Cinema Papers no. 33 July-August 1981 (2025)

OCR

A view that is possible only
through a camera. And then on film.

To create these shots you have to[...]o this is very
much related to your understanding of
how a particular stock will act in a
particular situation.

And you not only have to
understand it but you have t[...]’ve shot, I’ve
calculated that 554 kilometres of film has
gone before my eye.

And the majority of that film has
been 35 mm Eastman Color Negative
film. I think that says something for my
attitude to the stock.”

Don McAlpine[...]

National Film & Vi[...]Y. @539.00 _, ' -’ ’
I P
I Plus $5.00 postage and handling* lFU'U s &PosseSSionsl ........... $ —[...]again snared your on 0 1
production in the abyss of permits and

other location unknowns?

r
I
I
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I[...]_agazine. We bring

the most important aspects of location
shooting to you every month. What the
problems were, how they were solved and
who cut the red tape. We show you how,
‘\ where, when and why.

Send for your subscription today. Your
location manager wi[...]____ I
: H M Please indicate the principal nature of your business, :
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'- -—__m--n---uununul

25 years and you’ve never seen athing he’s done.

Les, what led you into the
sound side of what is, after all,
a visual medium?

In fact I did start in the
visual side of the business — as
an ass1stant projectionist at the
Hoyts 6 ways Theatre, Bondi!
Very glamorous. And I guess,
just by Sitting through so many
mOVies I was intrigued by the
realism of the tracks; how the
director used sound to create
the illusion and build the right
atmosphere, and I wanted to
find out more.

So where did you star[...]ybody who worked in this
industry through the 50s and
60's worked at Supreme. It was
our Film and TV school in
those days, our studio system.
And I was lucky enough to train
for four years under the finest
technician this count[...]th — AC.
Smith. From there I went to
“Skippy" for three years. I did
every episode - 91 of them and
one feature. Then to the States
for a while: then back to Aust-
ralia as sound superv[...]ing.

Still, there must be some
things you listen for, that you
expect to hear on a track?

\Vell. you[...]y seem to think you can
always phone it in later. And
you can. But I feel that the
performance the arti[...]e day. It also saves the
producer money. A couple of
minutes on the set getting the
right atmosphere. effects and

performance can save days lost
in post productio[...]eatures, but what is the
film you’re most proud of, as
far as your own contribution
is concerned?

O[...]fterI
came to Colorfilm in fact. I’m
very proud of ‘Tim’ because
there is not one looped line in[...]had locations in
the surf, at Mascot Airport, in
and out of cars, and it’s all
original material on the day
I was also sound supervisor,
supervised the music score and
made the optical neg when it
was all over.

Any o[...]my best
achievement in the optical
transfer side of the business is
the very first neg that I made
on[...]common knowledge, but
“Picnic” was nominated for a
British Academy Award for

sound.

Is there one movie you can
think of that particularly
impressed you because of its
sound?

\Vhen I was at Universal
they were dubbing the movie
Earthquake: and I enjoyed
gomg over to the theatre and
sitting with Ronny Pierce when
they were doing th[...]t there
were 59 effects reels in those
sequences. And to sit there and
see the Sensurround system
working. it was one of the most
spectacular things I can
remember. It st[...]I understand Colorfilm
did all the release prints for
‘Elephant Man’ in this
country, didn’t that[...]So we
had to do the research on the
configuration of the negative as
far as density, fog levels, cross
cancellation and that sort of
thing. Then print it and process
it and hold it to the control
parameters we’d set.

Do you expect to do more
of these?

Yes I do. I don’t really see us
in the[...]s in the world:
one in Los Angeles, one in
London and one in Munich.
The one in Munich is I
understand producing Dolby
Stereo Porn movies. I’d dearly
love to go and see that!

What can you offer the
film maker here[...]the finest mono—

optical system in the world.
And so do RCA in America.

Why is that?

Because the[...]nt to APA I had the
opportunity to train with Art
for 6 months. He's 80 years old
now and he really is the doyen

of optical recording. In fact, he’s
just been awarded the SMPTE

Samuel L. W’arner Award for
outstanding achievement and
contribution to sound in motion
pictures. I asked Art to put
those cameras together for me
in Los Angeles. It took him 16
weeks, and when those cameras
arrived here they were so well
set up I just put them together
and started running track. I did
not have to do a thing. And now
RCA are using our parameters
for the cameras they’re making
today.

And what does that mean
to the film maker?

It means we can produce a
track for him at least as good as
any he’d get anywhere else in the
world. We tend to look upon

Hollywood and London as
being the centre of the industry,
but our negatives out of here
print as well as any of them.

You must be really busy
now, what’s currently
happening at Colorfilm?

‘Gallipoli’ is ready for
printing now, and coming up
we’ve got: ‘The Best of Friends:
‘Partners,’ ‘Heat Wave’ and
‘Angel Street’ to name just a
few. My persona[...]d negs are fine, we’re
supplying magnetic xfers of
dailies to producers, and I’m
currently building up a very
elaborate sound effects library
Plus, of course, our new preview
room which will be ready in
November. It has suspended
walls and ceilings, big screen
35mm and 16mm projection,
full stereo sound — the lot.[...]u’ve worked
in the States, at Universal.

Yes.

For Disney’s, United
Artists, Allied Artists.

Yes.

You’ve had offers to go
and live and work in America,
what’s stopped you?

Because I’m a fifth
generation Australian and proud
of it. Look, I don’t want to work
anywhere else. The Australian
film industry is as old and
respected as any in the world.
And today it's producing some
of the best films in the world.

And Colorfilm?

Well, of course, the people
make this company My sound
crew is the finest I’ve ever had
and you don’t often get the
chance to work with technicians
like Arthur Cambridge, Maggie
Cardin, Bill Gooley and Roger
Cowland. We’re a team.

We respect each other, and we
love this industry It's as simple
as th[...]

Agfa-Gevaert have just And it doesn’t just offer a Australian laboratories[...]new color negative wide latitude that compensates for So in summary, 311 we can

camera film, available in 16mm andand the will, we’ve got

the creation of any masterpiece. grain that every frame can be _[...]Type 682.
New Gevacolor 682 apprecrated as a work of art in itself. AG FA_G EVAE RT LIMITED

negative camera film. Better still, this new film Head Office, P. O. Box 48,
This film passes even the can be processed without any of the Nunawading, VIC. 3131.

toughest of tests with flying colours problems created by cl[...]8000,

(if you’ll forgive the pun), conditions. And it’s compatible with Sydney 8881444, Bri[...]

Edward Fox
Brian McFarlane

Some Aspects of Australia
Rod Bishop

John Duigan
Interviewed: 22[...]s

Television

News

Nick Herd

The Liberation of Skopje
Eric Fullilove
Production Survey

Edward Fox
Interviewed: 252

The Film and Television Interface

Reviews

Gallipoli
Brian Mc[...]rice Perera. Proof-reading:
Arthur Salton. Design and Layout: Keith Robertson, Meredith Parslow, Andrew[...]pers Pty Ltd.

'Recommended price only.

Articles and Interviews

Government and the Film Industry

Alienation and De-alienation

Octavio Cortazar: Interview

New Products and Processes

Broadcasting and Regulation

The Postman Always Rings Twice

ISSN[...]285
286
287
288
291

Laurence Olivier: Theatre and Cinema
Errol Flynn: The Untold Story

294

Steppi[...]ian Film Commission.
Articles represent the views of their authors and not necessarily those of the editors. While every
care is taken with 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[...]oduced in whole or in part without the permission of the copyright owner. Cinema Papers is
published e[...]Front cover: Robert Grubb, Mel Gibson, Mark Lee and David Argue in Peter Weir’s
Gallipoli.[...]

It was only a few years ago that
inserters of film advertising in‘trade
periodicals started a[...]are not deemed to be
contractual." This arose out of litiga-
tions over cast members being re-
placed between the ads being printed
and the films starting production.

In Australia toda[...]proviso. The two recent
examples are Wall to Wall and We of
the Never Never.

Keith Salvat, director of Private Col-
lection in 1972. was announced as the
director of Wall to Wall, for which he
wrote a screenplay. Salvat did in fact
b[...]oducer
Errol Sullivan have issued statements.

We of the Never Never, the first
feature of Adams Packer Films, started
shooting with John B. Murray as pro-
ducer. Murray was then chief of pro-
duction at Adams Packer. Not long into
the shooting, Murray left the film and
resigned from Adams Packer. His
position as producer was taken by
Greg Tepper, formerly of the Experi-
mental Film Fund and the Victorian
Film Corporation and now general
manager at Adams Packer. Brian
Rosen[...]illion film has only
recently completed shooting, and
executive producer Phillip Adams has
claimed it has the lushness of Gone
With The Wind, though adding wryly it
is Aus[...]he Heart, which he is producing inde—
pendently for Adams Packer.

Igor Auzins‘ We of the Never Never.
recently sub/er! to a change 0/[...]uarantors

W

Motion Picture Guarantors lnc., one
of the major international companies
providing compl[...]has
expanded its operations to include
Australia and New Zealand. Company
chairman Douglas Leiterman, and legal
counsel William Hinkson, came to Aus—
tra[...]scene,” Leiterman said.
“Australian producers and directors
have already established a reputation
for skill, integrity and dedication to their
craft.”

Leiterman, who has been a producer
for 20 years, said producers here are to
be congratulated on avoiding mistakes
being made in other countries of
turning out cheap, carbon-copies of
Hollywood formula films. Leiterman
said Motion Pi[...]rs Inc.
has established an Australian
corporation and is in negotiation with a
number of Australian and New Zealand
producers to provide completion
bonds[...]d,“
Leiterman said. ”We believe the
interests of the producer and his
guarantor are identical, and we pull all
stops to help him come in on-time and
on-budget.”

Part of Motion Picture Guarantors’
service is to provid[...]A 11- time Aussie Champs

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In the May 6 issue of Variety there is
a listing of the “All-time Aussie Rental
Champs". as of January 1, 1981. The

Top 10 gross film rental ea[...]Grease $5,100,000
3. Jaws $4,620,000
4. The Sound of Music $4,437,000
5. The Sting $4,327,000
6. The T[...]er vs Kramer $2,746,000
10. Monty Python‘s
Life of Brian $2,587,000

The top Australian films in the[...]c-
torian Film Corporation, the State Film
Centre and the audio-visual branch of
the Education Department. In explain-
ing the move, the Minister of Educa-
tional Services, Mr Lacy, said,

“The So[...]we provide through three.”

The biggest upshot of the announce-
ment was the threatened strike by
s[...]rvice. Monty Burgess,
assistant general secretary of the
Public Service Association, said,

“We recognize the need for people to

be able to come in from Channel

Nine or Hollywood and assist. We are

saying they don’t need to take the

whole lot out of the Public Service."

Union representatives are continu-
ing to have talks with the Minister in the
hope of avoiding a strike. Meanwhile,
the larger issue of whether amalgama-
tion will benefit film production and film
culture in Victoria is still to be debated.[...]t its first feature, Gallipoli,
has been taken up for distribution by
Paramount Pictures. This will be[...]nces Dates

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The following dates have been set for
the 1981 Milan 44th Session of MIFED:
1. Indian Summer — October 19-25
2. East[...]ober 25-
30
MIFED is a concentrated market-
place for buyers and sellers of feature
films and television programs. Applica-
tion forms will be available from the
marketing and distribution branch of
the Australian Film Commission when
they are rece[...]annes Film Festival prizes
were:
Palme d’or
Man of Iron (Wajda)
Jury Prize
Light Years Away (Tanner)
Best Actress
Isabelle Adjani (Possession and

Quartet)

Best Actor .

Ugo Tognazzi (Tragedy of a Ridicul-
ous Man) ”

Best Screenplay
lstvan Szabo and Peter Dobai
(Mephisto)

Special Jury Tribute
Passione d’amore (Scola)

Prize for Artistic Contribution
Excalibur (Boorman)

Award for Contemporary Cinema
Looks and Smiles (Loach) and Neige
(Berto and Roger)

Best Supporting Actress
Elena Solovei (Th[...]ers) Malou (Meerapfel)

Ecumenical Jury Prize
Man of Iron
The jury was Jacques Deray

(president), Ell[...]ye,

Carlos Diegues, Antonio Gala, Andrei

Petrov and Douglas Slocombe

(messieurs).

Ettore Scola’s Passione d’amore.winner of
the Special Jury Tribute.

United Artists Sold

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United Artists, a subsidiary of the
Transamerica Corporation, has been
sold to the MGM Film Company for
$380 million, of which $250 million was
paid in cash.

According to Rosenfelt, United
Artists and MGM will operate as
separate production companies[...]s (Wayne Moor)
General

Groping (Alexander Proyas and

Salik Silverstein)

Tom Zubrycki's Waterloo,[...]ek in Melbourne

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W

Well-known British humorist and
stage, screen and radio writer Barry
Took will be visiting Melbourne for the
Open Program of the Australian Film
and Television School.

In a round-Australia series of
“pressure-cooker” screen-writing
seminars, To[...]ok started with radio in the 19603,
when he wrote for the celebrated “Take
it From Here" series, and for television
with The Army Game and its sequel,
Bootsie and Snudge. In the mid-19605
he teamed with Marty Feldman and
scripted many top-rating films, radio
and television shows,

After serving as comedy consultant
for commercial stations and the BBC,
including work on shows such as
Father Dear Father, Laugh In and
Monty Python’s Flying Circus, he
joined the BBC[...]ustralian Film
A wards

m
WM

The Australian Film Institute has
announced that the 24th annual
presentation of the AFI/Australian Film
Awards will take place at[...]provide a stimulus to all Aus-
tralian filmmakers and to draw
attention to outstanding achieve-
ments by individuals and teams
involved In the production of Aus-
tralian films".

The Awards presentation is[...]an Film
Commission, which also sponsors the
award for Best Feature Film.
Television viewers throughout Aus-
tralia will be able to see the presenta-
tion of the 1981 awards via an exclusive
live telecast of the event by the national
network (156 stations) of the ABC. The
executive producer will be Ric Birch,
and Jacqui Culliton will be directing the
show. A compere for the presentation
will be announced at a later date.
Screenings, for voting in the feature
film section, are being conducted in
Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney
and Brisbane during June and July.
Final nominees in all categories will be
an[...]val

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The 1981 Melbourne Film Festival
prizes for short films were announced
on the closing night,[...]y (Jackie Raynal)
Second Prize

Amy (Laura Mulvey and Peter

Wollen)

Third Prize

Act of God (Peter Greenaway)
Erwin Rado Prize

Mallacoot[...]he Cat (Timor Hernadi)

Groping (Alexander Proyas and

Salik Silverstein)

House of Flame (Kawamoto

Kihachiro)

New Jersey Nights (V[...]hance, History, Art

Scott)

Animation Award
Down and Out (David Sproxton and
Peter Lord)

(James

Overseas Interest in
Restoration of A ustralian
Films

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According to Ray Edmondson,
director of the National Library of Aus-
tralia’s film section, there is consider-[...]ration work, particularly on the
1927 silent epic For the Term of His
Natural Life. Edmondson claimed this
on his return from the 1981 Confer-
ence of the International Federation of
Film Archives in Rapallo, Italy.

Edmondson said[...]every nation represented at the con-
ference knew of the restoration of For
the Term and of the work being done
by the National Library to find, restore
and preserve early Australian films.

The restoration of the film, he said,
caught their imagination because not
only was the film the longest, most ex-
pensive and one of the most success-
ful made in Australia in the si[...]mission.
Edmondson said,

”The AFC's investment of $68,030

enabled the Library to tint and tone

various sequences in the film as they

were originally, and to add a

soundtrack . . .

“The AFC funds are[...]stment was made
because the AFC believes the work
of the Library's National Film Archive
is important and should be
supported. We are hopeful that the
AFC[...]rough commercial screenings in
the capital cities and on television.“

Dominic Case, who with Glenn Eley
was responsible for preparing the new
print at Colorfi/m Film Laboratories,
reports on how if was done:

Many stages of editorial and labora-
tory work were involved in the recon-
struction of For the Term of His Natural
Life, beginning with the duplication of
nitrate prints onto safety stock, and
ending with a color release print with
optical soundtrack.

The incomplete Australian copy of
the film was supplemented by some
reels of a recently-discovered
American version, stills and out—takes
from other collections. Dupe negative[...]screp-
ancies were found between the two
versions of the film: variations in story-
line, as well as changed names in the
cast and titles.

Nevertheless, historian and film
editor Graham Shirley was able to draw
one c[...]nd missing frames,
stills replaced missing scenes and a
number of new titles were inserted to
clarify the densely-w[...]t the action down to a more
natural speed.

Black and white fine-grain positives
of the two basic versions were cut into
one, and a dupe negative was made
from this. Here, a sligh[...]e image into academy frame.
With various sections of the film shrunk
by different amounts, framing eac[...]ctly was far from straight-
forward.

The tinting and toning in the original
print had, by this time, been lost In
black and white duplication stages. The
original system — printing on dyed
stocks and processing through special
chemical toning baths — is no longer
practicable, and so at Colorfilm I
developed an alternative system[...]the
stock was pre-flashed to simulate the
effect of various base tints, while
normal color grading me[...]o put sepia, neutral or blue tones
into the black and white image.

The color scheme in the original print
seemed to be rather arbitrary and, for
the reconstructed version, it was used
only as a rough guide. Selection of
color was motivated by mood or emo-
tions (red for anger or confrontation);
by situations (green in the bush, sepia
for interior) or to aid continuity (rapid
cutting in[...]tint as the mutineers seize
the captain’s wife, and blue tinting for
the fighting above decks at night).

Music was arranged by the Palm
Court Orchestra from film scores of the
period. After a live, fully-synchronized
perf[...]d, a color
dupe negative made to preserve the

For the Term of His Natural Life, which
has been restored by the National Library of
Australia '5 film section.

The Quarter

tints and tones, and a composite print
was finally made in time for the closing
night of the Melbourne Film Festival.

Australian Film Commission

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Betty Archer

Betty Archer, who for the past three
years has worked as European story
editor for Warner Bros in London, has
been employed as a con[...]ian Film Commission to assist in
advising writers and filmmakers
developing scripts for future
productions.

Before working at Warner Bros,
Archer was story editor and personal
assistant to the European head of
production with United Artists (1972-
77), assistant story editor with Romulus
Film (1971), story analyst and personal
assistant to the managing director with
Avco Embassy Pictures (UK) Limited
(1970), and story analyst and personal
assistant to the European head of
production with Twentieth Century-Fox
Productions[...]dviser.

David Charles Field

The general manager of the AFC,
Joseph Skrzynski, has announced the
appointment of David Charles Field as
director — marketing and distribution.

An Australian, Field was managing
director of Collier Macmillan Pty Ltd.
Cassell Australia Ltd, and has had
considerable experience, nationally
and internationally, in the field of
marketing and distribution. Previously,
he spent five years overseas and
served, among others, as marketing
director (Far East) for McGraw-Hill
Publishers.

Skrzynski said the AFC and the
industry looked forward to benefiting,
not on[...]onal
marketing experience but also from his
depth of knowledge of the related field
of publishing rights, franchising,
development of story properties and
copyright.

Field took up his appointment on
June[...]cer-
director from Ireland. joins OCP Ltd as
film and television producer next
month.

O’Connell work[...]ann, the Irish state-run television
organization, for eight years and his
experience includes a weekly arts
magazine, a comprehensive range of
documentary productions and current
affairs programs, as well as live music
and drama production.

Former executive producer of GOP,
Bob Weis, has left to produce Women
of the Sun, a series of films about
Aboriginal women.

Hoyts
W

Terry Jackman, managing director of
Hoyts Theatres Limited, recently
announced the appointment of Tony
Malone as general sales and market-
ing manager of Hoyts Distribution.

Malone has had extensive experi-
ence in all aspects of the film business.
He joined Columbia Pictures in 1956
and progressed through bookings and
sales to become director of advertising
and publicity.

