LUST AND REVENGE

Australia, 1996, 96 minutes, Colour.
Nicholas Hope, Claudia Karvan, Chris Haywood, Pamela Rabe, Wendy Hughes, Aden Young, Victoria Eagger, Norman Kaye, Gosia Dobrowolska, Paul Cox, Max Gillies, John Hargreaves.
Directed by Paul Cox.

Malvolio springs to mind: `Ill be reveng'd on the whole pack of you.' Olivia (in Twelfth Night) then says, `He hath been most notoriously abus'd'. Paul Cox has often given interviews about how he sees himself badly treated by the Australian film establishment, its funding bodies, its reviewers and critics. He has often threatened to exit (as Malvolio does after his taunt) but he has, at least, stayed to make this revenge movie.

His collaborator is John Clarke, with whom he worked on (Lonely Hearts (1982). Cox's style of humour is satiric, even bitter, and often threatening to bludgeon. Clarke's is hilarious deadpan with all the virtues of understatement, with the audience having to participate to detect the targets and the subtleties of the satire. Lust and Revenge is not exactly an understated title, but it heralds one of the most accessible of Cox's films, an amusing and entertaining blend of Cox and Clarke and an expert cast of `Cox regulars', many of whom have turned up briefly to contribute to the joke and to Cox's cause.

Whatever the motivation behind the film and its plot, the achievement is a finely balanced satire. It is `realistic' enough for audiences to find it credible. It is `stylised' enough for audiences to appreciate the ridiculous and relish the mockery. Mock it does. But the central characters are so well-written and acted that, while we laugh at them, they are sufficiently rounded to make them interesting and their hijinks worth watching.

The harsher laughing at stupidity is reserved for minor characters who are written in a more one-dimensional style, but no less telling for that. It is the gallery and arts' establishment, who appear briefly in gallery tours or at money-raising socials; it is the pompous critic; it is the seedy legal advisers and the crass company board members who receive the sharpest barbs. They are all the more effective because of the skills of Pamela Rabe (who shows how one can be memorable even with a minute or two of screen time and only half a dozen lines), Max Gillies (pontificating `I'm an Art Critic!'), John Hargreaves in a final memento cameo and a humorously disguised Wendy Hughes.

The setting is Adelaide (since Film Victoria did not contribute finance but the South Australian Film Corporation did) and the subject is the visual arts world, but it can be taken as Melbourne and the film world. While a genuine artist is commissioned to sculpt a piece as a memorial donation for the entrance to a gallery, the money comes from the owner of a pharmaceutical corporation (with ultra-diligent investigations for the maximum tax-breaks), is approved by a self-besotted and alcoholic critic and is manipulated by the owner's spoilt daughter.

But the heiress (Claudia Karvan gives a smart interpretation of chic bordering on breakdown) has her own problems, cajoling her wily philistine executive father (Chris Haywood, as a paragon of double standards), outwitting her psychiatrist (Robert Menzies) and seducing Karl- Heinz the sculpture model (Nicholas Hope). There are plenty of targets here as well, not least the poking fun at pop psychology and greedy quackery with drugs and therapy.

But Karl -Heinz is the naive hero, easily seduced by the prospect of money and lust. Nicholas Hope makes him decent, often bemused, and struggling with his earnest wife, Cecilia (Gosia Dobrowolska). She, meanwhile, has wafted off to the New Age, prefers purity to sex, doing good for the customers at the Centre for Synchronic Awareness (including Cox himself in a cameo role to show how he is really enjoying the movie itself as well as the revenge) and sitting at the feet of the ex-Rabbi, ex-Jesuit missionary guru (a smarmy Norman Kaye) whose words are those of unctuous spirituality but whose mind is on dollars and power.

So, there are enough characters and enough plot to keep us attentive and entertained. The production design, photography and lighting give each location its specific tone and atmosphere: suburban home, spirituality centre, board room, gallery, mansion and artist's studio. Paul Grabowsky's score has eastern beats and instruments (recorded in Sri Lanka) which nicely counterpoint the visuals.

Lust and Revenge is often very funny. The situations are set up, often belying our expectations, and the editing cuts mean that the sequences do not outlast their welcome and we are swiftly on to the next. One presumes that John Clarke's major contribution is to the dialogue. Much of it is slyly wry, a judicious blend of the obvious and the subtle - and it is delivered with verve and point.

The humour also works because of the contrasting personas of the four main characters. Chris Haywood's bumptious worldly-wise donor is balanced by Nicholas Hope's nice and somewhat naive model. Claudia Karvan's sophisticated poses are balanced by Gosia Dobrowolska's suburban wife, with a combination of innocence, puritanism and shrewd determination. Her performance gives the film a humanity without which Lust and Revenge might merely have been `Vindictiveness'.

While there is an abundance of questions, this is not a film of answers. Relationships get no further than frequently comic lust. Audiences will respond to the comic depictions of issues of art, art and commerce, art and patronage, art and
pretensions, to issues of authenticity and phoniness in society, religion, business and relationships. It is just as well that the film itself works and exhibits Paul Cox's talent for film-making.

At the end, the Art Critic, plied with alcohol, fails to see that he is being set up as pseudo-expert. He delivers himself of authoritative opinions on the commissioned statue, praising the tropes and style of the lines and curves of the sculpture. While the couple in the statue are wearing no clothes, Cox finally leaves us with the image of the art (film) critic who is wearing `emperor's clothes' and whose opinions are threadbare.

1.Interesting and entertaining film? A personal film by Paul Cox - in critique of the Australian arts establishment and their treatment of him? The satiric perspective on the world of the arts?

2.The atmosphere of the art and arts world? The validity of the attack? The people who are genuine artists, those who fabricate art, the fakers, the hangers-on, the producers and their money concern, people with personal investment? Art and tax relief?

