong Kong: launching[...]Australia into the international market at this[...] |
| [...]questions but not all of them. She ex[...]aware of all the symbolism that was[...]All the symbols I read about which[...]the way. But in shooting from scene[...]was a statement about the American[...]paranoia. In this country we're[...]me, Duel was an exercise in[...]How much did you add to the production assistant with film commentator Bill[...]original TV version of " Duel"? interviews with various actors, produce[...]In order to release the film Steven Spielberg, director of the widely acclaimed film Jaws.[...]before CIC would accept it as a In the American film industry, Spielberg's rise to promi[...]feature. I added three scenes, two of is still talked of with as much enthusiasm as it was four years[...]which I wanted to put in from the ago. On finishing a film course at the University of Southern[...]very beginning, but couldn't, and one California in 1970, he went straight to work at Universal.[...]scene the producer George Eckstein Within a year he was directing episodes of such television series wanted to have in. as Name of the Game, Marcus Welby and Colombo.[...]y's sake, which ones During this time he made the TV films Duel (1971) and[...]mething Evil (1972). For Duel he shot 90,000 feet of film in ten days to create what is regarded in the US as a minor classic. So I added the scene where the car popular was its reception that it was released theatrically in pulls up to the railroad crossing and Europe and Australia. Impressed with his skill and exuberance, the truck tries to push the car in front producers David Brown and Richard D. Zanuc[...]of the oncoming train. It went over Spielberg for Jaws after the three had combined successfully on[...]xtra Sugarland Express (1973), his first feature in the US. five minutes. I loved the idea that the[...]train and the truck were allies; later At the time that you were making made with Joan Craw[...]on in the film the truck signals the " Duel" did you realize that it was go the first thing you shot?[...]and the train answers by blasting Well, it was the first professional back twice. Well, I realized that the story was film I shot. I did short films of my important and that the statement it own at college.[...]lot of people wondered with the TV because it was being made for televi Bu[...]version, why the man didn't turn sion I didn't think that it would ever task in your first big job at Universal, back and go home) was the sequence find a theatrical audience in Europe directing Joan Crawford. where the school bus locks bumpers and Australia, and also a cult[...]with the man's car. At this point the audience in this country. It's funny, I was in a state of shock because I truck is way ahead of the car, or it is because at the time I thought it got that job on coming s[...]assumed to be, so I had the truck would make a terrific television film. of college. In my mind I suppose I[...]oming back through And, technically speaking, at the wasn't fully prepared to accept a the tunnel to get him. Originally I Cannes Film Fest[...]wanted to indicate this, that the ly qualified, or should have been dis really w[...]with Sugarland Express as own films and dabble in small in[...]The other sequence which was part[...]of the extra 15 minutes was the new For that matter, the "Name of the sound stage with 60 professional main title. In the TV version it began Game" episodes you di[...] |
| [...]Well, they're from three different terested in, beyond sharks, while the commercial break. walks of life. Each man has his job to film is based on[...]do and each one is, in some shape or interests me, beyond sharks. The Do you think, then, that TV films[...]form, an authority figure in his own book goes off in one direction and can be taken as seriously as c[...]sphere. One is the chief of police of the film goes off in another, but at features?[...]tne town and is responsible for the the end they converge and become[...]the same. I think the concept of anything can safety of the people on the beach. He be taken seriously if the medium you[...]lso left New York City As far as the script was concerned choose to display your work[...]retreating not so much in cowardice, I made a lot of changes, virtually to be television. I think peo[...]ating to protect his children. every day. I had the actors come in read past the scanning lines and see But in the island town in which he to rehearse and they would come u[...]settles, the shark is there and he has with ideas and we would change the to deal with the same violence and script accordingly. Ther[...]evil which he had to tolerate in New provisational readings; often I would W[...]York City. wake up in the middle of the night oriented . . .[...]That character is contrasted it the next day. A lot of it was free The film of The Exorcist hadn't[...]rich and somewhat of a dilettante Klaus had already written the (the Dreyfuss part). He knows all screenplay. But in the process of making Something Evil I heard about[...]to know about sharks and so How long was " Jaws" in the the William Blatty novel and on[...]intellectually he feels superior to the making? reading it said: " My goodness, there[...]shark. are great similarities between the two" . Then there is the Robert Shaw Well, I spent about five[...]character, who just kills sharks for a years in the making: six months pre-[...]memories of a previous shark attack[...]and he talks of this in a six-minute six months post-production, not[...]scene in the third act. mention preparations[...]you say third act? Certainly it's the most commercial tacker doing something really si[...]venture I've undertaken. Duel made on the screen . . .[...]The film is very carefully struc $375,000 but the scale of Jaws ispurposely cast him because of Fami tured -- there are three different greatly in excess of that. ly Affair; I thought that any kid who[...]Have you got your next project in When you talk of structure, you're view at this stage?[...]At one stage Jaws moved too I've got one in mind but it's film, "Something Evil" . . .[...]begins very quickly and the nature of nothing Tike Jaws, Duel or Sugarland Well I did a lot of experimenting Sugarland Express: top Goldie Hawn during the controversy in the small town is Express. It's called Bingo Long and in that. It was the first time in a location shooting in Texas. 2nd top fugitives that the city fathers and the town it's the story of the travelling black television film that hot window[...]baseball teams in this country in the used; those were all sets and I Lou J[...]'s. For me it's very interesting `burned-up' all the windows to give a (William Atherton) plot their next move'in nounced that people . have been kind of hellish effect outside. I don't their headline[...]because I love baseball and I love the know if you remember, but anytime top C[...]vaged by sharks off their coast, whole era of Sachel Page and all the anyone passes by a window, they[...]then it would kill the entire summer great black ballplayers who were not almost disappear because the win to confront civilians who have taken the law dow is so bright they fade out and i[...]lines a scene for Goldie Hawn, controversy in the film, there is a lot Saxon teams. This is in the mid beyond the light. I thought that the William Atherton and Michael Sacks. Below of dialogue and argument. A lot thirties w[...]d by a Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw on the set of happens at the beginning of the film into a town and cakewalk down the wholly white hell-heat and it worked Jaws. which is out of control. The police street, get everybody excited and v[...]character, can't play a nice baseball game in the local[...]cope with all the problems; he can't Do you like working on sub[...]hire the shark hunter Quint, he can't stadium against the firehouse nine. concerning the supernatural?[...]It's very funny and at the same time kill the shark himself because he's makes a certain comment. I think Jaws is somewhat super natural in a small way in that we afraid of the water and at the same "Sugarland", really your second ha[...]time he can't control the town. So feature, while critically acclaimed maneaters except the shark. The there's this swirl of confusion that was ill-received at the box-office. central character in Jaws is really the surrounds this guy and it gives the Was this a disappointment to you? shark an[...]first act of the film a very staccato in natural, but this particular shark can sense, m[...]Yes it was, though I think I was the best time to attack would be. He The second act is much slower more angered t[...]First of all they didn't sell the film on the boat or when they are looking than the first and concerns finding properly. Sugarland never opened towards the sun and are therefore[...]big and in some cases never opened blinded by it. He is a w[...]out what kind of shark it is. Also at all. People saw that it was Goldie and there is some supernatural in there is the controversy of whether fluence which people are going to the town is going to open the beaches Hawn's film and thought it was small read into the film. Sharks do not for the Fourth of July weekend or -- you know, a reaT `tedd[...]hem: whether they're all going Also there was the title: most people machines and our shark is als[...]to go on welfare for the winter or thought it was a kid's film. When it eating machine but every once in a profit from the summer tourism. opened in New York there were lines while it outwits the three humans[...]of kids waiting outside the theater who set out to catch it. In the third act comes the decision' expecting to see Willie Wonka and[...]to hire Quint and pay the $10,000 he the Chocolate Factory. That was a[...]After this it is all at pity because when the film com[...]sea hunting the shark. So I suppose pleted its run it was d[...]the film is fast-slow and then slow-[...]fast with the third act building to[...]rather a frenzied climax. How do you see the nature of the How different is your interpreta In essence, "Sugarland" was fic conflict between the three main tion of Peter Benchley's screenplay tionalized fact. Did you find any in characters?[...]novel? herent problems in working within[...]statements. The book was about[...]something Peter Benchley was in Contin[...] |
