The Aussie Film Database

Dead Calm

Phillip Noyce

Film Credits

Criticism

Bibliography

Presence online and in the literature

Film Credits

The thriller Dead Calm is one of the more poignant Australian films to come out of the late eighties. The film nurtures suspense right from the beginning and the storylines ongoing tension is supported skilfully by a very adept cast and crew.

Principal Cast and Crew
Director: Phillip Noyce
Scriptwriter: Terry Hayes
Cinematographer: Dean Semler
Produced By: Terry Hayes, Doug Mitchell and George Miller
Production Company: Kennedy Miller
Lead Actors: Sam Neill(John Ingram), Nicole Kidman(Rae Ingram), Billy Zane(Hughie Warriner).

The film was released in 1989 with its Australian distributor being Roadshow and on video: Warner Home Video. The locations of the films production was carried out in the beautiful Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Passage; Queensland, and Sydney.

Other Cast Members
Rod Mullinar(Russell Bellows), Joshua Tilden(Danny), George Shevtsov(Doctor), Michael Long (Specialist Doctor), Lisa Collins, Sharon Cook, Paula Hudson-Brinkley, Malinda Rutter(Orpheus'Cruise Girls), Benji(dog).

Box Office Figures
Domestic Gross: $7,825,000 (US Figures only)
Duration: 96mins

Criticism

The film was based on the novel Dead Calm written in the late 1950s by the American writer Charles Williams. The films rights were originally owned by Orson Welles. He renamed it The Deep and began filming in 1968 off the coast of Yugoslavia. He casted himself and Jeanne Moreau as John and Rae Ingram and Laurence Harvey as the psychotic Hughie Warriner. The film was abandoned in 1973 after the death of Harvey and Wells discontentment with the material that had already been filmed. This material has never been seen. Orson Welles died in late 1985 and Kennedy Miller brought the rights. Welles long-time associate Oja Kodar (who was also one of the actresses in the original filming), was at first reluctant to sell the rights to anyone in Hollywood. She believed that Welles has been personally prosecuted by the Hollywood establishment. Kennedy Miller interested her as the company was situated outside of this Hollywood institution. She was interested in what the final product would be. Ironically though, on the films completion this second time made; it was sold back worldwide to Warner Brothers.

Noyce and Hayes chose to deliberately ignore viewing Welles work. They decided to concentrate on intensifying the psychological emphasis of Williams story. Noyce infact, took his inspiration from Hitchcock. By watching Hitchcocks Notorious; Noyce was interested in the techniques used in this film that were able to generate uneasiness in the audience. There was no eerie music or an excessive use of sound effects to try and astound the audience. They centered around the structure of a few elements. Three main characters and two main sets. The Miles Van der Rohe theory of 'less is more'.

By accessing the Oz Film Site in the 'Culture and Communication Room' on the internet you are able to locate information on this film and other Australian films. Details concerning the cast, crew and plot summary can be easily located. Other sites such as Yahoo can also be accessed to find out about past projects the cast and crew have each been involved in. The films on-line presence can also introduce you to other related avenues such as other films that can be seen which are along the same lines and keyword descriptions. I found locating information about this film quite easy.

Plot
John Ingram, a veteran sailor of 25 years, returns home from a tour of duty with the Royal Australian Navy. Instead of being greeted with a happy return home from his beautiful wife and young son; he is rushed to the hospital. His wife Rae and son Danny were in a serious car accident; resulting in the death of Danny. Here the scene is set as John and Rae embark on an extended cruise on their yacht the Saracen, in order to help ease their melancholy. Rae is especially fragile and Neill portrays John as being almost emotionally distanced a little from the depressed Rae; portrayed compellingly by Kidman.

The cruise is seeming to be therapeutic with the couple serene and contented, surrounded by a sedate and tranquil atmosphere. Their surroundings are beautifully serene; the sea is dead calm. The couple are beginning to grow closer; bonded together by their grief. Both revelling in the beauty of isolation. It is when they notice another vessel on the horizon; that the films plot begins to thicken.

After a failed attempt to get a response on the radio from the other boat, the couples private space is broken by the sight of someone rowing towards them. He is coming from the sinking Orpheus, across the dead flat water. They help this man onboard. He turns out to be Hughie Warriner, an American and in a delirious state. He claims he is the only survivor of a food poisoning epidemic. Apparently the rest of the crew on trying to cross the Pacific, all perished from an extreme outbreak of botulism. As Hughie rests; John leaves Rae alone on the yacht as he suspects the validity of Hughies predicament and goes to investigate the sinking Orpheus himself.

Once onboard he comes across the murdered bodies. He fixes the electrical supply and on doing so; sets off video footage of the dead people, filmed by Hughie. The video depicts the highly-strung personalities of the Americans and the high spirits they were in, leading up to (unbeknown to them) their untimely deaths. Meanwhile Hughie awakens on the Saracen and knocks Rae unconscious. On the Orpheus Johns worst fears have been realised and quickly leaves the ship to go back to his own and save his wife from this psychotic man. He arrives too late and a sly laugh escapes from Hughie as the Saracen pulls away from Johns grasp.