3.The South Australian settings, the city of Adelaide, the studio, the homes, restaurants...? The shop and the spirituality centre? The variety of the musical score and songs?

4.The focus of the title - with reference to Karl- Heinz and Cecilia?

5.The strength of the cast? Their regular playing in Paul Cox films? The cameos?

6.The art world and the world of bequests? The galleries and their financial support? The boards and their composition - the people in the initial tour during the credits and their artificial comments, pseudo intellectual comments, ignorant comments? The various speeches? James as the guide? George and his speech about his wife and the bequest? Issues of money, tax dodges, boards and their rubber stamp approval? Politicians?

7.The film's attitude towards art critics, Pringle? Their artificiality, pretensions? Ignorance, drinking? Deceived by the false statue at the end? Paul Cox and his mocking of critics?

8.The portrait of the artist? Her exhibitions? Her reputation - critique, acclamation? Her interest in her work, her genuine artistic ambitions? The modelling, conniving with Georgina for Karl- Heinz to be naked? The poses? Wining and dining with the entrepreneurs? Her personal life, her relationship with her woman friend? The change of decision about the statue? Her immediate reaction, her change of heart, the money? The destruction of the statue? The human tableau?

9.George and the memory of his wife, his wealth? The pharmaceutical company and his income? Commissioning the statue? The board of the art gallery, the tour, the speeches? His relationship with Georgina, her being spoilt? Her dictating to him? Her managing the plans about the statue? His relationship with Anna, advisory, secretarial, sexual relationship? His style, ambitions? Lack of artistic taste? Interested in tax dodges? The change of plan for the statue and tax repercussions? His trying to persuade Cecilia to pose for the statue? Her return to him, her story about the drug in the tea - and getting $80,000 from him? His philosophy of winning? The irony of the visit of the critic and Karl- Heinz and Georgina posing as the statue? Paul Cox's critique of entrepreneurs with money, tax ambitions and lack of artistic taste?

10.Georgina as the spoilt young woman? The background of growing up with her father, with her dead mother? The bequest to the gallery? Her self-assertiveness yet lack of self-esteem? Arranging for the statue to be made? The patronage of Lily? Going to the studio, watching, the discussions about Karl- Heinz as the model, wanting him naked? The background of her marriage, divorce, going to her husband's house and yelling obscenities? The irony of her visits to the psychiatrist, her control, his control, the discussion about drugs and experiments? Her taking the drug and its repercussions? The sexual advances towards Karl- Heinz, his frustration and succumbing to her? Her changing Karl- Heinz - the meals, the visits? Conniving about the statue? The visit to Cecilia and persuading her to pose for the statue, putting the drug in the tea? The irony of Cecilia tricking George and Georgina telling him the truth about washing up the cup? The finale with the sculpture?

11.Anna, her relationship with George, business, advice, the affair? Georgina testing out the drug on her? Her having to handle the situation with the art critic and the press?

12.Karl- Heinz and his answering the advertisement, sending his photo, the reason for his acceptance by Lily? His motivation for posing, the $10,000, wanting to buy the cottage, for Cecilia to have a child? His sexual frustrations and discussions with Cecilia? His reaction to her religious beliefs, going to the shop, discussing - but sceptical? The sessions and the posing, removing the briefs, getting used to the nudity? The irony of Cecilia's visit and his hurriedly getting dressed? The revelation of the sketches at the opening at the gallery and Cecilia's reaction? Going to dinner with George, the drive home with Georgina? Cecilia's coldness contrasting with Georgina's sexual advances, his succumbing? His becoming more at home with the Oliphant family? The question of more money, trying to persuade Cecilia? Cecilia and the drug, the posing, the sexual encounter? The aftermath and Cecilia buying the cottage? His final pose with Georgina to pretend that they were the real statue after Cecilia's destruction of it?

13.Cecilia and her personality, love for Karl- Heinz, sexual frigidity, not wanting a baby? Her emphasis on purity? Her getting religion - the gurus and the Sri Lankan background, the photos in the house, going to the meetings? The shop and her customers - and the guest role by Paul Cox as a customer? Master Charles and his rival, going to his talk? His appeal for money? The question of buying the cottage or not? The going to the gallery, judging the sketches as pornography? Her violent reaction, suspicions about Karl- Heinz and going to the gallery? Georgina and the tea, the effect on her, posing, not being able to remember? Her going to George, the plausibility of her story about the drug and its being tested, getting $80,000, not giving it to Master Charles, buying the cottage and her going to the village and adding one to the population number?

14.Master Charles, Master Thomas and his founding of the sect? Charles and his reputation? The parody of his religious history: Jewish background, Jewish rabbi, poverty, becoming a Catholic, becoming a Jesuit missionary, joining the sect? The unctuous style of his manner, presence, talk? The platitudes? The eager response of the disciples? His asking for money? His attempts to persuade Cecilia to pose - and his putting principles aside? Cecilia refusing to give him the money - and his phone call giving up being a guru and driving away?

15.The film poking fun at New Age religions, disciples and their infatuation with gurus, religious practices, phoniness? The emphasis on money? Control of people?

16.The guest roles - Max Gillies as the art critic, Pamela Rabe as the member of the board, Wendy Hughes as the adviser, John Hargreaves as the obnoxious visitor to the gallery doing a line for Georgina and her rejection of him? Brian Dawe as the guide at the gallery?

17.The Australian art world, pretensions and the genuine? The role of art, the role of money, the role of reputation?

18.The tax world and Wendy Hughes' cameo role as the tax adviser? The board meetings, the decisions about art and profit, tax dodges?

19.The film as an Australian and ironic look at art and social targets? The sensibility of John Clarke and his humour in the writing? The sensibility of Paul Cox, writing, personal experience and film-making?