Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows Carol (Nicole Kidman) arguing with her father (Terence Donovan) over the family dinner table because she does not want to attend an athletics training program. Carol says that she wants to complete homework instead but her father is disappointed and wants to make sure that her athletic talents are not wasted. Carol’s younger sister (Emma Lyle) and their mother join in the discussion.

Educational value points

• The clip reveals that Carol’s father’s insistence that she must attend the training session and succeed as an athlete arises in part from his own unfulfilled dream of athletic success. The father recalls that while he had the attitude and the application, ingredients for success that his daughter Carol seems to lack, he did not have her talent. He pushes his daughter to train hard at the expense of her other activities.

• The clip shows what could be a typical scenario, a middle-class family arguing at the dinner table. Carol is portrayed as a teenage girl wanting to spend time with her friends and rebelling against her father’s dominating attitude, while her mother quietly supports her and her younger sister mocks her.

• The clip raises questions about parental expectations and the pressures they can place on children and young people. In the 2003 Ethics in Sport report prepared for the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), too much and undue parental pressure placed on children is identified as one of the ethical issues considered most problematic.

• The enthusiasm shown by some parents for their children’s sporting success has been known to border on obsession to the point where they have received warnings from referees and judges, while others have been banned from matches for their abusive language and behaviour. In the 2003 Ethics in Sport report, inappropriate parental behaviour is included as one of the ethical issues most commonly experienced as being problematic. The ASC has developed a Code of Behaviour for parents and guardians.

• Nicole Kidman’s first film appearances were in Bush Christmas (1983) and BMX Bandits (1983) and her US acting debut was in Dead Calm (1989). Kidman (1967–) received a Golden Globe for her role in To Die For (1995), an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in Moulin Rouge (2001) and an Academy Award for Best Actress in The Hours (2003).

• Terence Donovan (1942–) began his acting career in 1966 and Australian drama series in which he has appeared include Cop Shop, Prisoner, Sons and Daughters and Neighbours.

• John Duigan (1949–) is a writer–director of films and miniseries that include Mouth to Mouth (1978), Winter of Our Dreams (1981), Vietnam (1987), The Year My Voice Broke (1987) and Sirens (1994). The Year My Voice Broke won Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards in 1987 for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.

• The Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF), which produced the film from which this clip is taken, is a non-profit organisation that develops television programs for children. The Australian Government and the governments of each of Australia’s states and territories fund the ACTF.