THE CLINIC

Australia, 1983, 93 minutes, Colour.
Chris Haywood, Simon Burke, Gerda Nicholson, Pat Evison, Veronica Lang, Ned Lander.
Directed by David Stevens.

The Clinic is a surprisingly humorous film and entertaining despite its subject. The action takes place in a clinic for venereal diseases. It consists of a series of humorous stories, brief stories introducing a range of characters. The common denominator is Chris Haywood as the doctor in the clinic.

The film was directed by David Stevens, born in Israel but directing in Australia for twenty years from the 60s to the 80s including Undercover and The Sum of Us (from his original play). He moved to the United States and directed only a few programs including Kansas with Matt Dillon.

The film is both thoughtful and entertaining.

1. An entertaining film? Interesting? For what audience?

2. A priori reactions to the topic? Possibilities for an entertainment motion picture? Venereal diseases as a theme for a film, for drama, for comedy? The blend of the serious and the light touch? The reality of venereal diseases, social situations? Clinics? Audience interest? Need for information? Public awareness? The lessening of fears? Public health?

3. The comic treatment of the topic: laughing at, laughing with? The serious and the light? The topic and its lending itself to crudity, vulgarity, leering humour? The good taste used for the humour in this film? Crudity? The acceptability of the treatment - for wide audience acceptance? The focus on human foibles, weakness, fears, needs? The human touch?

4. Interest in the diseases, treatment, cures? Background and causes? Concern, treatment of people with the diseases with kindness, compassion, humour, encouragement? The suicide story giving the sombre note to the film?

5. Did the film take moral stances? Its standards, values? Concepts of good and bad, right and wrong? A moralising tone or not? Condemnations, approvals, exhortations? Counselling service, personal help? The repercussions of excessive moralising? The film's attack on wowserism and moralising based on wowser attitudes? The jokes at the expense of the wowser - being treated with po-faced seriousness? The presuppositions of the wowser, projecting moral attitudes, the need for these to be challenged?

6. The experience of the writer and his work in the clinic, his understanding the truth of people? His gathering the experience for a day in the clinic: the blend of realism and contrivance? The clinic in the city, its public situation, well-known, embarrassment of people going in, the staff working there? The presentation of the staff as real, with their own problems? The ability of the screenplay to highlight characteristics of the characters and the situations? The audience getting to know the characters quickly? The range of patients: before treatment, during, after? The repercussions of treatment and advice? Difficulties, dangers? The author's strength of character sketches, impressions, manners, idiosyncrasies? Relying on audience responses to characters, caricatures, jokes? The blend of the funny and sad? The musical score and the final song and its lyrics?

7. The contribution of the editing for the pace of the film: the day in the life of the clinic, the passing of the day and the sense of time and the seeing of patients? The work, the workload, pressures limitations, the good done? The editing for highlighting character, funny situations, laughs, sadness? The slower pace for the focus on the suicide case?

8. The ordinariness of the staff: their experience, capacities, manner in dealing with patients, collaboration, jokes with one another, friendship, the morning tea scene, the evacuation of the clinic? The director and her ability to handle people and situations?

9. The visits: the waiting room and its being so public, names and numbers, people finding it difficult to go in, the ordinariness of the desk, giving of names and information, the nurse and the doctor working together for the patient, their being rather bored with so many patients, their being used to such situations whereas the patients were not? The first visitors and their worries, their treatment and then their blasé attitude? The neurotic visitors? The mad visitor - and his bomb threat? The focus on the physical treatment of venereal diseases: the way of discussing and visually presenting the treatment? Tests, examination, results? The jokes about capsules and prescriptions? The supplementary work of the counsellor? Her giving information and opinions over the phone?

10. Eric and Chris Haywood's breezy style? His being the focus of the film? His arrival, hangover, clothes, sleepiness, friendly style, manner, the interchanges with his nurse - even about insect sprays? Coping with the day? Paul and his arrival and his stuffiness, his questions about the prostitutes and Eric's treatment of the questions, his rebuffing, his censoriousness? The gradual revelation that he was homosexual? The phone calls and his explanations to Paul? The relationship with Patrick and Patrick's mother? Paul's condemnatory reaction? Eric's skill in dealing with people and putting them at ease: examinations, remarks, the photo of the special case? The eccentric boy with all his symptoms? Carl and the discussions and embarrassment? The final clash with Paul and not expecting to see him again? The midday break? The bomb scare and the drink at the hotel, Paul's return, their talk, friendship, the toilet examination and the joke about Paul's worst dream coming true? A strong character? His attitude towards status, his work? His compassion and help? A glimpse of a character at work in the clinic for one day?

