MAIL-ORDER BRIDE

Australia, 1984, 86 minutes, Colour.
Ray Meacger, Charito Ortiz, Justine Saunders, Paul Sonkilla.
Directed by Stephen Wallace.

Mail- Order Bride is one of several telemovies made by the ABC in 1983-84. It focuses on a Filipino bride brought to Australia and living in a small New South Wales country town. It highlights the image of the Australian male and his treatment of women. It also treats of racial themes, especially of aboriginals in country towns.

The screenplay was written by Robyn Davidson, author of Tracks, and was directed by Stephen Wallace (Love Letters from Teralba Road, Stir, Captives of Care). The film has an excellent performance by character actor Ray Meagher (Breaker Morant, Fire in the Stone) and a Filipino actress who appeared in Far East. Sheila Kennelly leads an excellent supporting cast.

The film is serious but has humour; the film is very critical of Australia but has some glimmers of hope. The aboriginal sub-plot is the stronger for not being over-emphasised. It features aboriginal actress, Justine Saunders.

The film is a rare one in the sense that it treats sympathetically of Australian- Asian relationships and focuses on migrant questions. It has a message - but is entertaining rather than didactic.

1. The impact of the film? Its quality? Home audience? Impact on Australian men and women? On migrants? overseas audiences?

2. The strength of the film as a telemovie? Designed for a home audience? For entertainment and instruction? Emotional and intellectual response? Its brevity and impact?

3. The Australian countryside, the Australian country town, caravan parks, pubs, halls, churches, the aboriginal section of the country town? Atmosphere and locations - authentic? The opening sequences at Mascot and the glimpses of Sydney?

4. The sensibility of the author, her experiences and novel-writing? Her dealing with the Australian male ethos? The work of the director? An effective balance of masculine and feminine sensibility?

5. Images of the '80s? The Australian image, a style? Aborigines and whites? Racism? Migrants? The absorption of migrants into Australian society? The '80s and debates and expectations about Asian migration?

6. The background of mail-order brides, of Filipino brides and abuses, exploitation? The film's tone: an entertainment story, message? The drawing of characters with strengths and weaknesses? Not presenting extreme characters in central roles? Likable characters? Situations being revealed? The hopeful ending?

7. The atmosphere of Mascot, Kevin as a big man, his hat and clothes, the bouquet of flowers. waiting? The crowds? The girls getting off the plane - his looking at the wrong one? Ampy and her quiet arrival, acceptance of the flowers, the initial encounter with Kevin? Awkwardness, size? Their letters and the voice-over, filling in the background? Ampy's excited reaction to Sydney? Kevin's insensitivity. laconic style, Aussie vocabulary and phraseology, concern for Ampy but not understanding her, driving through the countryside to home? The setting up of the interaction between the two?

8. Kevin as a lug of a man? A big country man? His beginning to settle down? His choice of Ampy? The background of his letter-writing? His expectations of his bride? His taking for granted so many Australian male attitudes? His chauvinism? His insensitivity to his wife and her feelings? Driving through to home, use of crude language - but being respectful? A lack of awareness? Wanting Ampy to be Australianised? Language, cooking, manners? The relationship between husband and wife, the sex scenes, his demands on her? The build-up to the wedding sequence and his nervousness? The ceremony and the reception? The question on birth control, family? Attitude towards religion and his disregard for the priest (from the Dark Ages)? His friends in the town? Tommo and the wedding, the reception? Drinking with the mates? His discovery of Ampy's visit to the aboriginals? His early comments on the aboriginals, their behaviour, relationships, attitude to drink? Racism? Human respect and his not wanting Ampy to visit the aboriginals? His feeling humiliated by Ampy's attempts to be sociable? Low expectations from her background? His ignorance and bigotry? Yet a pleasant potential? Moody, hurtful? The final experience of Tommo and his sympathy for Ampy? His having resisted her comments about her mother and family and their poverty? His sympathy towards her, the new house, offering to bring her mother to Australia for a visit? The portrait of an ordinary man? Delineation of character? Motives?

