Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows Richard (John Derum) reacting angrily when his wife Penny (Briony Behets) tells him she has slept with his ex-lover Dee (Judy Morris). The confrontation takes place in the bedroom of a cottage where the three are staying. Penny tells Richard that, in light of his recent behaviour, he has no right to object. Richard then goes outside and encounters Dee, who asks him if he is feeling insecure. Richard aggressively kisses her and tries to put his hand between her legs, but she pushes him off. He accuses her of trying to wreck his relationship with Penny.

Educational value points

• The confrontation between Richard and Penny contrasts with an earlier scene in which Penny discovers Richard’s infidelity and Richard accuses her of being unable to 'handle other scenes’, assuring her that these casual relationships are not a threat and he would not mind if she 'were sleeping with someone else’. His hostile response when he is told that Penny has slept with a woman, who is also his ex-lover, suggests that it is he rather than Penny who cannot 'handle’ it.

• When Richard sits up during the conversation on the bed, he is in the foreground of the shot, with Penny behind him. This positioning not only signifies the discord between the couple, but also puts the focus on Richard’s reactions as he questions Penny in order to find out whether she has slept with Dee. The film does not make clear whether the two women did sleep together, and Penny may be saying it purely to shock or provoke Richard.

• The angry confrontation between Richard and Penny is shown by cutting between close-ups and medium close-ups of the couple. This serves to highlight their antagonism, in that the two are kept visually separate, and the editing also duplicates the back and forth nature of an argument. Richard is standing, which makes him appear more dominant than Penny, who remains on the bed. This is reinforced by filming Richard from a low angle.

• Richard’s sexual assault on Dee is an aggressive attempt both to assert his masculinity and to regain his central position in the three-way relationship. Although the women hold the power, they remain largely physically more controlled. Conversely, Richard is the 'active’ character, moving in and out of rooms and the house and later attacking Dee on the veranda. This agitation could be seen as a frustrated response to his growing feelings of powerlessness.

• The Trespassers was the second feature film of director and writer John Duigan (1949–), who was among the new crop of filmmakers to emerge during the Australian cinema revival of the 1970s. Duigan’s third film, Mouth to Mouth (1978), brought him critical and financial success; however, he is best known for the award-winning The Year My Voice Broke (1987). His other films include Winter of Our Dreams (1981), Dimboola (1979), Flirting (1991) and Sirens (1994).

• Judy Morris studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) and established a career in television, appearing in popular series such as Homicide, Division 4 and Certain Women, before the Australia cinema revival in the 1970s led to roles in films such as The Trespassers, The Picture Show Man (1977), In Search of Anna (1979) and Razorback (1981). More recently she co-wrote Babe: Pig in the City (1998) and was co-writer and co-director of Happy Feet (2006).

• British-born Briony Behets, who plays Penny in The Trespassers, studied drama in London and came to Australia to appear in the short-lived television comedy series Birds in the Bush (1972). Her film credits include Raw Deal (1976), Inside Looking Out (1977), Long Weekend (1977), and Cassandra (1986), but she is perhaps best known for roles in a number of television soaps including Number 96, The Box, Bellbird, Class of ’75, Prisoner, E Street and Neighbours.

• John Derum, who plays Richard, has appeared in a variety of roles in theatre, film and television. He played the stuffy narrator, Neville, in the first series of The Aunty Jack Show (1972) and had guest roles in Division 4, Doctor Down Under and Water Rats. His film credits include Sidecar Racers (1975), Mad Dog Morgan (1976) and The Night, the Prowler (1979). In the 1980s he toured More than a Sentimental Bloke, a one-man stage show about writer CJ Dennis.

Penny is lying in bed. Richard sits on the edge of the bed, facing away from her.
Richard We’re not going to get stuck on that subject again, are we?
Penny No.
Richard Thank Christ
He lies down next to Penny.
Richard What about you? How’d you do?
Penny Do you really want me to tell you?
Richard Yes.
Penny Alright. I made love to someone. To a surveyor.
Richard Checking out the area, was he?
Richard sits up.
Richard Funny. I thought you were going to say you made love with Dee.
Penny Why?
Richard Oh, I don’t know. I thought maybe you had some sort of scene going. Did you?
Penny No.
Richard You don’t sound all that certain.
Penny Don’t I? Well, maybe we did. How do you feel about it?
Richard I don’t know. How do you?
Penny I wasn’t sure at first. But I worked it out and now I’m glad it happened.
Richard Jesus!
Richard gets up from the bed and strides across the room.
Penny You’ve got no right to object.
Richard It’s a completely different thing. I’ve never slept with a guy!
Penny You’ve got a pretty sharp set of double standards.
Richard Oh, that’s a pretty stupid thing to say. It’s not a matter of being consistent. They’re two quite different scenes. I just find it incredibly surprising…
Penny That I’d make love to a woman?
Richard Yes.
Penny Why is it so surprising?
Richard I didn’t think you had any tendency in that direction.
Penny Christ, it’s not a matter of having some tendency. Don’t be so bloody naïve. If it happened with Dee it was good because I didn’t freak out completely afterwards.
Richard Is it likely to happen again?
Penny I don’t know. But we’re going to stay friends.
Richard I’m going outside.

He slams the door behind him. Dee sees him standing on the porch and stands near him.
Dee Can’t get to sleep?
Richard I’m sleepwalking.
Dee Feeling insecure?
Richard Stop baiting me, will you?
Dee I’m not baiting you. Just interested.
Richard You initiated that thing with Penny, didn’t you?
Dee What?!
Richard What are you trying to do?
Dee starts to walk off but Richard grabs her arm and pushes her against the wall of the house. He tries to kiss her and puts his hand between her legs but she pushes him away.
Dee Just fuck off, will you?
Richard You’re trying to smash Penny’s and my relationship.
Dee Oh, you can rationalise everything away, can’t you? You are brilliant at it.
Richard Oh, I don’t know what I’m doing.
Dee walks inside. Richard lingers for a moment and then follows her.