THE LAST OF THE KNUCKLEMEN

Australia, 1979, 93 minutes, Colour.
Gerard Kennedy, Mike Preston, Peter Hehir, Michael Duffield, Dennis Miller.
Directed by Tim Burstall.

The Last of the Knucklemen is based on John Power's successful play and well 'opened out' by Tim Burstall's screenplay (and this is Burstall's best film). We are introduced to tough workers in a remote South Australian town. The film is an authentic mirroring of a section of contemporary Australian society, showing insight into an image of Australian men, mateship and individualism. Performances are very good. A stand-out is Michael Duffield's old Methuselah, full of experience and common sense. The treatment is strong 'warts and all' and in its well-drawn characters and their interplay, dramatises the complexity of much discussed social questions and attitudes. An interesting companion piece to Sunday Too Far Away.

1. An entertaining film, adaptation of a play? Australian themes, Australian male themes?

2. Was it evident the film was based one play? The opening out of the scene, the situations? The reliance on dialogue and interchange? The set pieces of acting – the discussions, the card game, the fights? The contribution of the musical score?

3. The importance of the outback locations? The visualising of the town itself, its site on the outskirts of desert. The work locations? The house for the men? The prostitutes' caravan? How authentically presented was the town and the work site?

4. The people presented – their range, the predominant male population, the presence of women? An isolated community, tough and hard-working? People escaping from the cities, people seeking a refuge, criminals? Their interaction amongst themselves, their forming a community?

5. The presentation of the tough Australian? The indication of the title? Appearance, build and strength, clothes, at work, surviving, fighting? The language? Likes and dislikes? Humour? Boisterousness?

6. The title and the reference to Tarzan? His build, his history, his ability to challenge the men, his presence, his presiding? His handling of situations and keeping the men in line? His attitudes towards Pansy? Muted antagonism? His attitudes towards gambling? His not going to see the prostitutes? His befriending Tom? The final bets, the final fight? A symbol of the past and the ethos of work in the outback, strength in work, belief in work, union arrangements, the role of the boss, strikes and their settlement? His achievement? A man's man? The others and their subservience to him, antagonism?

7. The portrait of a group of men – as friends, acquaintances? The details of friendly interchange between them, ways of speaking, joking, meals, dormitory arrangements etc.? Support of one another? Recreations? likes and dislikes? Needling and hostility? How well did they know each other? Their backgrounds and escape to the town? Their privacy and lack of privacy? How well did the film illustrate the dynamics of their interaction? Australian style?

8. The portrait of Pansy – his initial solemnity, the initial fight and his picking it? His attitudes towards life? Strengths and weaknesses of character? Racial antagonism? His playing cards, his bets, especially the long card game and the challenge to Methuselah and the bluffs? In liaison with Carl and lining him up to fight Tarzan? His constant criticism of Tarzan yet his being subservient? His trying to lord it over the others and their not taking it? His domination of Monk? The build-up to antagonism with Tom, the fight with Tom? A tough man, his going to the prostitutes, his wheeler-dealing? A winner or a loser? His attitude towards Carl's defeat, finally seeing him fighting with Tarzan? What attitudes of the Australian male did he represent?

9. The film's presentation of strikes, the reasons, the mutual support, the exercise of leadership, the attitude in the peer group? The melodramatics? The attitude of the local boss? Tarzan and his attitude, his challenge? What did the film have to say about Australian work, conditions, pay? Antagonisms and strikes? Leadership?

10. The picture of work and its effect, the reality of hard work, machinery, technology? The amount of money made? Methuselah and his being trapped by the dynamite? The dangers? The purpose?

11. The cross-section of men in the supporting cast: Tas and his character, his family? Horse and the antagonism towards 'the wags', wanting his sleep and his hostility, his attitude towards going to the prostitutes and his excitement? Mad Dog and his being cripples, his dream, Monk's reaction and help, his going to the prostitutes, playing cards?

12. The importance of Methuselah as character and as catalyst for the men's reaction within the film? His age, experience, common sense and wisdom? The comments about his stink? His comments on dreams and their lack of fulfilment? Past glories and being someone – his cycling memories? His being a gambler, the importance of the card game, his decision to have it out with Pansy, the impact of his loss – especially after his long description of what he would do with his money? His giving advice to people? His being down the hole with the dynamite? Audiences identifying with him? Understanding the situation through him? His comments on ageing, sexuality in the past and as one gets older? His presence at the fights, his regaining of his money?

13. Tom and his arrival in the town, a younger version of Tarzan and the continued comparison? His sense of privacy, his collaboration in the work, his friendship with the men, discussions, keeping to himself? The information about the karate robbery and the fact that he had done it? The importance of the karate fight at the end and his demolition of Carl? The men supporting him, Tarzan taking him off?

14. The contrast with Monk and his arrival? Being less than likely to be working in the outback, his timidity, his explanation of his time in the monastery, his being shy? His timidity – especially with the men stripping to go swimming? His capacity for work, his politeness and Pansy's reaction? His not going to the prostitutes? His playing cards and drinking? His support of Mad Dog and his dream, of Tom?

15. Carl – the mindless big man? His physical strength, boasting, going out for the fight and the deal with Pansy, his inability to cope with Tom and his defeat? The money exchanged on this fight?

16. The prostitutes, the event of their coming to the town, the eagerness of the men to go and dressing themselves up, the cook and his eagerness, decisions to go or not go? The girls themselves and their caravans, their treatment of the men, friendliness?

17. The importance of the central card game and what it revealed about each of the characters? Methuselah and his decision to hold out, Pansy and his relentlessness, Tarzan and his attitudes? The importance of the work scenes and the details and close-ups of hard work? The swimming scene and the good humour and fellowship? The fight sequences and their choreography? The film finishing with a fight?

18. The film's comment on the masculine ethos of Australia? The masculine image, toughness, friendship? The critique of this image? Strength versus toughness? The demands of ruggedness?

19. The traditional theme of Australian mateship and its survival into the 1970s?