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Clip description
Shirley Thompson (Jane Harders) is contacted by aliens in the River Caves at Luna Park. She makes a deal to help deliver their warnings of imminent disaster.
Curator’s notes
The pivotal moment in Shirley’s life. Like the visitor Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951, remade 2008), the unseen aliens have come to Earth in peace but with a warning of terrible consequences if their message is not heeded. Initially frightened, Shirley is excited by the promise of extraordinary power if she helps the visitors and is zapped back to spread the word among her widgie and bodgie friends. Intercut with a brief flash-forward to Shirley in the asylum with cheesy voice-over narration, this sequence is a good example of the film’s highly imaginative approach to storytelling.