| THE INTERNA TIO N AL[...]FESTIVALSue Spunner The role of women in film will come into sharp By 1920, she had about 75 one and two reelers focus in August this year when the International to her credit and several longer films. Weber Women's Film Festival commences screenings in made six more films in the twenties and thirties, all capital cities of films made by women around and her last, White Heat, was completed five the world. years before her death in 1939. The idea of this festival grew out of the Sydney In the same period other women made fleeting Womenvision Conference in 1973, when women appearances as directors: Frances Marion with involved in media discussed the paucity of oppor Just Around the Corner and The Love Light; tunities available to them in the film and TV in dustries. They realized that a film festival was one Mary Pickford, directing herself in three films; of the means of correcting this imbalance. In and Lillian Gish, directing her sister Dorothy in September 1974, the Film and Televison Board Remodelling Her Husband. granted a loan of $20,000 to get the Festival off the ground. Yet, while M arion was an established The following article by Sue Spunner highlights screenwriter and Pickford and Gish the darlings the achievements of women directors, and ex of the screen, these excursions into the role of plains the need for an International Women's direct[...]By the 1930s women had been effectively clos In spite of all the difficulties and barriers which ed out of executive and creative positions in the have confronted women directors in film in American film industry. Those few who[...]to low-budget, second-rate work. dustries around the world, some have created Only one woman,[...]crack the system and work expressly as a director. feature[...]Arzner began her film career in the twenties, Those words, spoken by a director of a have played a role in every country which has ever first of all editing, then directing for Paramount. major film festival with just the correct In the thirties, she moved to RKO, becoming subtle balance of incredulity and scorn, had a film industry. Why[...]nly woman director, working with epitomize the need for an Australian Inter[...]stars like Rosalind Russell in Craig's Wife, national Women's Film Festival. know of their existence? Katherine Hepburn in Christopher Strong and From the earliest days of the industry, women Lucille Ball in Dance Girl, Dance. Other women working in Britain with a freer[...]artistic rein did so at the expense of their in have had the creative incentive to make films. RKO w[...]in her autobiography Lucille Ball reveals that[...]"Queen of the B's" ; the ballyhoo that accom Gaumont's secretary, and while he was busy panied an A-grade film throughout the thirties Olga Preobrazhenskaya was the Soviet Union's was not the lot of a B-grade director -- male or first woman director. She made her first film in creating filmmaking equipment, she took on the 1916 and made seven more before the Stalinist[...]purges in 1935. Esther Shub, along with Dziga- job of making short demonstration films. Her[...]-known to audiences as an Vertov, was one of the first Russians to create[...]and archival first film, La Fee aux Choux, made in 1896, was actress in A-grade films, was equally unable to materia[...]x months before Melies made Une redress the lack of publicity given to women direc films between .1[...]and even created her own production company in Top: Dorothy Arzner (right) directing Joan Crawford in The ' Guy-Blanche stayed on at Gaumont's as their order to have artistic control of her work. Bride Wore Red. Arzner was the only woman working ex However, the liiffited production budgets on most pressly as a director in America during the thirties. artistic director until 1905, then moved to Ger of her films effectively rated them below B-grade. Above: Agnes Vardas' Lion's Love. many and later to the U.S., where her directorial In Britain, the production fund monopoly that[...]crippled Lupino's work had the same effect on career continued until 1925.[...]Box. Between 1946 and 1964, Box directed Another of the early pioneers of American more than nine successful fo[...]olific career work independently. began in 1913 as part of a Filmmaking team with her husband. However, Weber soon began directing her own films, and in 1916 was dubbed by a popular magazine as "the highest salaried woman director in the world today" .[...] |
| The most outstanding woman director in Those women's films that are made, nowever, Moreover, if the notion of a women's film eastern Europe was P o lan d 's W[...]ly festival is not to be a mere flash in the same greasy Jakubowska, who co-founded the Society of the publicized, and never receive the serious critical old pan, the original festival should provide an Devotees of the Artistic Film (START) in the attention they deserve. In addition, the subtext historical context and celebration of the catholic twenties. In the thirties Jakubowska joined the they communicate -- that women can make films tastes and varied concerns of the numerous vanguard of the prewar documentary movement[...]es, women who have been making films since the in and by 1949 -- with the making of The Last keeping women either completely out of the in ception of this newest and most socially decisive[...]rm. Stage* -- she had established herself as one of the leading filmmakers in Poland. Since then those very mavericks who, as Pauline Kael has The success of the 1975 International Women's Jakubowska has made eight more features -- the said in a recent New Yorker article, the dis Film Festival cannot be measured purely in terms last in 1965.[...]utors and studio heads won't touch with a of the audience who sees it, because the vast ma-[...]jorityof Australian women will not. The reason Overall, the degree of emotional and physical[...]ely, be explained by support given to filmmakers in communist Lina Wertmuller is a glaring case in point. Her simply citing admission prices -- $16 in countries has been greater than in the West. Such[...]ydney for full subscriptions. If support is due, in part, to the policies of official third feature Mimi the Metalworker has been the Festival becomes the province of the educated organizations -- such as State-run film schools -- released in Australia, but only in a 350-seat middle class it will be because of the nature of the which do not discourage the participation of government subsidised `art' house. event and not the cost. Women are more likely to women. Consequent[...]be put off by the unfamiliar and opaque notion of have not suffered as much as their sisters in the In view of the brilliance and wit with which this a film festival per se. `free world' from the liberal myth that success unabashedly commercial piece was executed, the[...]has not had a major commercial Hence the inroads that are made into the con comes to those who deserve it, and their wor[...]as incomprehensible as it is sciousness of the community at large will depend been seriously considered from the beginning. deplorable. Not that Mimi is an avowedly on the energy that is directed towards the other feminist film; in fact, to many, its commercial `events' of the festival -- the video access , Preobrazhenskaya, Shub and Jakubowska all appeal is the direct correlative of its rampant centers; the proposed screenings of films and worked closely with their male contemporaries in celebration of sexism, since the film is told ex videotapes in schools, country centers, shopping the forefront of technical innovation and creative clusively. from the viewpoint of a philandering center auditoriums and on the factory floor by experimentation, whereas Arzner and Lupino Sicilian male who pursues the double standard mobile projection units; the photographic ex were denied this sort of ongoing productive with unmatched vigor. One can only hope Wert- hibitions; the video tuition and the possible film- association with their contemporaries. muller's latest film, Of Love and Anarchy, fares making workshops.[...]better. Mention here must be made of the extraor The organizers hope to expand the dimension of dinary success of Leni Riefenstahl. Extraordinary At present the only film by a woman director this festival[...]estival's most often neglected resource. To this in that the most totalitarian regime of the century[...]ight Porter. after the screenings in order to talk in warm and creative freedom. For the filming of the Berlin So, at a time when the need for women to create sympathetic conditions.Olympics in 1936, Riefenstahl had 29 cameramen[...]lore their own cinematic images has never The danger inherent in such a festival is that it at her disposal, and the famous Nuremberg Rally been greater, the commercial exhibition of could become an excuse for passivity, under the was staged exclusively for the production of women's films in Australia continues to be respectable guise of a critical evaluation of the Triumph of the Will.[...] |
| [...]"The success of any actor in[...]the personification of some[...]most of the population . . .[...]a kind of anti-sentimental can[...]dor which, in our finest[...]the pap, kitsch and schlock[...]Jackson Ms Jackson, you said that by the[...]tors were ready to pick ourselves up brief stint in a chemist shop you had not considered any other career. Did In 1954 Glenda Jackson entered the Royal Academy of and start afresh. you feel that you would ever b[...]Dramatic Art, following in the wake of actors like Albert On the coldest day of the coldest[...]British winter for years, for the last No. When I started my training I F[...]old I was obviously only a Ten years of demoralizing repertory work followed her shot of The Music Lovers in the `character' actress, and could not ex pect to h[...]asylum, I found myself crouched til I was in my forties. At that time in Charles Marowitz to play a role in the Artaud-inspired produc the theater most of the roles went to[...]over a grating, in a disused army pretty blonde `juves'. Then it all changed with John Osborne's Look tion of Marat-Sade for the Royal Shakespearean Company's barracks, clad only in a thin cotton Back in Anger, in which, for the first Theatre of Cruelty season. frock, no stockings or shoes. The time, working-class life was con[...]was repeated over and over sidered palatable for the theater, Her rivetting portrayal of the crazed Charlotte Corday on again during the day until I was whereas previously the country- stage in London and New York -- and later in Brook's Film of literally blue. Eventually, my face house set or classical old masters the production -- mesmerized audiences. were the only vehicles for actors.[...]ssell saw Glenda Jackson as Charlotte and was for the film. Who were the film and stage actresses that inspired you as a girl? prompted to take her on to play Gudrun in his film of Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Lawrence's Women in Love. Her precision acting and raw, un For the 1812 fantasy scene in The Katherine Hepburn . . . fashionable type of sexuality immediately established her as a[...]and I had to run into the street in a Because of the sort of roles they[...]Within ten years she was to become one of the most wind machine with a great propellor, No, because of their acting; but charismatic screen presences in the world. and it[...]Glenda Jackson was recently in Melbourne with the Royal force it literally lifte[...]ed a lot with Ken and Pat Longmore for the International Women's Film Festival. and dropped us in a heap, with me on Russell, during which time yo[...]the bottom. I realized, during the to play a certain type of woman. Has Jackson speaks of the `dark' and perhaps demented women moments the bodies above me were that relationship and the particular[...]at Ken would be way he saw you had any effect on the films you have made for other direc she ha[...]t like flying. To which he No, he had seen me in Marat-Sade and asked me as a result to do[...]responded by ordering that the Women in Love. He was one of the young directors who had come up import[...]ine be turned down by half at through television in the post- all your fantasies into play. you in a physically harrowing or least. I knew if[...]director creates the space for the ac[...]instance coward, and therefore he always has In the context of the rest of your she cites of when she was playing a his actors doing extremely dangerous films, "A Touch of Class" is unusual.[...]himself. In one scene in Women in have c[...]but Liv Ullman stopped in front of a Love, Oliver and I were in a side-car For a change it was so nice not to mirror in order to project her on a low loader, goi[...]narrow lane in Derbyshire with deep thoughts. Bergman had placed the ditches on either side. We were going alwa[...]ticipated she might do just that. off the road and ended up in the light for a little while. Great directors have the ability to ditch. Only the cameraman's protest anticipate or allow innovations to oc that the speed was quite unnecessary[...]has this ability. saved us from having to repeat the Continued on page 177[...] |
