Australian
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The Removalists (1975)

play Coarse language – medium; Sexual references; Violence – medium
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clip ‘Self–bloody-control!’

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

Clip description

Kenny (Martin Harris), handcuffed to the balustrade, taunts his wife Fiona (Jacki Weaver) and Sergeant Simmonds (Peter Cummins) with sexual provocations. The senior policeman lashes out, watched by Fiona, Constable Ross (John Hargreaves), the removalist (Chris Haywood) and Fiona’s sister (Kate Fitzpatrick). After beating him senseless, Simmonds lectures Kenny about self-control.

Curator’s notes

One of the questions of the play is how much ‘official’ violence these characters – and the society in general – will tolerate, in the interests of social order. The answer, fairly obviously, is a great deal, since none of them lifts a finger to help the man being beaten. The editing in this sequence makes clear that they all find the sergeant’s violence out of all proportion, yet not one word comes out of their mouths. Nor do we see any sign that the sergeant regrets his loss of self-control. Indeed, the look at the beginning of the scene shows the policeman is enjoying his power over another man. Sexual tension underlines much of Simmonds’s violence, but the motives of the others are not quite pure either. Kenny’s predominant method of insult is sexual, especially towards the two women, although in this scene he taunts the other men with his sexual prowess. In clip three, Simmonds turns on the older sister for her supposed immorality.

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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.

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