COOL CHANGE
Australia, 1986, 88 minutes, Colour.
Jon Blake, Lisa Armitage, Debora Lee-Furness?.
Directed by George Miller.
Cool Change is a small Australian action feature from, the producer and director of The Man From Snowy River. It was written by Patrick Edgeworth (Raw Deal, BMX Bandits).
It is set in the Victorian high country outside Mansfield and the location photography is impressive. The story is slight - but highlights an '80s clash between the mountain cattlemen of the Great Dividing Range and the conservationists. The film is strongly on the side of the cattlemen - and holds the politicians and their assistants as well as the conservationists 'Greenies' up to ridicule.
While the film explores these themes, it is aimed at the broadest possible audience, the home audience - and has not aimed for subtlety or depth of explorations of values.
This means that it communicates with the broad audience - but is in many ways forgettable.
1. An Australian contemporary story, enjoyable? Issues?
2. The Victorian countryside, Melbourne, the Great Dividing Range and the high country? Spectacular scenery? Action? The cattlemen, the conservationists? The musical score, song?
3. A popular story for the broadest Australian audience? Information, stances? Audience sympathies and understanding?
4. The prologue and the cattlemen coming to Melbourne, the demonstration (the blending of authentic protest material with the film material)? Tie parliamentarians, the Minister, his assistant, the conservationists and their pressure? Tensions and issues?
5. Steve as hero caught in between? On the coast, mending his boat, his hopes? The fire and the careless young people and their clash with him? His superior and his attitudes of letter of the law? Steve interviewed by Lee, caught into the situation and pressurised?
6. The Minister and his politicking? Lee and her shrewdness? A career woman. style.-, manner, clothes, sex appeal? Her plan, forcing the issues, the visit to the mountains, the swim and the antagonism towards Jo? Her being at the headquarters for the operation, on the track? Meeting her match and scared out of the mountains?
7. The film's unsympathetic presentation of the Greenies: James Hardwicke and his ranting style, PR work, use of television? The walkers blocking the track? Into the water? Visits to the Minister and pressurising? The horse trapping him in his vehicle? Did the conservationists have good points? The film's comment on their stances, tactics?
8. Jo as heroine, on the mountains, her cattle, having too many (and thus contradicting the stances and giving point to the conservationists? Steve and his arrival, talk, clash? The truth about their son? The ups and downs of their relationship? Jealousy of Lee? The Mitchells and the Regans and the family clashes? The plan for evicting Jo, moving the cattle, Steve's mother visiting her and the reconciliation, the discovery of the truth about the child? The friends, the cattle round-up? The conservationists letting the cattle loose? Steve and the cattlemen arriving? Saving her cattle? The happy ending - for the mountains, the cattle, Steve and Jo?
9. The relationship between Steve and his parents, the visit home, the clash with his father? The Mitchells and the Regans clashing? At work, in the town, the office? The visit to Melbourne? Jo and the ups and downs, his suspicions of Bull and fighting with him?. Lee and her visit and the jealousies? The plan for Jo's eviction, trying to help, the discovery about his son? Reconciliation with JO?
10. The cattle families, their lifestyle, clashes and stubbornness, burying differences and helping each other, holding up the authorities?
11. The picture of the authorities, the pigheaded superior going by the book? The officials, their trucks?
12. A critic commented that the film was a 7.30 p.m.-slot soap opera. How accurate is this? The value of having this kind of story and raising of issues for popular audiences?
