The Delinquents (1989 film)

The Delinquents (1989 film)
DVD cover
Directed by	Chris Thomson
Written by	Clayton Frohman Mac Gudgeon
Starring	Kylie Minogue Charlie Schlatter
Music by	Miles Goodman
Cinematography	Andrew Lesnie
Editing by	John Scott
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	Australia: 21 December 1989 UK: 26 December 1989 Finland: 1 June 1990 Sweden: 1 June 1990 Netherlands: 8 June 1990 West Germany: 12 July 1990
Running time	101 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English

The Delinquents in a 1989 Australian film directed by Chris Thomson. It starred Kylie Minogue and Charlie Schlatter as the couple, and was filmed in Brisbane, Maryborough and Bundaberg, Queensland. The film is inspired by the book with the same name. The book and the film differs (a couple of pregnancies and abortions) in parts and it is uncertain whether the screenplay was adjusted or the missing parts of the book were filmed and removed to meet a lower certificate.

The Delinquents was released in Australia on the 21 December 1989 and received mixed reviews from most movie critics. The film had grossed $3,370,650 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $5,864,931 in 2009 dollars. A soundtrack was also released.

Plot

The film was adapted from the book of the same name by author Criena Rohan. It tells the story of an underage couple in the Australian town of Bundaberg during the 1950s who fall in love, but because of their age must fight their parents, who try to keep them apart. After Lola gets into trouble with the relationship, she is taken away with a caretaker in the country side, to make her learn and grow more mature. The count later announces that Brownie can not have legal actions or communication with Lola until 12 months later. She is taken good care of by her caretaker, but intends to change her life. After many taunts from her caretaker, she later takes action.

One day, her caretaker and her former caretaker's child visits for lunch, and Lola realises that her aunt has thrown all Brownie's letters away. The aunt threatens her, to make her stay, but Lola punches her and runs away.

She rings her mother, but she is drunk. Her mother hangs up, and Lola with smashes the telephone booths window with rage, and is entered into a school for girls. However, most of the girls create a riot, attacking the guards and starting fires. The day following the riot is Lola's birthday, and after getting let out of school, she meets Brownie and her friends.

After getting released, Lyle tells Lola that Mavis had trouble with her birth. It was later announced by Lyle that the unborn baby had died, basically a stillbirth. However, after Mavis asks Lola to keep the baby if problems happen and asks her to enter the room, Mavis had tragically died during the stillbirth surgery. A lawyer later announces that the baby must be given to foster home, until Lola and Brownie say that they would look after the baby, but are unsuccessful because they are not married. Lyle later says to Lola to take the baby to the wellfair community, while Lyle drives away. Lola packs the baby's stuff as she catches a taxi to the wellfair community. As she drives away, Brownie sees her in the taxi and chases her. After he gets her attention, the taxi stops and Brownie and Lola reunite together. After a while, Lola and Brownie get married, where all of both of their families reunite together for the day.

The film ends with the couple dancing in the sunset sky with the baby on a hill, with Brownie in his tuxedo and Lola in a wedding gown.

Cast

• Kylie Minogue as Lola Lovell
• Charlie Schlatter as Brownie Hansen
• Bruno Lawrence as Bosun
• Todd Boyce as Lyle
• Desirée Smith as Mavis
• Angela Punch McGregor as Mrs. Lovell
• Melissa Jaffer as Aunt Westbury
• Lynette Curran as Mrs. Hansen
• Duncan Wass as Bert
• Lyn Treadgold as Prison matron
• Rosemary Harris as Isobel

Release and reception

Reception

Based on a total of 17 reviews by Rotten Tomatoes, critical reaction for The Delinquents had received generally positive reviews, receiving an overall of 68% approval ratings. DVD.net had given the movie an equal mix review, giving it 5/10. IMDb gave the film a mixed review. Most of the audience loved the film, giving it lots of stars, but critics gave it negative. The film scored 5.1 out of 10. Scoopy.com A total of four major positive reviews came from the film. They had complimented the film images, saying "The cinematographer was Andrew Lesnie, who is absolutely one of the best on the planet. He's been the cinematographer for a few little films you may have heard of, like King Kong and the three Lord of the Rings films! He has won every award that a cinematographer can win, including an Oscar." He also praised the period details and Kylie's lead role in the film. After the siting of the reviews and commercial success, Kylie herself had received a lot of attention commercially and critically, just not for her acting debut, but also for her music career and other projects.^{[citation needed]}

Books

The Delinquents Book was released in the 1980s after the release of the film and promotional purpose. The book and the film differs (a couple of pregnancies and abortions) in parts and it is uncertain whether the screenplay was adjusted or the missing parts of the book were filmed and removed to meet a lower certificate.^{[citation needed]} Posters came with the book for promotion of the film.

Box Office and initial screening

The Delinquents was meant to be a small budget film targeting Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The film had grossed $3,370,650 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $5,864,931 in 2009 dollars, becoming a success throughout Australia. The film was also a success in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

The Delinquents premiered in Australia and New Zealand on 21 December 1989 at many theretical cinemas. After the release date, it was released in the United Kingdom on 26 December 1989, five days after the Australian release. It was later announced that the film would be released in other European countries, and it was released on 1 June 1990 in Finland and Sweden in theaters under the name Delinquents - nuoret kapinalliset. It was later released in the Netherlands on 8 June 1990 and then Portugal on 29 June 1990. Its last release was in Germany.

Home media

The Delinquents was released as VHS worldwide in 1989 and released on DVD in Australia only.

Soundtrack

The CD soundtrack was only released in Australia, New Zealand by Mushroom Records and in the UK by PWL Records.

1. "Be-Bop-A-Lula" by Gene Vincent (Written by Gene Vincent/Tex Davis)
2. "Twenty Flight Rocks" by Eddie Cochran (Written by Ned Fairchild/Eddie Cochran)
3. "Three Steps To Heaven" by Eddie Cochran (Written by Eddie Cochran)
4. "One Night" by Fats Domino (Written by David Bartholomew/Pearl King)
5. "Break Up" by Jerry Lee Lewis (Written by Charlie Rich)
6. "Only You" by The Platters (Written by Buck Ram/Ande Rand)
7. "Tennessee Waltz" by Pattie Page (Written by King/Stewart)
8. "Great Balls of Fire" by Pattie Page (Written by Otis Blackwell/Jack Hammer)
9. "Lucille" by Little Richard (Written by Little Richard (as Penniman)/Albert Collins)
10. "Slippin' and Slidin" by Little Richard (Written by Little Richard (as Penniman)/Eddie Bo (as Edwin J. Bocage)/Albert Collins/James Smith)
11. "Since I Met You Baby" by Ivory Joe Hunter (Written by Joe Hunter)
12. "Chantez Chantez" by Dinah Shore (Written by Albert Gamse/Irving Fields)
13. "My Babe" by Little Walter (Written by Willie Dixon)
14. "She's My Baby" by Johnnie O'Keefe (Written by Turnball/Molfast/Finch)
15. "Roll With Me Henry" by Johnnie O'Keefe (Written by Turnball/Molfast/Finch)
16. "Tears on My Pillow" by Kylie Minogue (Written by Bradford Lewis)
17. "Please Send Me Someone To Love" by Johnny Diesel and the Injectors (Written by Percy Mayfield)

See also

• Cinema of Australia

External links

• The Delinquents at the Internet Movie Database
• The Delinquents at the National Film and Sound Archive