ROBBERY UNDER ARMS

Australia, 1985, 141 minutes, Colour.
Sam Neill, Steven Vidler, Christopher Cummins, Liz Newman, Jane Menelaus, Ed Devereaux, Tommy Lewis.
Directed by Ken Hannam, Donald Crombie.

Robbery Under Arms was a lavish project by the South Australian Film Corporation: a feature film and a mini-series being made simultaneously, with the same cast but with different scripts.

The film was made in the Flinders Ranges and capitalises on beautiful location scenery as well as the re-creation of 19th century atmosphere. The film stays close enough to Rolf Boldrewood's famous novel.

This is the fifth version of Robbery Under Arms - the previous one being the Peter Finch English backed film of the mid-'50s. Sam Neill is a suave, English Captain Starlight. Newcomers Stephen Vidler and Christopher Cummins are the young Marston brothers. The supporting cast make good use of their character roles, especially Ed Devereaux, Tommy Lewis and Robert Grubb. The women's parts are not so well-written.

The film has a rollicking kind of atmosphere (publicity spoke of parallels with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). The film has its serious themes but has the light and comic
touch. The final confrontation between Starlight and the Marstons and the police is much more visually violent than might have been expected. A popular piece of film entertainment - though not as memorable as might have been hoped for.

1. Popular entertainment? Film traditions about Australian 19th. century stories? The many versions of Robbery Under Arms? The blend of adventure, comedy, themes of 19th century oppression, justice, the law? The popularity of Rolf Boldrewood's novel?

2. The film capturing its spirit, characters, point of view, incidents, flavour? South Australian location photography and beauty: the Flinders Ranges, the plains, homesteads, the roads, the goldfields towns and their beginnings, prisons? Style, decor, costumes? Nineteenth century atmosphere? Action and stunt work? The musical score?

3. The 19th century outback, homesteads, properties, cattle, wealth, robberies and rustling, cattle sales, the discovery of gold, the towns springing up? Class distinctions? Pioneering, outlaws, police?

4. Distinctly Australian themes? The colonial background? England? The remittance members of various families? American comparisons? Westerns? outlaws and their way of life, class, difficulties, English, Catholic and Protestant, law and justice, opportunities? Sympathies? Sam Neill's Starlight: the focus of the film, dashing, his exploits, the regard by the Marstons, his cause, motivation? Fate?

5. Sam Neill's charm and style? English manner, clothes, toasts to the Queen - and his final family secret? The opening sequence and the overtones of the highwayman? The robbery? The friendship with Warrigal, the bond? Their work together? His understanding and tolerance? The humorous encounter with the Marstons? The cattle, the stealing, his power and control, the hard work, branding the cattle? The cattle trek? The auction? His place in society? His being imprisoned and his physical and moral collapse? The escape, the recuperation, Aileen's help? The goldfields and his gambling, speaking Chinese, the Chinese help?

6. Morringer and his pursuit? His social encounters with him? His pretences? Dashing member of society, the race? The escape on the horse? In the bush, the final robbery, the confrontation? The violence of his death? His secret? Character, symbol, upper class remittance man? A 19th century character?

7. Dick and Jim: young, from the country, their family, hard work, home? Dick and his love for Gracie? George's protection of Gracie? His presuming her would marry her? Her anger at his presumption? Warrigal's arrival, taking them to their father? The hideout? The initial encounter with Starlight? Decisions to stay, the work, the cattle trek? Adelaide and their dressing up, the encounter with the Morrison girls?

8. Jim and his love for Jeannie? More gentle than Dick? Their leaving, the imprisonment, the escape? The goldfields? Jim and his marrying Jeannie? Happiness? The baby and the Anglican baptism? The decision for the last job, Jeannie knowing he would not return, the farewell, his death? The bond with Jeannie? Dick and Jim's protecting him, Dick's assertiveness? The entanglement with Kate? The clash with Gracie and George? His escape from the prison, his not being dead, rescuing Starlight? Kate and her setting the troopers onto him? Her jealousy of Gracie? Gracie going with him, the clash? The final dance, the robbery, the end and the confrontation with the police? His survival?

9. A portrait of two young men, the bond together, family? Their relationship with their mother, Aileen, their father? Dick and his prison sentence, his being reunited with Gracie? Gracie and her fire? Kate as a money-grabber and a betrayer? Jeannie as pleasant - and with some strength? The comparisons drawn between the women? Nineteenth century women? Strong but in the background?

10. Aileen at home, her help, her love for her brothers, the relationship with Starlight, his recuperation, seduction, her strict Catholic background and reaction, the social dance, her regrets and love? The final talk with him?

11. Old Marston and his suspicion of sentiment, relationship with his wife, tough, love for his dog - and the scene-stealing scenes with the dog? His new hat and his making it dirty? His farewell to his sons? The portrait of their mother? Attitude towards the police? Towards her sons?

12. Warrigal as flamboyant, friendly with Starlight, his skill in the train robberies, the hold-ups, the cattle trek? The escape from prison? His 20th century sayings about land rights, aborigines as prison guards? The importance of the relationship between black and white? Aboriginal rights? The final set-up, his betrayal of Starlight or not? His consciousness of himself as aborigine, not wanting to go to America, his spirit being lost?

13. The portrait of the police: Morringer and his English background, his disgust with Starlight because of class? Relentless pursuit, the machine guns? His various assistants and their tracking the gang? His assistant and his death? The trackers? The posses? The traps at the coach robbery, the final confrontation, the death of Starlight and his hearing his secret? The importance of the English associated with the administration of law?

14. The robbery sequences: trains, cattle, stagecoach?

15. The pioneering gold towns, the way of life, business, the hotels, the churches etc.? The place of the Chinese?

16. Nineteenth century society and elegance, British manners, dances, entertainment, races?

17. The religious background - the Marstons and their Catholic tradition? The priest and the wedding? The Irish priest and his saying Dick was blameless because of the Empire forcing him into his difficulties? Starlight's reaction to Aileen's reserve - with the Catholic Church much to answer for? The picture of the Anglicans, the parson and the christening.

18. The presentation of aborigines? Aboriginal aspirations - a 19th century character?

19. A film of exuberance and Australian flavour?