In 1977, Malone moved to United
Artis[...]ager, was
appointed general sales manager in
1979 and general manager in 1980. *

Cinema Pape[...]

0 Comprehensive filmographies of feature film scriptwriters, directors of photography, composers,
designers, editors and sound recordists

0 Monographs on the work of director Bruce Beresford, producer Matt Carroll and scriptwriter
David Williamson

0 A round-up of films in production in 1981
0 Actor's, technicians and casting agencies
0 An expanded list of services and facilities, including equipment suppliers and marketing services

For further details see tear-out order form.

Director of A Town Like Alice, David Stevens, left, during location filming.
Director of photography, Russell Boyd, is at right.

Poor Man[...]ll or ineptly
executed, which deals with humanism
and Christianity, coming down firmly on
the side of the former but allowing a
place for the latter, can be so airily
dismissed as “soap opera”; and it is
simply impertlnence to claim, with such
abs[...]ive insight
into the late Nevil Shute‘s motives for
writing the original novel.

The review of this program read like
a sounding board for the prejudices
and preconceptions of the reviewer
about television in general, rather than
this program in particular, and ended
up as a vicious and unjustified attack
on the producer [Henry Crawford], a
man who has done more to improve the
standards of television drama in this
country than your elitis[...]recall you
would not print Bert Deling’s review of
Newstront because it did not conform
to your edit[...]own right, with its own traditions, con-
ventions and structures, and that it is
not some form of poor man‘s cinema.

Until that day does come, h[...]ies:

If it is elitist to assess television
drama for its integrity, originality and
credibility, rather than for its Christian
or humanist sentiments, then i am
clearly elitist. And it was elitist of me to
praise these qualities in A Town Like
Alice.

Of course, in a medium that
measures success in terms of a mass
audience, “elitism“ is a dreaded slur.[...]ogrammers tend to fall
into another trap — that of trying con—
stantly to please the mass audience[...]y patronizing approach is, I
suspect, responsible for many missed
opportunities.

In particular, it seems to have been
responsible for some of the weak-
nesses of A Town Like Alice, though

not the chief weakness which, as I
argued in my review, sprang from the
structure of Nevil Shute’s novel.

i agree that television d[...]cinema”. The point i was
making was that series and serials are
different forms of television drama, with
their own ”traditions, conventions and
structure” (aside from the common
structure imp[...]Editor replies:

As David Stevens implies a lack of
editorial control in printing Jill Kitson’s
review of A Town Like Alice as written,
several points need[...]to review Water
Under The Bridge, The Last Outlaw
and A Town Like Alice in October
1980, long before sh[...]t television mini-series in
general. on the basis of the three pro-
grams under discussion.

Once the[...]bservant reader may
well have noticed that Kitson and l dis-
agree over Jack’s motivations in up-
hol[...]n that
Kitson’s review ”ended up as a vicious
and unjustified attack on the pro-
ducer", i can find no passage even
remotely supporting of such a view.
Kitson’s opinions are considered and, |
suggest, well argued.

Stevens also claims that Kitson, and
Cinema Papers, sees television as
“some form of poor man’s cinema".
Firstly, a careful reading[...]ondly,
Kitson’s views are not necessarily those
of the Editor.

Stevens ends by making a plea for
intelligent debate on television. 1 can
think of no publication in Australia that
has so regularly and conscientiously
pursued that aim.

As to Bert Del[...]t was not printed because it was
more in the form of a production report
than the review we required.[...]lf to be, Bob Ellis, in
his article “The Medium of the Future”
(Cinema Papers, No. 32, p.115), des-
cends to the level of schoolboy debate:
presenting one side only of a somewhat
pointless polemic.

He even seems to s[...]fallacy that ‘serious' films are
made in black and white, while color is
used for ‘trivia’. is this the age-old argu-
ment of ‘art’ versus ‘entertainment’?

Can Ellis[...]color making the difference between
L’Avventura and Zabriskie Point? As
for Bergman, when he uses color it is
for obvious reasons: to be symbolic, as
in Cries and Whispers, or ‘clinical', as
in Autumn Sonata or Scenes from a
Marriage (made for television, by the
way).

The inspired lunacy of Bringing up
Baby would work better in color than
the insipid imitation of Bogdanovich in
black and white. Anyway, if this
supremely eclectic filmmak[...]onsiderable critic-historian — had
deemed black and white a necessary
element of the screwball comedy, he
would have used it, as he did in his For-
dian/Hawksian dramas.

By the way, there was one Road film
in color, and it was at least as good as
the others — and streets ahead (roads
ahead?) of the later black and white at-
tempt to re-live past glories.

Martin[...]on not to film
Raging Bull in color was the spate of
boxing pictures at the time. “We just
wanted to[...]ers to preserve old color films.
With all but one of his films in color,
Scorsese — definitely one of the most
important of contemporary directors —
must believe you can make good films
in that medium. 50 must Altman and
Coppola and Lucas and . . .

Mike Nichols’ preference for long
takes would be there in black and white
one feels sure. This is a question of
style, not cinematography. Soggy senti-
ments and some implausible argu—
ments seep from Ellis' m[...]9605 can hardly be attributed to a
smaller screen and a black and white
image. Rather, it was the fact that it was
cheaper and more comfortable in one's
own living room. In any[...]re receiving color televi-
sion in the 19605.

As for A Man and a Woman, it hardly
qualifies as a black and white film. Nor
does If, into which they inserted[...]dn't
get enough light to film the abbey in
color. And you can’t really call
Newstront black and white either —
even if its best sequences were in black
and white.

Would Ellis honestly countenance
the loss of the Yellow Brick Road magic
of The Wizard of Oz (or does he count
that as a black and white film because
of the opening and closing bits)? Would
he deny us the ”sunless remembered
look of a surrealist painting" (as Farber
has it) of The Quiet Man? Does he truly
prefer the portentousness of High Noon
to the epic grandeur of The Searchers?
Would An American in Paris be the[...](About silent films, they were as
seldom in black and white as they were
completely ‘silent'.) What about the
colorful childlike fun of The Crimson
Pirate or Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood;[...]Gordon.
Superman or Popeye; the exquisite
beauty of Dersu Uzala (and so much of
Japanese cinema); the restrained
impressionist charm of the French
cinema; the sensual exciting heart of

Surely what mat[...]well the cinematography serves
the script? Ellis, of all people, should
subscribe to that. It is good[...]con-
straints, but let us not fall into the trap
of supposing something superior to
something else by virtue of one ele-
ment alone. Are oils ‘better’ than w[...]this letter from my old
antagonist, collaborator and creditor
Denny Lawrence an honest difference
of opinion. He has correctly pointed out
some of the several exceptions to my
contention that, as a rule,_ black and
white is a better narrative, dramatic,
tragic, expository, comic and
fantastical medium than color,
because, in Satyaj[...]g one:
to wit, color is always the better
medium, and that, ergo, Citizen Kane,
Wild Strawberries and Casablanca
would have been better films in color.[...]Popeye, Superman,
The Crimson Pirate, Robin Hood and
The Wizard of Oz). It is certainly an
arguable contention that children, and
adults remembering childhood, prefer
to do it in the vivid and joyful colors of
the original comics and storybooks. I
grant him two bob each way on the
musicals (which appeal to the same
childhood sense of joy), three to two on
the women’s films, like A Man and a
Woman, Gone With the Wind, An Un-
married Woman, Maybe This Time and
so on, because costumes and interior
decoration are very important to
women.[...], comedy has always been more
successful in black and white — most
especially bad comedy (Abbott and
Costello, The Three Stooges, Martin
and Lewis, etc.). Tragedy however, and
epic, and those films most involved with
death, and the hugeness of life (Casa-
blanca, Wild Strawberries, Rashomon,
Jules and Jim, Citizen Kane, Julius
Caesar, the Russian Hamlet, the
Russian King Lear, and so on) look so
exactly right in black and white that it is
impossible to imagine them in an[...]tral contention that color trivializes
what black and white makes noble.

There are, of course, honourable ex-
ceptions to every rule, and honourable
hybrids of every rule and its opposite
(like It, and Newsfront, and The Wizard
of Oz). But the prevailing rule of the
cinema that color is a must for every
subject and black and white has no
place in the cinema at all is demon-
strably destructive of the cinema, which
is now so like its trivial, free-lunch
cousin color television as to be on the
point of expiring altogether. Cinema
has to be again the special experience
it used to be or it has no future. Part of
that experience, what we call the silver
screen,[...]n all the retro—
spective cinemas in the cities of the
world. And they are not disappointed.

Bob Ellis

Dear Sir,[...]”, No. 32, p. 115)
about color as against black and white
cinema. l have not read anything until
now[...]y experience, though, most
people I know (outside of “cinemato-
graphic circles") would not agree wi[...]ght consider
whethe. it is also a cultural thing, of a
somewhat “elitist" nature, by which
people, like he and I, are “afflicted"?

I found his explanations v[...]iven me some con-
crete ideas, which before were, for me,
hazy and unformulated.

This issue is most impressive alto-
gether - content, format and layout.
I don’t always read Cinema Papers, but[...]m now on if this stan-
dard continues.

Thank you for some entertaining and
informative writing.

Adrian Hann

Back Issues

W
W

Dear Sir,

We are trying to complete our library
of back issues of Cinema Papers. We
are missing issues 4, 6,7 and 8 andof absolute gar-
bagel

ls Bishop asking for reform of the
Creative Development Branch's
method of allocating funds for specific
projects? Or is he perhaps looking for a
public venue to “hard knock" those
who, in his opinion, are the Celluloid
Gods (my expression) of the industry
we see developing before us?

Bishop[...]s he understand the
responsibility, on both sides of the
fence, for making available/receiving
this finance. it is obviously back to play
school and building blocks for him!

While the success of Don McLen-
nan‘s Hard Knocks is admirable, the
end result by no means is justification
for the methods. In the light of what
happened, perhaps McLennan should
have sough[...]Crombie, I believe i was the one
who financed two of his early films (no
Creative Branch in those days) and, if I
remember correctly, Davis Cup and
Solvol Makes You Beautiful were both
very success[...]ob-
viously knows his ABC, so now take
him aside and teach him the rest of the
alphabet.”

Perhaps you might like to work on
my latest scripts: The Bermuda Circle
and 47 Interesting Things to Make With
Ear Wax?

I did indeed finance two of Don’s
earliest films by buying his first projec[...]st-class
working order.

Andrew Rowan

The Making of Mawson
W
W
Dear Sir,

We are making a documentary on Sir
Douglas Mawson and hope one of your
readers may be able to help with
archival material.

We know of the Frank Hurley Ant-
arctic material in the National Film
Archive, Canberra, but are keen to get
hold of other material, particularly film,
on his life and work: his Antarctic
expeditions in 1907, 1910-15, 1928—32;

his involvement with the University of
Adelaide and geological studies in the
Flinders Ranges; his wedding to
Paquita Delprat in 1914; his death in
1958 and his State funeral.

Would anybody with any inform[...]Sir,

I am moved to write so as to make
you aware of a feeling of disgust felt by
myself and others studying drama at
the University of New South Wales.

The past three issues of Cinema
Papers have ali used cheap, sexist and
myth-perpetuating cover photographs.
Since the pu[...]ied in demanding
that a stop be put to this spate of
sickeningly sexist covers. Surely your
marketing[...]s. We believe you can cor-
rect the present trend of your covers
because past covers have been ad-
mirable.

Cinema Papers and the AFC evince a
desire to produce a magazine which
can be a medium for a continuing
national film culture. The effect of ydur
decisions to print the photographs in
Issues 30,31 and 32 is to imply that you
define our film culture as being as sex-
ist and myth-orientated as Hollywood’s.
Well, often thi[...]your past record that you,
as editor, are capable of taking a path
different from merely perpetuating sex-
ism, the myths of perfect screen idols
and cinema as superficial sensual
arousal.

Noric Dil[...]View

W
W

In Cinema Papers No. 32 (pp. 183,
185 and 211), Lesley Stern reviewed
Paul Eddey’s tele-f[...]81 to coincide with a
repeat television screening and
Cinema Papers’ desire to review the
film, albei[...]denda raised questions about the
preceding review and ended by inviting

Letters

readers of Cinema Papers to give their
opinions about the process ofof moral
righteousness? Why do I feel that this
article is setting up a discourse in which
only one view (that of the author) can
be expressed?“ Perhaps it is pr[...]nly if one accepts such
notions as: the existence of ‘scientific
objectivity’; the negativity of authorita-
tive writing and the possibility of
demarcation into clearly separate
areas, “the particularity of an individual
film” and “general considerations
about the cinematic app[...]to write a review" is to presuppose
the existence of some equally definitive
and universally accepted concept of
the function of the act of review. Cer—
tainly this article blithely steamrolls its
way over Lesley Stern’s review of The
Alternative, seemingly unaware that
the function of review might differ from
writer to writer, let alone reader to
reader.

By ignoring the question of ‘function’,
the article is then free to criticize the
review for such ‘sins’ as effacing the
personal identity of the reviewer and
minimizing the power of the viewer.

It is interesting to note that one of the
prime criticisms levelled at this review
is that of pedagogy. This stems from a
distaste for authoritative writing which
abounds in Australia and seems to
have its roots in the notion that to be
authoritative is to ‘teach’, and that ‘to be
taught’ is to be put in a position where
the ‘pupil’ is stripped of ‘individuality’,
enabled to act only in a fas[...]se, why is The Alter-
native review so repugnant? For this
review is directed toward showing how
much such a film ‘puts into place’ and
directs the position from which the
viewer can perceive andof
criticism/review is, “to show the text
[film] as it cannot know itself, to
manifest those conditions of its making
about which it is necessarily silent".[...]ew
to examine how a film works, “in the
context of television drama or in the
context of contemporary Australian
Cinema”, is assuredly to ask questions
of style and/or approach, but to posit
such approaches as pref[...]ning function
would seem to be faintly ludicrous. For
there is no reason to prefer these ap-
proaches a[...]al/subjective
value system that affords no access
and brooks no argument because of its
intensely private and closed nature.

“But rather than turn this into[...]be more productive
to turn the broader questions of ‘func-
tion’ over to the readers. . "

There[...]-old review about a three year-old
film published and used to initiate this
argument?

M. Sarfaty

1. T. Eagleton, Criticism and Ideology,
London, New Left Books. 1976, p.[...]

The award—winning director of Mouth to Mouth talks to Scott Murray
about the disappointments of Dimboola and the anticipated success of
his latest project, Winter of our Dreams, Starring Judy Da vis and Bryan

Brown.

Dimboola
—————O

In r[...]the film was that Jack
Hibberd, the scriptwriter, and I had
different concepts. It would have
been better if someone had either
come in and taken over the
direction and stuck more to Jack’s
concept, or if Jack had released
control and I had done it more to
mine. Understandably, as author of
the original play, he was loath to do
so and we ended up making
compromises.

However, I don’t share some of
the critics’ reservations about the
film. I feel they approached it with
inbuilt expectations and didn’t
allow themselves to accept the
conventions under which it
operated. For example, it was
widely criticised for its theatri-
cality. Certainly, it was larger tha[...]two geriatric buttocks, is
the ancient under-rump of the
world, so to speak —— hence the
Australian passion for steak”, you
can’t have them delivered natural-
istically. I was asking for a height-
ened performance level from the
cast to match the screenplay — the
actors weren’t to blame for any
excess. In fact, I thought there was
a number of excellent perfor-
mances.

Do you think this crit[...]herefore, influence
an audience?

It is a matter of degree. Certain
films from overseas are given such
huge publicity build-ups that they
succeed irrespective of how the
critics react. Most Australian films,
on[...]which have got
good critical receptions overseas,
for example, have almost in-
variably done very well here.

How difficult is it for Australian
filmmakers to experiment?

If you are[...]ell to air the film at overseas
festivals to try and amass a good
critical response before releasing
the film here. This would then point
some of the critics in the right
direction. Also, the pub[...]When you make a film that fails,
you need to try and separate your-
self as a person from the failure of
the film as a whole. As the film’s
director, I rightfully received much
of the blame. Certainly, I made a
number of mistakes and misjudg—
ments which contributed to its
failure[...]you

Lou (Judy Davis), 0 Kings C ross prostitute. and Rob (Bryan Bro wn), an (’J’Jflt‘llt‘al. at Rob's
trendy Sydney home. Jo/m Dutgan '3 Winter of our Dreams.

can’t take a critical drubbing too
personally, otherwise you’ll become
embittered and paranoid fairly
quickly.

Why has it taken three years to do a
film after “Dimboola”?

I tried a number of projects,

some of which I had been preparing
before I was approache[...]y, the scripts were about
political subjects. One of them was
about the ethics of violence as a
political weapon in advanced
Western democracies. It told the
story of a woman who had been
involved with a group like the Red
Army Fraction in Germany, and
who had come to Australia on a
false passport aft[...]er believed in the usefulness or
ethical validity of that sort oftactic
in the particular circumstance of an
affluent Western democracy. Thus,
she was bur[...]d
as immoral, yet which had resulted
in the death of someone she loved.
However, despite this, she was still
searching for an alternative form of
political expression.

That was a project for which I
was unable to get money. I
submitted it to a number of film
bodies and did a great swag of
drafts.

Is there a resistance to making films
a[...]icence by government bodies is
expressed in terms of saying the
film is not “commercially via[...]

Then there[...]only one
large filmmaking centre. In the
US, most of it is in Los Angeles,
though there is a certain amount
done in New York.

Winter of our Dreams
___—__.

What is “Winter of our Dreams”
about?

It is about the relationship of a
prostitute and the owner of a
specialist bookshop, whose lives are
brought together by the suicide of
Lisa, a mutual friend. The book-

Above: The bride ( Natalie Bare) and bridegroom (Bruce Spence) at their wedding reception.
John Duigan's Dimboola. Right: Lou on the streets of Kings Cross. Winter of our Dreams.

when I was developing and
rewriting a number of scripts. In
all, I put up about 20 applications
to various bodies before I got The
Winter of our Dreams accepted.

During this period, you left
Melbourne for Sydney. Why the
move?

I felt I had been living in
Melbourne long enough. I wanted a
change and thought of Sydney
because I like the beach. There are
additional benefits, of course, like
the fact that the laboratories and
most of the equipment-hiring
services are in Sydney. The
locations are also varied and
Sydney is a much more photogenic
city than Melbou[...]r to move to Sydney
because it is more the centre of the

industry . . .

Yes, I probably did. The
Australian Film Commission is up
here, and the New South Wales
Film Corporation has a much
l[...]ke a difference. There are also a
lot more actors and technicians up
here.

228 —- Cinema Papers, Jul[...]),
was a radical student leader in the
late 19605 and Lisa was his girl-
friend during those days.

At the start of the film, Rob
hears that Lisa has committed
suicide and he wonders about the
direction her life took in t[...]ostitute, played by Judy Davis.
Lou had been sort of adopted by
Lisa in the last year of her life, Lisa
seeing in Lou someone who was
following in her footsteps.

The film then follows Rob and
Lou’s relationship and contrasts
their lifestyles. Lou has the diary
tha[...]e
Lou reads it, the more she identifies
with Lisa and the more her
relationship with Rob begins to
para[...]Rob is thus confronted indirectly by
the memories of Lisa and the sort
of person he was 10 years ago.

Winter of our Dreams actually
derived from some of those earlier
scripts. The male character, for
example, is indirectly related to one
of the characters in the script about
terrorism. The[...]ain
female character should die at the

beginning of the film and that her
presence, or rather her death, is the
trigger for events that then take
place.

There seems to be continuity of
characterization in your work.
Some people, for example, will view
Lou in “Winter of our Dreams” as
having a lot of similarities with
Carrie in “Mouth to Mouth”.[...]onal?

