HIS MASTER'S GHOST

Australia, 1990, 50 minutes, Colour.
Simon Grey, Jonathan Hardy, Josephine Byrnes.
Directed by Steve Joddrell.

His Master's Ghost is one of the More Winners series, produced by the Australian Children's Television Foundation. It follows on the success of the Winners series.

This is a pleasant ghost story, a story about young musicians at a camp (filmed at Melbourne's Montsalvat community). There is the cheeky boy, there are the rough diamonds, there is the boy genius, there are the girls and their performances. It is a pleasant interaction amongst young teenagers. However, the gardener bears something of a resemblance to Beethoven - and there are legends about him. It seems he is Beethoven's ghost. With his powers he enables the children to achieve their potential - especially the young hero and his affirming himself, the heroine and her ability to play the violin, the boy genius who writes most complicated music, and the band is able to perform it. Jonathan Hardy enjoys himself as Beethoven's ghost.

1.Enjoyable children's film? About children, for children? Children's issues?

2.The Montsalvat settings, the artistic colony, the buildings - with the suggestion of castles and corridors, of ghosts? The music, performance, classics, popular music, the complex composition?

3.The focus on Flea: at the camp, family background, friendships, age and development? Music? Picked on, getting into mischief? Relationship with the staff? The gardener? Discovering the ghost, prowling the corridors? Friendship with the violinist? The discovery, Jason and his playing, the influence of the ghost? The change by the end of the music camp?

4.Jason, the boy genius, isolating himself from the rest, being picked on? Friendship with Flea? With the girls? The attitudes of the staff, the scepticism by the conductor? The decision for using his music? The rehearsals, the cacophony? The gardener and his empowering the violinist? Success? Conducting his own music? Achievement?

5.The girls, relationship with the boys, mischief and games, rehearsals, the music? The girl and her violin-playing, the complex music, empowered by the ghost, sense of achievement?

6.Bretherton as gardener, sinister-seeming, a ghost, the legends about him, Beethoven? Watching the children, prowling the corridors, giving them frights, enjoying the mischief? Helping them to achieve their ambitions?

7.The staff and their concern: the woman and her organisation of the camp, concern about the children, management? The lecturer and his scepticism? His helping the children? The conductor, his position in the group? His unwillingness to conduct the music? His change of heart? The older teacher and concern for the students?

8.An enjoyable story, the focus on children, the atmospherics of the ghost story?