SLIPPERY SLIDE
Australia, 1980, 58 minutes, Colour.
Simon Burke, John Waters.
Directed by Donald Crombie.
Slippery Slide is a brief telemovie, sponsored by the Tasmanian Film Commission For Government Welfare Agencies. Direction is by Donald Crombie, maker of such feature films as Caddie, The Irishman, Cathy's Child. He also made an acclaimed short telemovie, Do I Have To Kill My Child? The film is strong in its cast, especially with Simon Burke from The Devil's Playground and John Waters. There is excellent photography, precise editing and the film has strong content as well as for such a brief film. It was intended for discussion and it achieves this well.
1. The impact of the film, entertainment, message? Brevity and impact? The strength of the plot, characterisation? The impact of the message and audience response to it? The government sponsorship?
2. Tasmanian production, interstate cast, director? The technical credits?
3. An atmosphere of realism in plot and character? Contrived for the purposes of the film and brevity? Observation of social situations and problems, portrayal of complex issues? The film's judgment on its characters, on society? Audience judgment?
4. The significance of the prologue: indication of facts, creation of a mood, a statement about situations in past decades, about the law and its administration, personal feelings of people involved? Parents and their ability to look after their children, failures? Adoption? The prospects for the neglected and then adopted chilaren?
5. The portrayal of foster parents? appropriately, fairly? The Dixons and the reasons for adopting Steven, the sense of duty, wanting to help? The effect on the husband and wife, their home life? What they gave to Steven over the years? The initial surface happiness? Tensions? The importance of the grandfather coming and claiming Steven's room, the parents allowing the grandfather to have it? The history of the grandfather's coming? The plea for himself to stay there and his not wanting to stay in the home? The family unable to cope? Steven and his place in the family, his calling his foster parents Mum and Dad, his knowledge that he was adopted? Going to the disco, their concern? The return and his lateness? His going to the courts, his behaviour, especially with taking the car and being chased by the police, the parents refusing to take him back, the growing rejection? Their return visit and the failure in being able to establish family patterns again?
6. The portrait of Steven's real mother and father? His father and the letter, the romanticism, Steven's unwillingness to face the facts, his hitchhiking and taking the car? His mother and her de facto husband? Her love for her son yet her inability to do anything about it? The hostility of the de facto husband? The cruelty experienced by Steven from his real parents?
7. The portrait of Steven as a boy of the 70s? The memory of his brother's death and its effect on him? The importance of his memories? His going to the dance, winning a prize, school sequences, playing truant and seen by his father, taking the car and being chased by the police, the car to go to see. his father, the encounter with the homosexual driver, his love for Alana and the problem of the abortion, his participating in the robberies? The anger within him, fears, always in reaction? His going to the courts, under parole, the friendship with David Wilding and the possibility of rehabilitation? The boys' home, the jokes, his fear of getting used to it? The sequences illustrating his life in the home? Getting the flat, Doug's return and Steven's smashing everything? The significance of his final words for his future?
8. The contrast with Alana and her being with the Methodist family, strictness, her attitudes and behaviour at the dance, flirting, Doug, the pregnancy, wanting to have the abortion, the robberies, the flat and her siding with Doug against Steven?
9. David Wilding and his representing compassion? The possibilities of helping Steven, seeking him out, taking a firm stand? The meetings of the parole board intercut with Steven's behaviour? The significance of his plea to the board? The flat? His visit to Steven in the home? The helplessness in the compassion?
10. The portrait of Australian society - perennial problems, the challenging of values; people trying to cope, hardness of attitudes, chances for children, managing to cope with problems, the role of the law, institutions, prison? Hopes, reforms? Compassionate awareness? What was the audience left with?