They are both outsiders living on
the edge of society, but otherwise
the similarity between them is

solely in terms of how they earn a
living. Carrie was starting to wo[...]Mouth to
Mouth — though that was a small

part of the film’s canvas — and Lou
is a prostitute. So, there is that
occupation[...]quite different.
Carrie had a much stronger sense of
self-preservation and self-
orientation. Lou is more a mosaic
of bits and pieces of behaviour she
has observed in people who have
impressed her. She welds these
elements into an amorphous and
fluctuating whole. Carrie is more
consistent and more directed by her
ambitions. She would end up very

different to Lou, just in terms of the
type of person she is.

In the screenplay of “Winter of our
Dreams”, the social, political and
economic forces have less influence
on the chara[...]nal interaction . . .

Political comment in films and
books can take a variety of forms.
The script I wrote about the
terrorist was[...]g here is
attempting to examine representa-
tives of a generation who were once

allegedly radical, or who once paid
lip-service to radical ideas, and to
see where they have gone. In part,
it is an indictment of educated
middle-class people. Because of
their various advantages, they have
the greatest potential for generating
social change. So, while the ap-
proac[...]ndirect, it is no less
political.

There is a lot of discussion today as
to whether the radicals of the 19605
“sold out” or realized that much of
their energies had been misplaced,

either ideologically or pragmat-[...]ttended the morator-
iums have sold out. The kind of
momentum that a society like ours
has is very difficult for people
within it to assess accurately. It is
hard to detach oneself long enough
to take stock of what one is doing
with one’s life. In a way, the events
of the film cause Rob to do just
this: he is briefly dislocated from
the mainstream of his life and
glimpses its direction. There is a
great diversity of pressures
involved, and it would be too simple
to condemn him out of hand.

With Rob and Gretel, I have
attempted to draw people who
reflect some of the diversity of
influences and pressures that have
occurred in the past 10 years. It is
very important that the audience
likes them and is aware that these
people are complex, sensitive and
committed in their own way. It is
just that their[...]ies towards
Lou. But ifit’s too great, the rest of
the film will collapse.

There is a scene that seems to me to
sum up the tone of the script, and
that is when the 18 year-old girl is
reading an expensive art book in
Rob’s bookshop and she complains
about the price in the hope that he[...]am hoping, in the way
characters have been drawn and the
way they are played, the irony of
this kind of behaviour will be
evident to the audience without it
being too heavily pointed out.
Likewise, the behaviour of Rob and
Gretel is full of ironies.

There are many films that have
been rather unsuccessful in making
really telling criticisms of the
middle class. It is very easy to send
up the middle class and make it
look ridiculous, but I think one is
more[...]ying with
sympathetic characters who exhibit
some of the contradictions and
ironies that we live. An audience
has far more room for personal
examination if you allow it to
engage it[...]me time, it can also
discover weaknesses.

Gretel and Rob have independent
affaires and are open about it. And,
except for a moment of dialogue,
this situation isn’t questioned. How[...]lly.
It has become, in a sense, a pre-
occupation of theirs; it is, for
example, a more important part of
their mental life than anything
political. Elements ofjealousy and
unease still remain, however.

The big difference between Rob
and Gretel is that Gretel is some-
one whose life is fairly successful
and goal-oriented. She is working
as an academic and she likes her
job; she has ambitions which are
be[...]’s rela-
tionship with Lou revives the
memories of the sort of direction
that he could have taken had he
made di[...]when he was
involved with Lisa. Rob has n0w
opted for a different lifestyle, with
its cerebal and rational approach to
the world. But this rests ra[...]al,
intuitive person he can still remem-
ber from university days, and can
still feel inside. And the more Lou
identifies with Lisa, the more Rob

John Dakar:

is confronted by those elements of
his personality he has put in cold
storage.

Towards the end, after Rob has
backed out of his lunch with Lou,
Rob says to Gretel, “I thin[...]reted that as much as a
comment about the dangers of
Gretel and Rob’s relationship —
i.e., of cutting oneself off from
others — as much as it[...]is both. Rob is very much
making a choice to opt for a
continuation of his present life-
style, and to opt for a drier way of
relating to the world. But. he is
obviously hit in the guts by seeing
Lou disintegrating in front of him.
One could equally speculate that he
might, a[...]go somewhere quite different.

The disintegration of Lou is so
strong that one continually expects
her[...]sa’s. . .

Well, it may be. The departing
image of the film ties the general
and particular elements of a major
part ofthe film‘s theme. Lou is seen
allied, or together at any rate. with
this small group of people demon-
strating against uranium. Sh[...]

GOVERNMENT

230 — Cinema Papers, July-Augu[...]n 1970,

federal governments have been look-

ing for an elusive formula to foster a
profitable nationa[...]ll way, from the
relatively non-elitist character of film culture.
Films are also, of course, potential domestic and
export income earners. The preoccupation has
spawned the recommendations of the 1972
Tariff Board Enquiry, the creation of govern-
ment film bodies to administer government
grants and investment, the Peat Marwick
Mitchell Report in 1979, and private invest-
ment incentives through the Incom[...]Government has attempted to saddle the prob-
lems of a high-risk industry, involving continu-
ally increasing film budgets, in a country of
small and dispersed population and with foreign-
dominated distribution/exhibition c[...]ing discontent over the tax
deduction as a method of assistance.

On September 30, 1980, the Prime Min[...]h a one-year, 150 per cent income tax
write—off for investment in Australian films. He
also promised tax exemption of up to 50 per cent
of the original investment. The write-off was to
be allowed in the first year of expenditure. It was
estimated that the concession[...].

In December, the Federal Treasurer, Mr
Howard, and the then Minister for Home
Affairs, Mr Ellicott, issued a joint stateme[...]ey
reiterated that investors would “be eligible for
the write-off in the first year of expenditure”. As
if to allay fears about the risk of investing on the
strength of an election promise, the ministers
said,

“It is hoped that these details will provide a

sound base for investment decisions by

prospective investors . , . pending the enact-
ment of the necessary legislation . . .”

So, it was not surprising that the industry —
primed for the faithful implementation of the
original proposal, but increasingly jittery a[...]m the
original promise by stating that the
owners of the copyright would be
eligible for the 150 per cent write-off
in the year in which t[...]out-face produced an industry
outcry about breach of faith and it was suggested

that some investors would now h[...]ed some
intensive lobbying by the Australian Film and
Television Production Association.

A compromise[...]ment with film producers
between October 1, 1980, and May 27, 1981.
This amendment-to-the-amendment-to-[...]investors in 52 films, involving a total
budget of $45 million.

But the question of’whether it is appropriate
for government to support the industry by giving
high[...]in .1978.

Despite industry pressure at the time for a 100
per cent write-off over a 12-month period,[...]f, but it did draw attention to other tax
schemes for film investment which did not have
the government seal offor investors is to abuse it slightly.”1

A trickle of such tax money found its way to
“legitimate”[...]meaty” schemes
also resulted in a proliferation of “Barrier Reef
box brownies”.

If genuine money was a little tight, Mr
Howard’s announcements in June and
September, 1980, relating to such schemes put
an[...]reaction by the
industry to Howard’s clampdown and an
extremely vocal lobbying group in the AFTPA,
i[...]into Fraser‘s election policy
speech.

In view of the Treasury’s $2 million cost
estimate of the original proposals, it seems that

I.[...]

In justifying the change, Mr Howard said the
generosity of the concessions had led to their

“exploitation” in “unacceptable ways”. Of

major concern was that the concessions would be
used for tax deferral: an investor could commit
funds at the end of a financial year so that if the
film in which he[...]omise reached on June 3, 1981,
was clearly a coup for the film industry and the
legislation, as it stands, will not drastically alter
the situation for most investors attracted by the
original proposal[...]ginal proposal allowing the write-off in the
year of expenditure. Neither will it affect
investors in television and film documentaries,
nor in other productions that can be completed
in one year.

The year-of—marketing write-off will,
however, affect films[...]int that the amendment will
discourage the making of quality films rings
true. So, to an extent, does the converse argu-
ment that the year of marketing deduction will
encourage “quickie” films of dubious merit.

But the fact remains that the fil[...]idized local industry.
The 150 per cent write-off and the tax exemption
on profits offer far more protection than that of
the clothing, footwear and motor vehicle
industries. The concessions are cer[...]er the Income Tax Act.

It is the very generosity of the incentives —— so
it is argued — that co[...]m Corporation’s backing
was desired as a matter of policy — there is now
little need for producers to seek financial
assistance from the g[...]control on produc-
tions, through the involvement of the Austra-
lian Film Commission and the state film
corporations, has been lost.

Presumably some sort of control will exist in
the determination of films that qualify for the
tax concessions, but by whom in Home Affairs it
is not clear.

It is an irony of the incentives that they were

introduced to encourage a national industry and
yet large proportions of budgets may be spent in
procuring imported talent to ensure profitable
overseas sales and so secure the tax-exempt
profits.

ther issues ar[...]ment’s

virtual blessing to minimize their tax

and it is questionable whether this
gels with the muc[...]her
income bracket’s tax problems to the extent of
$130 million a year.

Such questions aside, if there is a need for
taxation incentives in the short term to stimulat[...]omise between the ineffective two-year write-
off and the more outrageous schemes with which
sections o[...]term, but “in the long term, the restructuring of
the distribution/exhibition system in Australia
may obviate the need for such measures . . .”

Senator Ryan’s suggesti[...]Board’s Report in 1973 on Motion
Picture Films and Television Programs. The
Board’s principal recommendations were for:

l. The establishment of an independent statu-
tory body to administer grants and other
financial assistance, and to operate a dis-
tribution network in competitio[...]ng networks;

2. A scheme to reduce concentration of
control by the Hoyts and Greater
Union/Roadshow exhibition chains by
forcing them to sell a proportion of their
cinemas and to remove vertically-inte-
grated distribution and exhibition through
divestiture of shareholding; and

3. A single television program buying agency.

T[...]block booking. This not only lowered the
standard of films shown, she said, but it also put
Australian[...]ed that the states could co-operate in a
strategy for regulation of distribution/exhibi-
tion. She also pointed to va[...]ealth constitutional powers which might be
useful for such regulation.

Presumably, a Labor Government of the
19803 would have been more prepared to take o[...]sial recom-
mendations. Labor‘s former Minister for the
Media, Senator McClelland, recommended to
cab[...]Motion Picture Distributors Association
clearance for a standard form film hire contract
between distributors and exhibitors.Z

he reasons supporting divestiture of

major theatres from chains and

divorcing exhibitors from distribu-

tors is att[...]t

lead in practice to an overwhelming
preference for the Australian product, such films
could at least[...]alleviated to some extent.
Accordingly, the need for big budgets and im-
ported talent would be reduced and so would the
need for financial assistance from the Govern-
ment.

Howe[...]been suggested that reducing
the bargaining power of the exhibition majors
may disproportionately strengthen the market
power of the distributors. They could achieve
this situati[...]lm print
supply according to their own assessment of an
outlet’s revenue.‘

Perhaps the solution is for either government-
subsidized exhibition outlets with specific
national cultural objectives or subsidy of local
films at the box-office. It has been argued[...]to
profit-conscious investors.‘ The legislation for
150 per cent tax write-off plus tax exempt profits
for film investment recently introduced to
federal pa[...]rgument largely
redundant. as shown by the amount of tax
money now available to the film industry. But in
terms of policy, the box—office subsidy may be
preferabl[...]would not discriminate between different classes
of taxpayers — they would not enable the pro-
fess[...].

An appropriate forum where alternative
methods of government assistance to the film
industry could[...]rini.

3. Cinema Papers. January. 1974: “A view of the Tariff
Board Report on Motion Picture Films". Barrett
Hodson.

4. Cinema Papers. April. 1977: "The Case For Subsidy”,
Tom Stacey.

Cinema Papers, Ju[...]

Following the election campaign announce-
ment of the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, of the
proposed concessions on September 30, 1980,
and thejoint announcement ofthe Treasurer and
the Minister for Home Affairs and Environ-
ment, Mr Ellicott, on December 18, 1980,[...]ook the Government until
May 27, 1981, to prepare and introduce the
necessary legislation. With some la[...]th earlier, in response to
enquiries by producers and investors who were
becoming increasingly nervous[...]e Treasurer explained that
the matter was complex and that care was being
taken to frame the concessions so that they
would not be used for tax avoidance. “Tax
avoidance” has become an[...]rapped. The issue surely is whether the
allowance of any particular deduction is con-
sistent with the scheme of the Act or with equity
or with Government policy.[...]ion to mean that, while
going through the motions of fulfilling its
promises, the Government was seeki[...]conces-
sions still available under Division 10B of the
Act, with which Australian film investors have
become familiar over the past two and a half

232 — Cinema Papers, July-August[...]film industry
by rectifying certain uncertainties and anomalies
in Division 10B.

Division 103

he latest amendments have left
largely untouched the scheme of
Division 10B, which permits the
capital cost of acquiring an interest
.. in the copyright in a ce[...]to be written off as a tax deduction
at the rate of 50 per cent per year, commencing
when the film ha[...](so that the
copyright has come into subsistence) and the
copyright interest has been used for the produc-
tion of assessable income.

The amendments to Division 103 (some
additions to Section 124K, and the insertion of
new Sections 124KA and 124WA) are technical
provisions designed to ensure that, particularly
in the case of investing partnerships, where a
deduction is take[...]nder Division 10B.

It remains uncertain (because of the require-
ment in Division 10B that the taxpay[...]come) whether a unit trust
is an appropriate form of organization for
investors wishing to obtain deductions under
Divi[...]st, with the production
company acting as trustee of the film for the
investors, is (apart from tax considerations)
clearly the most convenient and efficient method
of organization, it is a pity that the Government
ha[...]he film is generating foreign income. (It
is fear of this section, not any wish to avoid tax-
able inc[...]monly excluded
investors from receiving any share of a film’s

foreign earnings.) It is a pity that[...]l24Z.

No change has been made to the eligibility of
films for certification as Australian films under
Division 103, nor to the procedure and criteria
for such certification.

It appears that certification under Division
10B is separate from any certification for the
purpose of the new tax concessions, and must be
separately applied for.

The certification provisions of Division 103
are rudimentary and contain some illogicalities.
For instance, the Division clearly contemplates
that[...]regard to some matters — e.g., the owner-
ship of the copyright in the film, which may not
be known until the film has been made.

The former Minister for Home Affairs, Mr
Ellicott, overcame such difficulties with a blend
of liberality, commonsense and a sympathetic
attitude towards the practical needs of film pro-
ducers. It remains to be seen whether t[...]be as constructive.

Despite these uncertainties and the modest
rate of write-off that it offers, Division 10B has
some attractions for investors. There is no pro-
vision in Division 103 for a certificate to be
revoked. So if, as in the pas[...]they stand.

Division 10B is not subject to many of the
limitations and conditions attached to the new
concessions. Thus, there is no restriction on who
may apply for a Division 10B certificate;
Division 10B is not limited to certain categories
of films, nor is it limited to first owners ofcopy-
right; taxpayers obtaining deductions in respect
of capital expenditure under Division 10B are
not sp[...]are they denied tax exemption under Section
23(q) and 23(r) in respect of foreign source
income; and capital expenditure for the purpose
of Division 103 does not have to be “at risk” or[...]rectly” in producing a film in order
to qualify for deductibility.

Investors wishing to rely on Division 10B
should however be aware of the amendments to
Division 3 which also became law on June 24,
1981, and which (with retroactive effect) applied

the expenditure recoupment provisions of
Division 3 to capital expenditure that would
othe[...]restrict film investors from obtaining leverage
for the purpose of Division 10B by financing
their investments with[...]obtained
an “additional benefit”. If the sum of such
additional benefit and the tax that would be
saved by allowance of the deductions exceeds the
amount invested (i.e., in the case of an investor
who is in the 60 per cent tax bracket, if more
than 40 per cent of the investment is financed by
non-repayable loan[...]he investor is not
allowed a deduction in respect of any part ofthe
investment. There is provision for the Commis-
sioner to amend the investor’s asse[...]hing to rely on Division lOB
should also be aware of the new Section
124ZAE, which provides for a taxpayer to elect
that the new concessions shal[...]tions under
Division 10B must take the precaution of
making such an election, even where no applica-
tion has been made to certify the film for the
purpose of the new concessions, because the
investor has no means of preventing such a
certificate from being applied for and issuing
later, in which case the certificate wil[...]ursuant to Section
124ZAB(9) or Section 124ZAC(4) and may
operate to exclude Division 10B unless the
el[...]efore the date the investor lodges his tax
return for the year for which a Division 108
deduction is first available.

The New Concessions
W

he general scheme of the new tax
concessions has received wide
publicity: a 150 per cent deduction
(under a new Division lOBA) for
capital invested in the production of
a certified Australian film, plus tax exemption[...]om the film up to an
amount equal to 50 per cent of such investment.
The limitations on these concess[...]nder Division lOBA, an irrevocable certi-
ficate for a film — i.e., a final certificate under
Sec[...]ntime, a provisional certificate can
be obtained for the reassurance of investors.
However, a provisional certificate ma[...]Minister simply
changing his mind or his policy, and deciding
that he is no longer satisfied?

The same question arises in relation to the
availability of a final certificate. The pre-
condition of obtaining a final certificate is the
same as that for a provisional certificate — i.e.,
the Minister[...]appears that
a separate application must be made for a final
certificate, and as there will inevitably be further
facts for the Minister to consider (e.g,, the
manner in whi[...]that a final certificate will issue as a matter
of course whenever the Minister has granted
(and not revoked) a provisional certificate?

Althoug[...]is
directed to take into account in determining, for
the purpose of certification, whether a film has
or will have significant Australian content are
(save for the addition of “details of the produc-
tion expenditure incurred . . . or . . . budgeted in
respect of the film”) substantially the same
under Division lOBA as under Division 10B,
only certain kinds of film are eligible for cer-
tification for the purpose of the new tax con-
cessions.

Excluded is any film that is wholly or to a sub-
stantial extent

(a) a film for exhibition as an advertising
program or a commercial;

(b) a film for exhibition as a discussion pro-

gram, a panel program, a variety pro-
gram or a program of like nature;
a film of a public event (which includes a
sporting activit[...]the public is normally admitted —
whether free of charge or on payment of a
charge);

(d) a film forming part of a drama program
series that is, or is intended to be, of a con-
tinuing nature; or

(e) a training film.[...]ust be “a film produced wholly or prin-
cipally for exhibition to the public in cinemas or
by way of television broadcasting, being a
feature film or a film of like nature produced for
exhibition by way of television broadcasting, a
documentary or a mini-series of television
drama”. (Section 123ZAA[4].) “Tele[...]by cable.

Note that a film produced principally for dis—
tribution in the form of Videocassettes would not
be eligible.

Will the M[...]-
fined to films produced wholly or principally for
the Australian market.

What is meant by a mini-series of television
drama? How many episodes may a series have,
and still be “mini”?

Will a certificate be obtainable for a pilot film
made for the purpose of obtaining a production
order for a continuing drama series? If so, will
the certif[...]s incorporated in the series?

Does the exclusion of a “drama program
series . . . of a continuing nature” disqualify a
continuing do[...]onditions on which the new 150 per cent
deduction for film investment is available are set
out in Sect[...]expended capital moneys in pro-
ducing, or by way of contribution to the cost of
producing” a certified film.

Section l24ZAA(6[...]to exclude “moneys such as brokerage

(C)

fees for arranging that a group of people join
together to produce a film”. But t[...]to a pro-
ducer ofassembling the finance needed for a film
and the cost of assembling the men and the
materials. Would the Treasurer argue that the
costs of transporting cameras and crew to a
location are not direct costs? A practi[...]it clear to what extent the following categories of
costs will be regarded as direct costs of produc-
tion:

0 The Costs of acquiring underlying rights;

0 The script develo[...]such as in-
curred on research, location surveys and
budget preparation;

Producers’ fees;

Executive producers’ fees;

Film producer’s indemnity and negative
risks insurance;

Errors and omissions insurance;
Completion guarantee fees; and

Legal fees.

