BONY

Australia, 1991, 100 minutes, Colour.
Cameron Daddo, Burnum Burnum, Christian Kohlund.
Directed by Henri Saffran.

Bony is an entertaining telemovie. Bony is not the original of Arthur Upfield' s novels but rather his grandson as embodied (in a rather unlikely way) by television and stage star Cameron Dado. Dado is an engaging personality and enables us to suspend all disbelief that he could descend from the Aboriginal detective Napoleon Bonaparte. Aboriginal personality, Burnam Burnam himself is an aboriginal leader.

The film has an enjoyable murder mystery and is set in an outback town (actually Wellington on the Murray). There is quite a good supporting cast, especially Tom Richards as the local policeman and Catherine Oxenberg has an opportunity to emote as a rather unlikely wife of a wealthy miner. Direction is by Henri Saffran, director of such films as Storm Boy, Listen to the Lion, Norman Loves Rose.

1. Enjoyable telemovie? The tradition of the Napoleon Bonaparte stories? Updated with his grandson? The outback, the police, the mystery?

2. The outback locations, the desert, the town? Authentic. atmosphere? The musical score (and its using Aboriginal instruments like the didgeridoo)? Familiar material, the murder mystery and the clues? The interweaving of Aboriginal traditions? Special effects?

4. The prologue, the death of the parents? Albert and his sixth sense, his sense of what was happening? The police, their investigations? Albert and his finding the baby in the tree? Taking the young child to the caves, showing him his aboriginal heritage, the hands mysteriously painted on the caves? Albert and his guidance of the young boy, school? The young boy and his ancestry from Napoleon Bonaparte?

5. The transition to the 80s and the graduation from the police academy? Enid, A1bert? friendship? The girlfriends? The bonds between the two men? Bony and his easy manner, pleasant, infectious?

6. Bony and his getting the bus outback, the initial encounter with Frank, Bev and her tough police style and the car, the mystery of Ned's disappearance? The town and the influence of Hemmings? Getting his room, the feel of the town, taking his socks off and wanting to walk on the bare ground? Kate and her friendship and interest? His work, life in the town, the mystery of the swimming pool not finished? Chasing the poachers? The mystery of Ned and his wanting to investigate, Frank preventing him? the visit to Angela, the puzzle about her marriage status, thee drinking, alibis? Her lies? The discussions with Frank, hearing his story of putting Pied, on the bits? Ringing Gina and no answer? Out jogging and the attack by the biker? His being asked to look out for the feral cat and the irony of his overhearing the truth about Frank and Angela? Bev and trying to persuade of the truth, especially about Ned on the bus? The trick with the hat and the clothes? The old man? The visit to Tom, the questions about the gold?
Contact with Albert, the phone call? Going to Angela, trying to communicate with her, leaving, the? explosion? the story of the desert? The swimming pool and the buried body? His going to the Justice of the Peace? Arresting Frank? The explanation of what actually happened? The pathos of hanging herself? His decision to stay in the town, Frank's arrest? With Bev? Bony as a pleasant voting Australian detective?

7. Albert and Burnum Burnum's screen presence and performance? Finding the child? inner sense, the flashes of the truth, tracking the baby? The ironic repartee? And Bony's graduation, the phone calls? Conning about the gold? His flash car? Helping Bony, smart remarks? The aboriginal leader of the 90s, Burnum Burnum, clothes, car, affluence?

8. The aboriginal traditions, aboriginal roots, the caves? Albert and his explanation of looking and "seeing"? The flashes, shoes, prejudice? Attitude towards the white kids?

9. Frank, his position in the town, police station, his story? Tense relationship with Kate, bashing her? His severe attitudes? His relationship with Angela, the sexual liaison, the greed? the he greed, the flashback, the plan, burying the body, the gold? His mocking Kate? The arrest and his defiance? The corrupt cop?

10. Beverly as policewoman, tough, no nonsense, mocking Bony, helping him, being persuaded of the truth, helping him in the final solution?

11. Hemmings, his status in the town, gold prospecting, selfish, his marriage, relationship with Angela? His brother and the prospecting? His talking with Bony, the rewriting of his will, his death?

12. Angela and her place in the outback society, tough, her drinking, relationship with Hemmings, her plots with Frank, with Geoff? Killings? The flashbacks dramatising ;he murders? The plan to kill Bony? Her attention on her husband, the rewriting of the will? Her suicide?

13. Kate, her friendliness towards Bony, brutalised by her husband, the black eye, her being left money by Hemmings?

14. Geoff Hemmings, his relationship with his Uncle, with Angela, tough, the attack on Bony, Bony taking him out into the desert, getting the confession from him as they walk through the desert?

15. The police, the official from the neighbouring town? Satisfaction in convicting Frank?

16. The background to Ned's story, his trying to investigate the nugget, his being killed?

17. How interesting a police drama, detective story, genial detective?