''Summerfield'' is a 1977 Australian film, directed by

Ken Hannam Ken Hannam (12 July 1929 – 16 November 2004) was an Australian film and television director who also worked in British television drama. Career Born in St Kilda, Melbourne, the eldest of three boys, Hannam lived in his youth in Sydney and ...

, written by

Cliff Green Clifford Green OAM (6 December 1934 – 4 December 2020), born in Melbourne, Australia, was an Australian screen writer, whose best-known work is the script for the film '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975). Career Green spent his early workin ...

and produced by

Patricia Lovell Patricia Anna Lovell (née Parr), (1929 – 26 January 2013), commonly referred to as Pat Lovell, was an Australian film producer and actress, whose work within that country's film industry led her to receive the Raymond Longford Award in ...

. It stars

Nick Tate Nicholas John Tate (born 18 June 1942) is an Australian actor popularly known for his roles as pilot Alan Carter in the 1970s science fiction television series '' Space: 1999'', and James Hamilton in the 1980s Australian soap opera '' Sons an ...

, Elizabeth Alexander,

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

Charles 'Bud' Tingwell Charles William Tingwell AM (3 January 1923 – 15 May 2009), known professionally as Bud Tingwell or Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, was an Australian film, television, theatre and radio actor. One of the veterans of Australian film, he acted in his ...

, Max Fairchild and

Geraldine Turner Geraldine Gail Turner (born 23 June 1950 in Brisbane, Australia) is an Australian actress and singer. She has been a leading performer in Australian musical theatre since the 1970s, and has also been active in plays, recordings, film and tele ...

, and was filmed on location on

Phillip Island Phillip Island (Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria. The island is named after Governor Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, by explorer ...

and

Churchill Island Churchill Island is a island in Western Port, Victoria, Australia. It is connected by a bridge to Phillip Island, which is in turn connected to the mainland by another bridge. It is the site of the first European garden in Victoria. It contain ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Plot summary

The story begins with Simon Robinson arriving in a small seaside community to take over as teacher at the local school. He makes the acquaintance of siblings Jenny and David Abbott (Alexander and Waters, respectively), and Jenny's daughter Sally, who live on the island estate of Summerfield. The discovery that his predecessor vanished without a trace and, that Sally has a rare blood disorder lead Simon to try to uncover the truth behind the mystery.

Cast

as Simon Robinson *

as David Abbott * Elizabeth Alexander as Jenny Abbott *

as Dr Miller *

as Betty *

Max Cullen Max Cullen (born 29 April 1940) is an Australian stage and screen actor. He has appeared in many Australian films and television series but is best known for his role in the film '' Spider and Rose'' and the television series '' The Flying Docto ...

as Jim *

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 Miss Gleeson *Michelle Jarman as Sally Abbott *Isobel Harley as Miss Tucker *

Joy Westmore Joy Westmore (; 13 March 1932 – 5 November 2020) was an Australian actress on radio, stage and television, and in voice-over. She was best known to local and international television viewers for her long-running role in ''Prisoner'' as the fr ...

as Mrs Shields *

Adrian Wright Adrian Wright (1 July 1947 – 28 November 2015) was English Australian actor remembered for his roles in the 1970s children's television series ''Freewheelers'' and the Australian serial ''Prisoner'' in which he played male nurse Neil Murray, ...

as Peter Flynn *Barry Donnelly as Sergeant Potter *David Smeed as Mark *Max Fairchild as Joe Baxter

Production

Cliff Green wrote the script for

Peter Weir Peter Lindsay Weir ( ; born August 21, 1944) is a retired Australian film director. He's known for directing films crossing various genres over forty years with films such as '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), ''Gallipoli'' (1981), ''Witness ...

, but he was busy on ''

The Last Wave ''The Last Wave'' (also released, in the US, as ''Black Rain'') is a 1977 Australian mystery drama film directed by Peter Weir.''Variety'' film review; 16 November 1977, p. 21. It is about a white solicitor in Sydney whose seemingly normal lif ...

'' (1977) so

was hired instead.David Stratton, ''The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival'', Angus & Robertson, 1980 p108-110 The budget was raised within three weeks from the Australian Film Commission,

Greater Union Greater Union Organisation Pty Ltd, trading as Event Cinemas, Greater Union, GU Film House, Moonlight Cinema and Birch Carroll & Coyle (BCC Cinemas), is the largest movie exhibitor in Australia and New Zealand, with over 140 cinema complexes cu ...

, the

Victorian Film Corporation VicScreen, formerly known as Film Victoria, is the Victorian Government’s creative and economic screen development agency. They function behind the scenes, supporting professionals, infrastructure, projects and events – elevating Victori ...

(who put in $76,500) and private investors. These were essentially the same parties who invested in '' Break of Day'' (1976). Shooting took place at the town of

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floa ...

on Philip Island and around

Western Port Bay Western Port, (Boonwurrung: ''Warn Marin'') commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is ...

, Victoria starting 14 February 1977. Hannam later said in an interview "I don't look back on ''Summerfield'' as a happy experience at all." He later apologised for statements he made in the interview.

References

External links

*
''Summerfield''
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 ...

Summerfield
at Letterbox DVD
Sumerfield
at BFI
''Summerfield''
at Oz Movies 1977 films Australian thriller drama films Phillip Island Films scored by Bruce Smeaton Incest in film Films directed by Ken Hannam 1970s English-language films 1970s Australian films {{1970s-Australia-film-stub