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Puberty Blues (1981)

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clip 'Surfie chick or nobody' education content clip 2

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

Clip description

On the bus to school, Debbie (Nell Schofield) and her best friend Sue (Jad Capelja) try to suck up to the head of the surfie chick clique, Tracey (Sandy Paul). When she gets into a fight on the floor of the bus with Cheryl (Leander Brett), Debbie wins her first points of respect.

Curator’s notes

The film won admirers for the way it captured the sense of immediacy of emotion and the sense of humour of teenagers in their own environment, away from adult eyes. This scene is a good illustration of that: the way that Deb and Sue react to the presence of ‘dead-set spunks’ on the bus; their vivid insults about the girls they don’t like; the speed with which Debbie reacts when Cheryl throws a piece of fruit at her head. Beresford directs the scene with a certain dry derision, especially in the reaction shots of the other students to the ‘girl fight’, but the scene helps to establish Debbie’s strong character – her unwillingness to be bullied, at least by another girl.

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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:

  • You may retrieve materials for information only.
  • You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • 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.

All other rights reserved.

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

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