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Jack Thompson Down Under – Episode 3 (1987)

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What price courage

Original classification rating: G. This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

Dan is the parachute instructor and Adrian’s mate. Adrian is a member of the Australian Special Air Service (SAS) but is having trouble with his training jumps. Dan wants his mate to succeed, not the least because they went through hell together in Vietnam. Adrian can’t relax into the jump until suddenly he’s distracted by a cloud formation. He forgets his worries long enough for things to click and suddenly he can fly.

Curator’s notes

by Janet Bell

The SAS is Australia’s elite fighting force. Only the fittest and the bravest get through the difficult training sessions. This particular training is parachute jumping with a difference. The troops must free fall for 10,000 feet before they pull the cord to open the parachute. It’s nail-biting stuff as the men count the seconds down to the moment of truth.

Dan Wright is the instructor and something of a tough guy, but not too tough to help his old army mate from their days together in Vietnam. It’s a moving sequence for which there must be a fascinating backstory that’s unfortunately not told here. Were they national servicemen in Vietnam? What did they do there and why have they decided to stay on in the army as professional soldiers?

This item is the first and longest of five stories connected by the on camera presence of actor Jack Thompson. Jack’s CV(Curriculum Vitae) is long and impressive, having starred in films as diverse as Breaker Morant (1979) and Bastard Boys (2007) over a long and illustrious career, with numerous awards. He was appointed a member of the Order of Australia in 1986 and, in 1994, was awarded the Raymond Longford AFI Award in recognition of his enduring contribution to Australian screen culture.

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