STORM BOY

Australia, 1976, 87 minutes, Colour.
Peter Cummins, Greg Rowe, David Gulpilil.
Directed Henri Safran.

There were no dissenting voices on the quality, beauty and humanity of this South Australian-made children's story. With fresh simplicity of plot, the quietly telling touching on themes of racism, ecology, commercialism and the beauty of the coastal photography. Greg Rowe's performance is a blend of photogenic cuteness and ruggedness; he sustains the many sequences with the pelicans well. Peter Cummins and David Gulpilil are assuredly fine as father and aboriginal friend. Satisfying family entertainment, award-winning. Demonstrating the quality of local talent. Blue Fin, from the same team, was not so commercially successful.

1. The prestige of this film? Australian acclaim? International acclaim?

2. For what audience was it made? Age group? The appeal to children, family? Boys, adults? The Australian appeal? Universal appeal?

3. The colour photography, the capturing of the natural beauty of South Aust ralia? The land, the sea, the coast? The beauty of the birds of the area? The way the natural beauty was integrated into the plot? A background for this kind of story? The musical score and its moods?

4. The picturing of South Australia: the remote coast, primitive beauty, is olation, the small town, the fishing hut? This area as a means for escape from civilisation? The father's not wanting to be in contact with people, his arguments against having radios?

5. The Australian themes – especially the interrelationship of black and white Australians? The white man and his rationality, order? The contrast with the aborigine at home in the land? Power over nature? The mythic background? Fingerbone and his story of the killing of the pelican and a storm rising? His telling of the pelican myth and the visuals behind the story? His dance? The edited contrast of the modern Australian world with the primitive stories? Fingerbone singing? His shooting of the snake? The mutual learning for black and for white?

6. Mike as Storm Boy? Alone with his father? His father's hard approach? The telling of the truth? Mike and his going to the reserve? The initial encounter with Fingerbone and his fear? Their gradual friendship? Finger bone teaching him? The discovery of the birds? Mike nurturing them? Naming them? Playing with them – the humour and the beauty of the scenes of Mike with the pelicans on the shore? His growing up and learning through nature? Fingerbone's contribution? The fact that he couldn't read, made grammatical errors – his father and Fingerbone helping him? His reaction to the vandals smashing the hut? His trying to protect Fingerbone because of the rifle shot? Hearing his father discuss his mother with Fingerbone and his being hurt? The prospect of school: the visit of the teacher to the hut, his going to the school and his shyness, his talking to the teacher, his presence in the classroom? His reluctance to return? His father and Fingerbone persuading him? The truth about his mother? His participation in the rescue? Mr Percival's taking the line? The men and their gratitude and offering him financial opportunity? His grief at the death of Mr Perc ival? The discussions about going away to boarding school, Fingerbone tak ing him to the grave? The new young chicks and Fingerbone saying that Mr Percival would have a new life? The theme of the change from childhood to adulthood, facing the realities of death and change?

7. The character of Fingerbone: his sudden presence, his calling Mike Storm Boy and his reasons for it, his stories about the pelican and the death of the pelican and storms? His singing, dancing? The man of the Australian land? His helping Mike, teaching him? The sequences of his reading the English history book and its ironic comment about Australians? The story of his own expulsion from the tribe? His wandering alone around the coast? His comments on aboriginal law and justice, his belonging to the land, his sense of tribe and exile?

8. The portrait of the father: tough, alone, hard-working, strict about the truth? The hut and the way of life? His attitude towards the birds? His taking them away for them to be free? His pleasure that Mr Percival came back? The encounters with Fingerbone and his gratitude towards him? Fingerbone's help with the vandals? The discussions about family, tribe? Dad and Fingerbone persuading Mike to return home? Dad and his discussions with his son about education? Their reconciliation at the end?

9. Themes of education: the school, Mike's need to go to school, his right, the opportunity, correspondence? The visit of Miss Walker? Mike's Visit to the school, the discussion about pelicans? His being unable to read? Fingerbone and his education, his ability to read? Fingerbone's wisdom about nature and his teaching this to Mike?

10. The parallels between Fingerbone and Mike – the two sons of Australia? The parallels, the contrasts? Their experience of their parents? Relationship with father, absent mother? Fingerbone having driven cattle, Nike's father having had the petrol station? Their both going walkabout?

11. The focus on the pelicans, the nest, their growing up, being fed, Mike training them? Their need to be freed and go back to the wilderness? Mr Percival and his coming back, Mike's joy, his playing with Nr. Percival on the shore? Mr Percival and the rescue of the boat? His being shot? An attractive presentation of animals, pelicans? A pet?

12. The vandals and their intrusion into nature, spoiling nature? Breaking the home? Vandals, hunters and their shooting, the men in the boat littering? The storm coming against them? The need to be rescued?

13. The vividness of the rescue sequence, the sudden storm, Fingerbone's call for help, the line taken be Mr Percival, the boat coming in and their being saved? The gratitude of the men?

14. The background of the town, the Ranger and his investigations, the school, the shops, people buying fish etc.? The way of life of a small Australian coastal town?

15. The Australian flavour of the film? A man's world and the absent women? Resourcefulness, strength, isolation, the wilderness? The white man making his way in the country? Family, relationships between father and son? The role of the aborigines? Their heritage? Their place with the white man in the 20th century?