''Scobie Malone'' (also known as ''Helga's Web'' and ''Murder at the Opera House'') is a 1975 Australian

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scul ...

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...

based on the 1970 novel ''

Helga's Web ''Helga's Web'' was a 1970 novel by Australian author Jon Cleary, the second to feature his detective hero Scobie Malone. Cleary did not originally intend to use the character again but wanted to write about the construction of the new Sydney Op ...

'' by

Jon Cleary Jon Stephen Cleary (22 November 191719 July 2010) was an Australian writer and novelist. He wrote numerous books, including '' The Sundowners'' (1951), a portrait of a rural family in the 1920s as they move from one job to the next, and '' The ...

and starring

Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to: Sports * Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City * Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Brig ...

and

Judy Morris Judith Ann Morris (born 17 February 1947) is an Australian character actress, as well as a film director and screenwriter, well known for the variety of roles she played in 58 different television shows and films, starting her career as a child ...

Synopsis

Sydney homicide detective Sergeant

Scobie Malone Scobie Malone is a fictional Sydney homicide detective created by Australian novelist Jon Cleary. History Named after the jockey Scobie Breasley, Malone made his first appearance in Cleary's 1966 novel '' The High Commissioner''. Cleary says h ...

(

) and his offsider (

Shane Porteous John Shane Porteous (born 17 August 1942) (known as Shane Porteous) is an Australian actor, screenwriter, animation layout artist and animation voice artist. As a screenwriter, he is sometimes credited as "John Hanlon". He remains best known fo ...

) investigate the murder of Helga (

), whose corpse is found in the basement of the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

. Malone had met Helga previously and discovers she was a high class prostitute who was also a mistress of the Minister for Culture (James Workman) and involved with film director Jack Savannah (Joe Martin). In flashback it is shown that Helga was blackmailing the minister and his wife (Jacqueline Kott), along with a crime boss, Mr Sin (

Noel Ferrier Noel Ferrier AM (20 December 193016 October 1997) was an Australian television personality, comedian, stage and film actor, raconteur and theatrical producer. He was a regular panelist in Graham Kennedy's popular game show '' Blankety Blanks ( ...

). Eventually it is revealed that Helga was killed while fleeing Captain Bixby (Fred "Cul" Cullen). Malone becomes convinced of the guilt of the Minister, but powerful influences intervene and he gets off. The Minister resigns, citing ill health, and travels to Europe with his wife. Malone criticises his boss, Inspector Fulmer (Walter Sullivan) and is suspended for insubordination for ninety days. Fulmer later suggests he come back, but Scobie elects to stay by the pool for the full ninety days.

Cast

as Helga Brand *

as Russ *

as Mr Sin *Jacqueline Kott as Norma Halidon *James Condon as Walter Halidon *Joe Martin as Jack Savanna *Fred "Cul" Cullen as Captain Bixby *Walter Sullivan as Inspector Fulmer *Max Meldrum as Scientific Officer *Ken Goodlet as the Premier *Joe James as the Attorney General *Victoria Anoux as Becky *Zoe Salmon as Angie *Bunkie King as Jackie *Peter McLean as Photographer *Len London as the Police Commissioner *Barbara Mason as Socialite *Faye Donaldson as Socialite *Maggie Blinco as Landlady *Di Bergan as The Maid *David Bradley as Detective *Guy Peniston Bird as Detective *

Judy McBurney Judith McBurney (19 May 1948 – 1 December 2018) was an Australian actress and model. She is best known for serial ''The Young Doctors'' in 1,300 episodes as Tania Livingstone and also appeared in cult series'' Prisoner'' as Sandra" Pixie" Mas ...

as Girl at pedestrian crossing *

Bryan Brown Bryan Neathway Brown AM (born 23 June 1947) is an Australian actor. He has performed in over eighty film and television projects since the late 1970s, both in his native Australia and abroad. Notable films include ''Breaker Morant'' (1980), ' ...

as Policeman (as "Brian Bronn")

Production

The film rights to the novel were originally purchased by Brian Chirlian and John Shore, who hired Cleary to do the screenplay.

Casey Robinson Kenneth Casey Robinson (October 17, 1903 – December 6, 1979) was an American producer and director of mostly B movies and a screenwriter responsible for some of Bette Davis' most revered films. Film critic Richard Corliss once described him ...

, a famous Hollywood screenwriter who had retired to Sydney three years earlier with his Australian wife, then became involved as producer. He did not like Cleary's adaptation and elected to do it himself in collaboration with another writer. Some key changes were made from the book, notably turning Scobie Malone into a womaniser who lives in a singles-only apartment block and has sex with a large number of women, including air hostesses whose name he can't remember. Robinson managed to pre-sell the film to America, one of the first times this had been done for an Australian film. US$200,000 of the budget was raised from the

Australian Film Development Corporation The Australian Film Development Corporation was an organisation created and funded by the Australian Government in the 1970s, intended to allow filmmakers in the Australian film industry to create movies for everyone to see. In 1975 it was repl ...

, with the rest coming from private investment.Johnson, M. 'Casey now at bat down under' ''Los Angeles Times'' 20 July 1975 pp. T33-t33
/ref> "Jack Thompson is a great part of my reason to become involved in this venture", said Robinson at the time. "I have no doubt whatsoever that when this film is seen overseas he'll be turned instantly into an international star. There aren't many male actors like him around any more. There's something there that reminds me very much of Bogart." The film was shot in the autumn of 1975.David Stratton, ''The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival'', Angus & Robertson, 1980 p329 One of the women Jack Thompson sleeps with in the film is played by Bunkie King, one of two sisters he lived with in real life in a

ménage à trois A () is a domestic arrangement and committed relationship with three people in polyamorous romantic or sexual relations with each other, and often dwelling together; typically a traditional marriage between a man and woman along with anothe ...

for fifteen years, with the other sister, Lee King, appearing in poolside scenes.''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton: Jack Thompson'' 30 May 2005
/ref> The film is also notable for the first screen appearance of actor

, who appears early in the film as a policeman, delivering two lines. He is listed last in the credits as "Brian Bronn".

Reception

Cleary was shown the film at a private screening and was not happy with the result. "When I saw Scobie nibbling on the fourth nipple I thought "that's not my Scobie". And I walked out", he said.Jon Cleary Interviewed by Stephen Vagg: Oral History
at

National Film and Sound Archive 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 ...

The movie received poor reviews and did badly at the box office, despite Jack Thompson coming off two hits with ''

Petersen Petersen is a common Danish patronymic surname, meaning ''"son of Peter"''. There are other spellings. Petersen may refer to: People In arts and entertainment * Adolf Dahm-Petersen, Norwegian voice specialist * Anja Petersen, German operatic ...

'' (1974) and ''

Sunday Too Far Away ''Sunday Too Far Away'' is a 1975 Australian drama film directed by Ken Hannam. It belongs to the Australian Film Renaissance or the "Australian New Wave", which occurred during that decade. The film is set on a sheep station in the Australian o ...

'' (1975). Clips from the film were featured in the extended version of the documentary ''

Not Quite Hollywood ''Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!'' is a 2008 Australian documentary film about the Australian New Wave of 1970s and 1980s low-budget cinema. The film was written and directed by Mark Hartley, who interviewed over e ...

'' (2008).

References

External links

''Scobie Malone''
at

*
''Scobie Malone''
at Oz Movies {{Jon Cleary 1975 films Australian mystery films Erotic mystery films Films set in Sydney Films shot in Sydney Films based on works by Jon Cleary 1970s English-language films