Original classification rating: M.
This clip chosen to be M
Clip description
The rehearsals have gone underground, after the hospital administrator, Mr Kerner, has sacked Lewis (Ben Mendelsohn). The actors now meet in secret at night, in the disused hospital laundry. Lewis has to comfort a distraught Ruth (Pamela Rabe), after she gets some bad news. Mr Kerner (Tony Llewellyn-Jones) and Errol (Colin Friels), his head of nursing, discuss changes in government policy as they leave the hospital. Kerner discovers the secret rehearsals. Errol, who is not in on the secret, quickly invents a cover story for the boss.
Curator’s notes
Pamela Rabe’s depiction of Ruth’s terrible anguish gives the film some much-needed reality, in the midst of all the comedy. The film walks a knife-edge in tone, between parody of the mentally ill, and a desire to show the patients as capable, if damaged, individuals. The talk of government policy changes, in the middle of the scene, reflects a controversial debate that was hot at the time, about closing hospitals and moving patients ‘back into the community’ – or as Colin Friels says ‘chucking them on the street’.
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cosi2_bb.mp4
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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.
All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.
When you access australianscreen you agree that:
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- The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.
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