THIRST

Australia, 1979, 98 minutes, Colour.
Chantal Contouri, David Hemmings, Henry Silva, Max Phipps, Shirley Cameron.
Directed by Rod Hardy.

Melbourne producer Anthony Ginnane has made some popular B-budget genre films (with imported stars, here David Hemmings and Henry Silva), Patrick, Snapshot, and ventures into horror with Thirst. The taste for blood and vampires on our 1970s screens seems rather insatiable. But an elitist blood-drinking brotherhood (complete with industrial plant and laboratory research facilities for blood and its mass-marketing!!) in the Australian countryside! Constantly put-upon heroine Chantal Contouri, abducted from Toorak, finds this is definitely so. Full of plot-holes but fine glossy production look and enough blood (showers, vats and cartons of it) and tongue-in-cheek to get more than a footnote in the horror movie books.

1. Significance and tone of the title? Indication of themes - irony?

2. The perennial popularity of vampires and vampire stories and films? The mystical science fiction background, horrors, gore? The spoof aspects of their popularity in the late 170s? How successful the presentation of a vampire story, tongue-in-cheek presentation - in the Australian context?

3. The importance of colour, Panavision? The blends of decor - modern suburban settings, gothic mansions and the overtones of horror films, the modern factory and plant? The trappings associated with horror films? The melodramatic score and its moods and climaxes?

4. The importance of the editing - shocks, contrasts in moods? The importance of the special effects especially in the frightening of the heroine, the death of the doctor on the power lines? For the effect of the film. drawing attention to themselves?

5. An Australian production - quality, technique? The atmosphere of the international stars - for an international audience?

6. The opening of the film and the focus on Kate’s eye? Her terrified scream? The prologue of her torment and the build-up and return to it? The focus on terror? Kate as the heroine in perpetual terror through the film? Screams, tortured, put upon? Her strength, her fear? The presentation of the torture, the conditioning, the physical torment, the psychological pressure?

7. Kate as an attractive heroine? Seeing her at home, her Toorak background, her work, liaison with Derek, the prospect of the holiday, her help by Lori (and the ominous aspects of this later?)? Her competence, her return and her skill at work. Martha and her assistance at work. Kate as strong, practical and sensible? Her attempts to escape. the taking of the truck. the filling it with petrol? How credible a heroine for this kind of implausible story?

8. The importance of the theme of her ancestry? The motto., the emblem,. the thirst? The hints at the beginning especially with the spilt blood of the cat and her tasting the blood? Her reaction to the torture? Her being one of the elite? Her learning the background of the brotherhood and yet her desire to escape? The looking at the ceremony from outside and being invited in? Blunt trying to change her mind, Dr. Fraser and his persuasion? Her return home and the shower of blood, the collapsing room, the ever-present goblet. the room collapsing? Her inability to drink milk? The culmination with the ritual and her identifying with it., drinking the blood of the man? Her hallucinations as regards Derek and Lori? Dr. Fraser and his persuasion, the use of Derek to lure her into consent? The end and her acceptance of the condition? The ugliness of her killing of Martha? Given the basic implausibility of the plot and the tongue-in-cheek style., how consistent was the plot development?

9. The importance of thirst and blood, the use of the colour red, the milk gartered with blood, the attention to*detail of the factory and the production of blood and the assembly line? The experimentation and medical research on blood? The blood on the goblet, the shower, the walls seeping blood, Mrs Barker killed in the vat of blood? The significance of blood in general for life, psychological tones of blood? Blood used in horror and violent films? How interestingly did this film use the symbol and the realism of blood?

10. The ironies of the farm - the use of factory and plant yet the outside primitive huts? The contrast with the gothic house and rooms? The use of the factory even with the tour for the international visitors? The experiments, the surgery and research? The donor's room with the playing of classical music? The zombies and their dress, walking around the swimming pool? The black humorous aspects of the presentation? Why?

11. The borrowings from science fiction? The super race, the brotherhood, the reasons behind the farm, the experiments, the rituals? The international group there and their presence on the tours, at the services?

12. The character sketches of the staff - David Hemmings and Dr. Fraser and his moderation, persuasion, his participation in the ceremony, his killing of Mrs. Barker, the luring of Derek and his being of service to Kate? Mrs. Barker and her harsh methods, her superiority. the clash with Dr. Fraser and her death, her head and hand appearing after her death? The other doctors and their taking sides, experiments, the doctor on the helicopter and his fall to death on the power lines? Mr. Hodge and his place on the staff, his lust, plans for marriage, deceiving Kate as Derek? His presence at the ceremony? The use of Shaun as a spy, his reporting back on Kate's life, his participation in the work of the staff?

13. The contrast with the ordinary staff at the farm - nurses, technicians, soldiers and security, the tourist guide? The irony of presenting them as ordinary in comparison with the professionals?

14. The visualising of the victims and their zombie-like behaviour and recreations, swimming? At the machines? The young man and his story of his girlfriend? His being on the altar? The old man sawing the wood, the taking of his car, his being victimised and the blood taken from him? Martha as ordinary secretary and victim?

15. The special effects and the capacity of the institute to create illusions especially for Kate and her treatment, the continued surveillance and television? The room and its turning, shaking apart? The blend of the ordinary and the day-to-day with the exotic?

16. The importance overall of the experience of the heroine? As ordinary, heritage, her desires. her desire to be normal? Her repugnance at the information? The pressure to change? The will to survive and her being transformed, taken over? The audience sharing this?

17. The popularity of themes of evil, victims of evil? Old traditions in 20th. century guise?