IMDb > Summerfield (1977)

Summerfield (1977) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   95 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Ken Hannam
Writer:
Cliff Green (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Summerfield on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 September 1977 (Australia) more
Genre:
Drama | Mystery more
Tagline:
Nothing will prepare you for the end more
Plot:
A teacher discovers one of his students has a rare blood disease, and is drawn into a mystery that culminates in a thrilling climax. | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
User Comments:
Frustrating more (11 total)

Cast

  (Credited cast)

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

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
95 min
Country:
Australia
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Australia:M
Filming Locations:
Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In the script initially, Nick Tate's character was intended to be a surfer but once Tate took the role the decision was made to make him a teacher. more
Quotes:
Jenny Abbott: When David and I were very young, we'd walk up here and sit and look out across the water. We used to argue if that land over there was England or America! Sometimes it was Africa or India but it was always the world, the world beyond our world - Summerfield. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Secrets of Summerfield: The Making of 'Summerfield' (2005) (V) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful.
Frustrating, 18 November 2008
Author: LewisJForce (gunghomonro@yahoo.com) from Wolverhampton, England

'Summerfield' is 3/4 a great little movie... well, 5/8. But all the good work is somewhat negated by the payoff.

As my fellow reviewers have noted, the technical qualities are excellent: evocative cinematography, haunting score and sound design, sensitive direction. All of the performances are good but I particularly liked John Waters as the brooding brother and Geraldine Turner as the rubenesquely sexy landlady. The townsfolk have those wonderfully earthy, naturally idiosyncratic faces that seventies Australian cinema is full of.

The problem lies with the script. After a great build-up where clues are laid with nuance and subtlety, the revelation about the Abbott's relationship is lacking in the necessary emotional force. And the final scene just doesn't work for me. I was left puzzled and irritated.

On second thought, maybe its partly the script and partly the execution of the final moments. Maybe it worked better on paper than director Ken Hannam captued it on screen. I dunno. At any rate I was disappointed.

See the film if you can. There's an awful lot of good stuff happening before the climax. In fact, it's because the build-up is so good that the finale comes off as such a let-down.

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