CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION

Australia, 1996, 101 minutes, Colour.
Judy Davis, Sam Neill, F. Murray Abraham, Geoffrey Rush, Richard Roxburgh, Rachel Griffiths.
Directed by Peter Duncan.

An impressive first feature by writer and director, Peter Duncan, this is an unpredictable comedy and drama. Judy Davis is excellent as a Balmain communist of the late 40s, devoted to Stalin and writing him letters and under suspicion from ASIO. She does get to meet her hero (played sardonically by F. Murray Abraham) with extraordinary results.

Back home she brings up her son (Richard Roxburgh) with her forbearing husband (Geoffrey Rush) and frequent visitor (Sam Neill). We are treated to 40 years of Australian history, a look at changing attitudes to social issues and communism. But it becomes more and more satirical with its black humour. It is hard to describe the film as it does not fit into expectations which means that it is unpredictably entertaining Duncan then made A Little Bit of Soul and Passion (about Percy Grainger and his mother).

1.A film of imagination? Comic interpretation of history, social change? Critique?

2.The re-creation of periods over the 40 years of the action? Locations, costumes and decor? Mood? The changes in Sydney? The impressions of Moscow in the '50s? The incorporation of news footage? Giving it an authentic feel?

3.The musical score, the Russian music? The Cole Porter songs?

4.The quality of the cast? The presence of Judy Davis? F. Murray Abraham as Stalin? Re-creating the atmosphere of Moscow?

5.The comic introduction, the Australian revolution of 1990, people not knowing? Joe Welsh and his blaming his mother? The establishing of tone for the film?

6.The nature of the humour? The irony? Humour and irony as a mode of critique - of the Soviet Union, of communism, of Stalin and his methods? Of Australian communists? Of Australian anti-communists? The changes in the '80s and '90s?

7.Judy Davis as Joan? Serious and earnest, her friendship with Welsh, her life, given to the communist party, the meetings, the pub talk? Her wanting the revolution? The admiration for Stalin and the Soviet Union? The 1951 referendum and the preparations, the campaigns, newspapers? The success of the referendum for the communists, their celebrations? Welsh and his devotion to her, his proposal and her reaction? The visit of David to her house, the discussions about communism, about spying, about informing? Joan as a genuine believer? Personifying ideology? Her friends and their giving of interviews in the '90s, their memories of Joan at the time?

8.Her letters to Stalin, their contents and tone, Australian organisations reading them? Their going to the Soviet Union and the officials weeping as they read the letters? Stalin's reaction? The decision for Joan to go to Russia? The visuals of the ship, the photo collage of her time in Moscow, newsreels? David meeting her, their discussion about his being a double agent - and the ironies about Australian attitudes and attitudes of the Soviet Union towards Australia?

9.F. Murray Abraham as Stalin: his appearance and style, moustache, wig? His going to the toilet and passing through the officials' room? Opening the door and looking back to catch them? An atmosphere of suspicion? His interrogating the reader and getting him to name names? The singing of Cole Porter tunes? His attitudes towards Beria, Khrushchev and Malenkov? The dinner for Joan? His flirting? The chorus of the Cole Porter song? Watching the movie, Louis Armstrong - and the gradual exiting of the officials? The sexual encounter - and Joan's exit, upset? Stalin's death? Joan's personal crisis, comforted by David (and a sexual encounter)? The decision to return to Australia, Beria and his friends grinning and her being offended at their attitude? The film's comment on the Soviet Union, Stalin and the succession?

10.Australia in the 1950s, the comments about Australia, Menzies and his English tone, the referendum, the red bogey? Life in Balmain? Gradual changes, radio and TV? Newsreels, the papers? A growing sophistication of life in Australia? The '60s and Vietnam, the demonstrations, the visit of LBJ, the anti-Vietnam moratoriums?

