I used to think the great "one that got away" of Ken G. Hall's career was his version of Robbery Under Arms (which he started trying to do in the 1930s and then in the 1940s but could never get done)... but after watching this terrific featurette (about 35 minutes) I kept thinking "why didn't they turn it into a feature"?
I know the answer is "because that's not the brief" - it was a commission from the Department of Information - but it wouldn't have taken too much effort. Because the film is about five blokes who join the army and become mates, and four of their women - that's easily enough characters and conflict to sustain a feature film. You flesh out their stories and in a flash you'd have an Aussie version of The Way Ahead. The acting talent is easily there, particularly Grant Taylor, Shirley Ann Richards and Joe Valli.
As it is, all the characterisation and story telling is by necessary sketchy. We barely get to spend much time with any of them so their chance to make an emotional impact is limited - with the exception of Scotty (I think there was a law against Joe Valli playing a character that didn't have that name) who joins up but gets kicked out because he's too old.
I would have loved to have seen more of the romance between laid back Bill (Grant Taylor) and the chiropodist played by Shirley Ann Richards (a little bit of Cinesound feminism) - Taylor and Richards were genuine charismatic attractive starsand could have easily held a feature as leads. The character of Peter (John Fleeting, who appeared in a few Cinesound movies), the rich boy who joins the army, has a lot of potential, as does that of his secretary who becomes a nurse (played by Aileen BBritton).
A lot more could have been done with Barry Ross in the Chips Rafferty type part of Bluey, the rebel - and his kind of romance with "Blondie". No characterisation is given to Gilbert Ellis as the newlywed soldier and his stunning looking wife (what a babe) - but this could easily have been amended. (She keeps looking like she's going to tell him she's found someone else - which would have been dramatically interesting.)
Still, there's no point crying over spilt milk - may as well enjoy what's there which is considerable: a professionally assembled, entertaining short film, with some fascinating location work at Liverpool training camp and Luna Park. It's by necessity hokey in places but done with sincerity and some decent acting (Ellis and Fleeting are stiff) and demonstrates how in charge of his craft Ken Hall was at this stage.
No comments:
Post a Comment