| I'm very interested in the preoc As part of the preparations for the Women's Film Festival to[...]cupation " Duet for Cannibals" has be held Australia-wide from August to September this year, Sue wit[...]h other. and to interview women filmmakers. The following interview are even[...]between Johnston and Susan Sontag took place in Paris in variation on the same theme -- the January[...]nal interview on videotape. woman in front of the mirror. Well. I'm certainly interested in[...]arly struck that situation -- at a certain point in Susan Sontag was widely known as a novelist, essayist and by the resemblance. Destroy She my life I was haunted by it. But the film and social critic before she turned to scriptwriting and film- Said was indeed the first film she had choice of theme for the film was also making in 1969. Her First two Films, Duet for Cannibals (19[...]dget. So, I and Brother Karl (1971), were made in Sweden because her she also accepted low budget automatically thought of a closed producer was Swedish and both themes were adaptable, to the limitations. situation with few changes of Swedish national environment. Sontag's first experiment with location, a small number of both non-fiction and color photography came with her latest In " Duet for Cannibals" you use characters and some kind of personal Film Promised Lands (1974), which was Financed by the French irony to show the role reversals that confrontation. producer Nicole Stephane and shot on location in Israel. are taking place. For example, in the[...]first of the two main dinner sequences I was actually happ[...]wedish Films varies con one of the girls is a guest, and in the set on my first film project because I siderab[...]as making a transition from writing ploration of the constantly changing emotional and erotic per to filmmaking and that way I'd be mutations of her characters with one another, and the austere It's the kind of thing that works less likely to break my neck. A[...]he has developed. Others very well in films. Here I am very all, you don't really know that you find the Films oppressively boring. Sontag is not popular[...]nist critics because she is primarily preoccupied in her films take her as an arbitrary point of with in[...]ogy, rather than presenting an alternative vision of indepen work on Duet for Cannibals. I'm[...]recycling the same material in a tors are rarely honest about why they Sontag is typical of women Filmmakers emerging in Europe number of forms and that is a very made this or that film.[...]was I started off negotiating with an and the US. She both writes the scripts and directs. She also a writer, she is now a film director Italian producer in Rome and that is tends to work on tight budge[...]e. than for large Film corporations. Similarly, the distribution of works of hers which have been Then I had to change produc[...]have also been made into films. In did, and then the role had to be Sontag's film output, w[...]second each case she uses basically the same changed somewhat because she ye[...]spoke neither Swedish nor English stature in a field where a director's ability to Find a prod[...]can adapt to each of these forms. phonetically. Promised Lands marks a departure in content and style from That'[...]on't do So, I'm an American, I was the Swedish Films and reveals Sontag a filmmaker of versatility that at all. For me, if I have an idea originally going to make the film in and promise. for some kind of narrative, I know Italy, and I actually made it in[...]that it's either a film or a work of Sweden. Had I made the film in cinema is really not as individualistic about this sort of psychological con prose. I know it's one or the other. I Italy, the characters would have ex as it would appear,[...]novel and then want to make a film the film does have a Swedish flavor. in Bergman. Yes, I know Marguerite" Duras, of it. When I got the idea for Duet There is a very dramatic sharply-[...]independently. We saw each other's That kind of role reversal with a people have, of feeling with each Marguerite Duras' " Destroy She films for the first time when they guest becoming a servant I saw ab other, and inevitably the material Said" that there is a very strong were both selected to be shown at the solutely 'in a visual way as the had to be adapted to that as well. similarity to " Duet for Cannibals" . New York Film Festival in 1969 and difference between sitting and stan[...]ing, being helped and serving. Coincidentally the subject of the tight budget, with few characters, similar they were. film is a theme that is found in The things that I like about Duet Swedish culture especially in the[...]for Cannibals are purely visual, plays of Strindberg.[...]putting dialogue or voice-over in People haye said that Duet for[...]films. So far it's been necessary in Cannibals is influenced by Ingmar[...]the three films I've made, but I Bergman, but this is not so. The only[...] |
| [...]Top right and right: Rogopag -- religion is the opium, the bleeding heart of a cruel world. Top left: Pasolini as Chaucer in Canterbury Tales and Bottom left as Giotto in The Decameron -- the effect is to reinforce the importance of the auteur.[...]nanic cinema? That appears IOOI NIGHTS to be the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind and[...]It should be possible to lift the discussion finally to create a dream mythology o[...]away from the sniggering innuendoes of the wank.[...]reviewer, and to start from the premise that So when Pasolini's 120 Days of Sodom finally hits the screens, everyone will nod wisely. "Ah,"[...]or Genet's or Kenneth Anger's, essentially the seers of the near future will read back to the[...]owever much his works deal shattering revelation in a recent review of 1001 Nights, that Pasolini was decadent, a "voyeur,, THE EROTIC CINEMA[...]where that lot's headed, can't you? Straight OF That this situation seems at all odd can only for the Pit.[...]emphasise the complicated sexism of those who This review is typical of many in combining the PIER PAOLO PASOLINI oppose, conceal or ignore it. manners of a really confused sexist bunny with the Physical love between men, repressed in the morals of the zeal-of-the-land `Busy'. "Nothing goes downhill so fast as a[...]tough machismo of the subproletariat in Accat- mutters thoughtfully. Its pseudo-technica[...]tone, in Christ's fiery platonics with the Apostles plaints about the dubbing, the "bad" acting etc, further complicate the argument. Or might it be nearer the truth to point out that in The Gospel, is given complete representation[...]certain Australian critics, for all the notice they for the first time in Theorem, in the affairs of the In the hands of a production company given,[...]father and son with the young stranger. In Pigsty like much established European cinema, to co take of visual style or all the skill they have in in[...]it becomes guiltily disguised as' bestiality in the production deals, Pasolini is an example of many modern story, and cannibalism in the ancient other French and Italian directors, auteurs down Comparisons of Pasolini with that Taorminian one. Despite the lusty adolescent nudes who roll to their feather[...]duct and baron who photographed young Sicilians in through the Decameron, homosexuality is no sold to audiences in Arkansas or Adelaide parroting away in Transatlantic. Theocritan pos[...]ly, or disguised as^ And, precisely because of the extent to which the function of comparisons in a work of criticism fraternal, as in the tableau of Isabella's brothers. Pasolini uses films as pers[...]may be objected to, e.g. "Pasolini was a good The Canterbury Tales includes a curious sequence shared by other Italian directors (see the monsters[...], his particular are more prone to pounce on him in terms of per old perv, and this lowers the quality of his work." phobias at the time. This is his interpretation of sonal abuse. And the trouble is you can't merely blame the producers or translations (grotesque as Such accusations are neither recent nor un Chaucer's Summoner, which is consciously the dubbings are), since the images for the most part remain intact, and they should still convey usual. A Time critic in 1967 was already billing treated voyeuristically, and climaxes with a their meaning. Can it be true that the once- promising-Marxist-director has gone gaga, his review of Theorem as "lilies that fester" . It is moneyless sodomite being burned at the stake decadent, etc?[...]critics with hitherto un because he cannot bribe the ecclesiastical officers.[...]suddenly display No wonder he should wish to say in the last reel of themselves as champions of Marxism at sight of a the Nights: "The beginning was bitter, but the end[...] |
| [...]Below: The Decameron.[...]Bottom left: 1001 Nights -- The `Caliph' who quotes[...]Center bottom: 1001 Nights -- The secret turns out to be that[...]the Caliph's beard is really on her pudenda, a[...] |
