Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Third Person Plural (1978)

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clip ‘I can’t help what I feel’

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

Clip description

Beth (Margaret Cameron) has left her husband and wants to live with her lover, Terry (George Shevtsov). Terry rejects the proposal, saying he does not feel the same way about Beth.

Curator’s notes

Third Person Plural examines attitudes to sex and marriage. The 1970s was a time of great social upheaval in Australia. The Commonwealth Family Law Act of 1975 made divorce much easier and changed the way many people felt about conventional marriage. In theory, Beth’s open relationship with her husband should give her freedom. But the reality proves much different; she has fallen in love with Terry, expecting him to feel the same way after their affair on the boat trip. He rejects the idea of them living together, leaving Beth hurt and angry.