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These Are Our Children (1948)

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clip 'Housebreaking'

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

With his sister Molly outside keeping watch, John breaks into a house through an unlocked window. The boy emerges and the pair walks briskly away, but they are seen by a boy watching from the apartment block above. Once safely around the corner, John pulls out the money he managed to steal and shows his sister.

The next scene takes place at the Children’s Court offices where John and Molly have been charged with ‘housebreaking’ and are sentenced to be held under supervision for 12 months. Two court officers question the teenagers who, at times, appear both remorseful and aloof about the serious situation they have found themselves in. The final shot in this sequence shows the pair sour-faced and unresponsive.

Curator’s notes

by Poppy De Souza

This is the opening sequence to These Are Our Children, a circular narrative which ends with this same twin shot of the siblings in the Children’s Court office. The rest of the film contextualises John and Molly’s delinquency by showing the substandard conditions in which they live and play. While by no means an excuse for criminal behaviour, the documentary creates empathy for children like John and Molly and asks hard questions of its audience. It makes a link between low socio-economic conditions, poor housing standards and the juvenile justice system, seeing them as a vicious ever-repeating cycle.

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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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  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

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