| [...]Top left and center top: 1001 Nights -- the tragic sexual sacrifice ol the young.[...]the process of a journey to the book and the Arab world. Bottom right: 1001 Nights -- The nude human body. The angle from which it is shot determines the emotion we take from it. In this sense, his decision to continue making narrator leaves him free to confabulate the tales which unifies them by the codes or motifs they mass visual fantasies of the great erotic books of within tales as well, thus imitating the sinuous have in common. This structure is itself oneiric historical cultures is an act of mass liberation as narrative line of the original without slavishly and aesthetic, with formal reference to dreaming, well as the purging of personal demons and the following it. The clearest example of this is his or reading from books, as the cues for the tales to airing of personal angels. It is, as he insisted, a bricolage of the Tale of Zumurrud with the Tale unfold. political choice to make films such as these, the of Nur-el-Din. Achieving a notable new story of reverse of the images of television and respectable the two tales seems to have been what caught his It is impossible in the end to call them tales, entertainment. mind: a slave auction in which the witty slave because in the film that is not the unit any longer,[...]is abducted by any more than the single shot is. The structural NARRATIVE[...]l life, whatever other shots or tales surround The Decameron had closed with the half- it. And the images around it take off from despairing question: Why bother to make a work In Barthe's terms, Pasolini has picked up the whatever particular image it connotes, e.g. food to of art when it's much better to dream it? The long vestimentary signs of the original, and used them be consumed/the human body to be made love to: ing for dream-cinema continues in 1001 Nights as part of the legitimate code of the cinema, i.e. the human body to be consumed/food to be made with the added recognition that one person's costume. The Caliph's beard, as a datum of the love to. Pasolini has already reached, in Pigsty, dream isn't enough. "Truth lies not in one single cognitive order, takes its place as the central the limits of oral and anal confusion, defined later dream, but in many dreams." Besides being a dis visual prop in the activity of sexual role-playing (and memorably!) by La Grande Bouffe. In each tillation of a particular book, then, the film is an which is the chief motif of the film. successive film he has tried to purge himself of examination of Islamic culture and of the role of these two sexual stages, which in a capitalist socie collective fantasy in any culture, including our He has similarly picked up the various cultural ty may be seen in their unattractive aspects of own experience of cinema. strata of the Nights, Persian, Damascene, north consumption and despoilation. The mouth gulps African, Arabian, and reflected them in his choice down; the arse shits on. A vision of oral heaven in Its major experiment is with narrative. This is of locations: Eritrea, the two Yemens, Iran and Decameron is matched in Canterbury Tales by an something which has always preoccupied Pasolini, Nepal. The original Nights, the Hazzar Afsana or anal hell, which climaxes with a Boschian hellarse as a poet who came to the cinema via the novel Thousand Tales, ordered into a matrix in 1100, shitting forth priests and friars. The Nights give and semiology. His methods of discourse have in and finally added to and established in Cairo c. the two their human expression as places of cluded the free indirect narrative of Accattone, 1350, dealt with a culture that extended from pleasure. the geometrical parallelism of Theorem, the Indo-Persia, via the Bagdad of Harun al Rashid embedding of a Greek play, ahistorically treated, to Mameluke Egypt. Very much of a feast for the Discourtesy about food is treat[...]experience, historically senses, it celebrates the fruits, flowers, colors, vigor as dis[...]jewels, wines, drugs, erotic encounters and in their left hand into the communal rice dish will be narrative experiment already provided by Boccac trigues of Islam. In finally cutting together a con executed; Aziza lovingly forces Aziz,to eat the cio, his instinct was to avoid the framework of versation, half of which is shot by the Red Sea and food she has prepared for[...]he herself aristocratic tale-telling, and change the metaphor half in Nepal, Pasolini achieves that polymorphy is wasting away. In some places, notably in the of tale-telling to fresco painting (Decameron). of image, that mixing of cultural realities in order same tale, food and love are fused. Aziz insults the Since he himself played the Giottesque painter, to create a new reality, which characterizes the enchantress by wolfing down her pavilion banquet the effect, of course, was to reaffirm the impor cinema as well as the tales. and falling asleep, thus twice failing his erotic test. tance of the single auteur. CODES OF MANY DREAMS The dynamic by which this structure operates In Canterbury Tales, despite the communal[...]cinematically may be thought of as: still life con prologue, he took a further step back by reducing The film's epigraph about dreams mirrors the trasted with invading action, a static setup the narrative to the comic voice of Chaucer difference between Christian and Islamic cultures violated by tracking. The best visual example of (played by guess who) rather than using the rich put by Norman Daniel thus:[...]e which gains a rhythmic effect by being variety of narrative voices in the pilgrims' tales. repeated, is seen in the static composition of the For 1001 Nights he mercifully elected to play " For Christians the prophetic preparation of fatal rice bowl which awaits each of its victims in neither the King nor Shahrazad, and thus achiev the Jews leads to a single event, the Incar turn, as they are tracked or panned with on their ed his most significant experiment of the trilogy nation, which is the inauguration of the entrance to the King's khan. Sometimes the in by abolishing them from the narrative altogether. Messianic Kingdom .[...]ims too there vading action is that of violent reality (e.g. the Along with Ali Baba and Aladdin, they receive is just_one Revelation, of the only religion, kidnapping of Zumurrud), sometimes of dream not a mention.[...]ubmission to God; but it was made (the pigeons fluttering in the trap), sometimes of again and again through successive prophets." The decision to dispense with Shahrazad as[...]overt hallucination (Nur's encounter with the The people of the Nights share each other's ex desert[...]perience (many dreams) by being set in a structure[...] |
| Restrictive Trade Practices Legislation and the Film Industry - Part II By ANTONY I. GINNANE In Part 1 of this two-part article, Antony I. Ginnane examined the ownership, attitudes and practices of the Australian film in dustry. He also examined the history of anti-trust legislation in the U.S., and described the legislative changes which were needed to break up the vertically integrated American industry. In this second part, Ginnane examines the British and New Zealand industries, and the measures undertaken there to combat monopolistic practices. He concludes by outlining the development of trade practices legislation in Australia, and suggests ways in which Australian producers and exhibitors may make the new Trade Practices Act work for them. OVERSEA[...]IES -B R IT A IN THE COMMON LAW restraint of trade? They are left at liberty to doctrine' crystallized. A combination of two or APPROACH[...]n each more persons wilfully to injure a man in his trade[...]is unlawful, and if it results in damage to him is Halsbury's Laws o f England2[...]actionable. If the real purpose of the combination contrary to the policy of English common law for The high point of the `all competition is is not to injure another, but to forward or defend any person, or group of persons, to secure the ex ruinous' argument came in 1937 in the Thorne v the trade of those who enter into it, then no wrong ercise of any known trade throughout the country,[...]no action will lie, although and point out that the Crown cannot grant such a Motor Trade Association31case, where the House damage may result to another. Thus most monopoly without statutory authority, except in of Lords unanimously approved the enforcement attempts at monopolization or restraint of trade, certain cases. The right of the Crown was further of group price fixing agreements against members which are usually motivated by hope of business lim ited and defined by the S tatute of and non-members of the association alike by gain, were preserv[...]s26. means of a system of secret `courts', collective[...]s and fines. The highwater mark of laissez-faire -- the en In North Western Salt Co. Ltd. v Electrolytic[...]forceability of contracts in restraint of trade -- Alkali Co. (1912)27 it was noted that at common Similarly, in the notorious Mogul Steamship occurred in Nordenfelt v Maxim Nordenfelt Guns law an agreem[...]ng Co v McGregor, Gow and Co. (1892)32, where the and Ammunition Co (1894)35, where the the control of a trade or industry to pass into the defendant shipping lines combined to secure the reasonableness, in reference to the interests of the hands of an individual or group of individuals, it carrying-trade out of Hankow for themselves ex parties concerned and the public, was held to creates a monopoly calculated to injure the public clusively (by regulating freight charges; granting justify contracts in restraint of trade. by increasing prices unreasonably.[...]y rebates to shippers who dealt only with The burden of proving the unreasonableness Although sixteenth century cases upheld the their group members; and by refusing to deal with lay with the individual alleging it, and as Walker36 anti-mon[...]represented competing shipowners), notes in Australian Monopoly Law, the interests Reynolds28 stated that three inseparable incidents the House of Lords held that their conduct gave of the public were rarely considered. of monopoly were: increase of prices; the rise to no cause for action on conspiracy charges. deterioriation of quality; and the tendency to[...]unemployment among artificers -- a In spite of the fact that McGregor, Gow and general laissez-faire had, however, prevailed by Co., had sent numbers of its ships to the port to It would thus seem inevitable that the common the nineteenth century. Even in Mitchell v undercut the plaintiffs ship, there was nothing un law's fa[...]eir object to monopolize tf or protect the public interest, would precipitate cumstances in which a contract in partial, but not Hankow trade, and the methods used were neithti some legislative intervention as the number of general, restraint of trade could be valid. unlawful intimidat[...]A refusal restrictive practices grew. The courts' withdrawal from economic regula to decide between fair and unfair competition is In 1948, the British House of Commons passed tion can be noted in Hearn v Griffin (1815)30, in enunciated by the court. - the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices (Inquiry which two coach proprietors agreed to charge the and Control) Act with three main purposes. The same prices to passengers, a stipulation which i[...]efine conditions, `monopoly con was claimed was "in restraint of competition in a should deem it to be a misfortune if we were to ditions', to which the machinery of the Act was to trade which is so conducive to the interest of the attempt to proscribe for the business world how be applied, when, "in the opinion of the Board of public'', and consequently void. honest and peaceable trade was to be carried on in Trade the conditions di<vor might prevail in any[...]such illegal elements as I have department of trade or industry as regards the Rejecting the argument, Lord Ellenborough mentioned exi[...]mented: " How can you contend that it is a of judicial `reasonableness', or of `normal prices', 116 -- Cinema Papers, July-A[...]In Sorrel v Smith (1925)33 the `conspiracy |
| [...]RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES LEGISLATION AND THE FILM INDUSTRY PART II supply, processing or export of goods of any the practice for the barring clause frequently to in rise to divestiture in the U.S. was not present in description" . clude a statement that the cinema is entitled to[...]play first-run in a particular area and that other theater booking in the U.S. had produced con The second was to institute a commission -- c[...]flicting results, and the Commission considered it originally known as the Monopolies and Restric though not playing before it may play con tive Practices Commission (now the Monopolies currently." 38[...]was not in a position to determine which in Commission) -- to investigate and report on[...]terpretation of these results was correct. monopoly conditions and the practices resulting There have been some changes in the British ex from, or designed to maintain them. hibition field since then, but only to the extent of The Commission, therefore, set its face against[...]revised ownership of the chains and not to the a radical revamping of the British industry, The third purpose of the Act was to provide appearance of new competition.[...]ng to patch ,it up from within. It com sanctions in the |
| RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES LEGISLATION AND THE FILM INDUSTRY PART II relationship to distribution suppliers as Fox and the Tribunal is satisfied it substantially lessens[...]Concrete Pipes Ltd (1971)31, held the entire Act to Rank have in Australia. competition -- was[...]as virtually no feature Film out However, the basic dichotomy of the Barwick tunity. put, and there are no incentives for either of the scheme -- Le. that list `B' practices are illegal per two majors to invest in local productions. se and list `A' pra[...]ly if they The new Restrictive Trade Practices Act of[...]1971 went little further than the original Act. It THE PRE-BARWICK successfully challenged by the registrar in did no[...]during debate on the Bill. As assented to on problems more exactly, but the inability of the Australian monopolies legislation was initially September 27, 1966, the Trade Practices Act[...]like its British counterpart: a reaction against the 1965-66 was a watered-down, toothless version laissez-faire attitudes of the common law. As with the `B' practices removed. their behalf limited the usefulness of the Act. (See Walker42 points out, early attempts at[...]*). received rough handling from judges schooled in The purpose of the Trade Practices Act, as common law traditions. In 1906, Federal parlia stated in the preamble, was "to preserve competi The whole structure of the film distribution and ment passed the Australian Industries Preserva tion in Australian trade and commerce to the ex exhibition duopoly was considered by the Tariff tion Act, an anti-trust enactment that resembled tent required by the public interest." ** Board in its recent inquiry into the Motion Pic the Sherman Act in all but one clause. It forbade[...]ture and Television Industry52, and the Board contracts and combinations made with "intent to The restriction of competition, however, is not recommended assistance needed for the produc restrain trade to the detriment of the public" , and paramount: the Act is also subject to the public in tion of Australian programs. During the inquiry monopolization "with intent to control, to the terest requirement and thus may be modifie[...]evidence was heard from all sections of the in detriment of the public" , the supply or price of time to time. The task of the Trade Practices dustry, and the Board's findings were presented to any part of commerce. The public detriment ele Tribunal set up by the Act was to work out a case- Cabinet in September 1973. ment allowed the courts to inject into the by-case accommodation of the values to be statutory structure the laissez-faire standards of preserved by competition, and the values compris The Board recommended that some divestiture British courts of the nineteenth century. In Hud- ing the notion of public interest. of present-day cinema ownership be made. It also da[...]urged that the present concentration of control 8 of the Act purported to regulate anti The main sections of'the Act deal with the within the industry be reduced -- specifically, the competitive conduct by corporations in both inter following:[...]dominance of the prime exhibition outlets by the state and intrastate trade, and that such conduc[...]Union, Village and Hoyts groups -- and exceeded the Commonwealth's power to legislate (a) Five categories of examinable agreements, the necessary measure of competition be created with respect to corporations. some of which must be registered with the by providing a greater number of suitable alter Commissioner of Trade Practices and all of Then came the Coal Vend appeal in 191041. The which are subject to examination by the native outlets. prosecution claimed that the defendant mining Trade Practices T[...]may The Board believed that once the exhibition sec companies had combined with intent to either declare them to be contrary to the public restrain or to monopolize interstate coal[...]tor of the industry was restructured, "the normal the detriment of the public. The defendant ac[...]interplay of market forces will provide the counted for 92 to-98 per cent of the local supply, (b) Four classes of examinable practices, none necessary guarantee of equal opportunity for all and their activities encompassed all the exclusive of which are registerable, and all of which films on the basis of their box-office merits with dealing, profit sha[...]ties we are familiar may be examined by the Tribunal to deter little or no government intervention"53. The Board with in the film industry. mine whether they are contrary to the also recommended measures involving the[...]divestiture of shareholding interests by certain In the High Court, Mr Justice Isaacs found all[...]parties, to ensure that horizontal and vertical in charges proved, citing unreasonable price in (c) Two substantive offences -- collu[...]tegration within the industry was sufficiently creases and restrictions of choice to the public tendering and collusive biddi[...]hich dominate the marketing of films in Australia. (broadly speaking) are not subject to The Full High Court, however, reversed the registration or examination by the Tribunal It further recommended a limitation on the decision in a much-criticized judgment which[...]total number of exhibition outlets held by one sounded the familiar cry of the evils of com[...]person or company in certain key areas, and that petition. The examinable agreements include those limitations be placed on the ownership and con which contain restrictions on the freedom to trol of exhibition companies. A divorcement The court maintained that the public interest produce (i.e. output), deal and zone. The ex reco[...]which favorable treatment from a supplier to the disad throu[...]t would occur if competition was vantage of his competitors; full-line forcing;[...]-- a recommendation deemed necessary to allowed. The Privy Council approved the Full collective boycotts; and monopoliza[...]prevent preferential treatment of films made by Court judgment for similar reasons. The Act then[...]roducer-distributor-exhibitors. was left largely in disuse until the successful As the Act stood it was of little value to in prosecution almost 50 years later, in the Redfern dependent cinema operators. Appendix G shows Aware of the constitutional uncertainty of the v Dunlop Rubber Australia Ltd (1964)45 case. the fate of one typical complaint. It seems abun Restrictive Trade Practices Act, the Board noted[...]t a large list the possible use of Section 92D of the Broad-, Four Australian states have restrictive trade of prohibited practices should be enacted: "The casting an[...]ct (1942-72) which practices acts which antedate the 1906 Federal Australian approach" , he says, "rests on the Act46. Like the Federal Statute they have been assumption that all the examinable agreements limits overseas holdings in local companies. largely disused because of "restrictive interpreta and practices are likely to be innocuous in a sub The divestiture and divorcement proposals -- tion by the courts, apathy in government and ig stantial percentage of cases." This is clearly not norance among the people"47. so. He examines and answers affirmatively the which were similar to parts of the US legislation question of whether the Australian economy can -- were intended to reverse the trend towards in THEBARWICKPROPOSALS[...]creased duopolization, and expedite the replace[...]e ment of older cinemas. They were also designed to It[...]provide a better range of films, both local and reaching legislation would be suggested, and the[...]foreign. proposals of the then Attorney-General, Sir Gar He argues[...]vided some basis for a com necessary for the sake of fairness, because the It was left to the new Labor, government to im prehensive new Act48. The law was to be based on case-by-case system presents the injustice of some plement the divorcement and divestiture a case-by-case inter[...]proposals set out in the Tariff Board report. certain specific practices (if registerable) and cer Greater use of absolute prohibitions would give tain other acti[...]price fixing, market sharing ana coercion out of believe that the proposals have been shelved. proposals were desi[...]oluntary their agreements50. registration of agreements, and to reduce to a[...]The Labor government has, however, steered minimum the amount of investigative work. They CONCRETE PIPES[...]through Parliament what has been called in many also applied to vertical as well as horizon[...]quarters the most important piece of legislation tices. This registration scheme was[...]regulating the conduct of business ever to have precedent. Moreover the criterion of `public in been enacted in Australia -- The Trade Practices terest' -- that a practice is only ruled against if An opportunity arose for the McMahon Act of 1974, which fundamentally changes the law government to put teeth into the Trade Practices[...]Act in 1971, when the High Court and the Chief agency, the Trade Practices Commission.[...]The new Act makes the following practices un ** The Act is thus aimed at activities that restrict competition or an abuse of power lawful in most instances: contracts; arrangements[...]or understandings in restraint of trade or com[...] |