11. The contrast with Paul: the fifth-year student, theoretical, eager, awkward at going into the clinic, putting his white coat over his arm, wanting to be busy, his intervening in the lobby, the homosexual winking at him and people's reaction to that? His being allotted to Eric? His censorious attitudes, disgust about homosexuals, projecting it onto others? The discussion about homosexuality and Eric's reply about lesbians etc.? His curiosity? His laughing, his lack of tact with people? His phone calls to Wendy and his awkwardness? His going to the beach and deciding not to come back? His reflections at the beach? The return, the meeting of the prostitute in the street and his friendliness? The bomb scare and his being able to confide in Eric and get the answer to his problem? The happy phone call to Wendy? His emphasis on status, his ambitions, titles? His looking down on Bric? His personal behaviour and attitudes towards Wendy? The audience identifying with him and experiencing the clinic and its information and treatment through him?

12. The pregnant doctor, her husband sending the roses, the clash? Her putting the roses in the garbage, giving it to the neurotic lady? A woman of sympathy? Sharing her experiences with Sharon? Trying to get the patient to swallow the capsules? The embarrassment with the neurotic society lady and her apologising? Her husband's phone call and the reconciliation at the time of the bomb scare? Her being good with women patients?

13. The doctor and his analyses, his tense nurse - and her having given up smoking? His trying to fix the electric light? His offhand manner, helpful treatment of patients? Explaining their disease and their not understanding it? The difficulties with the Chinese visitors? Morning tea? Friendship, arguments? His ability to help people at the clinic?

14. Dr. Carmichael and her managing the clinic, arranging the day, going out to give the talk, the chat with the counsellor, the car crash and the nuns going through the red light, the case of visual aids, her coping with the bomb scare?

15. The registrar and his cool handling of people coming in?

16. The counsellor as a mother-figure, the photo of the young man on the desk, the range of phone information given, Carl and the discussion about his fiancee, rehearsing his explanations and the later reconciliation, though her rushing because of Warwick's suicide? The counselling sessions with Warwick: the phone call to his boss, his mother's phone call to Dr. Nicholson, his wanting to knock on the door during the lunch hour, the receiving of the phone call about his death and her anger?

17. The fanatic and his constant presence, mad glint, religious language, quoting of the Bible, putting the box in the television storeroom, wanting to blow up the clinic? The quick dramatising of the critic?

18. The chief patients:

- The nervous boy at the beginning, his waiting, being bitten by the dog and his reaction, having the coffee spilt over him, his coming in to Eric, his nervousness, joking about Paul's fear of coming in, his list of symptoms - carrots etc., the discovery of his pimple and the relief?

- Carl and his being a worker, his language about poking and the barmaid, his nervousness, embarrassment with the nurse, the discussion about Sandy and his fidelity, his reaction to Sandy's parents looking down on him, his feeling that he had let her down and that they were right, his self-recrimination with the counsellor, the rehearsal about telling her, getting her down to the clinic and seeing the couple there, his wanting to introduce her to the counsellor?

- Warwick and his moodiness, the loss of his job, the nurse telling people in the factory about his disease, his mother's intervention and his fear of telling her, wanting to know on the door at lunchtime, the slow moody reflection and his going to his death?

- The embarrassed society woman with her black wig and dark glasses, her nervous introduction, her obsessiveness with cleanliness, her disgust with men, her being laughed at and her rebuking the doctor and the nurse, her feelings of guilt, her final warnings as she left?

19. The range of vignettes of patients shown:

The businessmen tourists coming back after Asia, wanting to be checked before they went home to their wives, their reaction against women doctors?
The girl with the comments on the wide range of contraceptive pills and all that she had tried?

The small man and his sexist attitudes towards the girl that he 'poked'?

The group discussing with Dr. Hussan about gonorrhoea and inflammation?

The pop singer and the crabs and his being pleased at being photographed for demonstration purposes?

The rowdy group - and the discovery that most were free of the disease but one had it?

The woman in agony over herpes and her anger and Dr. Young's help with her?

The girl with the silicone and her jet-setting?

The flamboyant but ignorant blond homosexual?

The winking homosexual and his conversation with the nervous woman in the lobby, winking at Paul, going for a drink with the woman?

The nervous woman at the beginning, her story and getting mixed up with Dr. Young, the promiscuity, her relief at not having the disease?

The foreign man embarrassed with the girls that he picked up and his sexual problems - the sympathy of the counsellor?

The girl who couldn't swallow any of the capsules and who preferred an injection?

The Chinese and the lack of communication?

The schoolboy confronting the group with sharp talk and then shrugging with relief?

The policeman fainting at the sight of his own blood?

The police watching the clinic and the woman outside telling him he might need it?

The old vagrant woman with the sandwiches?

The TV men and the delivery looking round the clinic?

The bomb squad and the curiosity about magazines?

The barmaid and her comments at the hotel during the bomb scare?

The prostitute and her inability to have her throat tested, going to get her bank account in order?

The questions for Paul?

The boy becoming engaged sent to the clinic by his father .. etc.?

20. Why did the film work as successful entertainment? As an entertaining way of educating the public?