"A Time to Speak" is a 1965 Australian television film, which aired on ABC. It is a period drama set around 1900. It was written by Noel Robinson. This was the third production to appear in three weeks. It aired on 7 April 1965 in Sydney and Melbourne.
Premise
In the year 1900, a religious community, the Community, is led by the Elder. One of the Community's inhabitants, Esther, visits a local doctor, Gilly, asking if he can look after a young girl, who is mentally impaired. Gill recommends that the girl follow a course of action. The girl returns to the Community.
Several days later the girl dies. The doctor diagnoses pneumonia and wonders what impact the Elder has. Gilly's wife Anne wants her husband to move away like their friend Chad.
Cast
*
Raymond Westwell as the Elder
*
Wyn Roberts
Ieuan Wyn Pritchard Roberts, Baron Roberts of Conwy, PC (10 July 1930 – 13 December 2013) was a Welsh Conservative politician.
His father was a Minister in a chapel in Llansadwrn, Anglesey, and they lived in the schoolhouse.
He was Member of ...
as the doctor, Gilly
*
Keith Eden as Chad Jensen
*
Joan MacArthur as the leader's wife, Sister Esther
*
Patsy King
Patsy King (born 16 September 1930) is an Australian retired actress known for work in both theatre and television. She has been a children's television presenter, theatre director, playwright and worked in commercials, and in radio and voice ...
as Annie, the doctor's wife
*
George Whaley as John
*
Michael Howley as Matthew
*
Martin Magee Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austral ...
as Benjamin
*
Edward Howell as Man
Production
It was filmed in Melbourne with location footage at
Montsalvat
Montsalvat is an artists' colony in Eltham, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established by Justus Jorgensen in 1934, the colony is set among gardens on five hectares (12 acres) of land, and is home to dozens of buildings, including ...
near
Eltham
Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of E ...
.
Director Patrick Barton said he chose Montsalvat because it had a huge meeting hall, a courtyard and the inside of a cottage. Cast members Raymond Westwell and Joan MacArthur were married in real life. ABV-2's outside broadcast unit, normally used for sport and actuality programs was used for the location scenes.
Reception
The ''Australian Woman's Weekly'' TV critic called it "a meaty play", and said she "particularly liked the understated ending".
The ''Canberra Times'' said it was "a good play, well suited to television, and simply loaded with righteousness enough for all those people who found the honest, healthy lust of ''
The Swagman''was not their . . , cup of tea."
The TV critic for ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' said the play was "an uncommonly arresting drama about the conflict of personalities" in which the director "used the austere and sombre setting of a farm community lo good effect. Some of the scenes were rather abrupt, as was the ending, but generally tension was maintained well."
References
External links
*
''A Time to Speak''at
AustLit
1965 television plays
1965 Australian television episodes
1960s Australian television plays
Black-and-white television episodes
Wednesday Theatre (season 1) episodes
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