Script by Tony Morphett on the Vietnam War.
Premise
A man is conscripted to fight in Vietnam. He wants to go to court to argue against his and his father, a war veteran, calls him a coward.
Cast
- John Derum as the son
- Syd Conabere as the father
- Julie Costello as the girlfriend
- Kevin McBeath as voice
Production
Morphett originally wrote the story as a short story for the Adelaide Festival Literary Contest. It was written soon after the Federal Government introduced conscription for Vietnam, but Morphett says it is not “a propagandist play.”
It was filmed in Sydney. ABC records say this happened on 10 August 1966.
Music by George Dreyfus, lighting by Leigh Hardy, technical supervision by Robert Forster, design by Gunars Jurjans.
Brian Faull produced.
Reception
The Bulletin TV critic said the "play kept wandering from prose poetry to plain Australian and back again, like a novice punter trying to pick a two-horse race without a form guide."
The Age said it was "a drama so true to life it hurt."
A different critic from the same paper said it "wasn't really a play. It was merely sort of a visual illustration of a voice told by a narrative in the background. The viewer was supposed to exercise his imagination... An actor is supposed to play a part."
The same paper later called it "a noteworthy example how a dramatist can contribute to a worthy understanding."
The Canberra Times criticised its "artificial and overblown characters".
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| Canberra Times 11 Oct 1966 p 11 |
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| The Age TV Guide 6 Oct 1966 p 3 |
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| The Age 29 Dec 1966 TV Guide p 2 |
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| The Age 29 Dec 1966 TV Guide p 2 |
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| The Age TV Guide 29 Sept 1966 p 9 |
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| smh 2 Oct 1966 p 83 |
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| The Age 8 Oct 1966 p 25 |
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| The Bulletin 15 Oct 1966 p 56 |
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| The Bulletin 8 Oct 1966 p 30 |
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| Script at NLA |
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