Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

The Last of the Knucklemen (1979)

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clip ‘You’ve done it this time Pansy’

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

Clip description

Pansy (Mike Preston) assaults a company engineer (Sean Myers) and is fired by Old Arthur (Gerry Duggan). Pansy’s workmates threaten to walk off the job in solidarity.

Curator’s notes

The harsh working environment seems to breed violence. In this workplace, disputes between hired hands and bosses (whom Pansy describes as ‘poofter university’ types) are more likely to be settled with fists than collective bargaining. This pre-credits sequence establishes Pansy as a hothead who dislikes authority, enjoys starting trouble and commands the loyalty of his co-workers. He is a ‘knuckleman’ but Arthur’s comment that ‘this would never have happened if Tarzan had been here’ indicates Pansy may not be the toughest fighter on site.