Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows Tom Riley (Reg Lye) and Jessica Simmonds (Liz Alexander) sitting in Jessica’s late father’s house, discussing his death. Tom exhorts the spirit of Jessica’s father to 'come back and haunt the murdering bastards’. At the mention of murder the camera focuses on Jessica’s shocked face. They leave the building despite the presence of several threatening men outside and continue their discussion, including observations about the disappearance of real-life figure Juanita Nielsen, in a pub. A number of other men, whom Jessica regards with suspicion, stand around drinking.

Educational value points

• This clip is from The Killing of Angel Street, a highly regarded example of a 1970s Australian political thriller. The film, made in 1981, uses techniques typical of the genre to intensify suspense. The way the camera lingers on the men in the pub creates unease and suggests that any of them could be involved in the death of Jessica’s father or the disappearance of Juanita Nielsen. The script delays the revelations about Nielsen, creating menace and intensifying anticipation. The Killing of Angel Street received an Honourable Mention at the 1982 Berlin Film Festival.

• The real-life disappearance of Juanita Nielsen is integrated into the film’s plot. Juanita Nielsen was last seen in 1975 at Kings Cross, Sydney, where she had been involved in a protest against the demolition and redevelopment of Victoria Street and it seems likely that she was murdered to be silenced. There are many parallels between the film’s story and Nielson’s, although the action here is set in Angel Street in Balmain, an inner-city harbourside suburb of Sydney.

• The clip hints at the passionate feelings that conservation issues can arouse. Australia, as a relatively new nation, was slow to value its own history and recognise the importance of keeping that physical history intact. In most Australian states and territories, legislation to protect buildings or environments classified as 'historic’ only began to be passed in the 1970s, when a significant proportion of potential national heritage buildings had already been demolished to accommodate increasing urban density and the demand for new commercial space. The viewpoints of developers seeking financial gain clashed with those of the local community, activists and unions.

• While events such as Juanita Nielsen’s disappearance and the fictional murder of Jessica’s father are rare, extreme emotions have been, and still are, inspired by the need to preserve history for future generations. In recent years there has been heated debate about the need to preserve mid-20th-century buildings, such as fibro homes, whose value as cultural capital is only just being appreciated.

• The Killing of Angel Street was directed by Donald Crombie (1942–). Crombie is well known as a writer and director and has been one of Australia’s most prolific filmmakers. He has written, directed or produced more than 40 feature films, television movies, miniseries and documentaries. These have included Caddie (1976), Playing Beattie Bow (1986), Flipper (2005) and McLeod’s Daughters (2001). He has held leadership positions with the Australian Screen Directors Association and the Australian Writers’ Guild. In 2006 he was Head of Directing at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School.

This clip starts approximately 31 minutes into the feature.

Tom and Jessica are sitting opposite each inside the house.
Tom Riley You see girl, when you get to be your dad’s age, all your old mates have either moved away or dead. So, you have to put up with what’s left. Your daddy, he put up with me.
Jessica Simmonds I’m sure it was more than that.
Tom Boy, I hope he comes back to haunt the bastards. Come back and haunt them Simmo, scare the shit out of the murdering bastards!
Jessica Why did you say murdering?
Tom ‘Cause that’s what is was girl. You can’t start a fire with dead wiring. I was with your dad that afternoon. I was having a snooze, and all of a sudden, crash … someone smashed the fuse box on the porch. It was about … four o’clock. You can’t start a fire with dead wiring.
Jessica Have you told the police?
Tom The police did the investigation, girl. The police were working with them, hand in glove.
Jessica I can’t believe they’d actually commit murder.
Tom It’s a lovely country, the sun’s always shining and things like that don’t happen. But they’ll kill you too if you stand in their way. Come on girl, let’s get out of here.

They walk outside. There are two men waiting on the street corner. Tom signals to the smashed fuse box.
Tom Up there on the left.
They continue to walk. Jessica notices a sign that reads: ‘First Juanita … Now Simmo … We do not forget.
Jessica Tommy, who… who is Juanita?
Tom Juanita Nielsen. You must have been in Europe. (to the men) It’s lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it? Beautiful days we’ve had, haven’t we?

Tom and Jessica are sitting in a pub, with horse racing commentary in the background. Tom speaks softly, careful not to let anyone else hear.
Tom Yes now, this Juanita, she was with us, but not what you might say. She was an heiress, and she had this bug about old buildings … you know — conservation. When the developers … when the developers started to buy up property and kick the folks out, she started this little newspaper called Now. And by … by Jesus she told it just as it is. The scandals about the developers — they’re thugs. The crooked coppers. But then one day, she just disappeared, never seen to this day.
Jessica And nobody knows?
Tom Everybody knows. But nothing can be proved …