BUDDIES

Australia, 1983, 97 minutes, Colour.
Colin Friels, Harold Hopkins, Kris Mc Quade, Simon Chilvers, Norman Kaye, Bruce Spence, Dinah Shearing, Lisa Peers.
Directed by Arch Nicholson.

Buddies is one of the few films directed by Arch Nicholson whose untimely death at the age of forty-nine brought his career to a sad close. Nicholson also directed such television films as A Good Thing Going as well as the feature Fortress. The film was written by John Dingwall, a prolific writer who also directed the films Phobia and the police drama The Custodian with Anthony La Paglia and Hugo Weaving.

This is a boisterous film of the outback, about two men who are good friends in a mining town. All the activity that one expects in a mining town is to the fore – in a comic fashion. The friends are played by Colin Friels and Harold Hopkins. Kris Mc Quade and Simon Chilvers got nominations at the Australian Film Institute for their roles. A strong character cast includes Norman Kaye and Bruce Spence.

The film won the Australian Film Institute award for best original screenplay of 1983.

The action and the style of people in the town (anticipating Crocodile Dundee) are the people who give Australia and its outback a wild reputation.

1. A comedy adventure Australian style? Quality? Entertainment? Mirroring the early '80s?

2. Queensland atmosphere: outback, towns in western Queensland, mines? Panavision colour photography? The jaunty musical score and title song, lyrics? Life in a mining town? The countryside? Sapphire mines and mining? Pace and editing? Movement? Action? Stunts: cars, air stunts, the bulldozer fight?

3. The title (and American echoes)? Mateship? Australian male bonding? 19th century traditions? Pioneers, work, companionship? Sharing friendship and interests? Criticisms of the mateship ethos? Adaptation through the 20th century? In the 80s? The Queensland frontier? The place of women? Friendship, love? Sexual relationships? Women being ousted? Men combining to work together, fighting together, against each other? Australian mateship and buddies?

4. The focus on the two men and audience identification with them? The film not giving their background? Mike and his decisiveness, hopes, vision, pegging out the claims? Friendship with Johnny? With Stella? The opening and his sexual liaison with Stella? Ted and his being around the group? Hank? Lifestyle? Work with the sapphires, knowledge of raining, Mike's ability to find sapphire ground? The old style of mining and prospecting? Selling directly to the Thai merchants? His love of speed, driving? Availability of money? Pegging out the claim, the clash with Andy, the crushing of the utility? The gouging out of the hole at night? The explosives war: Work, buying, processing? The Thais lowering the price, Andy holding the market? The humour of the rigging? In the town all the day? Friendship with Alfred, the luxury of the flying lesson? The Spencer family and their helping? Around the fire at night - Alfred and the sound of Bellbirds? The music? The fascination with Jennifer - and the background of the city? The gradual falling out with Johnny? Johnny's hesitation and Mike's decisiveness? The clash, the non-brawl outside the pub? Friendship with George? Merle and Peter being out of place? The farewell, the rains and the hotel scene? The break with Johnny? The build-up to the final confrontation, his skill with the bulldozer and defeating Andy? His future? An Australian character? Strong Australian male?

5. The comparisons with Johnny? Friend, mate, second fiddle? Skill with the work? His reaction to Mike's speed? His caution? Sharing the work, the life? The loner? His growing more worried? The build-up to the break - and the tracking shot in the hotel as he went backwards and forwards? The brawl and the non-fight? His friendship with the group? Individuals? The final confrontation? The future? His not wanting to live life merely for the present and waiting for a possible future?

6. The background of Queensland: mineral deposits, gems, the land being opened up, the population, the rugged lifestyle, the homes, sheds, dirt? Stella's comment about living like pigs? Highlighting the difference between life in the north and the south?

7. Life in the north: Stella, her work, clothes, drinking, directness, sexual relationships, background of her man walking out on her, liaison with Mike, with Alfred? The clash with Jennifer? Drinking with Ted? The final night and Alfred's proposing that she leave? Her leaving everything? Hopes for the future? Ted, slow, jokes, dirt? Drinking? Bruce Spence's presence, height, humour, crushed by the bulldozer? Hank and his work, playing the mouth organ, participation in the selling of the sapphires and rigging the market?

8. The contrast with the family from the south: the expensive caravan, car, clothes, classical music? The doctor from the south, the Economics lecturer? Merle and her reading Iris Murdoch? George and his enthusiasm, a different holiday, seeing everything as 'wonderful', laughing, working, helping, getting dirty? Enjoying the experience? Merle and her snobbery, her aversion to Ted's smell, putting up with the experience, the final clash with Jennifer and her tantrum at the end? Peter and his priggishness. his theories about economics and his tactless remarks? The photo-taking at the pegging of the claim etc.? Jennifer and her fascination with the north, with Mike? Falling in love? The final confrontation with her mother, the support: of her father, her staying and Mike's proposal? The attraction of the rugged man for the woman from the city?

9. Andy as villain: smiling, tough, staking claims, bulldozing the utility, using explosives, trying to take over the market, dealing with the Thais, taken in by Mike's rigging the Market,. the build-up to the final confrontation, the bulldozer fight? The guns and support of his henchmen?

10. The old ways of Australian pioneering and prospecting: it works? The Thais coming in, greater organisation and marketing, the takeovers? Mike's individualistic fight against systems?

11. Alfred and his pleasantness, properness, his drinking, flying, recitation of Bellbirds, advances to Stella, liaison, staying, leaving and taking her away?

12. A glimpse of a part of Australian outback society of the early 80s? Flavour? Humour? Ruggedness? Australian themes of the land and the people dominated by and dominating the land?