Careful, He Might Hear You

Two estranged sisters vie for custody of their preteen nephew, not always considering his feelings, in this compelling Australian drama from 'Travelling North' director Carl Schultz. As per the title, the film pivots around what everyone says about the boy behind his back, and the film is blessed by a deliciously complex sound design in which background discussions overlap with whatever the boy is doing. Nicholas Gledhill is very well cast as the protagonist with an expressive face that tells all as he listens to the adults converse, extrapolating what he can. John Seale does a great job shooting Gledhill in intentionally intrusive close-ups and with several gliding shots throughout, 'Careful He Might Hear You' is an incredibly good- looking film. If the movie does not totally work, it is due to becoming too sentimental for its own good, especially towards the end. Wendy Hughes (as the wealthier aunt) could have also benefited for some more characterisation as she comes off a little too much like an evil stepmother. Generally speaking though, this is a captivating look at two sisters with opposite approaches to life both trying to parent properly in wildly different ways and how the boy learns to finally assert himself when things do not go the way he wants. In other words, it is just as much a tale of growing up as it is a story of sibling rivalry regarding custody of him.

Careful, He Might Hear You - the novel by Sumner Locke Elliott (a thinly disguised autobiographical piece) - is a meandering, but still engaging, narrative of a six-year-old Australian boy, orphaned at birth with the death of his mother and an forever absentee father. The movie - beautifully rendered and magnificently acted - is an intelligently adapted work, condensed for enactment, to be sure, but still faithful to the evolution of the events. However, the subtleties of the character interactions - so vital to the novel - were largely glossed over in the film, and that is its shortcoming. True, produced in 1983 in Australia, it is the product of film-making 40 years ago when the emphasis was more on story and less on character. The film does its best to bridge that gap - what success there is in defining the relationships is excellently attempted by the actors - they did all they could with the script they were given - but in the end we see very little of the emotions which drew them together and yet tore them apart. It is these emotions which are the guts of the story.

The boy - "PS" as he has been dubbed by his dying mother, who saw him as a beloved post script to the end of her determinedly daring life - is set in 1930s Australia. PS lives with Lila and George, his mother's older sister and her husband, who see him as their own. Their circumstances are modest in the those Depression years, but they are managing. Back into their lives comes Vanessa, yet another aunt/sister (there are still even two more), who has been living in England as a companion to Ettie, their family's wealthy cousin. It seems that PS' missing father has been persuaded to assign "Ness" with a role in PS' guardianship. A tug of war ensues between Lila and Vanessa for PS' allegiance, and it is his eventual destiny that is the story's denouement.

The acting is superb. Wendy Hughes and Robin Nevin as Vanessa and Lila, are restrained where they could have cut loose. John Hargreaves, as PS' still mostly absent father, was nobly worthless, which explained so much. Nicholas Gledhill, in his first role, is brilliant - he carries the film. The technical contributions - direction, cinematography, sets, lighting, sound, costumes, make-up - are all first rate.

If one has not read the book, I am sure the movie - in the 1980s - would be satisfying. But this story deserves so much more. Today, it would probably be done as miniseries - freeing the writer to bring out the characters, their relationships and their emotions, all of which are vital to understanding PS' journey to find himself.

"Careful He Might Hear You" showcases the full talent and wonderful potential of the Australian film industry and must rank as one of the best Australian movies ever made. The depth of excellence, talent and acting in this movie is second to none and absolutely superb The plot and background to this movie is intriguing and the script and the way that the plot unfolds keeps the viewer engaged and intrigued until the end. Everything is done to a standard of superb excellence down to the scenery and the portrayal of the two very different lifestyles depicted in this movie. The musical score is absolutely beautiful. Everything about the background and setting of this movie works out perfectly.

But this all pales in comparison to the acting. I have perhaps never seen a movie so perfectly cast where each of the actors and actresses involved -even the supporting cast -gives a wonderful and creative depth and dimension to their portrayal of the characters. Nicholas Gledhill is an excellent child actor and a maturity in conveying emotions beyond his years. Robyn Niven is perfect in her role as PS's aunt and guardian Lila and Peter Whitford is also wonderfully believable in his role as her loving, affable husband. John Hargreaves gives a breathtaking performance (if only briefly) in his heartbreaking role as PS's father, who obviously deeply loves his son but is incapable of caring for him.

But a special mention must go to Wendy Hughes for her portrayal of Vanessa. This character has many complexities to her personality and Wendy Hughes portrays all of the different aspects to her personality flawlessly and with a depth of reality and emotion that really brings the character to life. She is strikingly, breathtakingly beautiful and she is more than perfect for this role. In fact I would perhaps rank this as the best character portrayal I have seen in Australian cinematic history and one of the best character portrayals I have ever seen in any movie.

This movie is seriously underrated and I can't recommend it enough. 10/10 and I'd rate it higher if I could

One of the greatest and least sentimental films about childhood and one of the best, yet most undervalued, of Australian pictures, Carl Schultz's "Careful, He Might Hear You", taken from Sumner Locke Elliott's best-selling book, is about a young boy, known simply as PS, (terrifically played by 8 year old Nicholas Gledhill), caught in the middle of an acrimonious custody battle between his two aunts after his mother's death and his abandonment by his father. It's a very simple, straightforward film with excellent performances from Wendy Hughes and Robyn Nevin as the two women in question, John Hargreaves as the returning father and Peter Whitford as his uncle.

Schultz films it so that we see everything through PS's eyes and it's often very moving though Ray Cook's over-emphatic score sometimes drags it down while the period setting is beautifully captured in John Stoddart's designs and John Seales' superb widescreen cinematography. A sizeable international hit in its day it was named one of the top ten films of the year by the National Board of Review.

This one is from Australia, and centers on an eight year old boy called P.S. (Nicholas Gledhill...this was his first role.) There's a tug of war for custody of P.S., between Aunt Lily and Vanessa. Right at the beginning, Lily tries to explain to the boy why he must go off with Vanessa, but he's only eight, after all. Quite a variation from the Auntie Mame story; here, its all serious education and proper behavior, pretty much the opposite of Mame. So much PINK! have you ever seen so much pink in one room? Large, imposing rooms. And not allowed to get out and play with others. Vanessa kept him all to herself. Not much fun for a youngster who had so much fun in Sydney. Here, he can't seem to do anything right. Vanessa thinks she is doing the right thing for him, but doesn't really know that a youngster wants to just play. Then, stuff happens... which might help turn things around for him.

Story by Sumner Elliott. The novel was written when he was about 46... film done when he was about 66; wonder if its his own story. Elliott was born down Undah, and died in NYC. Directed by Carl Schultz, who did mostly television projects. Finally it's out on DVD. Good story.