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Clip description
Frank (John Hargreaves) comes to rent the spare room at Malcolm’s house. He has seen a notice in the milk bar up the street, but he’s surprised to hear that Mrs T (Beverley Phillips) and the neighbour Jenny (Judith Stratford) are following his progress. Malcolm (Colin Friels) runs through the questions Mrs T has told him to ask, without waiting for Frank to answer. Once inside, Frank is amazed to see Malcolm’s tram set-up.
Curator’s notes
This scene tells us a lot about the neighbourhood, an old working class street in the inner suburbs of Melbourne, but in a humorous way. Two women are watching Frank as he walks to Malcolm’s house; they are very protective of Malcolm since his mother died. The feeling of being watched unsettles Frank, who’s just had two years of being watched in prison. Hargreaves tells us a lot about his character with the way he approaches the house – almost furtively like a thief (which, indeed, he is). There’s a slight anxiety in his face as he meets Malcolm, and sees the tram tracks from the letter box. This is richly comic acting, but he never overdoes it. Even before he says a word, we can tell that Frank’s not too bright.
