''Clay'' is a 1965 Australian
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Giorgio Mangiamele
Giorgio Mangiamele (13 August 192613 May 2001) was an Italian/Australian photographer and filmmaker who made a unique contribution to the production of Australian art cinema in the 1950s and 1960s. His films included ''Il Contratto'' (or ''Th ...
. The film was nominated for the
Golden Palm
The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
award at the
1965 Cannes Film Festival
The 18th Cannes Film Festival was held from 3 to 16 May 1965. Olivia de Havilland became the first woman president of the jury.
The Grand Prix du Festival International du Film went to ''The Knack …and How to Get It'' by Richard Lester. The f ...
,
but it lost to ''
The Knack ...and How to Get It''.
Plot
Nick is a murderer on the run from the police. He finds a remote artists' colony and takes shelter there. Whilst there, he falls in love with a sculptor named Margot. When Nick is betrayed to the police by a jealous rival, Chris, Margot kills herself.
Cast
*
Janina Lebedew as Margot
*
George Dixon as Nick
*
Chris Tsalikis as Chris
*
Claude Thomas as Father
*
Bobby Clark as Charles
*
Sheila Florance
Sheila Mary Florance (24 July 1916 – 12 October 1991) was an Australian theatre, television and film actress. She was best known for her performance as elderly, alcoholic convict Lizzie Birdsworth in the television series ''Prisoner''.
F ...
as Deaf-mute
*
Lola Russell as Mary
*
Cole Turnley as Businessman
Production
The film was shot in 1964, with the crew consisting of Mangiamele, a camera assistant and a sound technician. The budget was raised by Mangiamele mortgaging his house and the cast contributing £200 each. Filming started in May and took six weeks, mostly at an artist's colony in
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 ho ...
. Lead actor Janina Lebedew had her voice dubbed by
Sheila Florance
Sheila Mary Florance (24 July 1916 – 12 October 1991) was an Australian theatre, television and film actress. She was best known for her performance as elderly, alcoholic convict Lizzie Birdsworth in the television series ''Prisoner''.
F ...
.
Release
''Clay '' was the first Australian film selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
In March 1965, ABC bought the TV rights for £2,600 and the film won to awards for photography at the 1965 AFIs. However it was poorly received at the
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize.
the festival's director is Nashen Moodley.
Histo ...
and
Melbourne Film Festival and struggled to get commercial release.
accessed 1 September 2012
References
External links
*
''Clay''
at Australian Screen Online
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...
''Clay''
at Oz Movies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clay
1965 films
1965 drama films
Australian drama films
Australian black-and-white films
Films about sculptors
1960s English-language films