When Rae comes to she finds Hughie refuses to go back for her husband and what then follows is a tension-filled game of cat-and-mouse between Hughie and (the now forced to be) cunning Rae. She attempts to send messages to John by radio, vowing to return for him. Rae must put aside her grief-stricken reflection in order to outsmart her evil captor. Her state alters from one of vulnerability to strong shrewdness as she fights the psychotic Hughie to the end. Her faithful dog causes problems for her in her bids to try and outsmart Hughie and eventually in order to take control; she gives in to Hughies sexual advances.

After, Rae spikes Hughies drink with a sedative and then tries to harpoon him through the cabin door. Hughie though (like most villains), has remarkable survival powers and survives the harpoon.(She had inadvertently killed the dog not him; hence the blood coming out from under the door.) Rae is once again attacked by Hughie before he is wounded and tied up, once the sedative finally kicks in. Back at the sinking Orpheus John is trapped and fighting for his own survival. Rae has turned the Saracen around and is on her way back to him when Hughie returns on deck again. Once again she shoots him out of protection and he is set adrift on a lifeboat. As the night rears on Rae struggles to find any sign of John and clings on to her hope.

John manages to escape from the sinking Orpheus and grasps a makeshift raft. A flare gun is used to set what remains left of the boat, on fire. This is seen in the far distance of the dark sky by Rae who then manages to eventually be reunited with her husband. The film then takes a decidedly meaningless twist when it is found out by the audience that Hughie has resurfaced on their boat once again. One last time the couple are again in danger until Hughie is finally met with a grizzly end at the hands of a flare gun, shot by John. Peace and tranquillity is once again restored to the Saracen. The ship is sailing smoothly, the sun is shining brightly, the sea is dead calm.

At the time of its release Dead Calm was categorised under the title of a Hitchcock tradition. Its suspense and direction certainly does match that description. The picturesque aerial landscape that both the Orpheus and Saracen were pictured as a part of, portrayed an overall feeling of being ominous and at the same time placid and unassuming. When the film premiered (and indeed still now when it is viewed) the audience is lured by the malevolence that is portrayed and are transfixed by the eerieness that surrounds the film from the beginning to the end.

The storyline although in some areas foreseeable, contained distinct elements that were carried through specially well with the aid of strong editing and directing. Sometimes the smooth, polished appearance of the footage , concealed a little of the grittiness of the whole situation that the couple found themselves in. By using minimal sets, the relationship between the characters could of been looked at more closely; gone a little further perhaps. A lot of the time each character was in a scene solitary, repeating an action. Eg. Nicole Kidman frantically scrambling; Billy Zane banging on confinements and Sam Neill slowly drowning.

Instead of concentrating on these elements perhaps the plot could of concentrated more on dialogues between the characters- two on one, one on one. This could help to capture more of the feelings of malice, anxiety and doubtfulness that was experienced between these three characters.

The score by Graeme Revell helped to build on the films tension in most areas. Moods are set but every now and then the viewer is removed a little from what is occurring in front of him or her. The music would occasionally provide an invisible barrier between the audience and the characters. Rather then feel nervous about every action taken by the characters ( as the director Phil Noyce intended), the viewers would sometimes feel the character might know more about something then he/she did rather then vice versa. In saying that though, the shock impact of particular parts would again reintroduce the viewers to the feeling of being a part of the character. They encounter things together. The shots of particular things were lingered on by the camera a few seconds longer then needed and this sometimes left the viewer wondering about its particular significance.

The film was widely audience tested in the US. As a result changes were made and a new ending was written. This was very important to the films creators. According to Terry Hayes the scriptwriter, they were somewhat contented with the ending but as soon as the test audience saw it; they knew it wasnt right. Hayes believed they shouldnt have started shooting until they were positive that it was the appropriate ending. He believed that they failed in that respect; that they didnt have that inventive ending that it needed.

The Americans test audiences also believed that Rae was 'too dumb on the short-wave radio' and there were areas where the film got too slow. By listening to comments such as these, the creators were able to go back and alter elements of the film for the better. For instance they were surprised to find they could tell exactly the same story with a couple of minutes taken out. Hayes believes that audience testing helps to confirm your intuition. The tests results helped to confirm the misgivings they had about the films ending.

The director Phillip Noyce is well known for several Australian features such as Backroads, Heatwave and Newsfront. Newsfront is described as being one of the most popular films of the new Australian cinema. Noyce is also well known for highly regarded miniseries such as The Dismissal and The Cowra Breakout. It was when directing an episode of The Cowra Breakout where two characters are up against eachother with minimal surroundings that Noyce began to be intrigued by the idea of maintaining tension while using only a few elements to create it. He has since gone on to direct films such as Sliver. This film again contained tension, and a feeling of suspense for the audience. Currently he is directing the film The Saint.

