Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Playing Beatie Bow (1985)

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clip Mayhem breaks out

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

Clip description

Judah Bow (Peter Phelps), his friends and Abigail Kirk (Imogen Annesley) race down the stairs into the brothel. Abigail uses a broomstick to trip up the men chasing them and they end up in a pile at the bottom with the Madam (Su Cruickshank) on top. A snake enclosure is smashed, adding to the havoc and allowing them to escape.

Curator’s notes

Abigail’s escape is one of the big action sequences of the film and is very slapstick in tone. The scenes in the brothel, including those just before this one, give the filmmakers an opportunity to put some lavish 1870s costumes and colourful characters on screen.