If the Commissioner takes a hard line on such
costs, it is clear that a substantial percentage of
the typical film budget will be excluded from the[...]A further question concerns the common
practice of a film producer getting a production
underway by[...]ner contend that the investors’ re-
imbursement of such costs does not constitute
direct expenditure[...](a) a taxpayer has expended capital moneys

y way of contribution to the cost of pro-
ducing a film; and

(b) an amount of moneys has been expended

in producing the film out of moneys that
include the moneys expended by the tax-
payer,

then, for the purposes of this Division (lOBA),
so much of the moneys expended by the tax-
payer as the Comm[...]taxpayers
have contributed towards the production of a
film, to attribute actual expenditure out of the
production account to the contributions ofa p[...]explained why such a
power is needed. The wording of the section,
however, goes far beyond that intent[...]lOBA whenever the investor has
invested by means of contribution to a produc-
tion account from which[...]normal case). What
use will the Commissioner make of Section
123ZAH?

Section 1242A] empowers the Commis-
sioner, in a case where a producer pays for goods
or services supplied by someone with whom t[...]aling, to recognize as expended
only such portion of the payment as the Com—
missioner regards as reasonable. A similar pro-
vision is in Division 108. For all its uncertainty
(there is, surprisingly, scar[...]t appear to have caused practical diffi-
culties for producers and investors.

Concluded on p. 297

Cinema Pa[...]

As a re[...]was this year
replaced by concern about the size and
importance of the crowd on the Carlton
terrace, a favored meeti[...]did turn up were the U.S. majors, as
well as many of the bigger foreign
buyers.

Summarizing the Festi[...]ctor, Robert Chabert, pointed out
that the number of films shown in the
market was 326 -— the same as in 1980.

And while the number of registered
buyers and sellers was down from 2548
to 2100, the amount of business done
seemed comparable with recent years[...]Cannes is still a very large festival. This
year, for example, the daily attendance at
screenings in th[...]eraged
8300. included in that is 3000 odd critics
and journalists. No other festival comes
remotely close to so dense a concentra-
tion of world press. A successful main
event screening ca[...]ia coverage. The
French have long known the value of this,
opening many of the major Festival films
throughout France, durin[...]stival. Overseas distribu-
tors tend to let a lot of this publicity
dissipate with long lead-ups. but this is
often inevitable as many films are only

seen for the first time at Cannes.
Another oft overlooked point is that

Cannes is primarily a festival, and only
secondarily a market. This year, with a
lower market profile, the critical func-
tions of the Festival gained a renewed
prominence. So whil[...]ajor dilemma confronting the
reviewer/journalist. And if one comes
away from the Festival liking only five or
so out of 48 seen, as i did this year, one
inevitably wonde[...]c-
tion process was at fault or whether the
range of films was just poor.

A. Competition
_

Michael Cimino’s epic account of the
Johnson County wars, Heaven’s Gate. is
clea[...]om 219 to
149 minutes, what remains is a shambles
of a reconstruction. Despite that, parts
are brilliant and the film still ranks as a
major American film of recent years.

Cimino is nothing if not a brillia[...]al filmmaker. Even put-
ting aside his themes — and he is one of
few Americans to discuss their society
with any v[...]a
consummate technician. The opening

three shots of The Deer Hunter, for ex-
ample, with the truck sweeping into town,
und[...]ands as a
metaphorical curtain between the values
and ideals of an isolated American
perspective and those of an outside
world, are riveting. And if Cimino does,
like his fellow italian-Americans Francis
Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, slip
too easily into the overwro[...]ated — his characters can
be on the ‘wrong’ and ‘right’ sides
simultaneously — and he resists
caricature, even when dealing in a
cod[...]on), the Harvard
graduate-come-backwater sheriff, and
lrvine (John Hurt), Kristofferson's class-
mate who has taken the path of least
resistance, siding with his class against
the immigrant settlers;

Best of all, though, is Champion
(Christopher Walken), the killer paid by
the landowners to track down and
eliminate cattle thieves, invariably poor
settler[...]y
in the right, but as the landowners press
claim for the settled land, he finds
himself unintentionally sided with the op-
pressors.

The ambiguity of his position, and of
the times, is reflected in his resignation
to a changing moral code that will engulf
him. And in the film’s best scene, he in-
vites the loca[...], Ella
(lsabelle Huppert), to lunch with a couple
of local hunters at his modest timber hut.
The complexities of the scene — Cham-
pion's tentativeness in expressing his
feelings for Ella; the quiet that
frighteningly pre-figures a carnage; the
simple purity of the life of the hunters
compared to prostitution of sex by Ella
and killing by Champion — are beautiful-
ly conveyed in hushed tones and silence.
Inexpressibly touching, it is not the le[...]cellent
scenes: the final battle, with its echoes of
all battles ever fought; the roller-skating
dance; the waltz between Averill and Ella;
the dance at Yale.

Equally, there are many[...]charge into the battle;
the overly-pointed scenes of the land-
owners‘ fiendish scheming) and the
casting is not always appropriate. Hup-
pert is largely unconvincing as the
madame, and Kristofferson is, at times,
at odds with his role[...]h has been unbalanced by
the cutting.

John Hurt, for one, gets second billing
on the credits but is rarely seen, and at
one point (the Harvard graduation) is cut
shor[...]clearly vital
in verbally enunciating the ideals of the
wealthy, educated Americans, ideals that
would decay into the alcoholism of the
conscious-pained lrvine or the racial,
class-motivated sadism of Canton
(brilliantly played by Sam Waterson).

Visually, this sparsity works well, the
camera making much out of neon lights
reflected on greasy road surfaces or run-
ning along the distorting curves of a
chrome fender. Aurally, Mann relies on
an elect[...]ch as Mann‘s extraordinarily
detailed depiction of a safe robbery.

Another excellent film is Bertrand
Blier‘s Beau pere, the story of sexual
attraction between a thirtyish man and
his 14 year-old step-daughter.

The film opens wi[...]lless nightclub. Abruptly, he turns to
the camera and recounts his story. His
live-in companion (“We sailed together in
the same boat for eight years without
anyone parachuting provisions[...]t), but returns to live with Remi.
There, a drama of illicit desire begins:

“She was 14. That‘s the age when a

mirror never stops sending back im-

ages of the most bewitchlng, dazzling

and amazing sort. She had decided to
use my eyes as h[...]ather, after all, is
still a man, like any other, and there
was nothing to stop her from seducing
him. She had decided to make me
melt and then to rule over my downfall.

“Personally, i[...]I've always been riddled

with fine little cracks and the least jolt
makes me cave in.

“80, think of me what you like. Yes,

it’s true, | caved in.”

Clearly, a difficult and delicate subject.
Blier handles it with ferocious honesty
and clarity. Marion's desire to seduce is
matched by Remi's to succumb. It is a
romantic, sensual and, in a sense, in-
evitable attraction. When their moment
of first sexual contact comes, a delicate
kiss after[...]lly prolonged by Blier, it is a
triumphant moment of sensuality. Rarely,
if ever, have l experienced so erotic a se-
quence in cinema.

Flemi and Marion's subsequent atfaire
is the consummation of a desire as valid

1 All quotes written by Blier, from Flemi’s point
of view, and printed in the Beau pere press
book.

as that between people of any age;
it is not the seduction of a minor.
Moralists have continually attacked the[...]in years (one need only notice
how many American and British feminist
writers have decried the 13 year gap be-
tween Prince Charles and Lady Di). Blier,
who has confronted moralists in[...]egrity by
being as explicit as his story demands
(and that is emotional rather than visual),
but not th[...]ways
will.

Andrzej Wajda's L’homme de fer (Man
of Iron), predictable winner of the Palme
d’Or, is a disappointing film. Like s[...]s seemingly sub-
jugated aesthetic considerations for
political expediency.

Taking up the threads of his earlier
Man of Marble, Wajda tells of many
Poles affected by the birth of Solidarity,
from dock workers at Gdansk to jour-
nalists and filmmakers searching for the
values of the new movement and the
political corruption that necessitated its
growth. But instead of devising a
narrative where action determines not[...]cal is-
sues, Wajda has (lazily, i believe) opted
for little more than a Four Corners—style
reportage. Endlessly, he shows people
discussing the problems of Poland and
the possible solutions. it is fictionalized
documentary interviewing, and rather

uninvolving in its one remove from ac-
tu[...]pointing, however,
is Wajda’s unashamed support of
Solidarity. History may, as they say,
forgive him, but a total lack of objectivity
makes for a toneless film. This is doubly
surprising as Waj[...]who has seen the contradictions behind
the ideals of the noble, and highlighted
the virtues of the damned. This lack of
balance has also led to the film having a
slightly out of date look, like that of a six-
month old Nationwide. Although only
comple[...]n it, with
Solidarity already adopting techniques of
its opposition (like suppressing alternate
trade unionism) — just the sort of savage
irony Wajda has delighted in showing up
in[...]tale about
the games played between the powerful
and the subjugated. As Isabelle Adjani is
particularl[...]m,
never looking down on her luck or in dire
need of support, her knowing accep-
tance of social and sexual tyranny, in
return for financial security, is un-
believable.

lvory. as[...]shows
us, as he puts it. the “moral shading” of
characters. He criticizes aspects of per-
sonalities but never damns outright,
challenging an audience's predilection
for quick judgments. in particular,
Maggie Smith’s Lois Heidler, wife of the
boorish “H.J.“ (Alan Bates), is particular-
ly sympathetic, one recognizing much of

Cinema Papers, July-August — 235

oneself and others in her pathetic at-
tempts to preserve her position through
childish game-playing of the type H.P,
demands,

Unfortunately, Smith’s[...]d Maddox Ford). H.J.’s downright
unpleasantness and Adjani’s inap-
propriateness as the girl, Marya, counter
all Ivory's attempts to liven this drama.
And as is the habit in most period films
(this is set among the chic foreigners of
19305 Paris), the set and costume
designers seem determined to swamp
the action in gratuitous demonstrations
of their crafts.

Bernardo Bertolucci’s La tragedia di
un uomo ridicolo (Tragedy of a
Ridiculous Man) is, in the director’s
words. the first film of his “mature
period".

Returning to the much-used Po valley,
Bertolucci tells of a peasant (Ugo
Tognazzi) who has become a wealthy

cheese manufacturer and owner of a
hideous villa which apes the local

architectur[...]t his new binoculars —
given to him by his son, of course). But,
the kidnapping is not all it seems: did, for
example, the son plan it?

While frantically tryi[...]ho shares those Italian cinematic
characteristics of being affected, un-
likeable and ungrateful; a son who rebels
against bourgeois values as much out of
boredom as anything else), he also
wonders if he[...]y.

There are several predictable twists
(instead of being ahead of his audiences,

236 — Cinema Papers, July-Augus[...]), before
everything is ‘resolved‘ in a spate of
Borges-like ambiguities of the kind that
hampered The Spiker’s Strategy.[...]tter as much if the film had

the visual boldness of his best films. But
one product of this ”mature period” is a
strangely hesitant camera. Instead of his
usually spectacular cranes and tracking
shots, there are jerky and meaningless
one metre tilts, or short pans back and

-. 9.- v- m . " I.
M ”~22“.

forth. It is as[...]ritating.

Dusan Makavejev’s Montenegro or
Pigs and Pearls is a virtual re-make of his
preceding Sweet Movie. Again it is the
story of a girl/woman who drifts acci-
dentally into a counter—cultural under-
world, and who, by experiencing its
varied horrors and delights, is forced to
re-evaluate her beliefs be[...]ng
to her previous life, albeit changed.

Instead of a hippie theatre group in
Amsterdam, in Montenegro it is a
Stockholm nightclub for immigrant
Yugoslavians. Through confrontation
with their different cultural, let alone sex-
ual and culinary, habits, Marilyn Jordan
(Susan Anspach)[...]returns home an anarchist, poison-
ing her family and her husband‘s psy-
chiatrist — as if they wer[...]is somehow validates the badly mis-
judged satire of the preceding 97
minutes. Makavejev’s films have often
been saved by his sense of outrage and
the absurd; here, his presentation is as
flaccid as his narrative is repetitious of
earlier, better works.

lstvan Gaal’s Cserepek (Quarantine) is
yet another Hungarian tale of middle-life
crisis. Here, the central character has
stagnated; his feeling for life lost. He
drifts, seemingly irreconcilably, i[...]vice
from friends; professional help by doc-
tors and psychiatrists; even an encounter
with a dying man[...]se.

This dreary film plods through its
catalogue of failed exterior solutions
before hitting on the s[...]Marina Lind/1a]. Per Oscarsson (psychiatrist) and Erland Josephson (husband) in Dusan Maka vejev's Montenegro or Pigs and Pearls.

Isabelle Huppert, as Alphonsine P/essis, and Fernando Rey as her suitor. Maura Bolignini’s L[...]helping/impinging on
others, thus depriving them of their right
to act individually?

B. Divers
_

Mauro Bolognini‘s La dame aux
camelias, already a critical and financial
failure in Europe, is a minor but pleas[...]mas jun. as well as Dumas’ ac-
tual fascination for the courtesan,
Alphonsine Plessis, on whom he bas[...]nt narrative,
which is set in parenthetical codes of the
beginning and closing of Dumas’ play,
works rather well, particularly in the cut
from the death of Alphonsine to its
representation on stage.

The major problem with the film, and it
near ruins it, is the casting of Isabelle
Huppert as Alphonsine. Huppert, an
actre[...]power to subjugate men, in her drive
to rise out of the poverty in which she was
born.

Despite this weakness, the film is
memorable for the exquisiteness of Piero
Tosi’s costumes and the excellent
photography by Ennio Guarnieri. The[...]priest finds himself unable to control his
desire and commits suicide, make the
film an interesting add[...]les Iemmes is his best film in years.
The subject of a rave critique by French
novelist Andre Pieyre d[...]ered

reputation”

In this umpteenth adaptation of the
Robert Louis Stevenson novel, Borow-
czyk has[...]is
clearly at home among the medical bric-
a-brac of the era, and the sets, again
designed by himself, make good use of
period styles while also creating a dark
labyrinth of unknown chambers that
mirrors the human mind.

Th[...]r
Jekyll (Udo Kier) assumes the per-
sonification of Mr Hyde, are cleverly

done. After pouring the[...]controllably,
the water splashing about violently and
the light playing on its discordant surface
contrasting with the blank dimness of the
surrounding room. After a prolonged
submergen[...]orowczyk’s other films —
despite the presence of Marina Pierro,
seen in his Heroines of Evil. The film‘s
tone is also less off-hand than many,
reminding one most of Story of Sin in its

Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill in Arid/26?] Zula wski's Possession.

literal and dramatic coloring.

Jacques Doillon’s La tille[...]s
collapse, signalled by her abrupt leave-
taking of her husband and retreat to the
family home. There, she regresses into a
second childhood, seeing in her love for
her father the possibility of a new, truer
kind of relationship with men.

Unfortunately, the film Is a little too
measured and intense to be dramatically
satisfying, and though Jane Birkin and
Michel Piccoli do much with their
demanding roles, they remain Birkin and
Piccoli. Doillon has not really worked

Klaus Kins/ti, as Sir Stephen. and concubme in Shit/l Terayama's The Fruits of Passion.

with known actors before and he seems
unsure about how to handle them — and,
most importantly, how to submerge their
off-screen personas.

Incest is also the theme of Christian
Braad Thomsen’s documentary, The
One[...]hich looks at the sexual
feelings between parents and their small
children. Thomsen argues that suppres-
sion of this natural desire leads to
fascist aggression.[...]cinating, but Thomsen brushes over it
too quickly for one to be convinced.

Luc Berard’s Plein sud is[...]lead
one to expect.

Patrick Dewaere is Serge, a university
lecturer who goes to Barcelona to give
several classes at the university. Bored
by marriage and the stifling nature of
academia. he turns a chance meeting at
a station[...]. But the escape
proves its own trap, a pennlless and
sexually—spent Serge finding himself
enmeshed i[...]rationality by which he made his career,
he opts for adventure, for the unknown.

The film is a little long but Dewaere is
most engaging when Serge loses grip of
his senses. And Clio Goldsmith. as the
girl he meets, shows fine comic flair and
enough vitality to carry the story through
its le[...]lton’s Tendres cousins is
the least interesting of his three features
— despite a screenplay by Pa[...]a-
tion with adolescent sexuality, particular-
ly of girls, Hamilton has attempted to
make a provincial French farce in the
style of C/ochemer/e. But the result is
resolutely unfunny, a tedious parade
of mistimed slapstick and crude
characterization. Only in the last part,
wh[...]er films seen include Shuji
Terayama's The Fruits of Passion, an
adaptation of Pauline Reage’s Return to
the Chateau, Eric Roh[...]londorff’s sur-
prisingly uninventive The Moral of Ruth
Halbfass, Shohei Imamura’s disap-
pointing Eijanaika, John Boorman‘s
erratically magical Excalibur and
Andrzej Zulawski‘s crazed, hysterical
bu[...]

The groundwork for Stepping Out was laid more than two years before[...]Gennaro had also set
up a nightly drama workshop, and out of those workshops came “Life — Images and
Reflections”, a season of mime and dance performances staged at the Sydney Opera House in
November I 979. _ _

Stepping Out is a record of that theatrical event. I t is also a glimpse of the lives and aspirations

of the people who took part.

One of the things that emerges most clearly from the film is that the residents love Gennaro and
their expressions of affection for him are some of the most moving scenes in the film. Seven
months after the Opera House performances, and shortly after some board members saw an early
cut of Stepping Out, Gennaro was dismissed. No official reason was given.

Two Sunshine residents feature in Stepping Out: Chris Dobbin, who is 3] years old and an
extraordinarily expressive dancer; and Romayne Grace, 21 years old, who provides the film ’5
commentary.

Stepping Out was produced and directed by Chris Noonan — his first independen[...]t Film Australia?

There was only the possibility of
making Stepping Out. but it was by
no means certa[...]because I had a friend who was
working with Aldo. and knew the
play would be performed at the
Opera Hou[...]Cinema Papers, July-A ugust

to the home a number of times and
had always refused. Finally. I

accepted an invit[...]. The performer-viewer role
seemed distant enough for me to
cope with.

I saw Chris Dobbin dance at that
performance and he really got me
interested in the residents as the
subject for a film.

Direclor Chris Noonan (rig/i!) talks wit[...]hat the presence ofthe crew would
do to the event and to the
performers. But on balance he felt

ChrisNoomm

that, because they had never
performed for a mass audience, it
would probably be good to
accustom them to lights and all the
paraphernalia of a shoot. That way
they would not be awed by the
s[...]ecessary
first, then I had to go before the
board of the home and get their
permission. It took a lot of
convincing.

Did you have any problems working
wi[...]ple who see
themselves as “normal” are afraid
of coming in contact with the
mentally handicapped:[...]oting, there
were all sorts ofbarriers between us
and them, but they are such warm
and emotional people they
unconsciously challenged th[...]t. It
involved conquering something in
ourselves, and that was one of the
major rewards of the whole
exercise.

Were there technical problems in
filming the residents? In “Best
Boy”, for example, all Philly wants
to do is look at the camera?

At the beginning, the camera
caused quite a stir and we did have
problems with a couple of people
when we set up the lights. One girl
in par[...]ribly upset
by the effect ofthe light on her eyes
and thought it was affecting her
health. But that was[...]ks,
but before that we had come in one
day a week for three successive
weeks, set up the lights and did a bit
of filming. This was to capture
some of the early rehearsals, and
also to get the cast used to the
equipment.

Anot[...]rticularly between
our two main characters, Chris and
Romayne. They hated the mics.

feeling they were an invasion of
their privacy. Romayne
particularly resented the intrusion
and it put a great distance between
her and us until we realized what
was happening and discarded the
mics.

Why did you select Romayne G[...]he suggested herself: she was
the most articulate of the residents
I met. When I first went to the
ho[...]ly
retarded” . . .

