The Dark Room (1982 film)
| The Dark Room | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Paul Harmon |
| Written by | Michael Brindley Paul Harmon |
| Based on | Original idea by Paul Harmon |
| Produced by | Tom Haydon |
| Starring | Svet Kovich Anna Jemison Alan Cassell |
| Cinematography | Paul Onorato |
| Edited by | Rod Adamson |
| Music by | Cameron Allan |
Release date |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | AU $1.2 million[1] or $1,097,000[2] |
| Box office | -$1,000 (as at March 1985)[2] |
The Dark Room is a 1982 Australian thriller film directed by Paul Harmon, son of Bill Harmon.[3][4]
Plot
[edit]Ray Sangster, a bored middle-class man, has an affair with a younger woman, Nicky. Ray's son Mike discovers the affair and becomes obsessed with Nicky.
Cast
[edit]- Alan Cassell as Ray Sangster
- Anna Maria Monticelli (Anna Jemison) as Nicky
- Svet Kovich as Mike Sangster
- Diana Davidson as Martha Sangster
- Ric Hutton as Sam Bitel
- Rowena Wallace as Liz Llewellyn
- Sean Myers as Peter
- Sally Cooper as Patricia
- Joy Hruby as Ida Henning
Production
[edit]Michael Brindley wrote a script based on a story by himself and Paul Harmon. Basil Appleby was originally meant to be producer but financiers Filmco did not want him to do the job and Malcolm Smith did it. Then Smith left and documentary producer Tom Haydon produced instead.[1]
There was a two-week rehearsal period in which actors rewrote dialogue and treated Harmon badly. Three weeks into the seven-week shoot the completion guarantors saw the footage and suggested Harmon be fired but the producer refused. Film editor Ron Adamson died and had to be replaced by Don Saunders.[1]
Release
[edit]The film failed to obtain a cinema release.[1] The Dark Room was delegated to home video and was not seen on TV until 1989 as a Monday night movie at 8.30pm. It was again replayed during the early 1990s though has not been seen commercially since that time. This film is still awaiting a DVD or blu-ray release.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 pp. 157–159
- ^ a b "How film investors found themselves in a foxhole". The Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend. 30 March 1985. p. 7.
- ^ "Production Survey", Cinema Papers, October 1982 p. 456
- ^ Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p. 35
External links
[edit]- The Dark Room at IMDb
- Trailer at YouTube
 | This article related to an Australian film of the 1980s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |