The Journalist

Many say film in Australia was revived in the 1970s. Well, 'The Jouranlist' (1979) can't have been one of the productions to embody that accolade.

Poor script, flat acting combine to deliver an embarrassing mish-mash about a young Journalist who can't keep his trousers up no matter how hard (forgive me!) he tries. Why such an 'affliction' should be the subject of 90 minutes of celluloid is beyond me. Alfie it ain't. And there are no insights into the world of Journalism, only clichés and caricatures.

The editing rates a special mention. I can only assume that when the director Michael Thornhill viewed the finished product he had no idea what to cut and what to leave in. I understand his dilemma. The result is a series of discordant scenes which seem to bear no connection with each other and in which the actors recite lines in isolation, as if there is no one else present.

The real irony of "The Journalist" is that it features many of Australia's best actors (excluding Victoria Nicholls), most of whom made valuable contributions to the revival of the film industry in this country. 0/10