DEMOLITION

Australia, 1978, 87 minutes, Colour.
John Waters, Fred Steele, Vincent Ball, Belinda Giblin, Paul Chubb.
Directed by Kevin James Dobson.

Demolition is an action telemovie using the talents of John Waters. Written by Bruce Wishart, writer of several telemovies (Is There Anyone There, Plunge Into Darkness), the film has interesting ideas although they are not developed well, especially with the short running time of the telemovie.

The film takes up espionage themes, international terrorism, the use of science for espionage and echoes such stories as The Terminal Man, The Ground Star Conspiracy. Direction is by Kevin Dobson, director of The Mango Tree. The ingredients are interesting, aspects of the film engrossing, but, on the whole, it lacks credibility. Even the heroine, Belinda Giblin, seems abandoned in the Warragamba Lion Park - rather callous, though it may be partly in the themes of utter evil and people being abandoned to their fate. The strength of the film is in John Waters' performance and the attempt to explore international themes. A similar, rather ill-fated parallel, is Michael Thornhill's Harvest of Hate.

1. The impact of the telemovie thriller adventure? Audience interest, absorption, suspense? The effect on the home audience?

2. The qualities of the Australian production? The writing, acting, colour photography? The British sequences, the Australian atmosphere and the use of Sydney and its environment? Musical score especially the piano music? Was the basic plot plausible? Technological developments and their aberrations, human experimentation? Politics and big business using scientific and technological power? Victims not knowing how they are being used? International espionage and terrorism? The expendability of the individual? The cover-up of the truth? How well were these themes explored and presented? The structure of the film: the scientific mistake, the explanations about the powers and their using science, the choice of Peter Clarke as their guinea pig? The English background and the transition to Australia? The courier, his not knowing his mission, the various contacts, his uncertainty about the truth, the chase and violence? Romance? The futility at the end? What was the audience left with after its being immersed with Clarke in the mesh of intrigue?

3. John Waters as Peter Clarke? The Australian in England, his work in England, his role in espionage and as a courier, his piano skills? His being pressurised to return? The international contacts? His arrival, friendship with Eddie - and its later ambiguity, the encounter with Faith and the romantic bond and involvement, Korchik and his assistant and their continued chase? The violent encounters, the mystery? Clarke and his asserting his individuality - the irony of his memory being wiped out? His expendability? Our seeing him gazing at Sydney Harbour? The contemporary victim? The authorities - the scientists, the experiment, the decision about using the discovery? The purpose? Reprogramming people? Clarke and the choice of courier, Korchik as the intended, Clarke as bait? The callous betrayal?

4. The portrayal of these faceless businessmen? The decisions and their following them through? The irony of their defeat? The scenes of violent action, fights, chases, killings? Necessary for this kind of film? Atmosphere? Inherent violence in the situation?

5. Korchik and his assistant, their continued pursuit of Clarke, the showdowns e.g. in the warehouse, on the roads? The final ironies about Korchik and memory, reprogramming? Eddie and his friendship, his ambiguous role?

9. Faith as heroine, her flat, support, trying to understand Clarke, her presence in the lion park, the ugliness of her death and expendability? Parallelling that of Clarke?

10. The final ironies of the radio studio, the tape, Clarke hearing it and being affected by it, the experimental sound being obliterated?

11. The use of the thriller telemovie for exploring and dramatising international issues - for the home audience, briefly? Effectively?