BFS Themes for 2003
Middle East and Beyond - Whitlam Era - Thrillers - Divas

Middle East and Beyond -
Prima facie there is a good argument for expecting quality films to come from the Middle East and Beyond.

In Esfahân, Iran, is a mosque, Masjéd-e Jame' (Friday Mosque). It shows an understanding of space, pattern and construction that is so expansive that it is difficult to comprehend. It was built in the 11th century, concomitantly with the construction of early significant cathedrals in England.

In April and May 2001 there was an exhibition at the Curve Gallery, London, of Iranian contemporary art. Illustrations of work at this exhibition may be found in the quarto volume Iranian Contemporary Art, Issa, Pakbar and Shayegan. [La Trobe University, Bendigo Heyward Library, hq 709.55 ISSA]
Or perhaps more conveniently we can find some examples on the internet:

photography: Ghadirian Shadi
painting: Espahbod Alireza, Asadi Morteza
sculpture: Parviz Tanavoli

We can see in these works, a commitment to both the old and the new Iran, spanning ten centuries or more. Would we expect to see a similar commitment in Iranian films? The Bendigo Film Society has shown Iran films on other occasions. In particular Gabbeh, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 1996. Mohsen Makhmalbaf is also the director of A Moment of Innocence which the society will film on the 18th September. Gabbeh was an exploration of colour, space and humanity. It seems that A Moment of Innocence is an exploration of love and time. The stills from each film (Gabbeh, Innocence) are evocative of images from the contemporary art sites noted above.

The Society is fortunate in having two “Beyond the Middle-East” films to present at the Telstra Mini Film Festival. The first, Earth, is another film by the Indian director of Fire, Deepa Mehta. This film was well received when the Society screened it in March 2001. Those who saw Fire will be keen to see Earth.

The second, Satin Rouge (Red Satin), directed by Raja Amari, is, I believe, the Society's first film from Tunisia. This film looks at the life of women in Tunisian society. Interestingly, this issue is also covered by the Tunisia Online website.

Mal Haysom
The Whitlam Era -
Ah, but I was so much older then,
I'm younger than that now.
Dylan, My Back Pages - 1964

I feel a little crazy
I feel a little strange
Like I'm in a pay phone
Without any change
I feel a little edgy
I feel a little weird
I feel like a schoolboy
Who's grown a beard
Macainsh, Livin' In The Seventies - 1974

When I was young it was more important.
Pain more painful, the laughter much louder, yeah.
When I was young.
Burdon, When I was young - 1967

Strictly I guess the Whitlam Era ran a bare three years from December 1972 to November 1975 and that period could just as well have been termed the "Jim Cairns Era", the " Junie Morosi Era" or even the "Era of Tandberg's Delight". But instinctively we understand the period to be longer than those three years. It was the period where the distinction between the major parties was well marked and where the Left was diverse and active. There was more passion and less spin in politics. Public exchanges were willing and rough around the edges. Could you imagine any state premier saying now, as the Premier of New South Wales (Robin Askin) did in 1966, referring to anti-war demonstrators lying in front of President Johnston's car - "Run the bastards over" - ?

Issues (political and those not thought of as political) were more important then, passion more passionate and the cry of the crowd louder. The “me generation” and disco - the death of pop music - were still over the horizon.

The Whitlam Era may be considered as part of a greater political and social period that ran from roughly the start of the Vietnam War in 1964 to the defeat of Malcolm Fraser in the 1983 elections.

