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Clip description
General Vernon Sturdee (William Zappa) explains the military situation prior to the first Japanese attack to John Curtin (William McInnes) and Frederick Shedden (Brian Meegan). In the following scene Curtin consults with his friend Tatsuo Kawai (Shingo Usami), who also happens to be the Japanese Ambassador.
Curator’s notes
Laid out for us in these two economically written scenes is the dilemma that faced Curtin in the weeks leading up to the outbreak of war with Japan: firstly, that Australian troops deployed abroad, even those in Asia, were positioned to protect British interests to the detriment of Australia’s own security; secondly that the Japanese Military Command were intent on domination of the Pacific region which, it was naturally assumed at the time, included Australia. William Zappa is impressive throughout the film as Sturdee, able to convey a considerable degree of emotion and human understanding without once losing sight of the man’s highly disciplined military background. Equally well defined is Shingo Usami’s cameo performance as Curtin’s friend, the moderate anti-militarist Tatsuo.
Note the old postcard, a clever device used throughout the film to set place and time. A personal favourite that appears elsewhere is one of Parliament House in Canberra with a flock of sheep grazing in the immediate foreground.
