Scobie Malone (film)

Scobie Malone
Directed by Terry Ohlsson
Produced by Casey Robinson
Written by Casey Robinson
Graham Woodlock
Based on novel Helga's Web by Jon Cleary
Starring Jack Thompson
Judy Morris
Music by Peter Clarke
Cinematography Keith Lambert
Edited by Bill Stacey
Production
company
Release dates
  • 3 October 1975 (1975-10-03)
Running time
 98 minutes
Country Australia
Language English
Budget AU$300,000[1]

Scobie Malone is a 1975 Australian film based on the novel Helga's Web by Jon Cleary about detective Scobie Malone (Thompson). The film is also known as Helga's Web and Murder at the Opera House.

Synopsis

Sydney homicide detective Sergeant Scobie Malone (Jack Thompson) and his offsider (Shane Porteous) investigate the murder of Helga (Judy Morris), whose corpse is found in the basement of the Sydney Opera House. Malone had met Helga previously and discovers she was a high class prostitute who was also a mistress of the Minister for Culture (James Workman) and involved with film director Jack Savannah (Joe Martin). In flashback it is shown that Helga was blackmailing the minister and his wife (Jacqueline Knott), along with a crime boss, Mr Sin (Noel Ferrier).

Eventually it is revealed that Helga was killed while fleeing Captain Bixby (Cul Cullen). Malone becomes convinced of the guilt of the Minister, but powerful influences intervene and he gets off. The Minister resigns, citing ill health, and travels to Europe with his wife. Malone criticises his boss, Inspector Fulmer (Walter Sullivan) and is suspended for insubordination for ninety days. Fulmer later suggests he come back, but Scobie elects to stay by the pool for the full ninety days.

Cast

Production

The film rights to the novel were originally purchased by Brian Chirlian and John Shore, who hired Cleary to do the screenplay. Casey Robinson, a famous Hollywood screenwriter who had retired to Sydney three years earlier with his Australian wife, then became involved as producer.[2] He did not like Cleary's adaptation and elected to do it himself in collaboration with another writer. Some key changes were made from the book, notably turning Scobie Malone into a womaniser who lives in a singles-only apartment block and has sex with a large number of women, including air hostesses whose name he can't remember.[3]

Robinson managed to pre-sell the film to America, one of the first times this had been done for an Australian film. US$200,000 of the budget was raised from the Australian Film Development Corporation, with the rest coming from private investment.[4]

"Jack Thompson is a great part of my reason to become involved in this venture", said Robinson at the time. "I have no doubt whatsoever that when this film is seen overseas he'll be turned instantly into an international star. There aren't many male actors like him around any more. There's something there that reminds me very much of Bogart."[4]

The film was shot in the autumn of 1975.[5] One of the women Jack Thompson sleeps with in the film is played by Bunkie, one of two sisters he lived with in real life in a ménage à trois for fifteen years.[6]

Reception

Cleary was shown the film at a private screening and was not happy with the result. "When I saw Scobie nibbling on the fourth nipple I thought "that's not my Scobie". And I walked out", he said.[3] The movie received poor reviews and did badly at the box office, despite Jack Thompson coming off two hits with Petersen (1974) and Sunday Too Far Away (1975).[1]

Clips from the film were featured in the extended version of the documentary Not Quite Hollywood (2008).

References

  1. 1 2 Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 293
  2. ↑ "MURDER AT THE OPERA HOUSE.". The Australian Women's Weekly (National Library of Australia). 30 July 1975. p. 28. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  3. 1 2 Jon Cleary Interviewed by Stephen Vagg: Oral History at National Film and Sound Archive
  4. 1 2 Johnson, M. 'Casey now at bat down under' Los Angeles Times 20 July 1975 pp. T33-t33
  5. ↑ David Stratton, The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival, Angus & Robertson, 1980 p329
  6. ↑ Enough Rope with Andrew Denton: Jack Thompson 30 May 2005

External links

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