DEMONSTRATOR

Australia, 1970, 110 minutes, Colour.
Joe James, Irene Inescourt, Slim de Grey, Noel Ferrier, Harold Hopkins.
Directed by Warwick Freeman.

Demonstrator is Australia's 1970 contribution to the film market. Made in Canberra for a $300,000 budget, it should not be expected to be a masterpiece, but as an interesting and entertaining topical drama, it is as good and as limited as anything else like it overseas. Admittedly, there are numerous cliches, stock situations, fashionable scenes and faddish nudity. But as popular entertainment, Demonstrator is technically competent and well-acted. It is certainly not gratingly Australian.

The background of a Pan-Asian? conference in Canberra is interesting in itself, although this theme is left very general. The current demonstrations are presented and a look given at who runs whom in 'using' demonstrators. The callow hero is serious but naive and has to learn a lot about demonstrators for kicks, political relationships and diplomacy as well as human relationships. This is where he is left at the end, disillusioned and forced to start again.

The action is further complicated by the focussing on the generation gap. The hero is the son of the Defence Minister organising the conference.

Demonstrator is not an important film, but it is interesting and raises, if lightly, current issues worth discussing.

1. Why did this film interest you? Was it topical? Why?

2. Did the film raise its issues well, or did you find that the characters and situations were fairly routine?

3. What were the political issues in the film, especially concerning Asia? Were they made very clear in the film? (The Prime Minister is applauded when he includes Australians in his statement, 'We Asians'.)

4. Discuss the demonstration scenes: -airport - banquet - conference hall - Canberra theatre? Why were the demonstrations held? who was the mind behind them? why? Did you agree with the reasons, tactics? Are these typical demonstrations?

5. What was the purpose of the party scene and the race back to Canberra? Mere fashion? What comment did it make on the people at the party? (e.g. the crashes - were they realistic or meant to be? - the behaviour of Hugh Prentice at the end of the film.)

6. Discuss the hero. Was he likeable? How serious was he, how naive? What was the point of making him the Defence Minister's son?

7. Discuss the generation gap and Stephen's relationship with his father and with his mother.

8. What impression did you get of the Public Service (e.g. Jamison), of security watching and of the police?

9. What impression did Kalio make? Was he intended to be a type of hero of the film or not?

10. Who was really using whom in the film? What did the ending mean?