FAR EAST

Australia, 1982, 102 minutes, Colour.
Bryan Brown, Helen Morse, John Bell, Raina Mc Keown
Directed by John Duigan

Morgan Keefe is the Australian expatriate proprietor of the Koala Klub, one of the sleazy strip joints in Manila during the 1970s, catering for R and R for American troops, especially from Vietnam. Easy-going, he fits in well with the atmosphere of the exploitational world of the city.

Into his club, of all the clubs in the world, comes Jo whom he had loved many years before. She is now the wife of Peter, a prominent Australian journalist, who has come to Manila to report on social and political issues.

The journalist is in contact with unions and a Church social worker, Rosita, so that he can get full and accurate stories of life in the Philippines. (The action takes place during the Marcos regime). Rosita is arrested and tortured as is the journalist. Jo presumes on her past love for Morgan to use his influence to free her husband.

This requires Morgan to confront the criminal element in Manila and risk losing his club. The situation is dangerous and, while he succeeds in helping Jo and her husband, Rosita decides she must stay in her country to work for people in need. Morgan gives up everything to save them.

Two Australian movies released in 1982 were loosely based on aspects of the classic, Casablanca. Peter Weir's The Year of Living Dangerously was set in Indonesia, 1965, the year of the overthrow of President Sokoerno and featured a Casablanca-like finale at an airport. John Duigan's Far East was set in the Manila of the 1970s, during the latter part of the Vietnam war, during the Marcos era. Like Humphrey Bogart's Rick, Bryan Brown's Morgan owns a bar and into it walks Jo, his past love, with her husband. She involves Morgan in saving her husband.

What gives the thriller aspects an interesting dimension is the prominent inclusion of a church worker in the cast. She is a courageous woman is imprisoned and tortured for her faith and her work for justice.

John Duigan went to the Philippines to research his movie and said that he had been most impressed by nuns and church workers in their struggle against poverty and oppression. The impact of this movie influenced Fr Elwood Kieser to employ Duigan to direct Romero (1989). Fr Kieser said that the humanity shown in this film was one of the reasons for inviting John Duigan to direct Romero.

John Duigan made a number of small-budget but successful movies in Australia including Mouth to Mouth, Winter of our Dreams, The Year My Voice Broke and Flirting, before embarking on his international career with Romero.

Bryan Brown and Helen Morse had appeared together in a mini-series version of Neville Shute's A Town Like Alice. Brown has had a successful international career, while Morse (who appeared with Dustin Hoffman and Vanessa Redgrave in Agatha) has preferred to stay in Australia working in the theatre.

1. The quality of entertainment: documentary reportage background, social critique, old-fashioned romance? The blend of these styles? The appeal of the film to a wide audience? Its working on different levels? The impact of the cast?

2. The title – its use in reference to the British Empire, the East in terms of distance from London? The Far East in relationship to Australia? Asia as the East, the exotic East? The contrast with western culture? The inroads of western 'culture'? Colour photography: the audience entering and leaving the city? The use of Nacao for location photography: the streets, the old city, the modern skyscraper city, the hotels, church, the Koala Klub, the port, the sea and the mountains? An Australian look (via Australian eyes) at the East? The incidental comparisons with Australians with Ugly Americans in the East?

3. Structure of the film: entering and leaving with Jo and Peter? The introduction to Morgan Keefe and his club, background, hangers-on? Peter and Jo and the work and investigation? The two aspects of the plot being juxtaposed? Their eventual intertwining? The dominance of Jo and Peter's investigation and critique? The emotional interaction? Leading to action, social stance, death? Jo and Peter rescued because of Morgan? The juxtaposition of the differing lifestyles: parallels, social and moral comment? The spoken and the unspoken comment?

4. Cinema traditions and their influence: the background of tough romantic heroes, strong heroines, earnest leading men (the other man)? The strong parallels and touches of Casablanca? Films about the East such as Saint Jack? Political films as Missing? The film's homage to Hollywood styles? The use of quotations from other films indicating influence? The Casablanca comparison and indication of changes from the ,40s to the 80s, differing wars, differing locations, stances, cynicism and romanticism: lifestyle, directness of communication, more explicit interaction, the different style of toughness, less 'civilised'?

5. The success of the film as a romance: tough leads, passionate, selfish, self-giving, even to death? Credible duo? The memories of their early romance, young days? The inevitability of time passing and change?

6. The success of the film as social comment: the implications for a critique of martial law and oppression in the Philippines, the role of multinationals and finance in countries like the Philippines, the difficulties of survival in the provinces, the peasant girls coming to be dancers in the Manila clubs – "better than starving", the sleazy life of the city, prostitution, the glamorous trappings of city life compared with poverty in the provinces, the bulldozing of slums for factories, the role of the military, the police, arbitrary arrests and torture, the exploitive visitors, bribes? The comparison of this Far East world with style of Australia? The contrast between martial law and freedom, social revolution and affluent Australian society? Questions of liberation and violence? Violence and personal outrage and the need for action and justice?

