Summerfield (film)

1977 Australian film

Summerfield

Directed by| Ken Hannam
Written by| Cliff Green
Produced by| Patricia Lovell
Starring| Nick Tate
Elizabeth Alexander
John Waters
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell,
Max Fairchild
Geraldine Turner
Cinematography| Mike Molloy
Edited by| Sara Bennett
Music by| Bruce Smeaton

Production
company

Clare Beach Films

Distributed by| Greater Union

Release date

* 30 September 1977 (1977-09-30)

Running time

| 91 minutes
Country| Australia
Language| English
Budget| A$560,000[1]

Summerfield is a 1977 Australian film, directed by Ken Hannam, written by Cliff Green and produced by Patricia Lovell. It stars Nick Tate, Elizabeth Alexander, John Waters, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, Max Fairchild and Geraldine Turner, and was filmed on location on Phillip Island and Churchill Island in Victoria.

## Plot summary

[edit]

The story begins with Simon Robinson arriving in a small seaside community to take over as teacher at the local school. He makes the acquaintance of siblings Jenny and David Abbott (Alexander and Waters, respectively), and Jenny's daughter Sally, who live on the island estate of Summerfield. The discovery that his predecessor vanished without a trace, and that Sally has a rare blood disorder lead Simon to try to uncover the truth behind the mystery.

## Cast

[edit]

* Nick Tate as Simon Robinson
* John Waters as David Abbott
* Elizabeth Alexander as Jenny Abbott
* Charles 'Bud' Tingwell as Dr Miller
* Geraldine Turner as Betty Tate
* Max Cullen as Jim
* Sheila Florance as Miss Gleeson
* Michelle Jarman as Sally Abbott
* Isobel Harley as Miss Tucker
* Joy Westmore as Mrs Shields
* Adrian Wright as Peter Flynn
* Barry Donnelly as Sergeant Potter
* David Smeed as Mark
* Max Fairchild as Joe Baxter

## Production

[edit]

Cliff Green wrote the script for Peter Weir, but he was busy on The Last Wave (1977) so Ken Hannam was hired instead.[2] The budget was raised within three weeks from the Australian Film Commission, Greater Union, the Victorian Film Corporation (who put in $76,500[3]) and private investors. They were essentially the same parties who invested in Break of Day (1976).

Shooting took place at the town of Cowes on Philip Island and around Western Port Bay, Victoria, starting 14 February 1977.[1][4]

Hannam later said in an interview, "I don't look back on Summerfield as a happy experience at all",[5] but later apologised to Patricia Lovell for statements he made in the interview.[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998 p319
2. ^ David Stratton, The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival, Angus & Robertson, 1980 p108-110
3. ^ "The Corporations", Cinema Papers, April 1977 p296
4. ^ Nolan, Diedre (11 May 1977). ""Summerfield" Pat Lovell's new film — a modern mystery thriller". The Australian Women's Weekly. p. 58. Retrieved 5 October 2012 - via National Library of Australia.
5. ^ "Summerfield yields poor memories for Hannam". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 September 1977. p. 15.
6. ^ Hannam, Ken (6 October 1977). "An apology to Pat Lovell". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 3.

## External links

[edit]

* Summerfield at IMDb
* Summerfield at Australian Screen Online
* Summerfield at Letterbox DVD
* Sumerfield at BFI
* Summerfield at Oz Movies

* v
* t
* e

Films of Ken Hannam

Features|

* Sunday Too Far Away (1975)
* Break of Day (1976)
* Summerfield (1977)
* Dawn! (1979)
* The Mismatch (1979) (TV movie)

TV plays|

* Adventure Unlimited (1963)
* I Have Been Here Before (1964)
* Bertrand (1964)
* Split Level (1964)
* The Recruiting Officer (1965)
* Moby Dick - Rehearsed (1965)
* The Final Factor (1966)
* Twelfth Night (1966)
* Robbery Under Arms (1985)

TV series|

* Captain Fortune
* Wandjina!

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