Dean Semler is an Academy Award winning cinematographer and the film Dead Calm is another example why. The power of the cinematography as Rae sets the boat on course in the high seas in order to rescue her husband, is truly amazing. Semlers screen credits include Razorback, Mad Max 2 and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. In Dead Calm just as in the Mad Max films, Semler portrays the landscape as another element of the storyline. The open spaces between the two boats were great examples of aerial photography and the audience observed these wide spaces with trepidation and awe.

As already mentioned, Kennedy Miller were able to make the film once they had brought the rights from Orson Welles estate. Their emphasis is on a creative ensemble working all together and this can be traced back to as early as their miniseries The Dismissal. Although, Miller believes that feature films arent as collaborative and are much more the work of the directors. Popular Australian films that Kennedy Miller are noted for include The Year My Voice Broke and The Witches of Eastwick. Miniseries such as Vietnam and The Dirtwater Dynasty and more recently Bangkok Hilton, have made Kennedy Miller synonymous with innovation. Dead Calm is no exception here.

Terry Hayes, who joined Kennedy Miller as a writer on Mad Max 2 in 1980 specifically wrote Bangkok Hilton after Dead Calm for Nicole Kidman. He said he wrote it to test her. He believed at that time that she had a lot of potential. Hayes believed that by putting faces to the characters enables his scriptwriting to become less mechanistic and more three dimensional. He has co-produced Flirting among other achievements and is now one of Australias most noted writers and film/television producers.

The character John Ingram was played by Sam Neill. Neill is well known internationally for his characters portrayed in films such as Evil Angels and The Piano. Before Dead Calm Neill was known for his character roles in A Cry In The Dark and Plenty. In Dead Calm as in each film he is in, Neill adds his own unique depth to the character of John Ingram; who encounters gloom throughout the whole film.

Nicole Kidman was a newcomer to films when she appeared in Dead Calm as Rae Ingram and has since gone on to be one of Australias greatest and well known exports. Some believe that this film was her entry into Hollywood. Days Of Thunder and Flirting are just a few of her achievements. Each character that Kidman portrays displays a streak of determinism which can be attributed to her own personality. This helps to create a more realistic aspect to each film.

Billy Zane too was quite new to films when the portrayed the manic character Hughie Warriner in Dead Calm. superbly played out, Zane managed to capture the essence of a psychopath and along with his often muttered dialogue convincingly enthralled the audience with every move made by him. Zane is now more well known for his roles such as The Phantom. Zane was able to bring a convincing evil edge to this character Hughie who had a murky past.

Internationally the film Dead Calm was able to portray Australias vast oceans and tranquil settings to audiences around the world that were only accustomed to Australias 'outback'. Its value to Australian Cinema is that it doesnt quite fit into the model that Australian films have been fitted into over the years. 'Quirky' isnt a term that can be used to describe Dead Calm unlike a lot of Australian films over the years. This concept of a 'Thriller' was a new avenue to explore in Australian Cinema around the late eighties.

Instead of introducing an Australian household with unique Australian characters living out 'quirky' Australian lives- with a simple, funny, easy-to-understand plot; the audience is instead drawn into something completely different. The characters in Dead Calm each have baggage and it is up to the viewer to grasp onto what is happening before them. The audience is dragged along for the ride. Since Dead Calm Australia has produced some amazing films and of course they can only get better.

Australia is now recognised as a leading competitor in producing quality films. There is no special market and so we are more competitive. With that in mind, filmmakers are becoming more intensive and the quality of scripts and cinematography is continually improving. Australian culture is now much more differentiated and so are our films. Australian Cinema is exploring new avenues more and more.

Dead Calm is an example of high quality production that Australia is now well known for. It is a film that entertains, makes people think and demonstrates what Australians are more than capable of achieving- great drama.

Bibliography

Biographical Details of Interviews

Phillip Noyce An Interview By Brian McFarlane Cinema Papers No.73 May 1989

Terry Hayes An Interview By Scott Murray Cinema Papers No.76 Nov 1989

Kennedy Miller An Interview By Debi Enker Cinema Papers No.76 Nov 1989

Cinema Papers ran these interviews at the time of the films release. They helped to create a feel for the story as well as a thorough insight into the minds of its creators. The audience was able to have a better understanding as to where they were coming from and why the storys specific scenes were carried out in that particular way.

Biographical Details of Reviews

Cinema Papers No.73 May 1989 and No.76 Nov 1989
The Motion Picture Guide 1990
Annual Australian Film 1978-1994
Monthly Film Bulletin Vol 56. Nov 1989
American Film April 1989

Presence online and in the literature

html author: Joanna Boccamazzo
This page was produced as part of the Australian Cinema Unit at Murdoch University

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