| [...]RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES LEGISLATION AND THE FILM INDUSTRY PART II The Commission is empowered to grant sons or classes of persons, or the circumstances in dustrial Court. autho[...]ints to note are that till now no understandings in restraint of trade or commerce[...]ith a second person, ex (other than price fixing of goods, save for joint cept on terms disadvantageous to the second per film ex[...]if it is satisfied that they are likely to result in a[...]restrictive practice, and the time for making substantial benefit to the public, and in ail the cir Further, the exhibitor might allege that such a[...]restrictive agreement, and indeed the whole dis February[...]criminatory basis of distribution -- exhibition ac[...]or or producer would almost certainly Further the Commission has the power to grant tivities as outlined in Part 1 of this article -- qualify for legal assistance from the Australian clearances for:[...]amounts to an offence against Section 46 of the Legal Aid Office,[...]Act, the monopolization provision. This section[...]states that "a corporation that is in a position sub which it considers are not li[...]It is true that in the years since the Tariff Board significant effect on competiti[...]vices shall not take advantage of the power in report there has[...]relation to that market that it has by virtue of be standing within the film industry, in all its sec (b) Exclusive dealing of the type referred to in ing in that position to: tions. However, it may well be that the only way Section 47(2) ^vhich it. considers[...]some of the abuses and excesses practised by dis likely to have the effect of substantially[...]tributors will be eliminated, and the only way the lessening competition in a market for goods petitor in that market or in another market; almost total lack of distributor involvement in and services, and;[...](b) Prevent the entry of a person into that market recourse to the new legislation. (c) Mergers which it considers[...]or into another market; or to have the effect of substantially lessening[...]FOOTNOTES competition in a market for goods and ser[...](c) Deter or prevent a person from engaging in vices.[...]competitive behavior in that market or in 25. 23 Halsbury's Laws of England (2nd ed.), p. 340; Notes (i) to (k).[...]26. F7 Haisbury's Statutes of England* (2nd-ed.); p. 617 * The: distinction between clearance and[...]Commentators on the new Act suggest that in 28: (1711) I P.Wms. 181 the Act does not apply to a particular situation,[...]certain fragmented markets, like the film in 29 (f7 1 1) I P[...]ough dustry, the test of market control may well be far 30. 2 Chitty 407, 408. the Act does apply, the contract or conduct is less than the 25 per cent share of the market 31. (1937) AC 797. justified given all the circumstances. Strong[...]32. (1892) AC 25. remedies are provided for the Act's infringement: clear that Section 46 of the Act has far-reaching 33. (1925) AC 700. pecuniary penalties for contravention of Part IV implications for the independent film producer as 34. See Sykes, E.I, & Glasbeeck, H.J. " Labour Law in Australia" , pp. 334 and (restrictive trade practices); in[...]l be invoked by an enterprising for divestiture of shares and assets; and actions[...]333; and Fleming " Law of Torts" , pp 664-71. for damages for those who h[...]who with the notable exception of Roadshow and 35.[...]BEF have generally refused to become involved in 36. De Q. Walker, G[...]37. Supra fn 20. In addition to the rights granted to the Com many producers from entering the market. 38. Supra fn 20 at p. 15, para 54. mission and the Attorney-General, the Act also[...]Penalties under the new Act are sufficiently 40. ACTT, " Nationalising the Film Industry" , 1973-74. action. This private right makes the new Act a[...]e, J., " Restrictive Trade Practices & Monopolies in New Zealand". potentially powerful weapon in the hands of the affected. For breaches of Part IV of the Act, the 42. Supra fn 36 at p[...]restrictive practices sections discussed, the 43. (1930) 8 CLR[...]penalties are a $50,000 fine per offence for an in 44. A.G. (Cth) v Asso[...]n 48. " Some aspects of Australian proposals for the control of Restrictive Trade tially before him, is an arrangement in restraint of action of his own volition, or lodge a complaint trade out[...]with the Trade Practices Commission or the Practic[...]Attorney-General's Department. The $100,000[...]190. Such an arrangement imposes restrictions in fines r[...]49. Supra fn 36 at p. 289. respect of the terms or conditions subject to which poration of Australia for offences against Part V 50. Supra fn 36 at p. 298. dealing may be engaged in. It also restricts per (the consumer protection sections of the Act) 51. (1971)[...]show the tough line adopted by the Australian In 52. Supra fn I at p[...]West Australian exhibition group. Further the word `independent' in column[...]M97I-2' should be next to Capitol, not Embassy. The ' 1974' column,however,is[...]2. In the fifth paragraph on p. 37 when I state " Prudentia[...]eir interests to Village Theatres" I did not mean the word `forcerT to be[...]used in a strictly literal way. The Capitol could not get product by reason o f the[...]. Village through Roadshow had access to product. The deal has certainly[...]ne for Prudential Theatres and they acquired, a t the[...]time of the deal referred to, a 50 per cent interest in the Swanston Cinema. Appendix G: Ownership of foreign distribution and exhibition combines operating in Australia (Source: ACTT Nationalization Proposal). The Rank Rank Group Holdings Ltd. directors of The Rank Foundation and these shares are in the main shareholding dwarf The Rank Audio Visual Organisation[...]e: R. F. H. Cowen, held by holders of American Organisation's traditional[...]sitory Receipts. activities. In 1970, 75% of The Leak Wharfedale 51 12 12[...]F. Keighley, Joseph McArthur Although the American profits came from Ra[...]Eagle Star, according to The Times Rank, and Lord Netherthorpe. shareholders do not have voting In 1971, 82%, and in 1972 the 11 --14 "It is generally recognised that the 1000, is the 10th largest life Mr. Cowen, who is apparen[...]do have a considerable percentage was 72 %. In cash Radio and Television 28 2 2 leisure industry is one o f the fastest insurance company in this country Lord Rank's son-in-law, is also a influence on the Rank terms, the post tax-profit 2 growing industries in the world and 7th largest non-life insurance director of Church and Chapel Organisation's polic[...]struments, * today: this is a field in which The company. Sir John Davis, R[...] |
| [...]on widened his television experience from a year of classes with the Ensemble Theatre in Sydney, he through parts in Matlock Police, Boney and Ryan; and in the following year he was cast in a major role in a segment of the has had no formal training.[...]Libido. Thompson began acting professionally in 1967 during the In 1974 he played the title role in Tim Burstall's Petersen -- pioneer days of Australian television drama, and appeared in a his first feature film lead. The ensuing publicity made his name a number of series including Skippy, Motel and the long-running household word.Riptide.[...]Since then Thompson has played the lead role in the South In 1969 he played his first film role (which he desc[...]ie Malone for Kingcroft Produc "third heavy from the left") in Girl from Peking. tions. Then, in 1970, he landed the lead role in a new popular televi With the release of Sunday Too Far Away he has achieved a sion series, Spyforce. At the same time he also appeared in status rare among Australian actors, and his appearance in a episodes of Homicide and Division Four for Crawford Produc film can now be a major factor in its box-office performance. tions. In eight years of wide-ranging experience, Thompson has By now[...]perienced the `renaissance' of the Australian film industry. play a natural Australian character on the screen. In the face of the stranglehold American television series had over the The following interview was conducted by Sue Adler an[...]Steve MacLean after the premiere screening of Sunday Too Far recognition. Away at the Sydney Film Festival. Thompson begins by giving In 1970 he was given his first role in a major feature film -- his impressions of some of the directors he has worked with. Ted Kotcheff s Wake in Fright -- which gave him the opportuni ty to work with an experienced[...] |
| [...]JACK THOMPSON My first real film role was in could walk down the street and I sup pose a few people would have looked Wake in Fright. It was a director's at me. But in the eight weeks that I film and Kotcheff was very dynamic was involved with Roadshow and the in the way he directed my perfor promotion of Petersen I couldn't mance.[...]Working with Ken Hannam was equally exciting but in another way. The PR in this country is fantastic. Ken provided an aura of calm We have resources we don't even around the camera and around the recognize. The press and the media scene. That was his dynamic. It[...]saturated the entire population in a to work. In that way Ken was in two-week period. For those two spirati[...]s aggressive as Kotcheff, not as Machiavellian in his manipulation of a performance. Ken employs a different directing[...]fiddle, play sweet tunes to impress people, but the only time you play better is when there is someo[...]ou're just below it." He knows mechanically what the task of acting is. Do you think you have to travel ov[...]ll have to Top: Jack Thompson and Jacki Weaver in Above: Thompson in Sunday Too Far Away. Hannam's leave the country to do it, although I Petersen. A brilliant example of what publici direction was dynamic and inspirational. would like to be given the opportuni ty can do with an actor's image.[...]act in -- for example the machismo decisions about casting. They will Australia, because we've made so Above centre: Petersen, a vulgar gothic hero. Petersen image -- affect the sort of always use someone who has done few films.[...]work you do? that sort of thing well before, so you Above: Thompson in David Baker's segment end up becoming involved in an im In Australia we're not aware of of Libido, The Family Man. It can be changed tomorrow. The age whether you like it or not. cinematic style in practical terms. image is made out of the work you But if you've been making films for[...]I couldn't -- and there are a number of roles would have cast me as a heavy -- in self-consciousness about how long believ[...]and directors, p articularly fact on the first Riptide I was offered[...]producers, are notoriously conser the director wanted to cast me as a The last film I worked on was The popularity happens whether vative when it comes to making heavy, but the producer said: "No, Scobie Malone with Casey Robin you like it or not. The thing to do is[...]he's too p retty ." The director detective film belonging to a[...]be full should be happening." It's either that of the style of that genre. or get out. You can't en[...]you can't control it. Casey was on the set just about all the time, and you were always aware My agent, June Cann, takes a look he was there. But he never got in the at the work opportunities available way. He produced the film in the true and then presents them to me. We've sense of the word, riding it all the sorted out between us what sort of way. He was the critic on matters of work I like to do. She manages me style and[...]doing, working for a living -- not liv Now in Australia, even our wisest ing for my work. filmmaker would have had many qualms about reversing a decision in Do you find that the images the middle of making a film. We generated to promote the films you have to concentrate on keeping a hold[...]Do you think we need co-productions like "Wake in Fright" to help Australian filmmakers develop more expertise? One has to be very careful of co production, though only in one sense: to make sure you're not being ripped[...]is very important. Jesus! Are we going to make the classic colonial error of isolating -ourselves? Do you think that actors in Australia are subjected to the rigors of PR machinery the way they are in places where the film industry and its resources are more fully developed? Petersen was a brilliant example of what publicity can do. It was just un be[...] |
