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Dr Daniel Mannix, the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, explains why he spoke out against the Australian Labor Party during the elections of 1954 and 1958. He wants to be remembered as a great Irishman, a great Australian and a great churchman, although many Australians probably thought of him as the man who introduced sectarianism into Australian politics.
Curator’s notes
This is a great example of powerful 'talking head’ television. We see one of the central figures in 1950s Australia being confronted by incisive, tough questioning from Gerald Lyons. Interestingly, the camera stays on the subject during the lengthy questions, rather than cutting to the interviewer. This allows us to fully concentrate on Dr Mannix, and see every passing emotion on his face. It is a real duel of wits, and we have to make up our own mind as to the correctness or not of Mannix’s beliefs.
