DANGEROUS REMEDY

Australia, 2012, 104 minutes, Colour.

Jeremy Sims, Susie Porter, William McInnes, Mark Leonard Winter, Maeve Dermody, Gary Sweet, Nicholas Bell, Peter O’Brien, Chris Haywood.

Directed by Ken Cameron.

This film, mater ABC television, is based on the activities, well publicised in Victoria in the late 1960s and into the 1970s, of Dr Bertram Wainer, his practice in Melbourne, but his espousing of the cause of abortion and legality. At the time, he had the support of pro-choice movements, was heavily criticised by church authorities, pro-life movements, the police and the Victorian government.

While there are some moments in the film showing anti-abortion protesters, and a cleric appearing on a television show with Dr Wainer and comments about the church, these are not to the fore in this drama.

Rather, the dramatic and moral issue is that of backyard abortions, the film opening with a horrifying experience, a casual abortionist, smoking, blood everywhere, harsh and tough assistant literally pushing people around, and the death of the young woman. Her family was associated with Bertram Wainer and he takes up the cause against backyard abortions, talking to members of the Medical Association, their public hesitations, but the revelation of the fact that many doctors were performing abortions in hospitals that were protected by payments to the police.

Jeremy Sims, actor and director, is believable as Dr Wainer. (There are scenes of the background with his former wife, and his bonding with his children, especially his young daughter, trying to explain what he was doing.) The other central character, Peggy, is played effectively by Susie Porter. She is first seen assisting in the office of the doctor who performs abortions and who supports Dr Wainer, Dr Troup, played by Nicholas Bell. But, women of the clinics give testimony that she passed on money and bribes to the police. And, she is seen in a relationship with one of the police department heads, Jack Ford, played by William McInnes.

Also central to the campaign is Jo, who ultimately became Bertram Wainer’s wife and continued his crusade, even after his death in 1987. Her boyfriend at the time, Lionel, Mark Leonard Winter, is a journalist who eventually becomes involved, pursuing leads, encouraging Wainer to have a gun (and, dramatically for the film, is killed by the police using Wainer’s gun).

Which means that most of the drama is about police corruption, especially with Gary Sweet, bribes, tip offs to the backyard butchers… One of the ways of combating the corruption is for Peggy to tape her phone calls with Jack Ford, Wainer going on television, newspaper articles, leading to violence, the death of Lionel, the setting on fire of the house where his ex-wife and children live.

Ultimately, with an appeal to the Solicitor General and the Minister, Sir Arthur Rylah (Chris Haywood), some further cover-ups, eventually police corruption is exposed and the police jailed. Ultimately, in the 21^st-century, Victorian legislation concerning abortion is changed.

The director is veteran Ken Cameron, some significant dramas in the 1980s, Monkey Grip, Fast Talking, The Good Wife, then work on television from Brides of Christ and many serious over the next 20 years.

1. A drama based on fact, 1969, the Medical Association, abortions and the law, doctors performing abortions undercover, police corruption and payment, backyard abortions?
2. Audience knowledge of Dr Bertram Wainer? Scots doctor, military background, marriage and divorce, his children, his practice, involvement in abortion and legal issues? Targeted by the police? Threats to his family?
3. Melbourne, 1969, the suburbs, homes, medical practice, the walls and backyard abortions, police precincts? Politics?
4. Audience response to abortions, legality and illegality? The history of abortions in Australia, the state of Victoria? Discussions about legality, discussions about morality, the film not focusing on the attitude of the churches, glimpses of protesters? Audience response to such widespread police corruption, bribes? And Sir Arthur Rylah and the Victorian government?
5. Jeremy Sims as Bertram Wainer, age, experience, migration, relationship with Barbara, with his children, Felice and her accompanying him, the protests, the abortion, his explanations, the fetus and his sober attitude towards abortion? His presentation to the doctors association, objections, issues of legality? Dr Troup and his support?
6. The scene of the backyard abortion, the young woman, Barry Smith, casual, equipment, smoking, the blood, the harsh assistant? The young woman’s death? Later tracking him down, his being warned by Matthews, the bribes, his fleeing, the body, allegedly dead, his reappearing, persuaded by Wainer, by Peggy, the phone calls, taped, his giving testimony against Matthews and the other police?
7. Jo, her praise of Wainer, campaigner, her relationship with Lionel, journalist, Wainer meeting them, Lionel and his hesitations, the need for facts, the attitude of editors, the danger of being sued? His becoming involved, presence at meetings, the information, writing it up? His relationship with Joe, her attraction towards Wainer? The issue of the gun, is recommending Wainer have a gun, the gun dealer, the dangers from the police, Lionel, his death, the irony of Wainer’s gun at the crime scene?
8. The introduction to Peggy, to Jack Ford, the relationship? Peggy, assisting Dr Troup? The woman waiting abortion, her testimony, the information about Peggy passing bribes to the police? Jack Ford, on the take, his role, his ambitions, two in charge of homicide? Relationship with Matthews? The younger police? The range of bribes?
9. Wainer, his gathering the doctors who performed abortions together, their paying bribes to the police, getting them to testify against the police? Isn’t on television, the interviews, the cleric, the doctor? The police watching? The newspaper articles, the headlines?
10. Peggy, the discussions with Wainer, Ford and his hitting her, her cancer, her decision to cooperate, the difficulties, Wainer hesitating at times to trust her, the phone calls, her phone being tapped, recording the calls, Ford and his reaction?
11. Jo, pretending to be pregnant, going to Barry Smith, the other patient, waiting for the police to come, their being tipped off, Ford arriving? Jo and her attitude towards Wainer, his resistance? The information about their later marriage and her continuing his campaigns?
12. The scenes with his family, the young boys, his bonds with them, with Felice, the attack on the house, the fire, wanting to rescue Felice, Barbara and her attitudes?
13. The final expose, taking the documents to the Solicitor General, his hesitation, Sir Arthur Rylah, the hold over him, the investigation – and the final information about the police going to jail? And Peggy surviving her cancer? Wainer dying in 1987?
14. The significance of these events of 1969 following on the change of the law in Victoria? And the expose of police corruption?