An Oz film

By 1445 on Good Friday, I must have previewed two dozen films, choosing from hundreds … trying to avoid Hollywood Babylon, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak and other sleazy women, let alone the men I know too much about.

So I tried a different angle … mystery films, thinking that sex and violence were not going to feature as much. I didn’t want to do anything on the Crucifixion … too nasty, that topic, horrible thing which happened to Him. Nor did I want to run a man-woman theme (romance movie?) Action film would be good but that’s often gratuitous violence.

Anyway, an Oz film came up in recommended, called Summerfield, called a mystery thriller.

The director:

Hannam later said in an interview, "I don't look back on Summerfield as a happy experience at all",^[5] but later apologised to Patricia Lovell for statements he made in the interview.^[6]

“In 1977 he said "I don't think I enjoy being a director in a way."^[7] The following year he did an interview where he criticised the state of Australian filmmaking and admitted "When I see a rough cut of a film I've done, I'm usually suicidal." He called Australian television "glossy pap" and said "I think Australian actors generally are just full of superficial tricks."^[8]”

“Shooting took place at the town of Cowes on Philip Island and around Western Port Bay, Victoria, starting 14 February 1977.^[1][4]”

I spent some time on that island, including an infamous night watching penguins when I was 17.

I know it’s just a film … how the producer/director want it to be … but I got a sense of menace early on which struck me as being unnecessary … forced. That island’s known for its penguins, it’s a beautiful place, everyone I met was nice enough … perhaps that’s why I read that Ozlanders didn't like the film … perhaps they resented being cast as throwback rednecks like something out of a US film, e.g. Deliverance.

And horror it became at the end. As a mystery, it was ok but why the necessity for horror? I’m not into horror films … there’s enough horror at this blog without a fictionalised version.

But it’s more than that and I don’t quite know how to put it … they all tried too hard to make the film an international epic. They tried it with Picnic at Hanging Rock too. It was this “arty” thing Ozlanders feel they must do to make it on the international scene and not appear gauche. It just gives that impression.  Among the luvvies anyway. Leo McKern did it all right in Rumpole and Barry Humphries never even tried, quite the opposite.

In the end, with this film, I agree with Digger (interesting moniker in this context) that the child in the thumbnail was a bit offputting, unsettling … maybe that’s the last two decades which have made us fear things untoward portrayed. The child did nothing untoward, thank goodness but even so.

Anyway, I’ve taken it down.