Unlike many portrayals of first love, this film attempts an unromanticised and detached examination of an immature schoolboy’s newfound sexuality. Delighting in his sexual awakening but unable to cope emotionally, the boy leads himself and others towards tragedy. Writer-director Scott Murray transported Raymond Radiguet’s famous French novel to the Australian environment of the early 1940s.
Tag: 1980s
Filmed in quasi-documentary fashion, the made-for-TV The Face of Rage is set in a rehabilitation facility. Here a group of rapists are required to confront their victims face-to-face. The film concentrates on the bitter verbal sparring session between assaulter Richard and assaultee Rebecca. Director Donald Wrye co-wrote the screenplay for Face of Rage with Hal Sitowicz, drawing much of the dialogue from real-life transcripts.
Abandoned by their parents, the young children of the Clawson family are put in the care of local authorities. However, rather than being kept together, the siblings are sent to live at different homes. Tenacious Patty Clawson is determined to keep her brothers and sisters together, but the bureaucracy in place makes her quest almost impossible. Aided by social worker Bud Griggs, Patty tries to reunite her family, facing many obstacles along the way.
A lonely old man lives in a desolate block of appartments in Vienna which is to be pulled down to make way for something more profitable. He fights for his humble home, fortifies it to defend himself against invincible forces of profit. A staid cinematography follows the character’s resistance and downfall.
A boy lives with his alcoholic grandfather and wants to get rid of his vice. One day he sees in the wax museum that a couple of drunks are frightened by the figure of Dracula and he spreads word in his neighborhood that Dracula is prowling around. Then he disguises himself as the mythical character to scare his grandfather.
Childhood friends Al and Barry become reacquainted through a chance meeting. Despite the different directions their lives have taken as adults, they share the same challenges, disillusionment, and joys that accompany modern life.
CIA agent Derek Carpenter is dispatched to Peru to track down former revolutionary-turned-drug lord Luis Montana. Once there, matters become complicated when he becomes embroiled in a turf war between Montana and another faction led by the seductive Elena, and doubly so when he falls for Montana’s daughter.
In this extraordinary six-part series, film historian and critic Noel Burch uses clips of rare archival silent film treasures to take us on a riveting journey of discovery. How did silent film reach such incredible heights in a mere 30 years? Why did film in the United States so quickly become such a popular art form?