WE OF THE NEVER NEVER

Australia, 1982, 134 minutes, Colour.
Angela Punch Mc Gregor, Arthur Dignam, Martin Vaughan, Lewis Fitz Gerald, John Jarratt, Tony Barry, Tommy Lewis, Mawuyul Yanthalawuy, Tex Morton.
Directed by Igor Auzins.

We of the Never Never is the classic novel by Mrs Aeneas Gunn, published in 1908. While it was published as a novel, it is a fictionalised account of her own experiences in the Northern Territory.

Jeannie Gunn was born in 1970 and died as late as 1961. She went with her husband to a spread in the Northern Territory and became involved with the Aborigines. The film is interesting in its portrait of the treatment of Aborigines around the turn of the century. There is much discussion about the treatment of Aborigines – as, for example, the taking of the children dramatised in Rabbit Proof Fence. However, Jeannie Gunn was ahead of her time, relating well with the Aborigines, both teaching them and learning from them. The missionary style – especially in its dressing up of the women and manners – was very prim.

Angela Punch Mc Gregor had won a number of awards at this stage of her career including awards for The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and Newsfront. She was to win an AFI best actress award in 1984 for Annie’s Coming Out. Arthur Dignam was also a strong presence in films, especially The Devil’s Playground. There is a strong supporting cast of character actors including Tommy Lewis who was Jimmie Blacksmith in The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith.

The film has magnificent photography of the Northern Territory and is very impressive. The director, Igor Auzins, unfortunately died prematurely. He directed a number of television films but his feature films included High Rolling, Judy Davis’s debut, and The Coolangatta Gold.

1. The impact of the film and its quality? Award nominations? Award for photography? Classic story? Relevance for the 80s and subsequent decades? The influence of the novel in its time, throughout the 20th century? Influence of the film? For women? For aborigines?

2. Production values: the use of Northern Territory scenery, flora, cattle station, atmosphere of the l9th.-20th. century: decor, costumes? White colonial style? Aboriginal lifestyle – at the end of the 19th century? The emphasis on the beauty of the Territory? Lesser emphasis on the harshness? Remoteness? The editing and its impact? Particular styles of photography – especially helicopter, cranes? The sweep of the Territory? The musical score and its mood? The main theme?

3. The experience of Jeanie Gunn and her transferring it to her writings? The popularity and influence of her books? Her role as woman at the turn of the century, in the remote Never Never, as wife, mistress of the settlement, her experience? Her viewpoint and focus? Angela Punch MacGregor? capturing the atmosphere of the times yet her contemporary style for modern audiences?

4. The parallels between the first decade of the 20th century and the 80s? The looking again at the times with contemporary eyes? The background and context for the questions of rights in the 80s?

5. The film's viewpoint: the feminine sensibility, the opening and the ending and the focus on Jeanie Gunn? Audiences recalling what had happened to her during the film? The continued focus on her, the use of close-ups, screen compositions to indicate her presence for other characters, for the incidents? The feminine sensibility with her relations preparing her for the wedding, the secondary role of women, her being a support to her husband rather than "a mate"? Her love for her husband? Feminine stereotypes? Her attitude towards her husband, love for him, sharing his work? Her wanting to participate in the journey and the lifestyle? Her attitudes towards the men and winning them over? Her resentment towards their shutting her out – for instance in the care of the sick and dying? Her l9th century presuppositions about manner, lifestyle? White presuppositions? Sympathy for the aboriginals yet presumptions of superiority; yet her openness and assertiveness?

6. The film's viewpoint on men: Aeneas Gunn and his strength, experience? Looking after the station? Attitude towards his wife? Towards the aboriginal? His dedication? The supremacy of men – the tough image of the workers? The rugged image and the avoidance of emotionalism? The film offering a critique of lPth. century masculine attitudes? Their place in the 20th century?