7. The westerners in Manila: safe in the clubs, the Koala Klub and its sign as symbol of this Australian occupation, sleazy tone with false sequinned glamour? The visitors using the club, the behaviour of the tourists especially with the girls, convention members? The visitors by-passing the rest of the city? Australians not being involved except to exploit? Yet being side by side and, as with Morgan, the possibility of having to take a stance and action? Morgan's death as a pessimistic comment on this kind of involvement?

8. Bryan Brown's presence and style as Morgan: his background in Australia and lack of ties to home, involvement in Vietnam and his experience there, the break-up with Jo? His management of the Koala Klub? Interviewing the dancer at the opening? His reliance on his partner – and the reality and symbolism of his liaison with her, his use of her, her love for him, her jealousy? The style of the Koala Klub and his management – card-playing, the sardonic comments to the bar-flies, the girls, the visitors, acting as bouncer in times of trouble? His providing a touch of Australia in the East? His access to social parties? Jo entering the bar, the evoking of memories? Their interaction – memories, teasing, ocker ironic humour? The flirting? The invitation for her to come back? The card game? His response to her playing hard to get? The sexual innuendo with the bath together – and fade-out? His hopes for her staying? The clashes with her criticism of the Koala Klub? His going to help her with Peter's disappearance? Their looking at Rosita's flat, the visit to the priest, the bribe (and the use of Julia) for information, his searching for Peter and Rosita, his getting his squad together, the raid and the execution of the plan – action and dangers? His decisions about Jo and leaving her free? The final betrayal, the military confrontation? His rescuing Rosita? His confronting the military? The violence – and the sudden surprise of his own death? The dead Australian hero in the East? Giving his life for others? A type of heroism?

9. Jo: Helen Morse and her impact and style? Her story, the background of Vietnam, her memories? Going to Australia, part-time at the university, photography, helping her husband in his work? Her differing style – vivacity, sensuality? Peter's liking this in her? The bond between the two? The tensions in her visit to the Koala Klub and the meeting with Morgan? Nicknames? Her returning to the club – teasing, the inevitable decision? Her behaviour at the party and Peter's reaction? Accompanying Peter on his visits, taking photos? The discussions with him about the issues? The visits with Rosita? Her beginning to change her attitude? Being detained, the restaurant meal and Peter's escape? Her decision to go to Morgan and stay the night, the bath sequence? Her grief and her regret that she was with him when Peter disappeared? The appeal to Morgan, the search? Her experiencing grief and love? Her relief at Peter's rescue? The discussion with Morgan's partner about relationships? Her seeing Julia in pain and realising that she was part of the price for their safety? Her decision to go with Peter? A romantic, vivacious heroine?

10. Peter and John Bell's style? The earnest reporter, manner, way of speaking, dress? The western reporter in sympathy with causes but able to leave the country when necessary? His contacts, especially with the church? A man of conviction and courage? The visit to the bar and his realisation of relationship between Jo and Morgan? His seeing Morgan as a rival? Watching his behaviour? His concern about Jo? His love for her and her being the opposite to him – the discussion about his being drunk? The party and his discussions – with an aggressive tone? His contact with the priest, discussion of the Philippines and the need for violence? His interviews with the various workers? The bond with Rosita and accompanying her – and the implications of dangers with phone taps and their being followed? The Australian presuming that he is immune in such a society yet followed, detained, warned? His escape from the restaurant? His going to the meeting? The arrest, brutality, the torture? His being framed as drug-smuggler? The escape, concern about Rosita? The final confrontation with Morgan – his gratitude? The end and his returning to Australia with Jo? What aspects of the Australian did he represent?

11. Rosita as character, her work in her country, her social concern, the paper, the contacts? The phone-tapping, her arrangement for meetings? Her home? Photos? The Catholic background and the religious pictures in her room, her contact with the priest? Moral convictions? The interviews? Getting Peter to the meetings? The arrest? The brutality of her torture by cigarette butt, the mass rape? Her rescue? Her despising of the Koala Klub? Her being saved by Morgan and his partner? The pathos of the ending with her living and Morgan dying? Her decision to stay at home rather than go to Australia to be involved with social justice?

12. Women in the Far East, Morgan's partner? Her running of the Koala Klub? Love for Morgan? Working with the dancing girls? The girls themselves and their performance, going in squads to dance? Julia and her coming from the country? Being the object of bet? Her being part of the price for the escape?

13. The sketch of the bar-flies: their continual presence in the club, drinking, ironic remarks, card-playing, presence at social parties, their jobs in Manila? The mercenaries available for raids? Walker and his work on the wharves?

14. The people of the city – ordinary citizens, the poor in the suburbs, the boy at the Koala Klub – and the symbol of Morgan giving him too much money at the end? A symbol for the pathos of the events?

15. The military and the police, martial law, the following of suspects, arrests, the 'safe house', brutality, torture? Audience sympathy for Morgan shooting the soldiers at the end?

16. Themes of social justice, the squalor of the cities, the poverty of the provinces, the factories – the tour of the factory and the girls- working long hours, being locked in the factory? Pickets and shooting, protests? The picture of the Catholic Church – contacts for meeting those involved, the priest and his ceremony, his interest? His comment on the need for violence to defend rights, but his not condoning violence? His being a contact for leads at the end? The involvement of the church in struggles in the Philippines?

17. The ultimate response to the film: emotional response to the romance, the romanticism, the human story, the social critique?