Exactly. There are a number of
people I felt should not have been in
the home. They are there only
because they have been deprived of
the normal training we receive,
which enables us[...]ple in the home should not be
there?

That is one of a number of
themes which are implicit in the
film. But Steppi[...]. It is a commonly-
shared feeling that the value of a
mentally-handicapped person is one
of a living thing, but not ofa human
being.

Gennaro[...]approach to the film was a non-
intellectual one and I had decided
against a commentary. I wanted the[...]e Home.

Stepping Out. Left: from the performance of

5Li/e — Images and Reflections”. Stepping
III.

about Aldo would have created an
intellectual focus at the end of the
film. The film leaves the audience
on a very high emotional level and
to have then put up an institutional
issue would[...]ent were you cashing in
on the International Year of

Disabled Persons in making the
film?

To the ex[...]ard to raise the
budget?

Incredibly hard, except for the
initial contribution from the
Department of Social Security. It
put in $30,000 and for that has the
right to an unlimited number of
prints at cost price and full non-
commercial rights. There were
different deals for the other
contributors.

Cinema Papers, Ju[...]

Unilever and GMH — did not want
rights to the film . . .

No[...]I’ve had
a mixed reaction. Romayne’s
parents, for example, were very
disappointed with the film. I think

they reject a lot of things she says.
Certainly, some members of the
home’s administration felt the

thoughts Ro[...]assumption that I had written what
she had to say and asked her to read
it, which was not true.

On the[...]ped letter. Those three were the

only successes, and they put in
about $1000 each.

Did any of the financial contributors
want to see a script?[...]proposal explaining that there was
no possibility of having a script in
advance, because it was an event
and we could not predict what was
going to happen. I agreed to show
all sponsors, including the board of
the home, the film just before we
approved it for printing.

Naturally, I could not give
anyone edi[...]rol, but I
guaranteed to listen to their
comments and to consider them
before making the final cut. Tha[...]me tried quite a lot.

On what issues?

The board of the home was very
worried about the amount of
affection shown among residents,
and between the residents and
Aldo. One of the board members
commented that the relationship
shown between Aldo and the
residents was an unnatural one.

Essentially, I think, it embar-
rassed them and they put a lot of
pressure on me to delete those
scenes.

Some of the board's comments
were incorporated in the final cut,
but only because we had to cut 10
minutes out of the film.

How do audiences react to the film?[...]the film.
Apparently at the Sydney Opera

Gennaro and residents during rehearsals. Stepping Out.

In[...]lmmaker. He made his first/71m at school, on 16mm and In black and white. Called Could It
FCSPOHSCA Happen Here?, it[...]quite a curiosity. It was screened on television, and its makers
were interviewed for television and written up in newspapers. The Sunday Telegraph, for one,
reflected.“

“It is a sad commentary on[...]olboys, using an

old—fashioned borrowed camera and a budget of $18 7. 35 can pick up third prize at the Sydney

Film Festival. ”

The success of Could it Happen Here? turned Noonan’s aspiratio[...]d to become an art teacher but, at the suggestiOn of producer Joan Long, he
applied for, and got, a job at Film Australia as a production assi[...]ame one oft/refirst intake at the Australian Film and Television School,
joining Phil Noyce, Gill Armstrong and Graham Shirley, among others, for the one-year
“interim ” course.

To what exte[...]you
come down to a much more
realistic assessment of its influence
once it is finished. From the
feedback I’ve had, I think the film
has changed a lot of people’s
perceptions of the mentally
handicapped,

Have you had much reaction to the
film from parents and residents?

240 — Cinema Papers, July-August

What was the AFTS looking for in
that first year?

For people with at least limited
experience in directing who had
shown they were somehow
committed to film.

And what were you looking for?

Confidence, essentially, and that
is exactly what it provided. I was
quite scared of direction, because I
didn’t have enough experience to
know whether the decision I had
made off the top of my head, to
work in film, was going to turn out[...]nt, in
that it was a very intense year, with
each of us making three films and a
number of studio, video programs.

If you had been offered[...]r was a long time to spend
outside the mainstream of the
industry. As it turned out it was
excellent,[...]else. But if the
course had involved three years of
commitment, I am sure I would not
have been interested. On the other
hand, the film school is looking for
different types of people now, with
less emphasis on would-be
direct[...]school libraries — but I threw
myself into it and convinced the
sponsors that they wanted

somethin[...]e me the respect they did. I had
really long hair and must have
made a strange impression. It was a
bit of a surprise to be treated as
someone who knew what[...]proach.

At any rate, while we were
shooting part of the library series at
Sunshine North Tech I had t[...]ee

shop in the area.

What other films stand out of those
you directed at Film Australia?

There was[...]day after the cyclone
hit, Film Australia flew me and a
cameraman up to Darwin. We had
two days in which to shoot a cinema
short, and that had to be released
by the end of the week. In an
extraordinary show of efficiency at
Film Australia, that schedule was
observed. Tony Buckley cut it and I
recorded a personal commentary
for it.

The film was very successful. It
was screened all over the world
within a couple of weeks of release,
mainly because Film Australia gave
it away to everyone.

You also made one ofand it received
very mixed crits. It has a lot offans
and I still have people saying how
much they liked it, but a lot of the
reviews were bad.

I have been quite affected by the
mixed reaction to Cass as most of
my films have had very good press
reaction andand I owe the place a
great deal. Up until I made Cass,
every project was a new challenge
and further extended my abilities.

Cass, the only[...]But after Cass I became involved in
a number of projects in the
developmental stage which fell
th[...]a.

It was a very hard decision. I had
spent most of my life working in
institutions and it was a very secure
existence, with the money coming

Chris Noonan (left) directs Michele Fa wa’on and John Waters in Cass.

in every week. By contrast, I could
not see myself making a decent
living out of independent pro-
duction; the precedents were not
good.

But I was in a situation of being
frustrated and not making films —
and the films I could have been
making were not exciting to me. So
Ijust had to get out and trust fate.

Stepping Out has been sold ext[...]en helped by the fact that it won the competition for "Best TV Program in the
Spirit of International Year of Disabled Persons” at MIFED last year, a bronze award at the New
York International Film and Television Festival, First Prize in the 6th Annual Dance Film
Festival of New York and a Jury Prize at the Oberhausen Short Film Festival Germany.

At the time of this interview, the film looked like returning a small profit, some of which will go
to the Lorna Hodgkinson Suns[...]

At this point, however, a number of things
happened which are revealing of the Australian
film scene. Most of the famous titles and the
work of celebrity stars were found to be lost,
worn-out o[...]305 horror films,
the Jeanette MacDonald musicals and the Oscar
winners were missing from the list. The last of
the Greta Garbo films went off to New Zealand
at the start of this year. That meant that what
was left was not[...]lated by even
the more intrepid repertory cinemas and film
societies. In particular, several hundred ofthese
were the program films of the pre-1935 period
which are virtually unknown for a variety of
reasons.

Film scholarship tends to dismiss these films
as stage—bound and clumsy by comparison to the
better known silent classics which precede them,
or the films of the so-called Golden Years of
Hollywood which follow. Season programming,
to wh[...]eartedly, also encourages this neglect.
The stars and major filmmakers of this period
are not known and no programmer will play to
empty seats a season of the work of, say, Lee
Tracy 0r Sam Hardy, or of a director like
George Hill or Wesley Ruggles.

The result of all this was that when Neil Mac-
Donald and I approached Amalgamated
Distributors in the Hoyt[...]holds the two collections, they were on the point
of destroying the copies to make space. Several
hund[...]ing the duplicating materials are
still available and in as good condition as they
had been 20 years ago when many of the copies
were made, it would cost more than $1000 to
order, print, ship and acquire a new copy of
one of these vintage titles. Such material would
never r[...]ia. That means, ifthese prints
are destroyed, one of, if not, the largest collec-
tions ofthis rare material outside the US. would
go and such material would never again be
available in Australia.

The management of Amalgamated treated us
sympathetically — not on[...]ness to turn a few
hundred thousand dollars worth of film into $42

242 — Cinema Papers, July-August

An ecstatic Ramon Nova/7'0 in
Laughing Bo y.

worth of silver, but also from a genuine interest
inthe past of the film industry. We were allowed
to look at anything we wanted and the destruc-
tion order was cancelled - temporarily at least.

Noel Cislawski, of the NSW Education
Department, took the project seriously and
found us a corner in which to screen. We then
beg[...]one might have expected to be in-
terested. Some of the reactions were amazing,
including astonishmen[...]American films which didn’t expose
the infamies of the CIA.

A repeated response was that we should tell
them when we were running Public Enemy and
Camille. Only a handful were able to appreciate
that these films were a different and possibly
more important part of thejigsaw to the known
and respected titles. Certainly one of the things
which makes these films interesting is[...]eriod.

So, on the copies went — sometimes five and
six a day for two months — more films than the
National Film Theatre gets through a year. The
faint-hearted fell away and the determined sat
there muttering, “Not Franchot Tone and
Madge Evans again!” The survivors had the uni-
que experience of seeing a substantial cross-
section of the program films 0fthe early years of
sound, in quantity, not unlike the way the
habitual filmgoers of the period first saw them
and many of the same reactions were noticed.

One of the most fascinating opportunities was
the discovery of the voices of many people
thought of as silent film stars. Erich von
Stroheim regular[...]ice Wife (Lloyd Bacon, 1930). Betty
Compson, star of many of her husband, James
Cruze’s films like Pony Expr[...], Sam Hardy notices
her provocatively exposed leg and growls,
“Cover that thing up.” Ernest Torrence from
Tolable David and The Covered Wagon proves to
have a ringing delive[...]nth Heaven.

The discovery is Ramon Novarro, star of the
1926 Ben Hur and usually heard only as the
weak romantic interest in the Garbo Marta
Hari. A remarkably full collection of his work
remains, including his first talkie, Dev[...]t as “Gascon”.
The film challenges the limits of the studio’s
sound technique, recording speech and music at
the same time and running two cameras on some
scenes.

More impress[...]varro is an Italian coalminer
playing quarterback for Yale; Daybreak (Jac-
ques Feyder, 1931), an unexp[...]zler adaptation flawed only in an evasive
ending; and The Barbarian (Wood, 1933), with
remarkably torrid scenes with Myrna Loy. Ver-
satile and personable enough to impress in all
these charact[...]ven more interesting are two legendary
casualties of the early sound period who emerge
in a new perspective. John Gilbert was said to
have a voice unsuitable for sound film. However,
in Woods 1929 Way for a Sailor, he is victim
more of awful material written, in part, by
Gilbert’s r[...]same year, has given Gentleman’s
Fate the look and much ofthe pace ofthe best of
the Warner films he was then doing. It also has
the Italian-American setting, the sleazy hotel
decors and mannerisms like the two-shot with
the profile at frame edge. Gilbert and Louis
W'olheim make their scenes together gripping

It is also possible to see the last of Buster
Keaton’s work as a star in the MGM sound
films and it is true that these are only a shad0w
of his great silents. A few of the old routines are
restaged on a smaller scale[...]than talented straight actors like
Gilbert Roland and John Miljan. The story that
he was undermined in favor of the studio’s new
comic, Jimmy Durante, seems un[...]y
Stooge role in both films.

Keaton’s delivery and agility have the
qualities needed to make him a s[...]films available suggest
another plausible reason for his decline. These
titles include the extraordina[...]rst release. There is also an extensive
selection of the work of round-faced, wise-guy
comedian William Haines, now forgotten,
though he was star of the studio’s first talkie.

All these films, li[...]ling, clumsy style despite good
production values and talented collaborators.
This house style is a long way from that of
Paramount which served so well at that studio in
the contemporary films of the Marx Brothers,
Mae West, WC. Fields or Maurice Chevalier.
Their films are still admired and widely cir-
culated. One team did manage to springboard a
career out of the cycle where Keaton faltered —
the Three Sto[...]rington, made by Raoul Walsh, where the
beginning of a faster, more modern style is
becoming evident. This was to develop in the Red
Skelton and, later, Marx Brothers comedies.

The work of the directors is similarly intrigu-
ing. Few cele[...]re are no films by John Ford
or Alfred Hitchcock, and only one inferior Cecil
B. De Mille: his re-made[...]films which give a new
perspective on the range of the programmers
with which he spaced his major wo[...]plot. Midnight Mary (1933) is a faster
prototype of the MGM woman’s film. College
Coach (1933) surp[...]into an attack on football in educa-
tion. Heroes For Sale (1933), though occasional-
ly misjudged, has[...]ad” dragging left-wingers from
the dinner table and running them out of town.
And, of course, Public Enemy has survived.

Warner staffers, notably Michael Curtiz,
Mervyn Le Roy and William Dieterle, are
represented by the lively, earlier co-features and
also by the major works by which they are
remembered, like Dieterle’s Emile Zola and
Curtiz’ Sea Wolf.

However, the discoveries of the batch are by
two little known and misrepresented film-
makers. One is George Hill.[...]Big House (with All Quiet the out-
standing film of the era), he has not become a
celebrity.

In the[...]/lt': Bani
\v/sou NHL] Mars/m Him!
in The Affairs of
Martha. Bot/mu: RIHHI/i/
Rt’uk’tlll m[...]

I understand they showed it in one
cinema in Los Angeles and they have
refused to show it so far in New
York.[...]at it would be much more
commercial than a number of films
that have been released recently . . .

Most people are of that opinion,
including ourselves. When I made
th[...]lm Festival Program.

Paul Newman, Bibi Andersson and Nina van Pal/and! in

Altman ’5 Quintet.

244 - Cinema Papers, J[...]t Altman has made I 7 films in the past
13 years and has developed a cult following
rivalled by few mo[...]man ’5 films
have mostly proved to be the bane of the major
production and distribution companies which
have supported his w[...]led to measure up at
the box-office.

As a result of wariness about the commercial
prospects of two of his most recent films, the
decision was made not to release them publicly
in Australia. The films, Health and Quintet,
have had their only Australian screenings at the
1981 Melbourne Film Festival.

In view of this situation ‘Cinema Papers’
arranged for Robert Altman to be interviewed
by Australian wri[...]obert Altman directs Nina van Pailandt on the set of The
Long Goodbye.

A

head of distribution and he simply
said he didn’t think the film was
going to work and it was his
judgment not to release it.

Do you th[...]olitical? Are they
objecting to the film’s view of
American politics?

I think it’s political with[...]yed the film
was fired; Norman Levy had moved
up and he said, “I don’t like this
film, and we are not going to
release it.” Then, wham, I[...]Frank Barhydt come to you
with a full screenplay for “Health”

No, he came to me with an idea,
a f[...]had more to
do with the background elements.
None of the internal story was
there. Prior to tha[...]

This is the second time you have
done that. It reminded me of the
campaign in “Nashville” . . .

It’s lik[...]ough Nashville
involves a presidential candidate,
and that was a campaign as the
public sees it. In Health, we
parodied the two political
conventions and the way our system
is run. The idea was that the[...]were on. I felt
that would have been a good time
for it, but they didn’t agree with
me.

While you w[...]re really saying in
that film?

That is the basis of the film. I
think it ties in with gambling and
game-playing. You have to put
yourself in jeopard[...]ople in the

film the dogs ate; theyjust sat down
and died.

Given that you create a totally
artificial world in “Quintet”, why
do you go to all the trouble of
filming on location, with the
extraordinary clima[...]n
those climatic problems. It would

Sissy Spacek and Shelley Du val! in Three Women.

game of the same name. There are
actually rules and one can play it

Oh yes, it’s quite a good game.
There are quintet clubs in the US.
and they are now having
tournaments.

What came first — the idea for the
game or the idea for the film?

The film first, but I always had
the idea that there was a game of
the culture, like backgammon,
chess, mahjong, dominoes. I
wanted a game that represented the
culture and that eventually became
the end of the culture. The game
survived longer than the cu[...]cultures.

have cost us a fortune to go on
stages and do that. This set — the
ruins of Expo ’67 — was already
there; so was the weat[...]s below zero, so wejust froze
everything in sight and created our
own Ice Age.

Have there been distrib[...]her
broadly. Fox promoted it, mainly
on the basis of Paul Newman, and
the film was not accepted by the
public or the cr[...]it,
although those who did really liked
it. Most of the public found it tire-
some and dreary; it would have
been better to release it and let it
build its own reputation.

You tried very hard to do that by
preventing too much advance
discussion of the film . . .

Yes. But they treat all the films[...]eleased, again
by Fox, within two or three months
of Quintet, and it had no names in
it. It was a perfectly lovely,[...]t it
didn’t do business in the first four
days, and they pulled it out.

Health was next, and I think it
was on the basis of the failure of
Quintet and A Perfect Couple that
when it came along they were just
glad to get rid ofand in
your films it’s almost as if you are
portra[...]ipt, certainly not mine.
But it’s collaborative and tends to
become incestuous, and you keep
feeding back and forth to each
other. But I produced all the films
and had control of them.

You are known as a director actors
like to[...]o that often the
same people reappear in a number of
your films . . .

That’s true, and it’s not by design
or contract or anything else. I get to
know what the actor’s full range is,
and I can see how he can move into
other areas.

Are[...]don’t have any big dream. I

Allen Garfield and Ronnee Blak/ey in Nashville.

basically concentrated on the two
coasts . . .

I have spent most of my adult life
in Los Angeles or New York, but I
t[...]is no question that you
take your roots with you, and they
certainly form your opinions and
your view of things. I am definitely
a midwestern person, alth[...]t actually lived in that area
since World War 2.

For the past 12 years, when you have
been making films, you have been
involved as producer, director and
writer on almost all of them. I don’t
know of any films you have made
since “M*A*S*H”, in w[...]dn’t have a writing credit on
California Split, and on Nashville I
think Joan Tewksbury had the sole[...]body
crosses over. Popeye was Jules

have no idea of being like John
Boorman who carried the Arthur
le[...]at attracts you to a project? I
have been looking for a common
ingredient in your films and I think
it’s stretching things to find one . .[...]mmediately how to do. It has to
present that kind of challenge. I do
two kinds of films: what I call essay
films, which Health, Nashville and
A Wedding are; and what I call
interior films — Three Women,
Images and, in a way, Quintet.

Except “Quintet” is an a[...]s a little more than an allegory.
Quintet, McCabe and Mrs Miller
and Popeye would fall in the same
category. Th[...]

children, you tend to favor your
least suc[...]pleased ifI had a film that went out
like Grease and made $200 million,
and yet everybody I ran into said,
“That’s the wo[...]depress
me more.

The experience I have with most
of my films is that commercially
they are not very successful, but I
can always find a little pocket of
cult people who seem to like them.

Does lack of commercial success
make it difficult to make fi[...]ease, but

It
.‘n 5‘; 1‘

Julie Christie and Warren Realty in McCabe and Mrs Miller.

different and they are all total in
themselves. There is nothin[...]gain about them. Ifthere are
flaws, that is part of their nature.

Quintet is now starting to surface
in revival areas more, and I think
it’ll probably follow the same
pattern as McCabe and Mrs Miller.
That was also highly unsuccessful
when it was first released and now
everybody talks about it like it was
a great[...]as a masterpiece;
they have short memories.

Most of my films seem to do
that, which pleases me more than
having a big commercial hit. People
rediscover them, and they seem,
eventually, to find an audience.

Doe[...]about it. I am more
interested in an appreciative and
responsive audience, no matter how

246 — Cinem[...]ould be. I think there has to be a
certain amount of struggle in it to
keep you awake, to keep the
adrenalin going. You are fighting
for your life all the time, your
artistic life.

You are playing quite a major role
now as a producer, not only for your
own films but for other people’s as
well. Is that a role you see[...]uing?

I will ifI can; I like it. There are
a lot of films, and there are a lot of
filmmakers, a- lot of material I see
that I think should work. Mainly
it’s the artist, and if I can help that
happen, it’s helping the whole
industry; plus, it’s acceptance for
my films.

