DISPLACED PERSONS
Australia, 1984, 95 minutes, Colour.
John Wood, Dagmar Blahova, Steven Vidler, Annie Byron, John Orcsik.
Directed by Geoffrey Nottage.
Displaced Persons is an excellent telemovie produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It focuses on the World War Two refugees arriving in Australia by the end of 1945. The story has them victims of a mysterious disease and twelve of them held in quarantine with an Australian doctor and nurse. This microcosm enables the screenwriter, playwright Louis Nowra, to focus on characters, backgrounds, issues - especially the bewilderment of the incoming migrants as well as the xenophobia of the Australians. The screenplay is excellent in its observation of character and in its moving portrayal of sufferings in the concentration camps - given by actors and actresses speaking in close-up.
The acting is excellent - led by John Wood (The Last Bastion, The Empty Beach) as the doctor and Annie Byron (Fran) as the nurse. A cast with European backgrounds is able to communicate the plight of the refugees. There is an interesting performance by Steven Vidler (Robbery Under Arms, The Perfectionist) and a bearded and unrecognisable John Orcsik. Direction is Geoffrey Nottage (Women of the Sun, White Man's Legend). An excellent and moving telemovie, which can be compared with Sophia Turkewicz’s Silver City and Ben Lewin's The Dunera Boys.
1. The impact of the film: as history, the Australian ethos of the '40s, a humane portrait of refugees?
2. Production qualities: ABC telemovie, its expected audience? Style - locations, the use of Sydney quarantine facilities, the harbour? The atmosphere of confinement, the fences? Interiors? Day and night, darkness and light? The moving musical score - traditional themes, the counterpoint of Sydney in the '40s and the incoming refugees? Classical music? Australian songs?
3. The portrait of the group, the focus on the group? The focus on the particular individuals? Close-ups? Monologues?
4. The structure of the film: the group arriving, the Australian doctor and nurse and the crisis, the disease and the infection, the quarantine situation for all, the increasing deaths, the time of confinement, the closed world, relationships and reactions, the mystery, the resolution?
5. 1945 and the Australian situation: the dossier on European nationalities - and the prejudices expressed? The presumptions about refugees? Officials and their superior manner? Apprehensiveness about the refugees? Migration and rules, the quarantine? The importance of languages and translators? mutual ignorance? Australian insecurity about European superior attitudes? Guilty about the suffering that they heard of? Not experiencing the same kinds of suffering? Inadequate facilities? Australia as an unknown for refugees (and their desire to go to America)? The heat, the climate, Australian ignorance? Audiences appreciating this picture of Australia in 1945 in the light of the subsequent decades?
6. Dr Thomas and Nurse Evans - good at their job, capable, having to cope, professionalism, the puzzle about the illness, the compassion about the deaths? Dr. Thomas and his situation, confined with the refugees, trying to cope with the deaths, trying to listen sympathetically - to Anna and her sufferings in the concentration camp, to Krystyna and not understanding her whole story? Her death? The rules, having td collect the possessions to burn them? His own wife and children, singing Happy Birthday over the phone? The visits of Harris and the masked visitors? Discussions? Weariness, drinking? His becoming a father figure to the various refugees? The finale on the wharf and his discussion with Evans about the future? Nurse Evans and her loss of her husband, not being able to remember him, sympathetic character, trying to cope with the medical questions, the deaths, language? The encounter with Miklos and the beginnings of the affair, listening to the music? Her attraction towards Miklos? A welcoming Australian?
7. The group and its composition, the plane trip, the arrival, the individuals wanting to be in America? Illness, fear, not knowing languages? The Poles and their deaths? The various collapses? The old lady dying and her suffering? Her prayer? The agony? Krystyna and her love for her husband? Telling her story, his death, her slashing her throat? Irena and Teresa and their trying to escape, their selfishness, stealing, withdrawing into their own world? Teresa's bad translations? The meals, burning of the possessions? Irena's collapse, Teresa's grief? Alexander and his collapse? The end - and going off to face a future in Australia? The irony of the burning of their possessions and clothes - and their being in evening dress on the wharf to face Sydney Harbour?
8. Anna and her story, her marriage, love for her husband, translation work, the torture and her not giving information? Her interest in literature, the discovery of The Getting of Wisdom? Translating for the group? Detachment and involvement? Coping, the stealing of her watch? The relationship with Alexander - her hesitation, her breasts and the torture? The relationship, his collapse, her fears, the vaccine, the end and her reading Alexander's poetry? Alexander as socialist, in prison, a slave, sullen, wanting a suntan, Anna overshadowing him, the darkness of his life, his sexual inhibitions, moods, collapse and death? Teresa and the Poles, her bitter translations, stealing, the jam, withdrawing into her own world, the escape and her grief at Irena's death? moodiness?
10. The sketch of Christina and her husband, their love for each other, their death? Their story of escape, persecution?
11. The Czech woman posing as Dutch, the story of her father and his hanging himself, her having his shoes, their being burnt?
12. The Italians - Federico and his writing his letters, a narrative about what was happening, the letters going into the file? Italian exuberance - and Australia instead of America?
13. Miklos and his background, academic work, music, his being on the move, kicking the football? The relationship with Nurse Evans?
14. The German and his superiority, theories, the truth about his background and work, diseases, his being segregated, his wave at the end? His future?
15. The truth about the pilot, the pilot's daughter with her illness, the investigations? Harris and his attitudes?
16. War and its horror told persons and their memories, their stories? Refugees and their plight? Refugees and Australia - the contribution of the refugees with their experience, remembering their past, changing for the Australian way of life?
