Original classification rating: PG.
This clip chosen to be PG
Clip description
Constance (Noeline Brown), James (John Meillon) and Sean (Mark Shields-Brown) visit Sydney’s famous Luna Park.
Curator’s notes
The finale of the mini-series revolves around the Commonwealth Games of 1974, which were actually held in Christchurch, New Zealand. Switching the location to Sydney enabled the producers to make full use of easily recognisable landmarks, as in this sequence set in Luna Park at Milsons Point.
This film montage effectively condenses a ‘family’ day out at the amusement park into two minutes of action. For a contemporary audience, it’s a fun glimpse of a Sydney landmark in the 1970s. These short scenes successfully convey without us being told through dialogue or voice-over that Sean’s second wish has come true – he’s been reunited with his mother. The moment where James recoils before the Ghost Train – a reminder of Sean’s imminent death – is unfortunately overplayed by Meillon, not helped by the melodramatic cut to a close-up of his face immediately followed by the leering skull. It’s ironic, given this sequence, that Luna Park was closed in 1979 because of a fire in the Ghost Train that killed seven people.
It is interesting to compare the sequence here to clip one in terms of quality of picture image. In 1974, long before the digitisation of videotape, location sequences like this were usually shot on film and transferred to tape before being edited. As it was difficult to get an exact match, what was shot on film, then downgraded in the telecine process, sometimes ended up actually looking slightly less sharp than the taped material. With the arrival of colour television, the differential between film quality and tape became much more obvious and it became a specialised job to grade film and dull its sharp images to match the more muted material shot in the studio on videotape.
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Downloadable Video – FOR EDUCATIONAL CRITICISM AND REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY
This clip is available for download for the limited purpose of criticism and review in an educational context. You must obtain permission from editorial@aso.gov.au for all other purposes for use of this material.
Terms & Conditions
australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described here and 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. ALL rights are reserved.
You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before downloading this clip:
When you access ABC materials on australianscreen you agree that:
- You may download this clip to assist your information, criticism and review purposes in conjunction with viewing this website only;
- Downloading this clip for purposes other than criticism and review is Prohibited;
- Downloading for purposes other than non-commercial educational uses is Prohibited;
- Downloading this clip in association with any commercial purpose is Prohibited;
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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