Do you see people like yourself, who
work outside the major studios and
put together films that are outside

Fernando Rey and Viltorio Gassman in Quintet.

the distribution mainstream, being
able to survive?

Well, I am surviving and I think
it’s difficult. It’s bad on your ulcer,
but not only will we survive, we are
really the basis of what eventually
becomes the establishment.
Withou[...]the lowest common
denominator. The films I make and
the ones made by most independent
filmmakers are[...]e the most
successful films.

Do you watch a lot of films?

No.

The obvious question, I suppose, is[...]youngster, I’d go to films as often
as I could, and I thought those
things just happened. I didn’t know
there was a director; I don’t even
know the names offor other films?

I am about to do a film in[...]

Hav[...]esigner, Wolf Kruger,
who had worked in Australia for a
long time, felt we were logistically
better off[...]decided I was going to migrate
there.

Popeye and Blulo (Paul Smilh} in Popeye.

think the lowest it could have been
brought in for would have been
about $16 million. We had an
enormous amount of people to
move halfway around the world.
The set[...]ion to
build. We took a long time, we were
at sea and we had boats; everything
was just expensive.

Going back to “Health” and its
parodying of American politics, do
you think of yourself as a political
director, or of your films as
political?

No, but I certainly hav[...]ng when I

supposed to be subtle in any way.

One of the complaints about
Health was that there was so[...]sound system or the acoustics
aren’t very good, and it’ll drive
people crazy.

In a number ofof the first
things I try to determine is where I
am[...]is different from words, sound

It’s a pity for the Australian film
industry that you didn’t . . .

I’d probably be running a shoe-
repair shop.

One of the things that hits someone
coming from Australia is the sheer
expense of making American films.
“Popeye” cost about $20 million,
and in a country where feature films
are being made for about $1 million
each, that seems an awful lot of
money. Is there some way of
breaking out of that and making
good films?

In the first place you have the
unions and in the second place you

have the basic cost. It’s escalating
everywhere in the world andand most of myfilms don’t. I
really didn’t have control of the
purse strings on Popeye, although I

make a film is trying to show my
view of a certain subject or genre. I
try to express my view of politics
and, by politics I mean
government, our social laws,[...]e
culture that I live in.

Watching “Quintet” and “Health”,
it struck me you have moved away
from the technique a lot of people
associate with you, where you have a
large number of overlapping
conversations and a soundtrack that
is very complex. That doesn’t[...]t
not Quintet. Quintet to me was like
a fairytale and it was very stylized
in its language. All the act[...]ican. We
purposely did that; it wasn’t

effects and noise. It attacks a
different sense. So even if I[...]so that the
film is shot with the idea ofthe kind
of rhythms going to accompany it.

In the case of A Perfect Couple
and Nashville, where we used music
that was performed during the film,
it is part of a plot. It is part of the
behaviour of the characters. It is
part of what the film is about, and
yet it also calls for an additional
emotional response from the
audience.

Where did you find the Steinettes
for “Health”?

I found them busking on the
streets of New York. It’s very
exciting to see somebody that
everybody overlooks. Most of the
casting offices in Hollywood are

closed door[...]into the studios because there is an
armed guard. And there is just a
whole world of buskers and street
performers out there. We found
clowns and mimes and jugglers and
fire-eaters, and they were
marvellous. Why not take
advantage ofth[...]cheerleader
or a Hollywood starlet.

That is one of the most striking
things about your films compared
with mainstream Hollywood films
— the lack of pretty people in the
conventional sense . . .

Ca[...]e the
ones that ultimately put the thing
together and deliver the message or
emotion or whatever it is, and I
consider that most of my creative
work is finished by the time I finish
casting.

What would you like your films to
be remembered for?

Just what they are. I don’t think
any of them are important, and I
think it’s minor art, if it is art. I
don’t think any of them will mean
much in 20 years.

Do you think that’s the nature of
film?

Our technology is such that ‘1
don’t[...]s like
Rembrandt, we are talking about
techniques and things that we
admire, but we really admire them
for different reasons today than
they were admired for at the time,
and even so that’s a short period of
time. We are talking about 400 or
500 years. I think it’s more like —
and I am satisfied with this — it’s
like building sand castles. You go
down to the beach and get a lot of
friends and you build a sand castle.
You know that eventually the tide
is going to take it away, so you try
and finish it. Then you remember
it, and you remember the
experiences you had with the peo[...]you build it. That’s the
real reward or wealth of filmmak-
ing. *

Filmography

955
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968
968[...]the Park
NI*A*S*H

Brewster .VlcCloud
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Images

The Long Goodbye

Thieves Like Us

California Split

Nashville

Buffalo Bill and the Indians
Three Women

A Wedding

Quinte[...]

(Translated by Patricia McClanahan and
Julianne Burton)

Sergei Eisenstein and Bertolt Brecht, born in
1898 —— Eisenstein in Riga on January 23 andand The Three-
Penny Opera (1928). These marked decisive m0-
ments of immediate resonance because they
formed part of the impetuous advance of a
revolution that was to rock the foundations of
bourgeois conceptions of film and theatre.

What mattered to both was the advancement
of an audience armed with reason, so they each
pursu[...]tribute
through their works to the transformation of
mankind, accelerating its development. To meet
this objective, they strived for the greatest ef-
ficacy in their respective arts and confronted
aesthetic problems with a commitment to scien-
tific rigor and militancy.

They were nourished by some common
so[...]titudes, all that could con-
tribute to new means of expression, all that
could be assimilated. Thus, they ranged from
Meyerhold to Joyce, through Chinese and
Japanese theatre, the circus, the music-hall,
Freud and Einstein.

But above all — or, better yet, underlying it
all as a foundation and a guide —— was Karl
Marx. Both, rooted their search for new
aesthetics in dialectical materialism; their[...]re precisely, that,

“the simplest “prototype of such imitative
behaviour will be of course, that of a. person ec-
statically following on the screen,[...]a personage who, in one way or
another. goes out of himself’.

Brecht, on the other hand. declares almost by
way of involuntary reply that,

“This magical operatio[...]tries to provoke
an ecstatic state or a clouding of vision."2

It thus becomes evident that in
spite of not merely incidental points
of contact but an ent1re philosoph—

1. Sergei Eis[...]Theory, translated
by Jay Jeyda, Harcourt, Brace
andand in some senses divergent

in common, they

ical b[...]le one exalts
passion, the other chooses the path of reason;
while one wants the audience to surrender[...]lled

to shine with delight, before gushing tears of delight

In brief, when the spectator is forced to go ‘out
of himself
“To use a prettier term, we might say that the effect
ofa work of pathos consists in whatever “sends the
spectato[...]ere is nothing to
be added to such a formulation, for the symptoms
above say exactly this: ec— —stasts, literally standing
out of oneself‘ which is to say ‘going out of himself‘
or “departing from his ordinary condition’. ”‘

Of course, this “emotional surrender” (a state
w[...]ented in the spectacle), this “dif-
ferent mode of being”, also implies a separation
from oneself. If, in one sense, it determines a
“different” way of seeing daily reality, then it
also represents an[...]such a
“magical” operation.

“ ‘To go out of oneself is not to go into nothing. To

go out of oneself inevitably implies a transition to

somet[...]s
thus nothing other than a moment in the process
of transformation of the viewer, a negative mo-
ment which has no reason to extend beyond its
own limits; the limits of the spectacle itself. For
Eisenstein, that moment when the viewers
become alienated from themselves, and cease to
be themselves to live in the other — i[...]as it constitutes the premise ofa
desired change. And this change, for Eisenstein,
is produced — or at least originates —- in the
realm of feelings and emotions. In a state of ec-
stasy.

“We understand a moment of culmination to mean,

those points in a process,[...]ron becomes steel. Here we see the
same going out of oneself, moving from one condi-
tion. and passing from quality to quality — ec-
stasvl‘[...]change which will lead
to a greater understanding of him or herself and
the surrounding social environment and, conse-
quently, to effective dominion over self and sur-
roundings. He says,

3. Eisenstein op p.[...]hese changes must not reach only the text, actor,
and the whole staged representation, but the spec-
ta[...]e to the viewers’ reason
than to their feelings and calls attention to the
fact that “the spectator[...]hem.”7 To
achieve this, he proposes a mechanism of aliena-
tion in the relationship between the viewer and
the character, but in the opposite sense of what
Eisenstein proposed with his “pathetic str[...]devices, Brecht at-
tempts to estrange, separate and alienate the
viewers, not from themselves, but fr[...]his world in order to be
transported to the world of art. There is no need to
abduct him. Rather, he m[...]han an alienation device, could
be seen as a form of genuine de-alienation, since
it attempts to bring the viewers back into the
reality of their own world (with a new perspec-

tive) and, ultimately, to return them to
themselves.[...]

———-—‘-——_——_

If both artists share the same philosophical
points of departure and the same revolutionary
stance, how can they offer[...]r respective positions be
considered antagonistic and irreconcilable?

Obviously, we are dealing with t[...]must not have been easy. After finishing
The Old and the New, Eisenstein travelled wide-
ly, working o[...]jects — the Mex-
ican film being the best known and most
dramatically frustrated among them.* Earlier,
towards the end of 1929, he had been in Berlin
where he surely had occasion to meet Brecht.

Marie Seton’s testimony of this point is elo-
quent enough:

“Equally curious and even a bit repulsive was the

dry and bloodless energy that one felt in Bertoit

Brecht, whose cutting lines and satiric pieces bit

coldly into the heart of social hypocrisy. Sergei Mi-

jailovich thought of Brecht as a tenacious professor

armed with an ai[...]sness that couldn’t
be melted by the sheer heat of his passion.”"

Aside from their personal idios[...]y expressed
themselves through two media — film and
theatre —— which, while sharing many common
e[...]I0 while directing
plays, he was already thinking of film. In 1928,
when‘ he staged Ostrovsky’s Wi[...]t on, film filled his
life, not merely as a means of artistic expression,
but as an object of intense theoretical pursuit as
well.

Brecht, on the other hand, was wholly a man
of the theatre. if on occasion he approached
film,[...]had much success

* Que viva Mexicol, produced and subsequently blocked by
Upton Sinclair. See Jay Leyda, “Eisenstein’s Mexican
Tragedy”, Sight andof cinematic language, because he
was unaware ofthe unique devices which film of-
fered, he saw in film only a technical means to
simplify the reproduction of a work. Thus
Brecht ran up against narrow limits of expres-
sion which prevented him from fully realizing
the possibilities of an “epic” cinema (in the sense
in which he us[...]ind which, in short, is not a dream, a
substitute for reality, but one that mobilizes the
consciousness of the viewer.

in the theatre, the actor’s interp[...]position”, as
Eisenstein understood it, made up of different
elements (framing, narration, music —[...]led him to dis-
perse his energies in the search for forms. it
would be unjust. however, simply to cla[...]without bearing in mind the
historical necessity of such a search — the
logical consequence of the process of creating a
new language, a new means of expression with
rules and syntax that could only flourish as the
result of sustained practical research and atten-
tion basically centred on the more formal[...]when Brecht
entered the scene had already evolved and for-
mally consolidated itself, allowing him to focus
primarily on problems of content, cinema was
then in its infancy.

Theatre and film make use of multiple expres-
sive devices — image, word, music — and in
both media these elements can be combined in
different manners and measures. Often, one
speaks of “theatrical” films or of “cinematic”
theatre, which only serves to ind[...]cific trait that differentiates film from theatre
and helps us to understand the contradictory
positions assumed by Brecht and Eisenstein: film
manifests itself primarily as vi[...]the word permits generalization, the expres-
sion of ideas, concepts, abstractions outside the
realm of concrete objects or images.

images in the immediacy of their cinematic
representation and based on the interplay of
relations that further artistic pursuit, can be very
suggestive and even moving, in that they appeal
directly to the senses and register most comfor-
tably on an emotional .plan[...]comes to
communication on a conceptual, abstract and
rational plane.

Thus, all of Eisenstein’s efforts to express con—
cepts through the clash of images (intellectual
montage) did not allow him t[...]quently borne fruit, producing a much
wider range of expressive possibilities in film.

Even more sign[...][e cinema, L’Arche,
Paris, p. 165.

took power and initiated one of the most far-
reaching transformations in modern[...]years as an artist were spent, then, in
the midst of the effervescence ofthe early stages
of the revolution, the years of the Prolekuit and
other “enormities”. During that time, he paid[...]Mayakovsky, Malevich, Tatlin, the
demystification of “art”, the consecration of
“life", experimentation, propaganda — move-
m[...]years (“collective art
par excellence destined for the masses”). Lenin
was not being capricious wh[...]a-
sion he referred to film as the most important of
the arts. Russian films had great impact due to
their affinity with the times, their authenticity
and revitalizing energy which derived from the
reality which gave them life.

Those same years passed for Brecht in a very
different manner: the failure of the German
revolution, inflation, the sharpening of class an-
tagonisms. misery, unemployment —— and the
consequent rise of fascism. in 1933, Brecht took
the route of exile: Vienna, Paris, Denmark,
Sweden, Finland and finally the US. His works
were banned and burned by the Nazis. it wasn’t
until 1948, the year of Eisenstein’s death, that
Brecht returned to Germany, established himself
in Berlin (GDR) and dedicated most ofhis time
to staging his own work[...]ally speaking, Eisen-
stein lived during a period of exaitation, of nas-
cent strength. of triumph and affirmation, of
emotional identification. Brecht, in contrast,
lived during “sombre times”, full of decadence,
defeat, barbarity, rejection and condemnation:
times of rational separation which demanded an
extraordinary lucidity and a solid critical
perspective, it is, therefore, u[...]lace emphasis on emotional
surrender as a premise for transformation within
the viewer. while Brecht should reject that ap-
peal and put all his emphasis on reason, distanc-
ing and a critical outlook — concepts which, for
him, held an “active, effective, positive”
meaning.”

The followers of each (above all, those of
Brecht, whose impact was less explosive but
more[...]struck out —— some with true
fanaticism —- for one path or the other in uni-
lateral fashion: they did not notice the breadth
of these paths or perceive the points where both
converge.

in Eisenstein, one can discern a theoretical
line of development that leads him from the
primitive “montage of attractions”” derived

Continued on p. 301[...]n this case, to
improve it. correct it. Criticism of society is revolution.
That is an efficacious com[...]lro. op. cit.. p. 198.

13. “The basic elements of the theatre arise from the viewer
himselfand from[...]iven sense . . . The attraction (in our diagnosis of the
theatre) is every aggressive moment it holds,[...]nsations. every ele-
ment which might be verified and mathematically
calculated to produce certain emot[...]enos Aires. 1941, p. 218.

Obviously, this theory of the “montage of attrac—
tions". or of “artistic stimuli“ as he called it another
ti[...]is not the only possibility.
We would go further and say that the hypertrophy ofthis
attitude (or of this method) leads to authoritarianism
bec[...]

What was the state of the Cuban ‘ ' ' ' were immediately transferred.[...]ntered the 1C AIC in October’

ICAIC? where two Of his documentaries, Par primera when _l was .23 yearS-old. 115231?
vez (For the First Time) and Sabre un primer my ‘meresmg because

In what we[...]a, our film industry combats (On a First COMbat), and his first revolgtsionalilry govetrtnminthgavehug[...]gadtsta (The Literacy Teacher), to start filming and employing per-
and capitalt and using the Cuban were shown as part of the Cuban Film Week. some“ time was my ““16 mom

landscape, tourist sights and for wages.

folklore. There was a very small The enor[...]een by one million pesos ($3200), which was a lot of

Octawb gadget

For instance, the make-up man,

when he was not worki[...],
was a barber.

At that time I was 18 years-old,
and seeing the prospects offered by
the cinema, I decided to work in
publicity as a way of breaking into
television. I then did a short cour[...]ol in New
York, learning the general manage-
ment of television.

Returning to Cuba, I started
earning[...]magnate who
owned Channel 7 also owned
Channels 6 and 4. and several radio
stations. ’

Even before working[...]always been interested
in cinema as a basic form of
expression. I wanted to go to
Europe. to Rome especially, but the
trip was very expensive and I re-
mained in television, From the
beginning, however. I rejected its
commercial aspects and was very
lucky to be in charge of the
channel‘s cultural program. This
allowed me[...]some cultural significance.

Within this context of com-
mercial television. there was a
small group of young people
opposed to the commercial aspects,
and searching for more artistic and
culturally-meaningful paths —
people like Santiago Alvarez
(founder of the lCAIC’s Latin
American Newsreel), Jorge Fraga
(now head of production) and
Rogelio Paris (an ICAIC dir-
ector). We were a group with
a lot in common. We re-
spected each other and all
rejected the system.

When the rev-
olution triumphed
and the ICAIC
was created
in March
1959,
some
of
us

Cubans in the first month of release) testifies to
his understanding of the Cuban national

character.

In this interview[...]r expresses forcibly the distinctive Cuban
spirit of militancy for which the nation and its

filmmaking is famous.

money then, especially for a 23-
year-old. At the ICAIC, I was
offered the o[...]at time?

Class contradictions became very
strong and Cuba came under
threat. Havana had been bombed
by[...]were all in the same militia. So, it
was a moment of very acute
political confrontation when the
spontaneity and full co-operation
from all sectors had passed. It was
a time for definitions.

What was your attitude before, as a
person with a good position and a
big salary in television?

I supported the revolution and
had very sharp discussions with my
friends who didn’t. But I didn’t
have as high a degree of political
awareness as I do now.

When I entered the ICAIC, it
was not a time of effervescence but
of struggle. Luckily, the ICAIC
was a small film centre formed by a
small group ofvery political people,
and the political and cultural at-
mosphere helped my development
enorm[...]s Ivens,
Chris Marker, Georges Sadoul,
Maya Deren and Agnes Varda. I
consider that period to hav[...]

In the beginning, everybody was
lear[...]varez would ask me to
go off to a certain factory and make
an item about it. I would go off
with the cameraman, come back
and we would edit the film.
Santiago would then inclu[...]d.
We tried to do our best to reflect
the reality of living the political life
of the country — filming on one
hand and doing guard duty with the
militia on the other.

For example, I finished work at 5
pm. and then at 8 pm. we would
go to guard our workplace,[...]e until starting
work again at 8 am. Some nights,
for one reason or another, we
wouldn’t get any sleep at all.

The atmosphere was of great
revolutionary militancy. And this
reality was reflected in the cinema.

The re[...]conomic ones. In this way, the
ICAIC has built up and main-
tained its high prestige.

Since 1973, the[...]organize production more from
the economic point of view. This
means strict budgeting, not over-
shooting and keeping to schedule.
These I consider very basic aspects
of production, but for many years
they were not taken into account.

One also wonders whether the early
spirit of a place has been lost during
a rational reorganiz[...]s maintained because
ICAIC was created by a group of
people with a very strong cinema-
tographic vocation. They were all
film artists. Tomas Alea, for
example, was telling me that after
seeing Newsfro[...]t, he
felt he really wanted to make
another film. Of course he wants to
make a film! The spirit is there; he
is going to die wanting to make
another film. And we are all the
same.

But, of course, I must add that it
is not as comfortable making a film
according to a budget and a
schedule as when you have a totally
free hand.[...]First
Combat”, is very interesting,
especially for a documentary, with
its mixture of newsreel and re-
enacted material . . .

The initial purpose i[...]years, Cubans
have lived under different degrees
of tension. Now, for instance, we
have President Reagan threatening
aggression against Cuba and
Nicaragua. And, in the 19705, when
I thought of making the film, we
were living through a very te[...]portant case
history: the first direct aggression
of imperialism against Cuba —-— the
explosion of the French arms ship
Le Coubre — and what effect this
aggression had on the Cuban pop-
ulation.

I interviewed a large group of
those who had been wounded in the
explosion, from[...]on had been

to have those attacked without
arms, and also to frighten them.
However, the exact opposit[...]t, everybody went
to the port to help the victims and
pick up the remaining armaments.
The whole of Havana became a
blue city as everybody wore their
militia shirts.