| [...]ve at least made said: " By C hrist! T h a t's the a three or four-hour film. But the character we want for that coast .script had to be cut out of it, and it guard series!" And that's how Spy- was put together with a great deal of force came about. love for the story. It eventually turn So they see you play[...]ainly did honor Australian character with some the original -- but it was two hours veracity and that becomes the attrac long. tive thing.[...]onfining. I've been con minutes. There were a lot of people scious of trying to steer my way out who were involved in the making of of type-casting to a certain extent -- the film who expected it to look a lot at least by trying to play a range of different to the one that was finally characters. But I can't seem to es shown. cape the current filmmakers' preoc cu pation with the p ro letarian Were you one of them? Australian -- which is not necessari ly a preoccupation of mine. Yes; I think that perhaps all the Although, of course, I couldn't cast were. I think they are all pretty have played the Petersen character happy with the film though. without some understanding of what he was into, some understanding of Not many Australian directors seem what he was reacting to and what his to have the final cut. values were. They are not unfamiliar No, the industry isn't rich enough to me in this society. They are, for that. We don'[...]Kubrick, for example, who any Initially, does the saleability of a film number of producers are willing to[...]o have very carefully Film that is involved with the vox controlled film production because populi always appeals to me. I don't we're so aware of the possibility of particularly want to know about making mistakes -- the whole damn anything unless it does have thing[...]be involved Until we learn to write off a few in film regardless of audience, then I films with some sort of dignity, then would involve myself in experimental we're not in a position to have that filmmaking where I could indulge sort of freedom. I don't think we can whatever particular intellectual or write off our failures with any kind of fantastic whims I might have.[...]y because as soon as we have I regard being in films as being in one or two, our tails are between our skill along the way -- supported by But films like "Alvin Pur[...]" Petersen" are commercially there are lots of people selling their happened.[...]ed by our failures and the errors wares -- themselves. To survive, you Let the film have its faults -- let's we're bound to mak[...]nt to survive, you have to not find ourselves in a position where a quid, let them put that into it, revive enormously with the success of be able to sell yourself. Make no we believe the only films worth mak[...]rfect ones -- if we do that What do you think of the general being a success, and in terms of stall is only interested in making we're only fooling ourselves. Nine state of the industry at the moment? financial returns Scobie Malone is money is absolute nonsense -- to say films out of ten don't work anywhere[...]bound to be too. that Tim is not interested in making for anyone. The film industry, along with a lot money is absolut[...]ut of other industries, is experiencing a FILMOGRAPHY in terms of his films, Tim sells what I It's a difficult[...]everyone wants to make the best film climate. I said two years ago when[...]he possible. Peter Whittle was talking the first waves came that I thought is wholeheartedl[...]we only had two years -- and if the Television involved to his fullest extent wh[...]n that 1968 Motel, Silo 15 is doing his job of directing a film. "What are you going to do if the film would be about all we'd have.[...]1970 Homicide, Division 4, The Rovers, Lots of people see the industry as not, the criticism must not come in Kotcheff replied: "What would I do? having floundered on the rocks or Spyforce (regular lead) terms of whether you like what he I would make anot[...]r projects, you must understand make errors on the way, all right -- by the sudden boom and we feel that 1972 Matlock, The Evil Touch, Boney, Behind that what he sees and[...]what for God's sake we're still learning to the waves should be crashing all the he believes people want to see pro make fi[...]time. We have to be able to ride it the Legend, Homicide, Ryan, Line Haul jected. I don'[...]I think Grotowski once said that the beginning and the end of the having worked with Tim, that any the only step worth making in artistic Australian film industry in a two- Matlock, Ryan, Homicide one- of his films is not an honest endeavor is the grand gesture, and year period is panicky and very Stage statement of what he honestly that it should be a w[...]rd and peo 1969 Hamlet (part o f Claudius) for the believes. statement. If you blow it you fall flat ple start saying that the ship is[...]as high and dry as it was. Films rather vulgar in a gothic sort of way. in the public artistic arena. If the If we can't weather the economic 1969 Girl from Peking In fact I think perhaps that is the thing works, then you've made a storm then we're not likely to 1970 Wake in Fright reason Tim does punch people on the significant step in your artistic become viable.[...]1975 Scobie Malone because somewhere, the Petersens -- I must say that the features I've the vulgar gothic heroes -- really are worked on were all grand gestures in their w[...]succeeds or fails -- was a grand A lot of people are hailing "Sunday gesture in that particular area. Now Too Far Away" as one of the best whether a film succeeds or fails is ul Australian films evei made. How do timately of less importance than the you feel about that?[...]it. It probably is. Of course it's not sufficient to be[...]holehearted; a considerable How did you react to the cuts in amount of skill is needed as well. I "Sunday Top Fa[...] |
| THE EXHIBITORS[...] |
| THE EXHIBITORS HOYTS John Mostyn Hoyts Theatres was founded in 1908 by a Melbourne dentist, Dr Arthur H[...]I am not so sure that local Russell, with the renovation of an old hall in Bourke St. Melbourne which he to take all or[...]. producers understand our criteria for called the Hoyts De Luxe Theatre, and the formation of a company called Fox film represents no more than an the purchase of film from any source. Hoyts Pictures. The venture was successful and expanded to Melbourne sub average of approximately 25% of our It must be realised that programm urbs and the city of Sydney by the end of World War 1. gross rece[...]only from programming for television. In 1926, Hoyts Pictures merged with Electric Theatres and J. C. William 11% of our receipts. Cinema programs cannot be impos son's Films, a combine of Sir George Tassis and former projectionist Frank[...]ed on audiences. The television[...]s viewer is virtually locked into the Thring Snr. The new company, Hoyts Theatres Ltd., quickly expande[...]n. within two years built large cinema complexes in four States. We are pleased with the growth of The cinema audience, however,[...]independent distribution outfits in simply will not go to a theater ex In 1932, after heavy buying on the stock market, the Fox Film Corporation this country in the last few years. hibiting a film that they do not want (now Twentieth Century-Fox) became the major shareholder and provided With 7[...]efore, that finance for Hoyts to expand all over Australia. peted successfully for the release of Australian-produced films are com[...]much of their film through us. 7 petitive with the film of other sources During the fifties Hoyts completely re-equipped for CinemaScope, Keys' success has, no doubt, been in standards of technical quality and due in part to its promotions, which general professionalism. Cinerama and 70mm, and, in 1954 began drive-in operations (opening are always uniquely creative and im Australia's first drive-in at Burwood, Victoria). The advent of television, aginative. Additionally, if the industry however, forced Hoyts to rationalise its activities and many of the chain's[...]y, Robert Ward and cannot allow itself the indulgence of[...]total subjectivity. There are certain In the early sixties- Hoyts began a multi-million dollar[...]ce. However all decisions known elements in movies which are replacement program, which is still continuing. With six new theaters in made here about film buying from attractive to audiences and these Melbourne, seven to come in Sydney, two in Perth and three in Adelaide, the distributors are made strictly must be embodied in the product. Hoyts is arguably Australia's best first release chain and a potential goldmine competitively, on the basis of the We are always delighted to work for local[...]quality and saleability of the film with Australian producers in the itself and the terms on which we may provision of information which Exhibition Trends[...]o franchises or might help their judgment of the industr[...]reements. commercial viability of their Hoyts is firmly of the belief that a[...]product, prior to starting the produc large proportion of audience over Theater expenses in our modernis Distributors such as Fox not[...]on process. Unfortunately, few twenty-five years of age has been lost ed com plexes in M elbourne, quently choose to sell to us because take advantage of this facility. to the film industry and must be Adelaide and Perth, and especially in of our marketing and retail expertise. retrieved. With this in mind, and for our old theaters in Sydney -- which This shows up in an attractive gross Trade Practices Act general marketing information, we the Trocadero complex will replace return on their film. have initiated a series of studies by -- are today such that we do not D[...]I totally agree with any legislation University of NSW into patterns sums of profit from film screening. the purpose of which is to eliminate of filmgoing, on a suburb by suburb[...]ducer, just as equally as strongly believe that the and expectations. profita[...]Myers and David Jones are retailers, purpose of this legislation was not to by any measurement of return on not manufacturers. Hoyts have ab correct any injustice by the creation We intend to engage much more current value of assets, or even on solutely no plans of involvement in of new or different injustices. I know heavily in market research than funds invested. In fact takings from production or, in fact, in any opera that Hoyts does not trade unfairly in appears to have previously been the concessions at our theaters often tion[...]any way. Hoyts cannot be considered case in the film industry, and we provide us with our[...]ll have an informed is a reflection largely of the escala became aware of a script with poten other major retailer of consumer and logical reason for every move we tion of costs in a labor-intensive in tial, one which we felt should be goods or services in Australia is a make in future. dustry, which not only directly affect made, we would do everything in our monopoly.[...]ively co-operating our film suppliers by way of substan power to assist the scriptwriter, even It is true that the Twentieth with the W o rk er's Education tially increased[...]exhibit local product. Hoyts and autonomous in Australia, suburban theaters, which are prac[...]tends to prefer Hoyts for the first tically empty these-days except on Twentieth Century-Fox does not We have The True Story of release of Fox product, but this is on Saturday nights. Many of our new attempt to influence our day to day Eskimo Nell in current release, The competitive grounds. theater installations[...]Removalists is about to go and we facilities and the new `mini' Cinema operate on an annual budget which is may be screening Inn of the Damned Our terms for film hire of local 6 we are building in the foyer of the mutually agreed, and that is the con and End Play. This is in addition to products are directly in line with Mid City complex in Melbourne will trol which Fox expects Hoyts to numbers of Australian films which those we pay for fi[...]be similarly equipped. observe. Of course they expect a we have already exhib[...]ividend. We need to ed success. I believe the time has foreign releases. Not only have we[...]already arrived when local producers promoted the fair entry of local film or otherwise -- are hard to find, but significantly deviate from budget in a and their distributors automatically into the market but have encouraged we are continually on the lookout given, area. We neither give, nor as think of us as the logical first choice such entry, often at great[...]tempting to encourage dis tributors to recognise the drawing Hoyts' image, I would agree, has power of an outside supporting an air of `wholesomeness' about it program and we see this[...]high standards of film selection. 124 -- Cinema Papers, J[...] |
