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Going Down (1983)

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clip Always crying

Original classification rating: M. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

The camera tracks across the wreckage of the previous night’s party, over debris and bodies, to arrive at Jane (Vera Plevnik) crying in the backyard. Karli (Tracy Mann) wakes up beside Shadow (Ian Gilmour) who is sick of hearing Vera crying every morning. Jackie (Julie Barry), a nurse, hocks her camera as Ellen (Moira MacLaine-Cross) looks for a job. Karli drives across town to see her dad. Night falls on the city.

Curator’s notes

This is the opening sequence, and it begins with a memorable single take that sets up the style – grungy comedy that can turn tragic very quickly. Keenan introduces his key characters in a few seconds of economical observation – Karli the compassionate one, Jackie the sardonic one, Jane the depressed one and Ellen the eccentric. The tunnel shot announces the end of daylight and introduces a sense of excitement, achieved by a subtle speeding up of the shot.

After Vera Plevnik was killed in a car accident in 1982, James Reyne, lead singer of Australian Crawl, contacted Keenan and asked if the band could see the rough cut of the movie. Reyne was a close friend of Plevnik. The band spent a day in a studio, recording two tracks for the movie, as a kind of memorial. They appear in the credits as The Park Rats, rather than Australian Crawl.

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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. All rights are reserved.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

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  • You may save, copy, print, distribute or download materials for your own personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes. Commercial exploitation of materials on this website is prohibited.
  • 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.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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