''Between Wars'' is an Australian 1974

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

released on 15 November 1974. It was

directed Direct may refer to: Mathematics * Directed set, in order theory * Direct limit of (pre), sheaves * Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces Computing * Direct access (disambiguation), a ...

by Michael Thornhill and written by

Frank Moorhouse Frank Thomas Moorhouse (21 December 1938 – 26 June 2022) was an Australian writer who won major national prizes for the short story, the novel, the essay and for script writing. His work has been published in the United Kingdom, France and t ...

Plot

The film examines four periods in the life of (the fictitious) doctor Edward Trenbow: *In 1918 Trenbow is treating shell-shocked soldiers from the front. *In the 1920s he works as a psychiatrist at the

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

insane asylum and becomes involved in experiments in Freudian psychiatry, which bring him to the attention of a Royal Commission. *In the 1930s he works as a doctor in a small country town and becomes involved in a fight against the New Guard. *In 1939 he is working in Sydney as a psychiatrist and tries to defend a German psychiatrist who is being interned as a member of the

Australia First Movement The Australia First Movement (AFM) was an Extremism, extremist political movement founded in Sydney in October 1941, which advocated for isolationism and collaborationism during World War II and supported fascism and Nazism. It grew out of the ...

. He has become a pacifist and is dismayed when his son enlists for what became World War II.

Cast

* Corin Redgrave as Dr Edward Trenbow *

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 ...

as Deborah Trenbow * Gunter Meisner as Dr Karl Schneider * Arthur Dignam as Dr Peter Avante *Patricia Leehy as Marguerite *Jone Winchester as Deborah's mother *Brian James as Deborah's father *Reg Gillam as Trenbow's father *Betty Lucas as Trenbow's mother * Peter Cummins * Neil Fitzpatrick as Lance Backhouse * Reg Gorman as Orderly * John O'May as William Faulkner * Judy Lynne as Woman Officer

Production

Director Michael Thornhill was good friends with writer Frank Moorhouse and they had worked together on several short films. Moorehouse wrote the script in 1970, originally for televisionDavid Stratton, ''The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival'', Angus & Robertson, 1980 p87-88 and it was revived a few years later. Half the budget came from the Australian Film Development Corporation and the other half from a property developer.Rod Bishop, "On Time, Under Budget: Richard Brennan", ''Cinema Papers'', July 1974 p203 Filming took place over six weeks in February and March 1974 with interiors at the former studios of Cinesound Productions at Bondi and locations in Gulgong and

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. It was the first feature from cinematographer Russell Boyd.

Release

Thornhill decided to distribute the film himself at first. Initial reviews were good but the box office performance was not strong and distribution was taken over by the Vincent Library. The movie did not return its cost; a bigger "flop" than '' The Cars that Ate Paris''.

Reception

The ''Canberra Times'' critic considered this an important Australian film, as distinct from the "pot-boilers" of the time — the " Australian New Wave" — ''

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 ...

'', ''

Stork Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons and ibise ...

'', ''

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

'' and even '' Wake in Fright''.

Home Media

''Between Wars'' was released on DVD by

Umbrella Entertainment Umbrella Entertainment is a privately-held Australian film production and distribution company that began operating in 2001. It is based in Kew, Victoria. Umbrella Entertainment manages the theatrical, physical, and digital releases of Australia ...

in January 2011. The DVD is compatible with all region codes. By 2023 it was no longer in their catalogue.

Awards

In 1976, the

Australian Cinematographers Society The Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1958 for the purpose of providing a forum for Australian cinematographers to further develop their skills through mutual co-operation. History The Austral ...

awarded the film's cinematographer Russell Boyd with Cinematographer of the Year award for the film.

References

External links

*
''Between Wars'' review
at

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''Between Wars''
at Oz Movies {{Michael Thornhill 1974 films 1970s war drama films Australian war drama films Works by Frank Moorhouse Films set on the home front during World War II 1974 drama films 1970s English-language films Films directed by Michael Thornhill English-language war drama films