| [...]THE EXHIBITORS GREATER UNIOM David W illiam s The Greater Union Organisation's corporate origins lie with three pioneer In the sixties we were basically In a nutshell it is rather similar, companies of film exhibition and production: Spencer's Theatrescope Com engaged in remodelling our old but it will certain[...]ters. Hexagon. ed in 1911 to form Union Theatres Ltd., and its product[...]However, it is now that we are go What sort of a deal exists between[...]ur big building stage. We Golden Harvest and The Movie Com Between 1915 and 1929, Union Theatres built up a network of theaters, are starting triples in Sydney, pany on "The Man From Hong constructing cinemas like the Crystal Palace and the Capitol in Sydney for the Wollongong and Newcastle. We Kon[...]have finished a triple in Brisbane and exclusive screening of films. But the Depression and the necessity to wire for a twin in Canberra, and we are. It's a straight out 50-50 deal. sound hit hard. In fact the market value of Union Theatres' shares on the ex finishing a quad in Adelaide. The last change was completely wiped out and unfrien[...]li step will be a six-theater complex in Many people in the industry are[...]urne. worried about the tendency of quidation.[...]Greater Union Theatres Pty. Ltd. was formed from the ruins. It im Is any consideration[...]16mm facilities, bearing in mind that won't fund a production that couldn'[...]eral Theatres Cor a good number of Australian indepen on conservative film hire estimates, poration, in an effort to stabilize film-buying and to standardize economic dent films are being made in 16mm? recoup its production investment in methods of operation. The outlook, however, remained bleak. Australia. Do you endorse that or do[...]I have very strong feelings on you see the international market In June 1973, Stuart Doyle resigned as chairman of Greater Union and 16mm, because I bel[...]easier to get into than they do? was replaced by the dynamic young accountant Norman B. Rydge. From inferior gauge . . . and 35mm is in January 1938, Greater Union went their own way a[...]ferior to 70mm and so on. I feel a Take The Man From Hong Kong re-establishing the company's credit standing and restoring morale in the first class theatrical presentation[...]olders' fears. Rydge built up a lavish collection of should be in 35mm. That is the Jimmy Wang you have a market theater real estate and ended the Greater Union Organisation's involvement[...]ll. throughout Asia, particularly with in film production with the closing of Cinesound as a feature unit in 1940. , This, of course, can make it a little Golden Harvest hand[...]t Purple, Barry McKenzie and Weird After the war Greater Union continued expanding its interst[...]filmmakers. It is impossible for them Mob are of solely Australian appeal. In 1947 it acquired the Clifford circuit in South Australia, and in the fifties it to get government assistance to[...]out aligned itself with Birch, Carroll and Coyle in Queensland and Ace Theatres blow-up to 35mm. I am thinking of side the Australian market. all the film material that is in the in Western Australia to create a national chain. Vincent Library, some of which Picnic at Hanging Rock could be A splurge of theater remodelling and rebuilding in the late fifties and early Village are now screening in the first big breakthrough. I think it[...]ourne. will be more of an international sixties, coupled with investment in drive-ins, successfully combatted the production, particularly because debilitating effects of TV. At the same time the distribution arm of Greater Tim Burstall recently presented[...]o shorts, one made last year are playing two of the lead roles. I[...]and one made the year before: Three also think -- and I read a lot of buying films from all over the world. Old Friends and The Hot Centre of screenplays--that Cliff G reen's In the sixties, Village Theatres sold an interest in its organization to the World. We are playing both with screenplay is one of the best I have Petersen at the moment, but reaction read. I believe this one has a chance. Greater Union, which is now in a very healthy state and has paid regular[...]ion than a travel film that has But even so the budget will be dividends to its shareholders sin[...]tance overseas. The Theatre Division of Greater "The Man From Hong Kong" was a Union is a new entity, and there has finished The Man From Hong Kong; co-production with[...]'t be impossible to recoup been a big changeover in manpower. Stone has, or will I believe, cover and a corporation called The Movie that $400,000 from the Australian If you look at the Theatre Division, complete production costs; and Company. Is The Movie Company a market. It would only need a box- the controllers of film-buying, adver Greater Union is now a partner in Sydney version of Hexagon? office of about $1.75 million. tising, theaters and mercha[...]There is now a Picnic at Hanging Rock, with the[...]ion at Greater Union; everybody that and, the Australian Film Develop works'at the head of a department ment Corporation (AFDC). BEF w[...]e also being but iPicnic Productions have the developed towards local production: rights for the rest of the world. It will Greater Union made a special deal[...]roughout the Greater Union Organisation. All our people are really involved in this project., We are not knockers of Australian production, in fact we are enthusiastic to find the right subjects.[...] |
| THE EXHIBITORS VILLAGE Graham Burke Village Theatres began operations as an entity in 1954 when Roc Kirby, Greater Union maintaining the third demonstrated this to date with films Bill Spencer and Ted Alexander opened their first drive-in at Croydon, Vic interest that they acquired in the ear as diverse as Alvin Purple, Petersen toria. The Kirby group had operated a circuit of hard top theaters in the for ly sixties. Roadshow, however, has and, more importantly, End Play, ties, but none of the partners had in fact ever seen a drive-in. Initial plans since developed a fu rth er[...]ionship with Greater Union as a cuse Burstall of producing sexist[...]non films, because this is a first-rate The theater was an immediate success and attracted a[...]d further drive-ins at Rowville and Essendon, and in be compared to early Hitchcock or the country at Hamilton, Wangaratta and Stawell, and in Launceston, Roadshow has also stib-distributed even the film Sleuth. Tasmania.[...]and Ace in Queensland and Western The developm ent of a In 1957-58, Village received a major setback as television began to serious A u stralia respectively, in an sophisticated and successful ly affect the suburban drive-ins. However, TV was not introduce[...]overseas selling is vital areas until 1960, and the overall trading of the group, therefore, remained costs. to the success of the Australian satisfactory.[...]reason why Australian films cannot The credit squeeze of the early sixties saw a drying-up of risk capital be successful in the world market. available for expansion, and a general lack of confidence in the film industry For Roadshow, Stork proved an caused by the traumatic effect of the closures of so many suburban theaters. extremely beneficial distribution ex The only limitation is our ability It was at this ti[...]p with Greater Union perience. It showed in practical to produce and sell our product. It is to establish a drive-in theater at Geelong. This partnership proved so[...]lian films. At first television, but probably the best interest in Village Theatres, Greater Union provided an infusion of capital to Roadshow had rejected Stork. potential lies in the theatrical enable a fast expansion into new loca[...]market. Alvin Purple was made as a theaters of the Woodrow circuit were offered to Village, and the Rivoli Twin in four-wall screenings quickly con domestic Au[...]vinced the company of the film's the fact that we have been able to[...]and subsequent distribu achieve good sales in the U.S. and Roadshow was started in 1968 with a few drive-in films and the acquisition tion proved profitable to both Britain, and have prospects for a of the re-issue rights of South Pacific. These films were so successful that Roadshow and Burstall. This gave number of other markets, is en Roadshow was able to obtai[...]r American International Pic Roadshow the encouragement to couraging. Our philosophy at this tures, giving the company access to a continuing line-up of product. enter local production and a deter time in selling overseas is to obtain,[...]uccessful. at all times, an advance of money up Simultaneously, Village increased its theater holdings, and with the com front, because this provides a real in pletion of a twin cinema complex at Double Bay in Sydney, the group was in Hexagon Productions was created[...]to offer producers a viable third circuit release in the two principal 50 per cent between Roadshow on the product concerned. cities. Soon after, with the establishment of a luxury twin complex in Productions and 50 per cent between Brisbane, the network was widened, providing Village with an in[...]David Bilcock. The philosophy of the[...]film production organization. It Warners in any way constitute a[...]ed Alvin Purple, and before monopolization of the market, The seventies will probably see desire to cut c[...]s with a return to neighborhood to take over the American Warner by Alvin Rides Again, The Love position distribution companies. houses and local filmgoing. As distribution in Australia. Epidemic, Australia After Dark and Furtherm ore, the takeover of part of this, drive-ins will probably the recently completed End Play. Warners gave[...]flow of product which enabled a base[...]Tim Burstall is chairman of Hex for expansion into Australian Sex movies will inevitably run The American Film Theater is for agon and Ala[...]ive production. This meant that their race as the public tires of their Roadshow the most exciting director. Complete authority for Roadshow could employ a large feast of the forbidden apple, and it challenge in 1975. lit represents the decisions concerning what the com team of advertising and publicity won't be long before audiences will biggest single investment in our com pany will produce is vested in their people who would be available to go |