Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Division 4 – The Return of John Kelso (1971)

play
clip ‘It’s started again’

This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

John Kelso (John Fegan) goes for a stroll in his old street, chatting with terrified neighbours Mrs Roche (Joan Letch), Mrs Wicks (Marguerite Lofthouse) and Albert Crone (Edward Hepple).

Curator’s notes

John Fegan portrays Kelso as a fragile old man. His menace is not built up by anything he does himself but instead through the terrified reactions of his neighbours. As Kelso recalls the lamingtons Mrs Roche used to bake, or the gardening Albert used to do for him, we are made aware that these were not favours done by choice.