The emotional support of the
common citizen towards the
revolution turned[...]It
meant a qualitative jump in the
consciousness of the people.

I remember Castro’s speech
when we[...]nce received our
first films had begun to decline and
turn into scepticism. Then, thanks
to the newsreel and to The Twelve
Chairs and Death of a Bureaucrat
by Tomas Alea, the public began to
regain interest in the Cuban
cinema. Now, of course, Cuban
films are very well received by the
audience, and notjust out ofa sense
of solidarity, but because they enjoy
them.

In 1971[...]advantage in that it was shown
between features. And, during that
time, people would go out to smoke
a cigarette or go to the toilet. For
this reason, the documentary in
Cuba had to capture the attention
of the audience from the very
beginning.

All these[...]ar's El brigadista (The Literacy Teacher)..

mind and I went to the cinemas to
study the situation. I then recalled
the structures of some of the
Warner Bros films of the later
19403 — like House on 92nd Street
— which told a story by sending
you back and forth between past
and present.

I started my documentary like
that, wit[...]t was
happening. People are seen taking
boxes out of a ship, emphasized by
music and tension (1 used dode-
caphonic music), until they pick up
a box from which is hanging a piece
of rope. The music reaches a climax
and you are sent to another scene
where two children,[...]with the first scene,
are playing a strange game of war.
They say, “I declare war on such
and such a country."

Up to that moment — and I am
sure because I proved it myself —
no one i[...]et or to have a smoke.
Then the credits come down and the
children keep on playing. The
music of tension begins again and
lasts until the last movement of the
game, in which one child says,
hitting the hand of the other child,
“I declare war on Cuba!" The
bomb explodes and I start
immediately with the best archive
material I could find. From then
on, people sit there and watch the
documentary. They receive a
message.

A[...]lly felt that
a documentary should consist
mainly of actuality filming . . .

For me a documentary is a
weapon of combat, an instrument

Concluded on p. 307[...]

It was a wonderful film to do and
a lovely part. It was my best film-
making experience ever and offered
enormous opportunity for an actor.
Many people, and all the tech-
nicians, turned down work waiting
for the moment when this would be
made — and it was on and off until
the last moment. They all went to
work with such a will and devotion
to Joe, and to the subject.

Looking back on it now — and I
think I felt the same at the time —
it was a great privilege to have been
part of that film. Really, it was the
last time we had a[...]Bloody Sunday” came out
at almost the same time and one
wondered if this was the beginning
of a new British film industry. Of
course, it didn’t materialize . . .

It is very[...], it is im-
mensely important that the whole
iiew of the English aristocracy be so
well done. To be less generously and
accurately played would have upset
the balance of the film. It seemed to
me important that Trimingham be
at least as attractive and interesting
as the Alan Bates character . . .

The levels of society were
important: Trimingham definitely
was an aristocrat. and Margaret
Leighton‘s and Michael Gough’s
characters were more of the
nouveau riche than of the landed
gentry.

You played in two other Losey
films, “The Doll’s House” and
“Galileo”. Was this a pleasure?

Yes. indeed[...]e know.

How do you find Losey in his hand-
ling of actors?

Well. Joe is very generous to his
actors[...]August

Edward Fox in Fred Zi/memann's The Day of the Jackal.

Edward

During the past decade, few British actors
have managed to build and sustain a reputation
in films. Whereas Anthony Hopkins and John
Hurt have succeeded by making most of their
films in the US. or for American companies,
Edward Fox has remained that rarity — a
British film star.

Perhaps best known for his performance as
Lord Trimingham in Joseph Lose[...]een, Fox’s major roles include those in The
Day of the Jackal, The Doll’s House, Galileo, A
Bridge T 00 Far, Edward and Mrs Simpson (for
television) and the recent The Mirror Crack’d.
Here, Fox talks[...]n it,
but if you are within your inter-
pretation and you want to use wide-
ish bounds —- I will put[...]ting?

Much nearer.

You are much more in control of the
whole performance . . .

Much more.

Have you[...]find it extremely
difficult to accept — unless, of
course, their point of view is un-
arguably righter than one’s own.
Th[...]How

did you find him to work with on
“The Day of the Jackal”?

It was a wonderful experience
wor[...]there doing the bravest deeds with
the soldiers. And, of course, his
overall conception of how to do
something, and his demand upon
you within a short space of time
with very little material to show
many thing[...]extremely exhilarat-
mg.

Would you regard Losey and Zinne-
mann as perhaps the two most
stimulating d[...]the
distribution it deserved. Do you
think highly of him as a director?

Much admired. But I do[...]

I think Scott is very much hoist
on the petard of a style of commer-
cial filmmaking which relies very
heavil[...]at makes

“The Go-Between” a remarkable
film for 1970 . . .

Yes, because it blowsjust as hard
a punch in a much quieter way. And
somehow the punch works for
longer.

“The Mirror Crack’d” is your third
film for Guy Hamilton. You have
said he is a “traditiona[...]s one isn’t so much
action-adventure, but it is of a
particular kind. It is certainly not
The Go-Bet[...]well-wrought, well-thought
out, well-planned Way of film-
making and it doesn’t try to pretend
to be what it isn’t[...]n action
adventure.

But Guy is very appreciative of
an actor being able to supply a little
more than maybe the part gives on

paper.

Is this one of the charms of the
Agatha Christie films, in that in the
books[...]that have been made —
like “Orient Express” and “Death
on the Nile” —— are very attractive
largely because of the way actors
seem to take the role by the throat
and do something with it?

Yes, I would agree with you
entirely. I think it’s like having a
lovely souffle for your pudding.
You love it at the time, but you
do[...]er it that much; you just
enjoy it on the moment. And these
films do offer actors entertaining
opportunities for personality
acting.

What do you think is the future of
British films? Would you agree that
it has been[...]Australia, other than films like
“Confessions of a Window
Cleaner” . . .

Pathetic. Personally, I know very
little about the industry, but I meet
a lot of people who are intent on
makingjobs. What it real[...]eurial

‘1

Cynthia Harris as Wallis Simpson and Edward Fox as Edward, Prince of Wales, a! their
wedding in Edward and Mrs. Simpson.

Edward Fox

vision from the top.[...]t
in the business would agree that
Lord Lew Grade and Bernard
Delafont are admirable in their
way, but quite unable to fill the role
of the entrepreneur with flair. They
do not have the instinctive know-
ledge of what the public wants,
which is so necessary to a thriving
industry.

Is there any hope for British films to
establish themselves as a real[...]ood?

If we can make films inexpen-
sively enough and aim to please the
rest of the world outside the US.
and build up that market — if one
can give it a vul[...]on products have proved
this. If we could do that and secure
a market, a fairly stable one. then I
thin[...]all the originality
produced within their shores for
their market.

Is it mainly an economic problem?[...]minute you have
a fine product, so it is a matter of
persuading people that you have a
fine product.[...]ds each, who will see
that the unions don’t ask for
enormous overtime wages andof course, is that
you can make some films with a
unit of 15 or 20 people, while some
films require a unit of 250. The
union legislation, as it is now,
requires that the former had an
over-complement of staff, which is
an enormous burden on production.[...]r”, I suppose, is a
case in point, with stories of an
immense sum being paid to at least
one actor for a very small part. Such

Concluded on p. 3[...]

Registered Without Eliminations

For General Exhibition (G)

Cheban tat el seter (16mm): Baraka. Egypt. 1316.4m.
F. M. Fares

Conquest of the Earth: Freilich/Lupo/Winter, U.S.,
2677.25m.[...]g Kong,
2468m, Golden Reel Films

Not Recommended for Children (NRC)

Brother Peng’s Revenge: A. Wong[...]Int'l Film (30.. V (I-I—/)

Emperor Chien Lung and The Beauty: Shaw Bros.
Hong Kong. 2867.07m. Joe S[...]mbia Film Dist.. 0 (sexual innuendo)

The Warrant of Assassination: Feng Huant. Hong
Kong. 2600m. Golden Reel Films. V (i-l-i)

For Mature Audiences (M)

Diary of Forbidden Dreams: Carlo Ponti. France/Italy.
2509[...]urkey, 2000m. K. Kavurma. V (l—rn-i)

The Story of a Refugee: Goldig Films. Hong Kong.
2502m. Comfort Film Enterprises. 0 (adult comedy)

For Restricted Exhibition (R)

Caligula (modified ver[...]ua/

theme)

The House at 1000 Delights: T. Roter and Assoc . U S.

2063.71m. Cinerama Films. 3 (t-m-g)[...]bited only at
the Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane/Perth and/or
Adelaide film festivals and then exported.

Agee (16mm): James Agee Film Proj[...]3. US. 780m.

Melbourne Film Festival

Free Voice of Labour PaCific Street. US. 780m. Mela
bourne Film[...]. U S..
3135m. Melbourne Film Festival

A Kingdom for a House (16mm). Tilt
Netherlands. 845m. Melbourne[...]ma Papers, July—August

Films examined in terms of the Customs (Cinematograph Films) Regulations and States' film censorship legislation are listed

below.

An explanatory key to reasons for classifying non—“G" films appears hereunder:[...]U.S., 1063m, Mel-
bourne Film Festival

The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter (15mm):
Clarity Educ. Prods. U.[...]only to its
members by the National Film Theatre of Australia in
its 1981 ‘Independent Cinema in Britain" season.

At the Fountainhead (16mm): British Film Institute. Bri-
tain. 987m. National Film Theatre of Australia

Faust (16mm): Triple Action Films, Britain. 323m.
National Film Theatre of Australia

Penthesilea (16mm): L. Mulvey/P. Wollen. Britain.
1086m. National Film Theatre of Australia

Telling Tales (16mm): Yorkshire Arts Assoc, Britain.
102cm. National Film Theatre of Australia

Special condition: That the film be shown only to its
members by the National Film Theatre of Australia in
its 1981 “Images of Italian Cinema of the Seventies“
season.

The Expedition. Not shown. Italy. 2277m, National Film
Theatre of Australia

A Simple Heart: Not shown. Italy. 2551m. National Film
Theatre of Australia

Stream Line: Not shown. Italy. 2770.43m. National Film
Theatre of Australia

Spectal condition: That the film be shown only to its
members by the National Film Theatre of Australia in
its 1981 "Recent Hungarian Cinema" s[...]o Budapest. Hungary.
2762m. National Film Theatre of Australia

Film Novel-Three Sisters: Studio Budapest. Hungary.
7406m. National Film Theatre of Australia
A Happy New Year: Studio Budapest.
2304m. National Film Theatre of Australia
The Nice Neighbour: Studio Budapest. Hungary.
2688m. National Film Theatre of Australia

0n the Move, Studio Budapest. Hungary. 2853m.
National Film Theatre of Australia

A Quite Ordinary Life: Pro Vobis Film. Hungary,
2057m. National Film Theatre of Australia
A Very Moral Night. Studio Budapest.
2762m. National Film Theatre of Australia

Registered With Eliminations

For Restricted Exhibition (R)

Harvey (16mm): G Danie[...]lin. S (i-m-g)

Deletions: 1.7m (19 secs)

Reason for deletions. S (i-h-g)

Sweet Diane (16mm): Venus I[...]lin. S (l-m-g)

Deletions: 8.5m (46 secs)

Reason for deletions: S (i-h~g)

A Ton of Action (16mm): Not shown. US. 647.23m.
14th Mandolin. S (f-m-g)

Deletions: 8.9m (49 secs)

Reason for deletions: S (l-h-g)

Films Refused Registration[...].6m. A.Z. Assoc. Film Dist.. 8 {i-l'i-g)

Journal of Love (16mm): I. Grozny. U.S.. 638.5m. 14th

Mando[...]1 981

Films Registered Without Eliminations

For General Exhibition (G)

El ruisenor de Ias cumbre[...]ms
Australia. 2482.03m. Hoyts Distribution
Legend of the Wild: Taft Int'l. U.S.. 2677.25m. Sunn
Classi[...]Space Firebird. Toko Leo. Japan, 3290.78m. House of
Dare

A. Stitt.

Paramount/Disney.

I
' l
/
I[...]om 3095.57m
(January 1981 list).

Not Recommended for Children (NRC)

The Burning Train: B. Chopra, Ind[...]ce.

2379.4m, Newhart Diffusion. V {i'-/-])

Love and Bullets: P. Kohner. Britain. 2788.8m. Hoyts

Dist[...]e (16mm): BFI. Britain. 855.66m.

Australian Film Institute. L {Ills/I), O (emotional stress)

Roller Boogie:[...]ly registered with “G" classification in
19 1.

For Mature Audiences (M)

The Battle of Broken Hill (videotape): Sagittarius Film
and TV ProdSnAustralia. 51 mins. Sagittarius Film and
TV Prods. V (f-m-g)

The Beauty Escort: Yu Fun H.[...]mm): BFI. Britain. 976.33m.
National Film Theatre of Australia, V (i-l-j), 0 (adult
themes)

King of the Mountain: Polygram Pic, U.S., 2482.03m.
Roadshow Dist.. V (hm-l}

The Lathe of Heaven (16mm): WNET-TV, U.S.,
1173.79m. Cinecon/Fantasy Film Society. 0 (sexualln-
nuendo)

Lion of the Desert: Falcon Int'I Prod.. Britain/Libya,
43[...](16mm): BFI, Britain. 526m. National Film
Theatre of Australia. V (l—m—j). L (l-m-j)

Struggle to[...]86.35rn. Golden Reel Films. 8 (l-m-g), V (f-m-g)

For Restricted Exhibition (R)

Danish Escort Girls: P[...]k. 2705.14m.
Blake Films. S (l-m-g)

The Daughter of Emanuelle: D Randall. France/Italy.
2406.15m. A,Z[...]: Cirkus Kronhausen. Denmark,
2231.04m. The House of Dare, 8 (f-m-g)

Lulu: Parafrance Films. France/W[...]vage Weekend (reduced version) (videotape): Kirby
and Paulsen, U.S.. 74 mins, Focus Video, V (f-m-g)
Sc[...]70m. Filmways A‘sian Dist.. S (l-m-g)

Symphony of Love: D. Randall, Italy. 2649.36m. A.Z.
Assoc, Th[...]bited only at
the Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane/Perth and/or
Adelaide film festivals and then exported.

Alexander The Great: T. Angelopoulos and 00.,
Greece. GOOOm, Melbourne Film Festival

The[...]SA, Spain. 2900m. Sydney
Film Festival

Brothers and Sisters: British Film Institute, Britain.
3000m. Melbourne Film Festival

City Fa[...]ney
Film Festival

The Falls (16mm): British Film Institute. Britain, 2080m.
Melbourne Film Festival

Faster[...]skiner. Turkey. 2400m, Sydney Film
Festival

Hide and Seek: D. Wolman/J. Justin. Israel, 2304m,
Sydney Film Festival

Image Before My Eyes (16mm): Yii/o Institute for
Jewish Research. U.S., 991m. Melbourne Film Festi[...]rance/Canada. 1100m, Melbourne Film Festival
Land and Sons. J. Hermannsson. Iceland. 2578m,
Sydney Film[...]C. Jover, Spain, 2900m. Sydney
Film Festival

Men and Non-Men: Rai~FIadio TeIe-visione Italiana,[...]

SOME

od Bishop looks at a
new 10-hour, Super 8
documentary on,

Australia, and talks to
one of the filmmakers, Garry
Patterson.

0[...]1979, filmmakers Garry Pat-
terson, Franca Majoor and Russel
Farrance drove a beat-up Kombi-
wagen around Australia. They
covered 20,000 km and carried only
one Beaulieu 5008 Super 8 camera. Two years of
research and a “shoot and run” approach to
their material has produced so[...]ary they have self-effacingly titled Some
Aspects of Australia.

The film is structured in ll parts, each of 55
minutes duration. The first five sections are
presented without narration, and deal with five
major subjects: “The Kanakas ofNorth Queens-
land”, “Land Rights and Self—determination”,
“Banking and the Fiscal Crisis”, “Mining, Utah
and Ranger”, and “Nimbin (The Politics of
Foodffi

Some of the stronger sequences from this sec-
tion include: racist exploitation of Aboriginal
culture by the tourist industry and ice cream
companies in Surfers Paradise; disposse[...]s with islanders
who reveal the forgotten history of the Kanakas;
an old man from an urban skid row drifts into a
painful sleep on a park bench to the strains of
“Waltzing Matilda”; tourist boats negotiate the
Katherine Gorge; and whites gape at the work of
Aboriginal cave painters, whose children die
from[...]rator
series”. This delivers a personal account of
Australian history, from the arrival of European
Man on this continent to the formal constitu-
tion of Federation in 1900. Throughout this
series, Garry Patterson plays a parody ofof Australia
from a scrappy, dog-eared clipboard.

h[...]some tropical
tourist resort, squatting in front
of Uluru or sitting disconsolate-
ly in the middle of the outback
with the dismantled Volkswagen engine, Patter-

son relentlessly presents his fractured and
fatalistic view of Australian history. His narra-
tion is intercut with a chronological travel diary,
interview material and social observations that

could not be included in the neat categories that
divide the first half of the film.

The final section of Some Aspects of Aus—
tralia is a 55-minute postscript on the logistics of
information.

“Banking and the Fiscal Crisis” is the pivotal
episode to the first section and the most obvious
political statement in the 10 hours. It consists of
a 55-minute illustrated interview with an
“anon[...]c order. The thesis is one oftotalitarian
control of banking finance, headed by the
Bilderbergers and involving the major inter-
national financing corporations of Rockefeller,
Rothschild, Kuhn-Loeb, Morgan and others.
The interview sheds light on “the poor[...]let alone
profit from them.

Banking conspiracies and international deals
over resource development are beyond the
comprehension of most Australians. Yet, it is
precisely these Aust[...]ofthis mammoth film. They are the “underside”
of Australian history, people seldom, if ever,
asked[...]eir story in any medium. We meet
them at the Utah and Ranger mines, we see the
casualties of race (Kanakas) and land (Aborigi-
nals), and explore the white middle-class
alternative of the New Settlers.

Some Aspects of Australia is clearly no
sanitized work of “balance” and a proper
examination of the content contained in its 10
hours is still to[...]achievements are obvious. With their own
finances and $3000 from the Australian Film
Commission, Patterson, Majoor and Farrance
shot a 10-hour film on a 2:1 ratio. With[...]they edited the material on single
strip original and finally dubbed it onto video for
distribution.

Some Aspects of Australia is essentially a film
about people and politics. With an instinctive
commitment that shows little fear of disturbing
the individual political persuasions of its
audience, the film may well be a frontier
achievement for the aesthetic and commercial
prospects ofthe Super 8 medium in this[...]A ugust — 255

Russel Farram‘e. Franca Majoor and Garry Patterson.

Some Aspects ofInstitute Awards. Why have
you now chosen to work on 8mm and
produce this 10-hour film?

The Creative Development
Award was an encouragement to go
onto bigger and better things, which
I tried to do. I worked on half a
dozen scripts, and submitted three
or four to various funding bodies[...]any-
thing political. I also wrote a circus
film for the Australian Film Com-
mission and they called me a liar
and a plagiarist.

But I don’t want to get into a
long list of sour grapes. I enjoy
shooting film; I enjoy editi[...]the more we shot, the
longer it got. The history of
Australia was pretty fat, and we
underestimated how keen people
would be to tel[...]People
only have access to media by invita-
tion and there is a lot of frustration
because ofthis. We generally talked
to them for an hour or so, then
asked: “What’s your name, what’s
your job and what d’ya reckon?”
People spoke directly at t[...]iewer.

But you did choose to visit certain
parts of Australia

We decided to go anti-clock-

256 —-[...]ng,
Utah, Ranger, land rights in North
Queensland and Kakadu, Pine Gap
and so on. That roughly mapped
out the trip for us. People passed us
on from one active group to[...]r, Bart,

then joined us in Northern Queens-
land and stayed with us until the

end.