11.The character of David: in his interviews and remembering Joan and commenting on the events? The double agent, in Australia and interrogating Joan? In Moscow? His disappearance after Stalin's death? His return, thinking that Joe was his son? Befriending the family, befriending Welsh, getting tickets for everything - and Welsh's comments and memories about David and the family? His having photos of Joan with Stalin? His own explanation of what had happened in Latvia and the death of the couple, the man without arms? The irony of discovering that Anna was the granddaughter? His despair, the decision to commit suicide, his letter and the explanation - and Joan's reading it and keeping it from the police? His being saved? His infatuation with Anna? His still supporting the family, going with Joe at the time of the Vietnam draft? The end - and his having married Anna and having a family? The ironies of history of persecution and murders and succeeding generations?

12.Zac Welsh, a good carpenter, a good man, a nice man? In love with Joan, proposing? Going to the meetings - and later revealing that he voted for Menzies? Accepting her on her return, her pregnancy, not wanting his son to know that he was not the father? The experience of the birth, Joe growing up? David's arrival and becoming part of the family? His continued worries? Joe and his career? His response to Anna, the wedding? Ultimately finding the revelation of the truth, his being hurt, the decision to walk out? The long years of marriage with Joan and love for her? His contribution to the interviews?

13.Joan and her absolute devotion to the baby? Concealing the father's identity? Joe and his growing up - and the humour of all his information in class on Stalin? His mother reassuring him about the ignorance of the teachers? His continually being arrested, getting to like it, going to the demonstrations, the effect on his life?

14.Joe growing older, the hippy look, preferring to watch Get Smart on TV, persuaded by his mother to go to the demonstrations, the arrests? The encounter with Anna and the attraction towards her? Enjoying getting arrested, writing the graffiti so that she would arrest him, the sexual overtones? The final arrest, in jail, his being brutalised? Colin and the brutality? The professor sharing the cell - and the professor's later interviews, his demurring about the fraud, his writing Joe's biography? The effect of prison? The fire and his decision to save the police? The injuries, the visits by his parents and Anna? The police being impressed by him? His reading in prison, discovering the truth about Stalin and genocide - talking to his mother and her refusal to believe the truth? The injury and his having to grow a moustache?

15.Joan and her blurting out his father's identity? His long speech to the police, the police unions, his growing career, his skills? The change in personality? The newspaper collage of his success? Strikes, demonstrations, the arrest of politicians on corruption charges? The role of the union? The parallel with his personal life? Anna and in love with her, the wedding? Her knowing the truth and her deal with Joan? His decline and his becoming more like Stalin, appearance, ranting and raving, speeches? The fantasy discussion with Stalin and trying to understand himself more? The clash with his union rival, the threats - and the news of the rival's murder? Anna and her decision to leave? Joe and his being transformed into Stalin? The question of whether it was in the genes, nurtured by Joan? The results?

16.Joan and her reaction to Joe's becoming more like Stalin? Her decision to tell the truth about him, the media conference? Her watching the television of the '80s, Gorbachev meeting Reagan and her disgust, Lenin's statue toppling? Her finally being assassinated? The question of who killed her? Information about Colin, his brutality, the relationship with Joe, Joe using him? The ambiguity of whether Joe planned his mother's murder or not?

17.Joe and his arrest, his downfall, in prison? The interview - and his refusal to answer on advice from his publishers and agents? The ultimate irony?

18.Anna and the Latvian history, in the police force, attraction to Joe, the arrests and the sexual encounters, the handcuffs? Her knowing the truth, the deal with Joan, especially about the photos? David and the suicide attempt and her finding out part of the truth? Her leaving of Joe, marrying David and beginning a family?

19.The potential in Australia for a 1990s fascist revolution, demagogues like Joe? The role of government?
20.The perceptions of communism from the 1950s to the 1990s? The atmosphere of the cold war, the red menace, the changes? The critique: the communist vision, communist reality? Australia and its being remote from world events - but a potential for similar experiences? The humorous treatment of the theme? The humorous tone of a cinema critique and its impact?