Petersen (film)

Petersen is a 1974 Australian drama film directed by Tim Burstall.

Petersen
Directed byTim Burstall
Written byDavid Williamson
Produced byTim Burstall
StarringJack Thompson
Jacki Weaver
Wendy Hughes
CinematographyRobin Copping
Edited byDavid Bilcock
Music byPeter Best
Production
company
Distributed byRoadshow Film Distributors
Release date
  • 25 October 1974 (1974-10-25)
Running time
107 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetAU$226,000[1] or $240,000[2]
Box office$1,363,000 (Aust)

Petersen was a box office success and received wide distribution in the UK and US under the title Jock Petersen. Petersen is first and foremost a sobering critique of Australian life in the early 1970s. Petersen is considered one of the better social dramas from the early years of the Australian film revival. Stanley Kubrick praised the film on its release, particularly Burstall's direction and Jack Thompson's lead performance.[3] Jack Thompson won the Hoyts Prize for Best Performance at the 1975 AFI Awards for his performance in Petersen.[4]

Plot

Tony Petersen is an electrical tradesman and former football star who is studying arts at the University of Melbourne, and majoring in English. Despite being married to adoring wife Susie, he is having an affair with his lecturer, Trish Kent, and has a fling with student Moira as part of a protest. The professor is also seeing one of his students after class. Petersen and the professor's wife talk about having a baby. Trish's husband Charles fails Petersen in his exams and Trish leaves for Oxford. Petersen rapes Trish and returns to his old life.

Cast

Production

Burstall wanted to make the story as the first film from Hexagon Productions and commissioned David Williamson to write a screenplay, the original title of which was Sittin' and Tony Petersen. However Williamson was working on many projects at the time so Hexagon made two Alvin Purple films instead.[1]

Burstall claimed that Graham Burke of Heaxgon did not want to make Petersen, so Burstall tried to get funding from the Australian Film Development Corporation, but when they rejected the film Hexagon came on board.[5] The film also used the working title Campus.[6]

Jack Thompson was paid $1,000 a week.[5] It was Wendy Hughes first film and she later said "I didn't know whether I was Arthur or Martha half the time".[7]

Reception

Critical reception to the film was harsh[1] however Petersen grossed $1,363,000 at the box office in Australia,[8] which is equivalent to $9,200,250 in 2009 dollars. Burstall says it made a profit of $70,000 from its Australian release alone.[5] The film was also released in the US and UK and made a star of Jack Thompson.[1]

Home media

Petersen was released for the first time on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in October 2016.

Title Format Episodes Discs/Tapes Region 4 (Australia) Special Features Distributors
Petersen DVD Film 1 5 October 2016 Interviews with Alan Finney, David Williamson, Robin Copping, Wendy Hughes, Jack Thompson and Jacki Weaver

Photo Gallery

Theatrical Trailer

 Umbrella Entertainment

See also

References
  1. David Stratton, The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival, Angus & Robertson, 1980 pp. 31–33
  2. "'More scope' for film actor in Australia". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995). ACT: National Library of Australia. 28 October 1974. p. 6. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  3. Australian screen; curator's notes by Richard Kuipers
  4. IMDb awards
  5. Scott Murray, 'Tim Burstall', Cinema Papers Sept-Oct 1979 pp. 495–496
  6. Jones, Dave (1 January 1974). "David Williamson". Cinema Papers. No. 1. p. 7.
  7. Richard Brennan, "Wendy Hughes", Cinema Papers, October 1982 p. 431
  8. "Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  • Murray, Scott, ed. (1994). Australian Cinema. St.Leonards, NSW.: Allen & Unwin/AFC. p. 284. ISBN 1-86373-311-6.
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