''The Singer and the Dancer'' is a 1977 film directed by

Gillian Armstrong Gillian May Armstrong (born 18 December 1950) is an Australian feature film and documentary director, who specializes in period drama. Her films often feature female perspectives and protagonists. Many of her movies are historical dramas. Ea ...

and starring

Ruth Cracknell Ruth Winifred Cracknell AM (6 July 1925 – 13 May 2002) was an Australian character and comic actress, comedienne and author, her career encompassing all genres including radio, theatre, television and film. She appeared in many dramatic as we ...

and Elizabeth Crosby.

Plot

Mrs Bilson is treated as a simple minded invalid by her family and periodically escapes to sit by the river and listen to the races. She befriends Charlie, a young woman from the city who has come with her husband to seek a new life. Both realises they have much in common, including abusive and unfaithful husbands.

Cast

as Mrs. Bilson *Elizabeth Crosby as Charlie *

Russell Kiefel Russell John Kiefel (1951 – 20 November 2016) was an Australian stage, film and television actor. After graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Kiefel started his screen acting career with a role in the 1977 feature film ''The S ...

as Pete *

Jude Kuring Judith Kuring (born 23 November 1948) known Jude Kuring is an Australian actress who appeared in theatre, film and television during the late 1970s and early 80s. She remains best known for her stint as the recurring character of petty crimina ...

as Mrs. Herbert * Gerry Duggan as Doctor

Production

The film was the first long narrative movie from Gillian Armstrong, although she had made several shorts and a documentary. She had successfully adapted Alan Marshall stories at film school, and he sent her a copy of the story "Old Mrs Bilson" which she liked. Armstrong liked the central part of the story and the character of the woman, but she wanted to do something contemporary because her early short films, ''Gretel'' and ''One Hundred a Day'' had been set in the past. She asked Marshall if she could adapt it into a story where the woman character meets a young woman. Marshall agreed provided Armstrong write what the young woman would say:

And that's what we did. I came up with the characters who went to the country, Charley and a boyfriend, and we mingled that with the story that had always been there about Mrs Bilson. You find out about her past through the story."Interview with Gillian Armstrong", ''Signet'', 4 September 1998
Retrieved 17 November 2012

Neva Carr Glynn Neva Carr Glyn or Neva Carr Glynn (born Neva Josephine Mary Carr Glyn, 10 May 1908 – 10 August 1975) was an Australian stage, film and radio actress born in Melbourne to Arthur Benjamin Carr Glyn (died 16 January 1923), a humorous baritone and ...

was originally cast as the old lady but she died prior to production and Ruth Cracknell was given the role instead. The film was shot over two weeks at Picton in October 1975, largely funded by the Film, Radio and Television Board of the Australia Council, who put in $20,000.David Stratton, ''The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival'', Angus & Robertson, 1980 p215-216

Release

''The Singer and the Dancer'' screened 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 ...

in June 1976 and won the Greater Union Award for Best Narrative Film. Columbia agreed to distribute the film theatrically, with the

Australian Film Commission The Australian Film Commission (AFC) was an Australian government agency was founded in 1975 with a mandate to promote the creation and distribution of films in Australia as well as to preserve the country's film history. It also had a producti ...

paying for the movie to be blown up to 35mm. It also showed at some co-op screenings.

References

External links

*
''The Singer and the Dancer''
at Oz Movies Australian drama films 1977 films Films directed by Gillian Armstrong 1970s English-language films 1970s Australian films {{1970s-Australia-film-stub