SIAM SUNSET

Australia, 1999, 92 minutes, Colour.
Linus Roache, Danielle Spencer, Roy Billings.
Directed by John Polson.

Siam Sunset is yet another quirky offbeat Australian comedy. It was written and directed by John Polson, better known as an actor (The Sum of Us, Mission Impossible II) and as the founder-director of the Tropfest, the festival for short films in Sydney.

The star is Linus Roach, best known for his roles in such films as Priest and Wings of the Dove. After the accidental death of his wife (one of the hilarious scenes in the film), he wins a prize to go on a trip to Australia. Once there, he finds that it is one of the cheapest available. The bus driver, another very enjoyable performance by Roy Billings (Doing Time for Patsy Kline, the Mayor in The Dish) who is a martinet with his passengers in the Outback. Danielle Spencer portrays a young girl on the run whose life becomes entangled with the put-upon tourists in the bus.

Linus Roach is dreaming of the most beautiful paint colour that he can discover in order to bring it home to England for his father and to prosper. The colour he finds in the Australian desert is Siam Sunset.

1. Entertaining comedy? Humane, affectionate, yet black? Particularly Australian?

2. The Australian sense of humour: farce, dialogue and colloquialisms, caricature, spoof, satire?

3. The British settings, the contrast with the Australian settings: Adelaide, the desert, the isolation, the earthquake, the flood? The musical score and the songs?

4. The title and Perry's dream of the perfect colour? The intuitive colour? His explanations of colour and music? His creating Siam Sunset?

5. Linus Roache as Perry: seeing him at work, his expertise, devotion to making colours? The playful and loving relationship with his wife? The setting up of an ordinary seeming love story? Yet the disasters, the extraordinary impact of the refrigerator? The later crashes, disasters at the factory, the lorry driving into the front of the house? His grief, the firm and their criticism, wanting him to go on a holiday? Going with his dad to the bingo, not paying attention, winning?

6. Going to Adelaide? The visuals of Adelaide? The tourist, the man from the UK and his sense of alienation? The pleasant bus and the courtesy of the bus driver? The mistake? Bill and the old bus, the group of tourists? His domineering, his only one rule...? Competition with the other bus? The styles of travel, camping, eating, racing? Singing "Coming Round the Mountain..."?

7. Grace and her going into the office, taking the money, her relationship with Martin? Her taking the car, driving, breaking down, hailing the bus, Bill refusing to have her, taking the payment? Her relationship with the other passengers? Her being pleasant? Attraction towards Perry? The discussions with Stewart and Jane? Martin coming to the office, pursuing her? Sitting next to her on the bus? The crash, his being burnt and being saved? His threatening her? Her relationship with Perry, at the cafe, having the drink - but escaping through the lavatory window, confronting Martin? His illness, his final aggression, her throwing the snake? The background of her story, the drugs and the testifying against him, taking the money? Falling in love with Perry and deciding to stay in the desert?

8. Perry, aghast at his situation in Australia, isolation from the other passengers, being focused on as the holiday winner? Stewart and his singing, explanation of the pathos of his story and relationships? Jane? Bill and his rules? The floods and his not being able to get off the bus? With Grace, the encounter with Martin? The earthquake and the setting up of the tents and their collapse? His being a hero at the crash, rescuing Martin?

9. The comic portrait of the other passengers: Roy and Arthur and the ocker male, dominating? All the caricatures of the male - especially watching Arthur fill up the bus...? Stewart and the composition of his songs, their banality, yet his liking them? The attraction to Jane, her appreciating the songs? The Vietnamese and his palling up with the wife? Dot being old, playing billiards, having a good time? The daughter and her zipping her lips and not speaking - especially at the end to say that the whole trip was shithouse? The comedy of the characters? Bill and his ockerisms, bringing the bus, his rules, racing, crashing, saying that he was caring?

10. The crash and people's reaction, ferrying the luggage? Eric and his wife, the motel, nursing the injured? The greed for money and the high prices? The snake - and its being let out? Shooting the water tank, the fridge for the shaving and the food going off, the beetroot being the only thing available? The New Year celebration toast in beetroot?

11. Martin and his recovery, taking the water, reacting to everyone, Arthur pushing him around? The confrontation with Grace, the violence of his death - with the rack and its coming off the wall? The snake? Everybody's reactions, wanting the inquest - and Perry's smooth disquisition on the inquest?

12. The end - the rescue, Perry and Grace buying the motel, isolation? The enormous amount of things falling from the sky? The mythical and cosmic overtones?

13. Pleasant and characteristic Australian comedy?