It is not surprising that the Arts - especially the common man (no PC then!) accessible Arts - cartooning, theatre, film, music, responded to the activity in the streets. Tandberg would totally destroy several column inches of some craftily worded political argument with two column inches of sparse cartooning. David Williamson ditched his job of redesigning the Holden ("Australia's own car") handbrake and wrote plays that stepped off the Australian streets, out of the Australian houses and, with cheeky irreverence, onto the Australian stage. The 'hooks showed they knew where it's at with great culture songs -

Well all my friends are getting married
Yes they're all growin' old
They're staying home on weekends
They're all doin' what they're told
But I'm caught up in this magic
I'm all caught up in the fun
I'm all caught up in this music
Maybe I'll never have a son
Macainsh, All My Friends Are Getting Married - 1975

And of course, Australian films. Almost a decade ago the Bendigo Film Group showed Ray Argall's "Return Home" (admittedly, released post Whitlam Era in 1990). The film opens with a shot of an early model Holden dash. Mounted on the dash is an add-on electronic tachometer. As the driver guns the motor, the tacho flicks up to seven grand. Now pushing a Holden grey motor up to seven thousand revolutions per minute is pretty desperate stuff. I settled back into my seat - I was going to understand this film.

It was a superb film, and not in any petrol headed way. However, local knowledge enhanced a viewer's understanding of the theme. For example it was useful to know that Adelaide is commercially more relaxed than Melbourne and that if a single person was making a quick trip from Melbourne to Adelaide he would fly, but if he is moving permanently from a flat in Melbourne to a house in Adelaide he most likely would throw his clothes and record collection into the car and drive across.

Look forward to seeing films where, if later it should come about that you are arguing the point with the leading film critic from the London Times, then it will be he who is on the back foot!

I suspect Australia did better out of the Arts in the Whitlam Era than it did of out its politicians.

Mal Haysom
 
Divas and Thrillers

The Web Manager is sitting in front of his computer. All horizontal surfaces in the room are covered with books about the moving image. All the vertical surfaces in the room are covered with movie posters. The Bendigo Film Society President enters.

President
How are the write-ups on this year's themes coming along?

Web Manager
Well, the Whitlam Era one's okay, the Middle-East and Beyond is so-so. But I'm really struggling on the other two.

President
You said you could do it.

Web Manager
I said I'd have a go. But, golly gosh, President, it's not my line. My qualifications are in engineering. I really don't know the first thing about films. I confuse Hitchcock with Hancock.

President
Well that's easy - Hancock is the short fat one. Thrillers and Divas should be easy enough, there's no shortage of material.

Web Managerwaves hands in direction of books
Shortage! If there was a shortage I'd know where to start.

President
Start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start.

Web Manager
I bet you got that from a film. I tried starting at the beginning. Films started with the Lumiere brothers' showing in Paris in 1895. [reference - ed] A train pulls into the station, half the audience are having kittens because they can't help feeling it's a real train - there you are - the first film thriller. Who gets off the train? A woman wearing a hat. The first film diva. The film's an outstanding success - a real crowd pleaser - so it's been thrillers and divas - divas and thrillers ever since.

President
Not all films fit the diva or thriller theme, surely?

Web Manager
Oh yeah? Look at the third film of the Mad Max series, it fits all four themes. The title, Beyond Thunderdome, matches the Middle-East and Beyond theme ...

President interrupting
No, you can't say ...

Web Manager talking over the top of the President
... the first of the series was released in 1979, so that places in the Whitlam Era. There's a train in it, so that makes it a thriller. And it has that Diva Demon, Tina Turner as female lead.

President attempting to get the conversation back on the rails
Yes, divas. Did you do any work on divas?

Web Manager
I looked up "diva" in the dictionary and it said "prima donna". So I looked up "prima donna" and it said "first lady esp. in theatrical production". But there's more to it than that - not every leading lady is a diva - there's a need for something else - some other attribute. Look at Tilda Swinton in Orlando [Sally Porter, 1993 - ed]; she was the leading actor, but she wasn't a prima donna. I mean, for the first part of the film she wasn't even female. I thought it through though - now try this for a definition.
"A diva is a leading lady with attitude."
Look at our divas for 2003 and you'll see it fits. There's Marilyn Monroe, Shirley Temple, Mae West, Jane Fonda, Ginger Rogers and Nicole Kidman.

President
Nicole Kidman in Dead Calm? I thought you would have classified Dead Calm as a thriller.

Web Manager
Don't be absurd! It's about boats. In the ocean. There's not a train in it anywhere!

Mal Haysom