THE PLUMBER

Australia, 1979, 76 minutes, Colour.
Ivar Kants, Judy Morris, Robert Colby, Candy Raymond, Henry Szeps.
Directed by Peter Weir.

The Plumber is a telemovie written and directed by Peter Weir. He worked on it immediately after The Last Wave and in the light of his success with Picnic at Hanging Rock. Along with Homesdale and The Cars That Ate Paris, he has had an interest in the eerier aspects of contemporary life. There are suggestions of something outside the ordinary experience - it is not necessarily supernatural, but it is something above and beyond ordinary experience.

Set in a university atmosphere in Adelaide, The Plumber portrays the clash between an ordinary working man whose life is based on instincts and feelings with the wife of a university research officer who is writing a thesis on New Guinea tribes. The background of New Guinea, with aspects of sorcery and different civilisations and rituals from our own, offers symbols for the interpretation of The Plumber.

Judy Morris is very good as Jill and she is menaced by Ivar Kants as the plumber. There is strong support from Candy Raymond as her friend Meg. The film is brief and many aspects of the plot are not explained but left to the interpretation of the audience.

1. An interesting and enjoyable telemovie? The reputation of Peter Weir? His contribution to the film as writer, director? His interest in themes of ordinary living in contemporary Australia, the eerier and strange aspects of behaviour and psychological clash?

2. The film as a psychological drama? Melodrama? The interaction between Max and Jill? Dominance, fear etc.? The film seen as a personal drama of the encounter of a man and a woman with different backgrounds, styles, presuppositions? A drama of the clash of the intellectual and academic with the working class? The importance of the New Guinea anthropological background and suggestions by photo, slides, recorded music, discussions?

3. The significance of the title, its directness and focus on Max? As a person, in his work? The plumber as a symbol for the working man? His role in the house, repairs? The possibility for his legitimate presence in the house even though a stranger? Jill and her reaction to Max as plumber, as man? The importance of the story of Jill and her staying the night with the sorcerer in New Guinea and then throwing things at him? What did this indicate about her fears, confrontations? A symbol of her interaction and behaviour with the plumber? Her dominance of him at the end?

4. The importance of the Adelaide setting, the university, the academic world, study and theses, research? The world of organisation and the international visitors? Adelaide society as represented by restaurants, Meg and her ways, the Yoga classes? The contrast with the world of the plumber - our not seeing Max in his background but simply at work and moving around the university buildings? The contribution of the score - contemporary, overtones of New Guinea? The special effects for shock, the images within images, sounds and images?

5. The importance of the New Guinea background? As contributing to the plot, explaining Jill and her thesis, her husband and his research and theories? The thesis and her writing of it? Her resources in the flat? The New Guinea rituals? The discussion about undernourishment, cannibalism? The importance of the consumer society and its effect on the highlanders? Undernourishment? New Guinea in itself, relationship with Australia, primitive background compared with Australian civilisation? The suggestive aspects of New Guinea? (Max as the equivalent of a New Guinea primitive confronting the academics?)

6. The portrayal of academic life and its style, conversation, the use of reason? Reason and feelings? Intellectual argument versus instinct and rough reactions? e.g. Max and listening to his transistor, his way of speaking, eating? Discussions about manners? Meg and her reaction to Max? Max as seen in the university corridors and with people in general? The screenplay's critique of the approach of the intellectuals to life. to ordinary people? How much of a critique of Max and his approach, especially his continuous intrusion

7. The basic plot and the interest in its development - Jill and her husband at home? The possibility of their going to Geneva? The need for the plumber (what need was there really? - did Max create the need with his work on the bathroom?), Max and his continued intrusion, his making a mess, Jill and her growing inability to cope, her husband and his not seeing the plumber? Meg and her visits? The importance of the watch as a gift, as a temptation to Max, as the vehicle for Jill's framing of him? The police and Max's arrest?

8. What impact did Max make? Audiences identifying with him or with Jill and experiencing his intrusion? What was true about him, what false? The impact of his presence, his style? The ambiguity and Jill's interpretation? His story about prison etc.? His discussion about his work and his skill at it? The arrival each day and the film's stress on the structure of the various days? Sharing experiences with Jill e.g. eating? The discussion about rape and the sexual innuendo and overtones? Jill as Max's victim? The reversal of roles? Did he deserve his domination by Jill because of his impositions? The end and the message about fear and dominance?

9. Jill as an ordinary person, as a woman, academic? Discussion about family, about Geneva? Per phone calls and preoccupation with the plumber? Seeing her at home, her reaction to Max's intrusion? his presence becoming an obsession and the audience sharing this obsession? How much of his behaviour was her interpretation? Growing fear, suspicions? Her changing into dominance of him, her framing him? How similar was Max to Jill's husband? How much of her frustration with her husband was she taking out on him?

10. Her husband and his place at home, work, care for Jill? The New Guinea background, his theories? The anticipation about Geneva? The contrast with his life at work in the laboratory, at home? The international visitors and his meeting them, discussions and theories? Their visit and things going wrong? The farcical humour of the visitor getting trapped in Max's scaffolding?

11. The contribution of Meg and her snobbish attitudes, chic dress etc? Meg as an echo of Jill? Their outings together, the Yoga class? Her visit and her seemingly flirting with Max?

12. The W.H.O. issues and themes? Their relevance to the plumber themes?

13. The treatment of man encountering woman and the relationship of the sexes? Themes of sexuality? Violence and brutality? Themes of repression and fear? The shadow side of the subconscious and its emerging? The attraction of Jill and Max and the repelling experience? The symbols within the apartment highlighting this?

14. The strengths of the film as a telemovie? For home viewing? The presuppositions for appreciation by the home audience in terms of plot, situations, motivations, symbolism? The ending and what the audience was left with?