Newsfront

Phillip Noyce's historical and oddly prophetic first feature traces the story of two newsreel photographers in post-war Australia. Starting from the first waves of European post-war immigration, the storyruns through to the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. As colour narrative and genuine black-and-white newsreel footage merge together with brilliantly recreated events(the 1954 Maitland flood scenes slip from story to newsreel quite seamlessly) so the stories of the characters, the newsreel industry (eventually to fall to television's instant power) and indeed the political development of the nation itself are cleverly intertwined in a multi-layered tour de force by editor John Scott.

Chris Hayward's cockney - and cocky - young camera assistant is a great foil to Bill Hunter's doggedly dependable and ever-cautious senior cameraman Len Maguire, trapped in a world of changing values, always knowing the "right" thing to do, but always troubled by the outcome as his marriage falters, his job is threatened by TV, and his company is taken over and its work marginalised. Meanwhile his brother and rival cameraman Frank, played by Gerard Kennedy "sells out" his values, abandoning his responsibilities, and heading off to success in the USA.

Scriptwriter Bob Ellis has remained a fierce supporter of a strong and distinctly Australian film industry (Newsfront was among the first of the features of the Australian "Renaissance" of the mid-70s), while director Phillip Noyce has found success in Hollywood with films he could never have made in Australia (Clear & Present Danger, Sliver, The Bone Collector). How would he treat Len and Frank today - who would be the hero?

This film is a compelling story, essential viewing for all film fans, film history fans, anyone interested in learning where Australian films emerged from, and a good yarn for everyone else.

When respected film critic David Stratton rates a movie as his all time Australian favourite it's a high bar to reach. And there's no doubt Newsfront conveys a terrific sense of post WW2 life and times, fortified by the injection of a generous dose of archival newsreel footage.

But despite boasting so many of Australia's finest new wave actors, there's a certain emotional pull missing from the fictional narrative, script and characters around the real life events. Even the film's saddest moment, occurring during the 1955 Maitland floods, whilst technically clever on one level, lacked gravitas (not aided by the newsreel inspired music). And the stunning Wendy Hughes, who plays a strong female lead in the early going, becomes oddly passive and morose by the latter stages. Perhaps it was a deliberate pattern that went to Len Maguire's (played by Bill Hunter) effect on women, his ex-wife portraying a similar demeanour throughout.

Also curious was the back and forth between colour and black & white, which I found mildly distracting for lack of any logical pattern.

Interestingly, the project was originally conceived as a documentary, and whilst the surrounding story added some depth and context to the political and historical aspect, as a drama it felt like a skipping stone through time. Writer Bob Ellis' displeasure at the cuts to his screenplay might have been justified. Or maybe the production tried to achieve too much.

All criticism aside, overall Newsfront is an above average movie that will engage, until the final Cinetone credits, anyone with an interest in Australian cinema and history.

If you are interested in Australian Cinema this is a film for you. Although it is long, you will be thankful you sat it through. 'Newsfront' takes us back in time to a different Australia - a country that has no television or other technologies of today. Noyce uses the backdrop of the rivalry between the two newsreel production companies to explore the tensions that exist in the character's lives, set against the historical moments recorded in the Newsreels. With engaging characters and a superb depiction of what life was like in the newsreel industry of the 1950s, Noyce gives us an enjoyable and memorable experience of Australian film and national history.

The difficulty with a film like "Newsfront" is how it tends to have the same approach to its characters as the characters have to themselves. Which is to say, a lot of emotional distance. The film is especially well directed, but it never really becomes the sum of all its parts. The best bits revolve around the newsroom stuff, so that the relationships seem rather unimportant by comparison. A much more recent film, "Good Night and Good Luck" is more balanced and intense in this respect.

Vincent Monton's cinematography is particularly good (He would work with Noyce 4 years later again on "Heatwave"). This is a film that's always fun to look at. The black & white is crisp and clean and the colour footage is warm and vibrant. But, in the end, it's like a pretty picture postcard. Fun to watch, but just too hard to get into.

This finely crafted little film from Australia has a freshness and spontaneity lacking in most major productions, and because it is so fresh and spontaneous, and because the actors are not known in the States (except for Bryan Brown, who has since made a name for himself) nothing is predictable. The backdrop of the newsreel industry, and the men and women dedicated to their careers is slightly reminiscent of some of those Warner Brothers pictures of the early 30's where everything happened in the pressroom or the police station or the hospital, the job itself structuring the plot and moving the characters' development forward. A thoroughly different and enjoyable film.