7. The film's viewpoint on aboriginals: the background of 1788 and the white invasion being taken for granted? The repercussions in the 19th century of domesticating the aboriginals? Taking over the land and being at home in aboriginal territory? The non-understanding of aboriginal attitudes towards the land, home, survival, ownership? The presupposition about the land having to be productive? 1901 and Federation? The White Australia Policy? The domesticating and localising of aboriginals, their homes, clothes, food? The substituting of white names for traditional aboriginal names? Boundaries of property? The aboriginal knowledge of the land, where water was, etc.? The bringing in of cattle – pro and con? The aboriginals and cattle work, gardening work? The white looking down on aboriginal religion, mythologies? God, death and tradition? Corroborees? The attitude towards religion and superstition? The vestiges of the old way of life being highlighted? The contrast with the humiliation of the aboriginals and their knowing their place? The domestication of the women: clothes, becoming maids, housegirls, scrubbing, washing, gardening? Aboriginal hostility – the mockery of the whites, the non-violent reaction? The blacks being prejudged by the whites? The possibilities of sharing, the need for a growing respect and care? Jeanie Gunn showing the possibilities of relationship? Learning and sharing customs, religion, traditions? Language? Bet Bet as the bridge between the two worlds? The corroboree at the end for Jeanie and the indication of hopes?

8. The picture of pioneering: the remoteness of Melbourne and the other cities, ideas about the Northern Territory, the remoteness? Hardships and the men supporting one another as mates – and therefore excluding any mateship from women? The hazards of travel by ship, train, the railway station, the rain, the expanse of the Never Never – from the opening credits throughout the film? The Wet, the difficulties, the station and the work, the cattle, the horses, the crossing of the river by flying fox? The lack of comforts, the bullock wagons and the bringing of possessions from the south? Expectations, the small community, the Chinese cook, rivalries? The courage and perseverance of the pioneers?

9. Life in the Northern Territory, remoteness, beauty, harshness, the green, the noises and the frogs, the birds, floods, drought, cattle, weather and storms, work and survival? Life in remote Australia?

10. Australia in the 19th century: colony, Victorian in style and manners, culture, the status of women, religion and culture? The verge of change?

11. Jeannie: feminine, her being warned, her decision to marry, love for Aeneas, the marriage, the fa rewell, the trip, the telegram and the audience warned by Mac, her arrival, travel – the fox, the flying fox, the water, horse, the men? Admiration? Arrival? Her love for Aeneas as a basis for sharing, hopes, changing the homestead etc.?

12. Her being established in her home, the change, her not wanting to be confined – though being confined when the trunks arrived? Watching the horses, going on the ride – the incident with the bull and her climbing the tree? Her being saved? Her making the point about women in the North – tolerated yet wanting to change things? The men and the clashes? The change and their giving of gifts? The aborigines: the women and the scrubbing, the men and their work, the washing, the swimming and the talking, the walk – and the goanna? The men and the clothes? Goggly Eyes and the garden, the water, his death? Bet Bet and her going on walkabout?

13. The clash of views on aborigines, women? The film's pros and cons? Language, change? The issue of illness – the man not wanting Jeannie to attend him? Goggly Eyes' death? Aeneas' death?

14. The experience of one year? The final corroboree, Bet Bet leading Jeannie to the corroboree? Her future?

15. Aeneas as a character, his place in the North, impact on Jeannie, love, travel, the horses, leadership, his library, handling the cattle, the aborigines? Sympathetic or not? His taking the side of the men? In action? Illness? His love, death and the pathos of his dying?

16. The sketches of Jack, Dun, Dinny and their work? As characters, tough, bigotry, the reaction to the corroboree, the shooting, to the aboriginal stockman? The gifts? The farewell?

17. The aboriginal stockman and his place in the group? Prejudice?

18. Life and death: the man with fever not wanting to be tended by the woman? His funeral? Jeannie's reaction? Goggle Eyes' death and her tending him? Preparation for Aeneas' death?

19. A film showing Australia in the 19th century? Through 20th century eyes? A perspective on aborigines, women, Australian traditions?