Movie review - "You Can't See 'Round Corners" (1969) **

Jon Cleary's novel was adapted into a TV series in the 60s, which was later turned into this film, with the same cast and crew only in colour. It condenses well enough - you don't have the depth of characterisation and flavour you could with a longer piece - but there is plenty of incident. It remains striking how Cleary decided to make his first book about such a loser - a small time bookie who is mean to his mum, keen to root his dopey girlfriend who won't until they're married, deserts from the army, loses money gambling, robs a store without realising the bills are marked, winds up killing his new girlfriend and getting run over. All that remains here.

Ken Shorter is quite good in the lead - just charming enough to make you believe he could attract Rowena Wallace and Carmen Duncan, and he conveys the appropriate anger, bitterness and small time-loser-ness of Frankie McCoy. Rowena Wallace is dreadful - very young and pretty, with a great crying moment at the end, but all over the top for the most part with a hideous speaking voice. Carmen Duncan however is excellent - already beautiful, sad-eyed and touching. The supporting cast includes some solid representatives of old school Australia such as Slim de Grey as well as some stars of the future - Garry McDonald with hair, Kate Fitzpatrick, Max Phipps (a young soldier).

Much of this is laughable - it's very obviously a cheap TV show, mostly set indoors, some of the acting and handling is very iffy. But it's fascinating - a rare depiction of Vietnam at the time, and Australian culture. The story still suits the time - Newtown was a working class area still in 1967, there were still illegal bookies and Catholic girls who didn't want to have sex. There are glimpses of Kapooka, the playground at Manly Wharf, and Kings Cross, plus depiction of a time now long gone: fancy Kings Cross night clubs, SP bookies, dingy pubs, Glebe vs Newtown rivalry, etc. Cleary wasn't too thrilled with the result but it is a version of his book.