SHORT STORY/FILM A CITY'S CHILD.

A short story I wrote I was able to turn into a feature film in 1971.
A CITY'S CHILD is now available for Streaming. ON DEMAND

PRIME VIDEO https://tinyurl.com/yy7qlnl2
UMBRELLA ENTERTAINMENT https://www.umbrellaent.com.au/on-demand/4377-citys-child-a-1971-vod-only.html
VIMEO https://vimeo.com/ondemand/acityschild1971


Some notes on the story and film.
There is much to tell about the production of this film and I will do so over several Blogs. 
Meanwhile,
"Because of limited distribution, the film received few notices from reviewers, but these were inclined to be favourable, as in the Sydney Morning Herald 9th June 1972 after the film's screening at the Sydney Film Festival:
The best and most mature of the Australian features is "A City's Child" produced and directed by Brian Kavanagh.
Set in a middle class suburb of Melbourne, the film, written by Don Battye, treats the loneliness of a thirtyish spinster who, following the death of her carping, invalid mother, builds a world of fantasy out of solitude and frustration.
Too often the director appears uncertain of what to do next with a resultant loss of dramatic tension and is prone to that all-Australian failing, the hammer-heavy delineation of obvious symbolism. But on the whole Kavanagh achieves an admirable blend of narrative elements and layman's sociology.
The subtle, knowing performance of Monica Maughan as the central character is a further asset. Miss Maughan constructs a cautious portrait of internal pain, of a woman alive but incapable of living.
Kavanagh's website also quotes this mention arising from the London Film Festival:
And Brian Kavanagh's intense view of a lonely spinster in Sydney, finding kinky consolation in the collection of dolls, " A City's Child," creates an errie atmosphere which remained with me long after most of the festival's other films had been and gone. Eric Shorter, London Daily Telegraph, December 1st 1971.
And this notice by Ken Quinnell in Nation magazine on 22nd January 1972:
There can be no mistaking Brian Kavanagh's exceptional talent as a director. Throughout, the precision of his camera placements, the flow of movement within the frame, and the exacting performances serve perfectly the underlying ambiguity of events and produce a masterpiece in miniature.
Awards
Adelaide Festival gold award, 1972 (Goldern Southern Cross Award, Best Australian Film of the Year)
Australian Film Institute Awards 1971:
- Bronze Award (Brian Kavanagh)
- Best Actress in a Leading Role (Monica Maughan) (Hoyts Prize)
Selected for the London Film Festival, 1971
Also screened Edinburgh, Montreal and Chicago Film Festivals 1971, Sydney Film Festival 1972.
Also screened at Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Auckland Film Festivals"
https://www.ozmovies.com.au/movie/citys-child
Enjoy the trailer.

A CITY'S CHILD FILM TEASER 2

GOOD NEWS.
back in 1971,  I produced the first Australian Feature Film from the then Experimental Film Fund created by the Liberal Gorton Government
 A CITY'S CHILD.
The film went on to screen at the London, Chicago, Edinburgh and other International Film Festivals including Adelaide where it won Best Australian Film. It also won for the star, Monica Maughan the first Acting Award from the Australian Film Institute.  
A CITY'S CHILD  will be Streaming in October.
In the meantime, a trailer for the film. Enjoy.
(The hair in the gate is not in the film. It has been put there to annoy you purists!) 😊

Keep watching here for Streaming release date.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_City%27s_Child

I'd like you to read an interview with my amateur sleuth, Aussie Belinda Lawrence.

https://grandmaberthainterviews.blogspot.com/2019/08/a-chat-with-belinda-larence-aussie.html

ILLUSION OF DEATH clip

TERRIFIC TIMES

Back in 1960 before I sailed away to England, I worked with producer Roger Mirams on a children's series, 

THE TERRIFIC ADVENTURES OF THE TERRIBLE TEN.

The series centered around a group of children who built their own town out of packing cases, somewhere in the Australian countryside.

Over three years I had the good fortune to learn my film craft editing and eventually directing many of these episodes. 

The series sold internationally and was a great success. The first series was a pretty rough and ready,  but as time went on and budgets increased the quality of story and production values improved. 

Stanley Kramer had been in Melbourne filming ON THE BEACH and one of his sets was the interior of a submarine. 

After  completion of this film, the set was left behind - at the  Melbourne Show Grounds, if I recall correctly. Roger was never one to miss an opportunity and wrote a script utilizing that set. THE GREAT SUBMARINE mystery. (What else?)

Before I left for the UK I directed a script by David Sale (creator of NUMBER 96 television series) TWO DAYS TO ZERO. It starred Frank Thring, who had just returned to Melbourne after making such films as Ben Hur and King of Kings.

When I offered him the part his reply was "Can you afford to pay me?" delivered in that theatrical style that he favoured. Frank was great and good to work with; he did it for Equity Minimum. When the film was offered to the BBC they declined it, stating " farce is often a family joke" Well, d'ah"

                    Roger on right.

I'm eternally grateful to Roger Mirams who allowed me to expand my experience on this series and others, as he did with so many other people.

Roger Eastgate Holden Mirams was a New Zealand-born film producer and director, whose career extended over 60 years. Mirams co-directed Broken Barrier, the only local dramatic feature film made in New Zealand in the 1950s, and later won a reputation for the children's television series he produced in Australia. Wikipedia

Born: 16 April 1918, Christchurch, New Zealand

Died: 26 February 2004, Sydney

Awards: Australian Film Institute Open Craft Award in Non-Feature Film,

I later worked with Roger on a few episodes of his other childrens series , and returned to work full time with him as Supervising Editor on THE ADVENTURES OF THE SEASPRAY.

Adventures Of The Seaspray

A Pacific Film Production in association with Screen Gems

Producer: Roger Mirams

Directors: Joe McCormick, Eddie Davis, David Baker, Rex Lipton

Writers: David Seidler, Bill Strutton, William Manville, John Pinkney, Robert Mansfield, John Sherman, Colin Free, John Warwick

Music Eric Gross

Aired: 1967 (ABC, 32 x 30 min)

These are the adventures of a charter schooner, of its Captain — journalist Dan Wells — and of his children as they roam the South Pacific

Later, I edited the Pilot Episode of SPYFORCE and a few other episodes. The series was produced by Roger and starred Jack Thompson.

https://www.classicaustraliantv.com/spyforce.htm

But back to TWO DAYS TO ZERO

https://vimeo.com/206015594

Enjoy the episode and have as much fun as I did making it.

Dissolve to...

BLOODY HAM video