EMERALD CITY (DAVID WILLIAMSON’S EMERALD CITY)

Australia, 1988, 92 minutes, Colour.
John Hargreaves, Robyn Nevin, Chris Haywood, Nicole Kidman, Ruth Cracknell, Dennis Miller, Nicholas Hammond.
Directed by Michael Jenkins.

Emerald City is, of course, a reference to The Wizard of Oz. However, the phony city in this film is Sydney itself, a city which lures people away from Melbourne with its promises, a media world where there is cutthroat competition and betrayal, manipulated by the media wizards.

The film was written by David Williamson, adapting his play. It is typically sardonic Williamson material and highlights the experience of the writer himself in moving from Melbourne to Sydney.

Sydney looks very attractive – and that is one of the points. It is what happens behind the scenes that matters in terms of life choices, relationships, work. John Hargreaves and Robyn Nevin are the couple who move to Sydney and experience the phoniness. Chris Haywood won an Australian Film Institute best supporting actor award for his performance as the shady producer. Nicole Kidman was nominated for her role as his girlfriend.

The film has an excellent supporting cast led by Ruth Cracknell and Dennis Miller.

David Williamson had been successful in transferring his plays to cinema since the early 1970s with Stork. Other film versions of his plays include The Removalists, Duet for Four. He also wrote screenplays for such films as Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously.

The film was directed by Michael Jenkins. After directing a number of television series during the late 1960s and during the 1970s, he made his first feature film, Rebel, with Matt Dillon. Again making miniseries and television programs, he then made Emerald City. In the 1990s he made the feature film Sweet Talker as well as The Heartbreak Kid which then became a television series. He directed two very striking television series, The Leaving of Liverpool about the orphans of the Empire transferred to Australia and the series exposing the corruption of the New South Wales police, Blue Murder, Wild Side.

1.A piece of Australiana? The world of the theatre and film? The '80s? The universality of the themes of the write and his ambitions versus the practicalities of the greedy world?

2.The contrast between Sydney and Melbourne? The sedate Melbourne sequences? The beauty of Sydney and its vibrancy, the harbour? Sydney as the world of the glitterati? The musical score and its mood?

3.The work of David Williamson? The impact of the play on stage? Adapted by Williamson for the screen? The toning down of characters for more intimate presentation? The wit? The spoof? The serious undertones? The screwball comedy style and its delivery?

4.The focus of the title and The Wizard of Oz? The dream city? The aspects of green cold water?

5.Audience understanding of the Australian film industry of the '80s? The myth-making? The history of film-making? The contemporary experience? The role of writers and their being underestimated? The role of producers? The influence of the merchant bankers? The nature of deals, rights to properties, commercial outcomes? The possibilities of overseas money and distribution? The coast watches?

6.The background of American film-making? Its style and audience understanding of it? The internationalisation of the Australian industry? Australia imitating the US? American money? The importance of the voice-overs?

7.John Hargreaves as Colin Rogers? Personality, style? The alter-ego of David Williamson and the move from Melbourne to Sydney? The background of his awards, living in Melbourne, family? His hopes, tempted by the money? His relationship to Kate? His love for his kids? The humour of the journey to Sydney? The house? Elaine Ross and her influence, Dominance? Sydney, the party? Colin and his relationship with Elaine, with Helen? With Mike Mc Cord?

8.Chris Hayward's award-winning performance as Mike? As the big-time producer, no-talent producer? His credits and living on them? Personality, style, conman? The serpent in Eden? Relationship with Elaine? The clashes about the coast watches? His ideas and lack of them? The relationship with Malcolm? Colin and his having to work with Mike, the difficulties, creativity and creative blocks? The quality of the writing? The build‑up to the deals, Mike's explanation of the deals? The shoot? Success, art and ratings?

9.Kate, her relationship with her husband, with the children and their problems? The issue of homosexuality? The protection racket? Sex, discos and drugs? Home, school? The lists? Having to cope with the adolescent problems? Kate and her work, adapting to Sydney? The book by Kath Mitchell? Her boss and his weakness? Her success, Booker Prize? The rights to the book, its success? The clash with Kath? The question of travel? The journey to England - and deceiving Colin? The finale, the drinks? Prospects?

10.Colin and the effect of Sydney on him, corrupting or not? Helen and the party? Sex - and his imagination? His relationship with Kate, talking at home? The discussion of aboriginal issues? Black, male, sex, poor? Elaine and her continued influence, the deals, falling out? Colin and his plans, the proposal? `Fractions' and integrity? Kate and her own career, the changes in the relationship between the two?

11.Mike, the voice-over, the spiv type, the party, phones? Running people down? Using Colin? Helen and the sexual relationship - and its being satirised? His pushiness, the writing, interviews, money, production, ratings? Miami Vice and the American sales? Malcolm and the US issues and deals? Talking to Kate? Helen and the end and his prospects?

12.Helen, her background, in a relationship with Mike? Her ambitions? The attraction to Colin? The ratings? Admiration? Sex?

13.Elaine and her dominant personality, knowing the Sydney scene, the discussion of the deals, her skills as a producer, getting the money, contracts? The clashes with Colin? The dislike of Mike?

14.Malcolm, his background, the opera, money, US interests?

15.The book, introducing aboriginal themes, Kath Mitchell? The nature of the book, its quality, subject? David Williamson's comments on aboriginal issues in the '80s?

16.The atmosphere of filming, budgets, tempers, success and failure? The contrast with the socialising, the parties and the atmosphere of false good-fellowship?

17.Themes of creativity, block? The ending - where to for Colin and Kate?

18.The use of so much of the stage dialogue? Effective for the film version or not? The crackling pace of delivery? The rhetoric of the speeches? Making the film too much of a message movie rather than letting the characters and plot dramatise the issues?