We wanted to go to the
Kimberleys and Wittenoom and the
West Coast, but ran out of money
in Darwin. We wrote to the AFC
from Charters Towers, and sent the
10 hours of film we had already
shot for their $3000. Murray Brown
was very nice, but the[...]ary funding.

You shot the film on single system
and, as most Super 8 filmmakers
know, you have the inbuilt problem
of the 18-frame delay. Yet you
managed to do a fairly rough, three-
track mix on various parts of the
film . . .

The lS-frame delay is not a
problem if you allow one second at
the head and tail of the shot. The
Beaulieu is a terrific camera, but
any camera will do. We had a cas-
sette recorder and a good micro-
phone with a split lead. All the
interviews went onto the cassettes
and the sync sound went onto the
stripe. There was no slating of
shots. Non-sync material can be
dubbed onto wild shots.

I worked with original film, and
edited on a $150 SS editor with a
little sound reader. I originally
screened the films and mixed the
music live. But this stretched the
tape splices and they wouldn’t go
through the telecine. So we re-
spliced them, and worked on video
dubs, either mixing the music whi[...]OID THE lBl". SOUND AWANOE

WHEN uni-nus. ,
SHOOT FOR EWING. sHoor TIGHT.

[tulc'

the basic information is there. I
figure it is pretty good value for
money.

What film stock did you use?

Kodachrome 40 for outdoors,
and 7244 for interviews — that is
until Alice Springs, when we were
down to $100 worth of silent film
bought with a Bankcard from a
chemis[...]The big problem at the moment
is that the makers of video
programs, and the people who
watch them, are obliged to wait un[...]upporting
governments, their protective
military, and God knows who else)
get their act together and divide the
market satisfactorily among them-
selv[...]or Betacord.

One video dealer told me that
Sony and Sanyo have lost out on
their Betacord system and may be
turning to VHS. I am very sus-
picious of the 1/2-inch standard. If
you shoot on Super 8, it is lighter,
more flexible and probably cheaper
than shooting on videotape. You[...]pped.

What have you learnt from the ex-
perience of making a 10-hour film
on 8mm?

That the informat[...]decisions. I don’t
know what is going on there, and
that is an obsession. The second
obsession is the possibility that tele-
vision determines language and, ul-
timately, reality. Can I read this?[...]

banking houses, parasitic organiza-
tions which grew in the festering
capitalism of post-feudal France
and emerging America.

“By 1900 and following World
War 1, the family names that gave[...]the
monetary manipulations going on
in the bowels of the banks
(Morgan, Rothschild, Kuhn-Loeb,
Wauberg[...]were
dominating international shipping,
commerce and politics. They still
do to this day.

“The conspiracy was, and has
remained, the propagation of the
myth that global progress and
human endeavor are synonymous
with capital growth and material
expansion. This has been pushed
(with in[...]s
coming under the same control) to
the exclusion of any alternative
measurement of collective happi-
ness. We must be careful not to[...]g —— sym-
bols that are universally relevant,
and not limited to a particular
medium. How certain s[...]been so difficult that you want to
work on 16mm and 35mm formats?

Garry Patterson

90D 55 SEC. OFW.[...]is hap-
pening in video cassettes. Even Ox-
ford University Press is looking at
“publishing” video tapes.[...]tellite television. Who is going to
own all this? And for what reason?

I think it is important that people
who work in film and video support
community television. But a one-
ho[...]evelopment in the Australian Film
industry is one of increasing central
control. That may mean a lot of
work for a lot of people, but it may
mean the complete emasculation of
cinema so that filmmakers, like
entertainers, bec[...]m

1978 Builders‘ Labourers Mural, with
Preston Institute of Technology, 60
mins, 8mm

1978 Chile Lucha/Chile[...]Chile Committee, 60 mins, 8mm

1981 Some Aspects of Australia, with
Franca Majoor and Russel Farrance.
605 mins, 8mm

All available fro[...]ceremony without evident
enthusiasm. Some Aspects of Australia.

Some Aspects of A ustralia

A film by Garry Patterson, Franca Majoor and Russel Farrance. Edited by Garry
Patterson. Production assistants: Ed Batt and Gail Hannah. Filmed in Super 8mm
(Kodachrome 40 and 7244SM). Post-production: Media Vision (Australia). Distribution on
U-matic and other formats. In 11 parts. each of 55 mins. Total running time: 605 mins.
Produced by Shopfront Films, 1981.

Nimbin and the Politics of Food.

Kanakas and East Coast Racism.

Banking and the New International Economic Order.
Mining and Utah.

Aboriginal Struggle. Self Determination andof information.

Part One:
Part Two:
Part Thr[...]

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
The Picture Show Man
Eliza Fras[...]A Town Like Alice
Nightmares
Hoodwink
The Winter of Our Dreams
Heatwave
Partners
Dead Easy

NEED WE SAY MORE?

SPECIALISING IN THE NEEDS OF FEATURE FILM
PRODUCTIONS. CONTACT OUR SPEC[...]

Among the recommendations of the
inquiry headed by marketing veteran
Alex Dix were:

0 Reconstruction of the ABC into a
new National Broadcasting
Organiza[...]nti-
fied on air as the ABC.

0 A governing board of directors of
seven members and a 20-man con-
sultative council representing com-
munity interests.

0 Integration of ABC music and con—
cert departments into a separate
body: Music Australia.

0 Introduction of modern business
methods.

0 More accountability t[...]BC has become slow-
moving, overgrown, complacent and
uncertain of the direction in which it
is heading.

”Despite the efforts of many
talented and dedicated people work-
ing for it. . . it [the ABC] has not only
slipped from the forefront of change
but threatens to be eclipsed by it.

“Au[...]are being asked to justify them-
selves publicly and give cogent
reasons why their traditional activi-
ties should continue.”

In the light of Razor Gang cuts to
ABC funding of three per cent, along
with abolition of the usual inflation ad-
justment of 10 per cent, an effective 13
per cent cut in its[...]have to seek finance elsewhere as the
possibility of the Government
increasing its funding now or in the
immediate future was small.

One suggested means of raising
money was corporate underwriting of
ABC programs — but not paid adver-
tising — a recommendation which has
brought howls of conservative protest
from within and outside the ABC.

The Report also recommended a
long-term plan to merge the ABC’s
news and public affairs departments to
improve co-operation and cut down
overlapping. Total cost of the recom-
mendations — the majority of it spent
over a five-year period —- would be
$1[...]the
Seven Network, the Australian Film
Commission and the Victorian Film
Corporation, has been a resounding
success.

Filmed in Australia, Malaysia and
London, the six-hour dramatization of
Nevil Shute‘s novel was recently seen
by about[...]Local reaction has been justifiably
enthusiastic for the work of the cast,
Helen Morse, Bryan Brown, Gordon
Jackson. Anne Haddy and Yuki

“em“! ‘ aim- - ‘o-<

Helen Morse and Bryan Brown in A
Town Like Alice.

Shimoda, the scripts of Rosemary
Sisson and Tom Hegarty. the direction
of David Stevens and production of
Henry Crawford.

New SCOOP Producer

Former telev[...]t from Channel 0/28 to provide
Melbourne coverage for the station’s
SCOOP news-magazine program.
Form[...]y held the contract.

De Montignie was last heard of trek-
king through the Simpson Desert in the
Northern Territory filming the re-
creation of the first scientific crossing
of the desert in 1939.

The $100,000 documentary, The
Madigan Line, will follow a team of sur-
veyors, scientists and botanists as they
make the crossing by camel. Mining
corporation CRA has backed the pro-
gram and De Montignie is confident of
international sales. His DNM Produc—
tions rece[...]tary on
the Le Mans car classic in Europe, the
US and New Zealand.

T VW Takeover

Sir Robert Holmes a‘Court has taken
control of TVW Enterprises in Perth,
which controls TVW-7, r[...]major interest in SAS-10 Adelaide, City
Theatres and Entertainment Centre
operations.

The Perth-based tycoon, who heads
the Bell group of companies, takes over
as chairman of TVW from Sir James
Cruthers, who has been with TVW-7 for
23 years.

7 Goes for 1984 Olympics

The Seven Network, despite the set-
back on the Moscow Olympics, are
negotiating for rights to cover the 1984
Los Angeles Olympics.

A[...]be held in Yugoslavia in
1984. Final negotiations for rights to the
summer Olympics will take place lat[...]rnment has
approved changes to the Broadcast-
ing and Television Act. The changes
are a revised version of controversial
changes — dubbed “the Murdoch
a[...]to make the Com-
munications Minister responsible for
determining public interest in licence
hearings were dropped, and a clause
was inserted denying appeal against
lice[...]unal.

Changes approved include strict
guidelines for determining public
interest, share dealings involving radio
and television interests no longer
subject to ABT approval before being
allowed to go ahead, and a company
will be allowed to hold 10 per cent in[...]owever, the appeal must
now continue on the basis of the old
laws.

After lengthy hearings in Mel-
bou[...]aring was ad-
journed to mid-August.

While a lot of media coverage has
concerned Murdoch‘s assertio[...]tle or no control personally
over the programming of his television
interests, the crucial question is[...]ose
his ATV-10 licence, but it could mean
trouble for the Nine Network when its
licence comes up for renewal in March
next year.

Sensing the danger, TON-9 and
GTV—9 applied to be included as
parties to the[...]nted the
application.

Bruce Gyngell, former head of the
ABT, supports Murdoch’s ownership of
ATV-1O because he believes in strong
networking as important to competi-
tion and thus to the benefit of the
public. He told the annual meeting of
the Public Relations Institute in Can-
berra (June 18) that:

“The fine nitpicking of ownership

indeed begged the question of its

[television‘s] marvellous and enor—

mous ability to communicate ideas

and exchange thoughts between
people.”

The Government, while notifying the
AAT of its amendments to the Broad-
casting and Television Act, has also
given the ABT its favorable view of net—
working.

The increasing cost of drama and
general television production — serials
such as Cop Shop and Prisoner cost
about $75,000 an hour -— means that
production of such shows requires
strong commitment from more t[...].

(See also Nick Herd’s report on pp.
262, 263 of this issue.)

Quiz Bandwagon

There are no prizes for guessing
what prompted the rash of game and
quiz shows tempting viewers and con-
testants. The continued success of Sale
of the Century — which in one recent
program rated[...]m Sale, Reg Grundy Pro—
ductions is responsible for The New

Cinema Papers, July-August — 25[...]

We built our Clean Room
because we know that once it's on the
neg, it's on for good.

And that means a poorer result
for you. Come and see for yourself:
the dust never settles at

Video[...]

Content; PART 2: Feature Films PART 5: Directory PART 5; Media
1980 and 1981

PART 3: Profiles

Print. Radio,Teievision, Overseas
Media Representatives, Film
Bookshops and Record Shops.

PART 7: Reference

Organizations
Services and Facilities

Film Stock, Sound Stock, Equipment
Suppliers, Equipment Rental, Lighting
Rental, Actors and Actresses
Agencies, Technicians Agencies,
Casting Consultants. Laboratories, Film
Studios and Sound Stages, Editing and
Post-Production Facilities, Preview
Theatres, Recording and Mixing
Studios, Animation,Tities and
Graphics, Special Effects, Negative

PART 1 : Aus[...]Industry Round-up
Bruce Berestord, Matt Carroll and

David Williamson,

PART 4: Feature Film
Personnel

Film and Television Awards
Film Festivals

Legislation

Ta[...]ives.
Censorship

Local

Production; Distribution and
Exhibition; Government and the Film
Industry; Film Organizations; Festivals;
Awards and Competitions; Visitors;
Television; Censorship; T[...]ia. Directors oi Photography, Editors, Production and Re»dimension, . .

OVerseas Production Designers and Art Pubiicists, Marketing Services, Bibliography[...]o UC ion, esan ' Recordists, Shipping Agents, Car and Truck Rental, 1930

Festivals, Awards and
Competitions; Overseas Media.

Media Research.
Production Companies
Distributors and Exhibitors

Capital City Maps
Advertisers’ inde[...]a 305i Tel: (03) 329 5983.
Note. Bank draits only for overseas orders. Please allow up to 4 weeks for
processing

BACK ISSUES SALE

Take advantage 0f0u7 special oflw and catch up on your missing issues. M ulczple copies[...]entaries.

Number 26
April-May 1980

The Films of Peter Weir
Charles Jolie. Harlequin.
Nationalism[...]a. The Little Con-
vlct.

Index: Volume 6

No. of copies ordered
Total amount enclosed 8

(Note numbers 4. 6. 7. and 8 are out of print)

Number 20
March-April 1979

Ken Cameron.[...]a cross in the box next to your

missing issues. and fill out the form below. If you would like
multiple copies of any one issue. indicate the number you require
in[...]ources Koataa.
Money Movers The Aus-
tralian Film and Tele-
visron School.

Index: Volume 5

10[...]tler.

Number 28
August-September
1980

The Films of Bruce Beres-
lord. Stir. Melbourne and
Sydney Film Festivals,
Breaker Morant. Stacy
Keac[...]uttnam. Censorship.
Stir. Everett de Roche.
Touch and Go. Film and
Politics

CINEMA

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In this first major work on the Australian fil[...]leading film writers combine to
provide a lively and entertaining critique. Illustrated with
265 still[...]in full color, this book is an
invaluable record for all those interested in the

New Australian Cinem[...]sm (Keith
Connolly), Comedy (Geoff Mayer), Horror and Suspense (Brian
McFarlane), Action and Adventure (Susan Dermody), Fantasy
(Adrian Martin), Historical Films (Tom Ryan), Personal
Relationships and Sexuality (Meaghan Morris), Loneliness and
Alienation (Rod Bishop and Fiona Mackie), Children’s Films
(Virginia Duiga[...]EXPO ’80

SEMINAR PAPERS

In November the Film and Television Pro-
duction Association of Australia and the New
South Wales Film Corporation brought
toge[...]nal experts to discuss
film financing, marketing, and distribution of
Australian films in the 19803 with producers
involved in the film and television industry.

The symposium was a resounding suc—
cess.

Tape recordings made of the proceedings
have been transcribed and edited by Cinema
Papers, and published as the Film Expo ’80
Seminar Papers.

Copies can be ordered now
for $25 each.

Contents Contributors

Theatrical Prod[...]eteers Ltd.
Theatrical Production. Business (US)

and Legal Aspects Barbara D. Boyle

Distribution in the United States Executive Vice-President. and
Producer/Distributor Chief Operating Officer, New[...]President. Producers Sales
Television Production and Organization (US)
Distribution Michael Fuchs

Financing Of Theatrical Films Senior Vice-President,

Major Studios Programming, Home Box Office
Financing of Theatrical Films: (US)

IndependentStudios Samuel W. Gelfman
Presale of Rights IndependentProducer(U.S.)

Presale byTerritory Klaus Hellwi
Multl-Natlonal and Other Co- President. Jagus Film Und

Productions[...]ctures (US)

Simon 0. Olswang

Solicitor, Breaker and Company
(Britain)

Please send me .......... copies of Film Expo ’80
at Aust. 5525. Outside Australia[...]$35 (airmail).

Please send me .......... copies of The New Australian Cinema @ Aust.SI4.95.
Outside[...]3051. Tel: (03) 329 5983

Note. Bank drafLs only for overseas orders.
Please allovl up to 4 weeks for processing

Rudy Petersdorf

Presidentand ChiefOp[...]Films Office
Inc. (US)

Barry Spikings

Chairman and ChiefExecutive,
EMI Film and Theatre
Corporation (Britain)

Eric Weissmann

Partner, Kaplan. Livingston,
Goodwin, Berkowitz and Selvin
Harry Ufland

President, The Ufland[...]

Channel 10 has so far failed to jump
on the bandwagon, but not through

lack of interest. It is still looking for a
format.

Ten is still trying to boost its ratin[...]t survey again puts the
network third behind Nine and Seven.
lts newest programs — Michael Parkin-
son’s Saturday night show, the Grundy
cops and robbers show Bellamy (an
unashamed take-off of Britain‘s The
Sweeney and starring a more
deserving John Stanton) and Craw-
ford Productions’ Holiday Island —
have[...]s comedy show, Ratbaga, pro-
duced by Hal McEIroy and John East-
way and starring Rod Quantock, Mary
Kenneally, Joanne Samuels, John
Derum and others, is also in danger of
being axed.

Network in-fighting is believed
responsible for Melbourne's Channel
10 declining to take the Sydney-
produced show, though the wisdom of
their decision is borne out by the
Sydney ratings[...]gainst the ABT’s
decision to block the takeover of ATV-
10. Murdoch admitted the stations
didn't work together and that he had
acted “very slowly and with some shy-
ness because of these [the
Administrative Appeals Tribunal] pro-[...]Hector Crawford has retired as
managing director of Crawford Pro-
ductions. He will remain as chairman of
the Crawfords’ business interests.

Hector’s nephew, Ian Crawford, has
assumed responsibility for running
Crawford Productions.

Steven Grives and Chantal Contouri in
Holiday Island.

New Cra w[...]ious television series since
the ill-fated Arcade of 1979 — Holiday
Island.

Produced by Crawford Pr[...]ourne studios, the series
cost more than $300,000 for the sets
alone, which include a “pre-fab para-[...]klot.

Heading the cast are Nick Tate, best
known for his roles in the ABC's series
Dynasty, Space 1999 and his Austra-
lian Film Institute award-winning per-
formance in The Devil's Playground,
and British actor Steven Grives, who
starred in Yorks[...]alian Film Corporation‘s mini-series
Sara Dane, and has stayed on in Mel-
bourne for Holiday Island.

The supporting cast includes Caz[...]Tracy Mann (in early
episodes), Patricia Kennedy and Frank
Wilson.

New Grundy ’3 PR Head

Thomas Greer, former publicity
director for Channel 10 Sydney, has
been appointed vice-president,
publicity, advertising and public
relations of the Reg Grundy
Organization.

Grundy’s productions include Sale
of the Century, The Restless Years,
The Young Doctors, The New Price Is
Right, Bellamy and Ford Superquiz.

Felicity Goscombe continues as
G[...]ce

The Senate Standing Committee on
education and the arts has called for a
public inquiry into television violence. It
said television program standards in
the Broadcasting and Television Act
were ”obsolete, difficult to follow and
wide open to interpretation".

The Committee call[...]iolence. It said research had
shown the existence of a relationship
between violence on television and in
society, and that an inquiry should be
held to review the exis[...]were
contained in a review tabled in parlia-
ment of a 1978 report on the impact of
television on the development and
learning behaviour of children, which
strongly criticized program stand[...]vision industry
has been shocked b the withdrawal of
a major advertiser rom the sponsor-
ship of 50 programs.

Procter and Gamble, American tele-
vision’s largest advertiser, withdrew on
the basis of detailed standards which
assess the socially-redeeming features
of a show ~ whether it is likely to
encourage anti-social behaviour and
whether. sex and violence are
gratuitous.

The move came shortly before
Coalition for Better Television
announced a boycott on the sponsors
of shows it thought most offensive.
Details of the boycott were not avail-
able at the time of writing.

New SAF C Television Sales
Agent

The S[...]ra-
tion is close to finalizing the appoint-
ment of an international distributor for
its television productions, heralding the
start of a new era for the Corporation.

SAFC director, John Morris, fol[...]P/TV Festival in
Cannes, believes there is plenty of
scope for expansion in the SAFC's tele-
vision production a[...]cussions with organiza-
tions in Britain, the US. and Europe
regarding future SAFC productions.

Among[...]the South Aus-
tralian opal fields at Coober Pedy and
Andamooka. Production is expected to
start late next year. The book will be
adapted for television by Adelaide
writer Dave Allen.

The SAFC has also announced plans
for a major new series, based on the
Rolf Boldrewood[...], first published in
1888, relates the adventures of bush-
ranger Captain Starlight as recorded
by bus[...]still to be finalized.