THE GIFT
Australia, 1987, 90 minutes, Colour.
Alexis Anthoupolos, Rena Franioudakis.
Directed by Paul Cox.
The Gift is a telemovie from the Touch the Sun series, produced by the Australian Children's Film and Television Foundation for the 1988 bicentenary. This is the contribution from Western Australia and Victoria. The film was co-written and directed by Paul Cox, who had directed The Paper Boy for the foundation's Winners series as well as being a celebrated director of such films as Lonely Hearts, Man of Flowers, A Woman's Tale, My First Husband, Cactus.
The film begins with a Melbourne setting among the Greek community and two children winning a prize, land in Western Australia. The film creates the atmosphere of migrant families in inner Melbourne, cultural tensions, especially with the Greek background. As the film moves to Western Australia, there is a different tone as the children look at their land, find bids made for the trees on the property and they take stances for the environment and conservation.
The series focused on successful children, children taking stances. This is particularly clear in this entertaining film where the children's background is so clearly presented, the children and their values come across very strongly.
1. Entertaining children's film? Family film?
2. The Melbourne settings, the inner city, the homes, the television studios, the streets? The contrast with Western Australia, the open spaces, the property and its trees, the city of Perth, offices and hotels? The musical score?
3. The title, the children and their winning of the prize, the property, the trees, the gift of the land?
4. Nikos and Sofia? Their age, Nikos's precocious learning and style, computers? At school, at home? With their parents? The grandfather? The excitement about the prize, going on the television, preparing what they should wear, Nikos and his being silent on television, Sofia giving the answers? Their school friends and curiosity about the prize?
5. The parents, the Greek background, style of life at home, meals, conversations? Grandfather? The joy about the prize? The clothes for the television programme? The plans about the house, wanting to move, the wife's reaction, the children's? The hint from the estate agent in the bar? Going to see the other house? The plans, people visiting the home, the painting on the wall and the father whiting it over? The plan for selling the trees to buy the new house? The concern about the children in the west?
6. The grandfather, his place in the household, his love for the children? The chaperone on the journey? The journey over to Western Australia? The visit to the property? His planning the contract about selling the trees?
7. Nikos and Sofia, the property, the trees, the discovery of the house, the old lady and George? The antagonism, their becoming friends? The old lady taking them to see the property? George and his friendliness? The problem of the trees, the wild life? The environment? Their decision not to sell the trees? To let the old lady and George stay there?
8. The publicity about the prize, the company, the host and his TV style? The man with the contract about the trees? Nikos and Sofia taking a stance?
9. The auctioneer, the plans for selling the house? The people and their bids?
10. Grandfather and the children hurrying back to Melbourne, coming from the airport, their plan and their bidding against the buyer for the house? Their saving the house?
11. Portrait of children, portrait of homes? Themes of the environment and human values above money and exploitation?
