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Clip description
Billy Kwan (Linda Hunt) and Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson) film a communist youth demonstration in the streets of Jakarta. As the demonstration gets out of hand, the demonstrators turn on Billy, trying to stop him filming. Hamilton is fearless in defending him and gets a machete wound in the leg. They are both elated by the work.
Curator’s notes
This is a very intense and exciting sequence, full of the menace of mob events and the pure thrill of being a journalist in the midst of danger. The two Indonesians in the front seat are petrified, fully aware of the risks, but Kwan and Hamilton are having fun. When someone cuts his leg, Hamilton laughs; he’s so pumped with adrenaline that he hardly notices.
Weir creates a great sense of events out of control and the feeling of a huge crowd, although there are not that many people. It’s done with low angles, dense sound and by keeping the camera in close, so that the demonstrators are constantly pressing around Hamilton and the car. The sequence also establishes the increasing rapport between Guy and Billy, and Guy’s courage in protecting his friend – or perhaps he’s protecting the man with the camera, out of mutual self-interest.
