The Devil's Playground (1976)

Fred Schepisi's first feature is this lushly photographed period drama detailing a young boy's coming-of-age in a strict Catholic seminary in 1950s Australia.

Director:

Fred Schepisi

Writer:

Fred Schepisi (original screenplay)

Stars:

Charles McCallum, John Frawley, Arthur Dignam

6 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles McCallum	...	Brother Sebastian
John Frawley	...	Brother Celian
Arthur Dignam	...	Brother Francine
Nick Tate	...	Brother Victor
Peter Cox	...	Brother James
Jonathan Hardy	...	Brother Arnold
Gerry Duggan	...	Brother Hanrahan
Thomas Keneally	...	Father Marshall
Sheila Florance	...	Mrs.Sullivan
Simon Burke	...	Tom Allen
John Diedrich	...	Fitz
Alan Cinis	...	Waite
Richard Morgan	...	Smith
Rowan Currie	...	Casey
Gary Pixton	...	Tomkin

Storyline

Fred Schepisi's film, 'The Devil's Playground' is an intimate portrait of Tom, a thirteen-year-old struggling in spirit and body with the constraints of living in a Catholic seminary. It is also the story of the Brothers and how they cope with the demands of their faith.

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Plot Keywords:

catholic | adolescence | toilet stall | pubic hair | penis | 

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Taglines:

Australia's most honoured film!

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

This picture was one of fifty Australian films selected for preservation as part of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Kodak / Atlab Cinema Collection Restoration Project.

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Connections

Featured in Century of Cinema: 40,000 years of dreaming (1997)

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Soundtracks

Gymnopédie No. 1
(uncredited)
Written by Erik Satie
[played on the piano by Brother Francine in the staff lounge]

User Reviews

A thought provoking "coming of age" film about a teenage boy at a Catholic Boarding School run by monks

This was a very thought provoking film for me and after several years I'd love to see it again (I've seen it twice on TV). The young hero was so natural I felt I knew him, and he had a very likable personality. The two monks in mufti enjoying a night on the town were more down to earth and likable than most of the other monks at the Catholic boarding school and after successfully picking up two women in a pub they got cold feet! It was interesting to see how another monk who seemed very emotionally cold dealt with a trip to a mixed gender public swimming baths, and the amazing erotic dream he had afterwards. The subjects of troubled adolescence and religious repression were well explored. The film hasn't dated at all. I hope someone brings this out on a DVD.

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Devil's Playground

Filming Locations:

Werribee Park, Werribee South, Victoria, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Film House, The Australian Film Commission

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1