Spotswood (1992)

Director:

Mark Joffe

Writers:

Max Dann (written by) and
Andrew Knight (written by)

Release Date:

July 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

An everyday story about loyalty, betrayal, lust and footwear.

Plot:

An expert on productivity shows wacky workers in 1966 Australia how to run their moccasin factory like clockwork, despite laying off more than half the workforce.

Plot Keywords:

Factory | Moccasin | Efficiency | Australia | Efficiency Expert

Awards:

3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Anthony Hopkins	...	Errol Wallace
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Carey
Alwyn Kurts	...	Mr. Ball
Bruno Lawrence	...	Robert, Carey's Father
John Walton	...	Jerry Finn
Rebecca Rigg	...	Cheryl Ball
Toni Collette	...	Wendy Robinson
Russell Crowe	...	Kim Barry
Angela Punch McGregor	...	Caroline Wallace
Daniel Wyllie	...	Frank Fletcher
John Flaus	...	Gordon
Gary Adams	...	Kevin
Jeff Truman	...	Ron
Toni Lamond	...	Mrs. Lorna Ball
Jillian Murray	...	Ophelia, Carey's Mom (as Jillian Murray)

Also Known As:

The Efficiency Expert (USA)

Runtime:

Argentina:97 min | UK:95 min | USA:85 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Sweden:7 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Commission, The

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the Anthony Hopkins character shows his wife the trophy he won at the slot car race, you can clearly see the tape on the rug that marks her spot in the shot.

Quotes:

[Carey's little brother sees him writing a poem.]
Carey's Brother: Hee-hee-hee. Who's Cheryl?
Carey: No one you'd know. A model.
Carey's Brother: "I wake up with the sun, bright and new. I listen to the sun, and the early morning dew." Dew doesn't make any noise.
Carey: What? Look, it's my poem, I can write what I like.
Carey's Brother: Just trying to help. If I was you I'd stick to drawing.

Movie Connections:

Features "My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?" (1967)

Soundtrack:

Catch the Wind

Truly a values film...

Yes this is an Australian film, and it is entertaining and fun in that regard. Also seeing Russell Crowe in one of his earliest films is fun. But this film is ultimately about values. What is important to you? What is important in life? This very disconnected man (Hopkins) is good at his job. Very good. He is an efficiency expert. Which is also a euphemism for; he's hired to look for the the least 'productive' people because the company that hired him is about to lay some of them off. (all workers should take notice!). He understands that when his job is complete, and the layoffs announced, he'd best get out of the way, maybe out of town. Then he runs into this little moccasin company where, if truth be told, none of them are very efficient in their jobs. But, is that all there is to life?