IN SEARCH OF ANNA

Australia, 1978, 94 minutes, Colour.
Richard Moir, Judy Morris, Bill Hunter, Chris Haywood, Garry Waddell.
Directed by Esben Storm.

In Search of Anna is an early road film in the history of the Australian film renaissance of the 1970s. It was written and directed by Esben Storm who had made an impact in collaboration with writer Hayden Keenan with 27A. Storm was to have a long and successful career with a range of feature films including Stanley and Deadly as well as making a number of shorter features for the Australian Children’s Film and Television Foundation.

Here his scope is wider, a road film (with much city and Victorian and N.S.W. countryside locations, finishing in Queensland) which is a quest by a young man released from prison. The journey is also the personal one to rehabilitation – re-encountering his Greek father, his flashy friend who betrayed him (Chris Haywood excellent), the Anna of memory. Richard Moir captures very well the intensity of the hero. Richard Moir had emerged at this period as a kind of anguished Australian lead. Here he is on a journey and a quest, traveling through the eastern states of Australia, landscapes and seascapes. The film fills in his back-story with a number of flashbacks.

The film has a good supporting cast, character actors of the period and several who were to emerge as very strong presences in the Australian industry in the succeeding twenty years or more, including Bill Hunter and Chris Haywood.

1. Significance and tone of the title? The emphasis on search, quest, journey, goal? An Australian journey and search? A contemporary world, contemporary mood, quest and search?

2. The quality of Australian productions colour photography, the use of locations in the eastern states, the attention to detail of landscapes and seascapes, the city? An authentic feel of Australia? The musical score? the insertion of various songs and their appropriate points?

3. The structure of the film: the quest and the search, the explanation of the dramatics in Tony's life? The balance and timing of the flashbacks explaining Tony within his quest? The background comments from the song lyrics, radio and television programmes etc? The culmination with the parallelling of Tony's violence and sexuality? The moving towards the goal of finding Anna? The background use of the letters to and from Anna? The gradual revelation of the relationship and the Interchange of letters in the prison?

4. The visual presentation of the journey - the road and cars on the road, the particular look and style of Victoria New South Wales? Queensland? The visual presentation of Melbourne and Sydney - similarities and contrasts? The country towns# the countryside, the east coast, the rivers? The tropical aspects of Queensland? The range of Australian beauty? The initial difficulties and the road and the fight, the encounter with Sam and the comparatively smooth journey? The difficulties being in memory and encounter with Sam? Sam and her role as guide and driver on the journey? Her offering to take Tony to Queensland? An interior search for Anna -through memory, from reality to unreality, from unreality to reality? Tony's changing his goal as he experienced the search in the light of the people that he encountered? his prison memories, the clash with Jerry? How interesting a character was Tony? The facets of his personality? seeing him throw away Jerry's tag, his dishevelled appearance initially? The various lifts, the encounter with the toughs and the breaking of the car? Sam and her watching him and his getting a ride with her? Could audiences identify with him? The puzzle, the engaging aspects of his personality? The background of prison? his life prior to prison? How had he changed? Tony with his Greek migrant background, his father? his refusal to speak Greek? The inner city life, toughness? Criminal background? His ideals and hopes? how sympathetic a character? A contemporary everyman figure in his search?

6. How well did the film give plot details for Tony's background? His leaving Pentridge and reflections on his experience, the nature of his crime, the return to the building site and the loss of the money? the encounter with his father and his home, his mother's letter and explanation of her suicide and its effect on him? The continued clash with his father and his abuse of him? His father's television watching? The memories of friendship with Jerry and Tony's concealing his six years of hatred of Jerry? The encounter with him playing pool, the humorous interchanges? Going out and the bashing especially with Buzz and the man with the chain? The brutality and his waking up, finding his dog Billy and having him as companion? The build-up to his getting the gun, making Jerry climb and shooting at him? The working out of his vengeance?

7. The importance of the plot aspects and all these happening to him prior to his setting out on the journey and quest? Audience knowledge of his emotions, love and hate, capacity for violence at the start of the film? The letters and their continually illustrating his feelings and hopes? How did the journey aspect of the film illustrate what had happened before?

8. The portrait of his father, not visiting him in prison, Greek? His mother saying that home was a prison and Tony saying that he and his father had driven her mad? His father's passivity?

9. Jerry and his coming up in the world, his talk? the long discussion about having a philosophy of life and the significance of his philosophy? Tony's reaction to his philosophy? The pool game and his throwing money around? His being beaten in the game by Tony? The brutality and violence of the bashing and kicking, swearing anger? The wanting of the money? The second attempt and his smooth-talking Tony? His fear when taken with the gun? His pleading for his life and his being left alone with his terror? The portrait of Buzz and Max? Old friendships and Tony changing?

10. The decision to go north, the quest as driving him? The Initial difficulties of the journey especially with the young men and bashing their car?

11. The introduction to Sam - how attractive a woman? Her Initial observing and silence? Her not talking? The night by the beach and her offering herself sexually? Her reaction yo Tony's refusal? The swim? Her beginning to enquire more and more about him especially in the town drinking the beer? Her lies and her comment about her lies? How much did she understand of him by Sydney? How well did they like each other? Her help with his quest? Giving her phone number? How Interesting a character? How did she parallel irony in her being adrift and searching?

12. The portrait of Sydney? Darlinghurst and Tony's seeking Anna and not finding her? His decision to remain?

13. The sketch of Peter Burke, as a person, relationship with Sam and calling her Jules? The clashes with her? Work, wealth? The party and its atmosphere? The phone call and the pain in letting her go? The suggestions of his world especially the modelling sequence?

14. The discovery of the truth about Sam? As a model and Tony's stealing the sunglasses previously? Seeing her at home with Peter? Her advances towards Tony and his reaction? The contemporary glamour of the party, her frenetic dance and then crying? Her reaction to being ordered about by Peter? Her response to his phone call and her choice to take Tony to Queensland? Why was she also In search of Anna? What was she really in search of?

15, The increased use of voiceover technique? The existential questions and discussion about identity and the ways these were replayed? How apt, pretentious? Highlighting the themes behind the images?

16. The build-up to the parallel of Tony's violent memories with Jerry and the search culminating with Sam? The expectations of his treatment of Jerry, of the encounter with Sam? The interrelationship of sexuality and violence and their culmination? The purging effect of Tony's threatened violence? the effect of the sexual encounter with Sam?

17. The transition to Queensland and the goals for the quest? Surfer's Paradise and their talk? Sam and her luring Tony In the forest, the old house? His decision to follow her? The close-up of his eye and seeing Sam through his eye? His decision to love her as parallel to his decision about Jerry and the violence?

18. Themes of sexuality? Tony's waiting for Anna, his letters and fidelity? The fulfilment of passion with Sam? How much commitment to her? Sexual expression? Values? Was there a sufficient basis for a life together?

19. The arrival at Anna's house? The reaching of the goal? The anti-climax? rushing the car away? The light touch and the 96hange of goal? What goal had Tony found? Sam?

20. A contemporary story? The limitations of modern man and modern woman in contemporary society? Mistakes, influences? Chips on shoulder? Paying for mistakes? Hopes, principles? The quality of relationships? The relationships between men and women - knowing one another? appreciation? love? The perennial value and interest in the theme of search?