Between Wars
| Between Wars | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Michael Thornhill |
| Written by | Frank Moorhouse |
| Produced by | Michael Thornhill |
| Starring | Corin Redgrave |
| Cinematography | Russell Boyd |
| Edited by | Max Lemon |
| Music by | Adrian Ford |
Production companies | Edgecliff Films McElroy and McElroy T and M Films |
| Distributed by | Vincent Library Umbrella Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | A$320,000[1] |
Between Wars is an Australian 1974 drama/war film released on 15 November 1974. It was directed by Michael Thornhill and written by Frank Moorhouse.
Plot[edit]
 |
The film examines four periods in the life of (the fictitious) doctor Edward Trenbow:
- In 1918 Trenbow is treating shell-shocked soldiers from the front.
- In the 1920s he works as a psychiatrist at the Sydney insane asylum and becomes involved in experiments in Freudian psychiatry, which bring him to the attention of a Royal Commission.
- In the 1930s he works as a doctor in a small country town and becomes involved in a fight against the New Guard.
- In 1939 he is working in Sydney as a psychiatrist and tries to defend a German psychiatrist who is being interned as a member of the Australia First Movement. He has become a pacifist and is dismayed when his son enlists for what became World War II.[2]
Cast[edit]
- Corin Redgrave as Dr Edward Trenbow
- Judy Morris as Deborah Trenbow
- Gunter Meisner as Dr Karl Schneider
- Arthur Dignam as Dr Peter Avante
- Patricia Leehy as Marguerite
- Jone Winchester as Deborah's mother
- Brian James as Deborah's father
- Reg Gillam as Trenbow's father
- Betty Lucas as Trenbow's mother
- Peter Cummins
- Neil Fitzpatrick as Lance Backhouse[citation needed]
- Reg Gorman as Orderly
Production[edit]
Director Michael Thornhill was good friends with writer Frank Moorhouse and they had worked together on several short films. Moorehouse wrote the script in 1970, originally for television[3] and it was revived a few years later. Half the budget came from the Australian Film Development Corporation and the other half from a property developer.[1][4]
Filming took place over six weeks in February and March 1974 with interiors at the former studios of Cinesound Productions at Bondi and locations in Gulgong and Melbourne.[1] It was the first feature from cinematographer Russell Boyd.[5]
Release[edit]
Thornhill decided to distribute the film himself at first. Initial reviews were good but the box office performance was not strong and distribution was taken over by the Vincent Library.[1] The movie did not return its cost;[3] a bigger "flop" than The Cars that Ate Paris.[2]
Reception[edit]
The Canberra Times critic considered this an important Australian film, as distinct from the "pot-boilers" of the time — the "Australian New Wave" — Petersen, Stork, Stone and even Wake in Fright.[6]
Home Media[edit]
Between Wars was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in January 2011. The DVD is compatible with all region codes.[7] By 2023 it was no longer in their catalogue.
Awards[edit]
In 1976, the Australian Cinematographers Society awarded the film's cinematographer Russell Boyd with Cinematographer of the Year award for the film.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998 p281-282
- ^ a b "Between Wars". OzMovies. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ a b David Stratton, The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival, Angus & Robertson, 1980 p87-88
- ^ Rod Bishop, "On Time, Under Budget: Richard Brennan", Cinema Papers, July 1974 p203
- ^ Russell Boyd bio. Retrieved 30 September 2012
- ^ "Cinema". The Canberra Times. Vol. 49, no. 13, 916. 19 November 1974. p. 13. Retrieved 14 May 2023 – via Trove.
- ^ "Umbrella Entertainment". Archived from the original on 25 October 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
External links[edit]
- Between Wars at IMDb
- Between Wars review at The New York Times
- Between Wars at Oz Movies
