THE NEWMAN SHAME
Australia, 1977, 93 minutes, Colour.
George Lazenby, Diane Craig, Alwyn Kurts, Judy Nunn, Joan Bruce, Allan Cassell.
Directed by Julian Pringle.
The Newman Shame is an average, enjoyable telemovie of the late '70s. It opens with a Singapore sequence and then moves to Perth. There is some atmosphere of the city and of Western Australia. The mystery presented is rather complex and there is a lot of reasonable action. The star is George Lazenby - who shone momentarily as James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service but has had to be content with generally secondary roles. There is a strong supporting cast including Diane Craig and Alwyn Kurts.
1. An entertaining telemovie thriller? Realistic, magazine fiction? Sensational material for Australian cities?
2. The Asian background? Western Australia - authentic locations people, situations? Values explored through the crime thriller? The conventions for an Australian thriller?
3. The initial mystery of the death, Steve Ogilvy's concern and contact, the banks, the pornographic film, the gangsters? The final revelation of the truth - how effective?
4. The film as a detective thriller? The humour with the
names Brandy and Ginger? The American model of the buddies detectives? The quality of the investigative thriller? The romance?
5. George Lazenby as hero? work in the police, return to Australia, skills in investigation, dangers? Humane? His contact with the criminals - dangers, fights? Ginger as attractive? Help? Photos, posing in the massage parlour? Risk of death? The attraction of the couple for the audience and interest and involvement?
6. The basic situation: Newman and his death? The shame of the title? The phone call, the tape, the film? His death? Asking Steve Ogilvy for advice? What the audience saw and heard? The puzzle about his death? The editing of the film? His being used? The effect on the robbery of the banks? Loans, embezzlements? Betrayal and murder? The character of Newman? Integrity? His wife? The effect of his death? His presentation in the film and its repercussions? Sympathy for him?
7. Betty Newman and the effect of her husband's death, grief? Ginger and her support? Veronica as her friend, curious, caustic comments? Audience suspicion of Veronica? Her feel for her new situation, new life, reliance on Steve Ogilvy?
8. Ogilvy and his pleasant manner, his help? The irony of the truth? The final chase and the violent death?
9. Veronica - nasty but friendly? Black and ironic humour?
10. Keith Jarvis, the races, the gangster background?
11. The pornographic films, the massage parlours, the girls and their deaths? The editing of the film, the use for blackmail?
12. Bernie Crawford and his wealth, yacht, his thugs?
13. The background of fraud and deals, gangsters? Relationship to corruption in Australian society?
14. Popular entertainment - and the implications of values, especially in fraud and corruption in big business in society?
