Another Australian success

Press, 11 May 1981, Page 11

Another Australian success

. "Newsfront” (Academy) is another excellent Australian film that has taken a long lime in gaining commercial release on these shores. Be that as it may, it was (■ well worth waiting for. However, it is ironic that two of Australia’s top films of the last five years should be in town at the same time (“Breaker Morant,” Westend). “Newsfront” tells the story as if was in Australia during the turbulent post-war period of 1949 to 1956, as seen through the eyes of the news-reel-filmmen of the day. Although newsreel coverage goes back much, much further, it came to a raoid

end after 1956 with the introduction of television. Nostalgia is rife for those not too young to remember (Ada and Elsie on their first TV -appearance; chapter 3135 of radio's “When a Girl Marries;” Toni hair perm ads asking you to pick the difference between the two girls). There also are many, al-most-forgotten scenes recalling the politicians and political climate of the time, the influx of post-war European migrants and their first naturalisation ceremonies, and the ups-and-downs of a rapidly developing country. The list of incidents seems endless but one cannot help but also mention the election of Robert Menzies: another Australian tradition of the time — the Redex Trial (I was amazed that no-one seemed to recognise New Zealand’s gift to Australian radio, Jack Davey, when I saw the film); Vice-President Richard Nixon’s visit to Australia; the devastating Maitland floods; the amazing plagues of rabbits and locusts; the introduction of television and rock ‘n’ roll; and the 1956 Olympic Games, with the water polo stouch between the Russians and Hungarians. Although this list of events

obviously must be Austra-lian-oriented, I am sure that a lot of the scenes will equally strike a chord with many New Zealanders who see the film. However, there is more to “Newsfront” than this. Besides being a story about recent Australian history and the men who made the news, it also is a story about those intrepid newsmen who recorded it — come hurricane or high water (I have always wanted to say that). The presentation of “Newsfront” is innovative and interesting. Starting off with black-and-white actual newsreels (and others so well faked that it is difficult to tell the difference), the tone changes from sepia to full colour, depicting the men

behind the scenes — their lives and loves, and the problems of putting together an “objectivelj'” biased newsreel.

It is the story of two brothers, Len (Bill Hunter) and Frank Maguire (Gerrard Kennedy), who are rivals in both their professional and personal lives.

Len is chief cameraman with Cinetone (original footage used in this film was supplied from Cinesound and Movietone archives — get it?), while Frank heads Newsco, the Austarlian arm of a big international newsreel company. Matters eventually come to a head after the introduction of television, with Frank prospering and poor Len forced to step back because the changes encroach on his sense of a reporter’s integrity.

Like “Breaker Morant,” “Newsfront” is both entertaining and thought-provok-ing, and with the way the local film industry is developing, New Zealand should be able to present similar products of consequence in the not too distant future.

(For those who wonder about the singing dog, I am

not certain whether those scenes were faked or not, although I have a funny feeling that I have seen it somewhere before).

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