9. The contrast with Ampy - a shy but capable woman, her expectations from the letters? Her coping with a new country? Her knowledge of English, her awareness of Australia, the comparisons with America? The importance of writing home and the bonds with family, her explanation of the photo and her family to Iris? Her letters to her mother? Wanting to send money, bring her mother to Australia? The impact of Sydney? The long trip? Comparisons with Manila - and the discovery of the aboriginal village and its poverty and dirt? Her response to the caravan. Kevin's annexe? Showers in the caravan park? Dressed for the wedding? The solemnity of the ceremony for her? The reception, meeting the friends, her shyness? The drinking, the dancing? Everybody getting boozy and offering advice? The sexual relationship, her giving herself, her inquiry of Dot about sexual positions - and the laughter? And the answer? The question of contraception and her religion, discussion with the priest? Making her home and tidying it up, cleaning? The pleasant sequence with the fishing and her catching the carp and serving it? The humiliation of Tommo's rejection on it? Her husband and his drinking, her getting used to the beer? The supermarket shopping and her not having enough money, having to put goods back? The children passing by and their reaction - and their later insulting her? The friendship with Ruth and her husband? Sociably, inviting them to dinner, the Filipino meal and their appreciation, their inquiries about the Marcos regime and her comments about the Americans (backed by Kevin and his appreciation of Americans in the cotton industry)? Dorothy and her buxom nature, laughs, friendship? Help? Iris and her involvement with land rights? Ampy's questions about land rights? Dot's ignorance? The contradictory advice from Ruth in wanting to break through the chauvinist image? Dot and her advice about manipulating Kevin? Iris and her friendship, the visit to the aboriginal site, Kevin's reaction and Ampy's confusion, having to make choices - and deciding against the aboriginals? Religion and its place in her life, the visit to church? The discussions with the priest at home and at the church? His advice that Kev would come round - and his being right? Her loneliness, the letters? Her going to the social and Kevin's hostility? Kevin being late home, the cold meals etc.? Her wanting to become pregnant and not taking her pill? The encounter with Tommo, the brutality of the rape? Her surviving this - and Kevin's appreciation, the new home? A portrait, character, motivations?

10. The Australian audience and seeing Australia and ocker attitudes through new eyes? Australian customs, Australian isolation and insensitivity, bigotry, bias, rudeness? Self-confidence? Unwarranted self-confidence?

11. The Filipino background, Filipino society, poverty, the Marcos regime, family bonds (like those of the aboriginals), photos and letters?

12. The sub-plot about the aboriginals: Iris and her friendship with Dot, the minding of the kids? The land rights and meetings? Dot's ignorance? Ampy's visit to the settlement, meeting the relations, their talk? Her reaction against the dirt and poverty? Iris' comments about humiliation? The aboriginal flag on the war memorial statue, the slogans? The Mayor and his inflammatory remarks? The men in the bar, their bigotry? The policeman mouthing proper words about 'black brothers'? Allowing the riot? The incitement the guns? The shooting? The background of the boy who had died? Kevin and his anger against Ampy? The significance of the sexual encounter with Ampy while the friends went to shoot the aboriginals? The visual significance of yahoo Australians shooting - and the sexual symbolism?

13. The average Australian country town, society? Appearances - and comparisons with America? Style? The schoolteacher and his wife enduring the experience? Dot and her easy way of life? The wedding, the reception, home life, the hotels, the supermarket, church? The bigotry and violence under the surface?

14. Ruth and her husband. sociable. friendly, anti-American, socially critical? Ruth's advice to Ampy on how to deal with men?


15. Australian wealth, affluence, sending money back to the Philippines? Kevin and Dot and their attitudes towards people standing on their own feet and earning? Not understanding different cultural background?

16. Relationships between men and women, low talk - and Kevin wanting refinement around his wife? Sexual relationships. marriage? Birth control? The reality of rape? The criticism of the Australian male?

19. Themes of religion: the wedding, the discussions with the priest as he visited the home in his clerical suit, attitudes towards contraception? Kevin and his hostility, saying that the priest was in the Dark Ages, refusing to shake hands? The final advice that Kevin would come round about the child?

20. Kevin and his judgment of Ampy, his realisation of what Tommo had done. his being sorry? The reconciliation and the ray of hope at the end?

21. Australian society, Australian images, presuppositions? ugly Australians? Appreciation of migrants? Broader appreciation of values and culture?