LOVE SERENADE
compiled and edited by Jeff Joy
Miranda Otto - Dimity Hurley
George Shevtsov - Ken Sherry
Rebecca Frith - Vicki-Ann Hurley
John Alansu - Albert Lee
Jessica Napier - Deborah
Producer - Jan Chapman
Director - Shirley Barrett
Editor - Denise Haratzis
Director of Photography - Mandy Walker
Music Supervisor - Christine Woodruff
Production Designer - Stephen Jones-Eveans
Costume Designer - Anna Borghesi
The following release dates and box office figures were obtained from the Internet Movie Database:
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| Australia | 10 October 1996 |
| France | 15 January 1997 |
| Japan | 8 March 1997 |
| Netherlands | 17 July 1997 |
| Switzerland | 18 July 1997 |
| USA | 25 July 1997 |
Articles about Love Serenade appear in the following journals:
Positif n.431 January 1997, pp14-19, lang: French, illus.
Interview with Shirley Barrett.
In Camera Autumn 1996, pp6-7, lang: English, illus.
Cinematographer Mandy Walker talks about shooting the film, techniques, film stock and equipment she used.
Cinema Papers n.112 October 1996, pp42-43, lang: English, illus.
Film review.
24 Image n.83/84 Autumn 1996, pp44-45, lang: French, illus.
Reviewed at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Cinema Papers n.110 June 1996, pp12-14, lang: English, illus.
Interviews with Shirley Barrett and Jan Chapman.
Screen International n.1057 May 1996, pp22-23, lang: English
Preview for Cannes 1996.
Moving Pictures International n.18 May 1996, pp19-26, lang: English
Screen International n.1054, April 1996, p4, lang: English.
Review
Screen International n.1031, October 1995, p40, lang: English.
Review
There is vast and varied presence for the film Love Serenade on the internet when compared with the amount of written literature. While this could be indicative of the politics of 'hard-copy' publishing, I would like to think that it is more a sign of the times, and of the era into which the film was released.
Some links to the film include:
REVIEWS FROM INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE
Baltake, Joe. In: The Sacramento Bee (USA). 08/15/1997. (NP)
Klifa, Thierry. In: Studio (France). January 1997. p. 14. (MG)
Jauberty, Christian. In: Premire (France). February 1997. p. 25. (MG)
FROM THE ALL MOVIE GUIDE
FROM CINEMANIA
FROM AUSTRALIAN FILM DATABASE
OTHER RELATED LINKS
After searching unsuccessfully in Weekly Variety and Encore magazines for relevant information, it was eventually found on the Internet Movie Database. The production and release dates were found through related links to this site, as were the box-office figures. The interview and review bibliography was found using the Film Index International after consulting the university library databases. This resource was extremely valuable in providing information about the film for the purposes of this web page.
The Film Index International CD Rom was helpful in obtaining several interviews with cast and crew. The Film Literature Index however, had nothing on the film at all.
Various search engines were used for the online component including: Yahoo, Netsearch, Internet Movie Database and Cinemania. The All Movie Guide and the Women's Studies Film Reviews were also used to find a greater range of text on the film.
Ken Sherry, a radio personality from Brisbane, moves to the small country town of Sun Ray to take over the local radio station as a retreat from city life and his past.
He moves next door to love-starved sisters Vicki-Ann and Dimity Hurley. They are both dumbstruck by him and compete for his affections. While the attraction is by no means mutual, Ken "sleaze-bag" Sherry is more than willing to use the girls for his own sexual gratification.
Vicki-Ann’s naivety leads her to believe that they will marry, meanwhile, Dimity believes him to be a fish.
When Vicki-Ann’s proposal is rejected she climbs the grain silo to presumably contemplate suicide. Ken and Dimity come to talk to her and Ken ends up dying by falling off the tower- or was he pushed? The girls attempt to dispose of the body by dumping it in the river, however Dimity’s fishy theory is proved true when Ken swims off towards the horizon.
At a first glance, Love Serenade lends itself to a feminist reading.
At the time of its release emphasis was placed in the popular media on the (almost) all female crew. This was seen as part of a growing popularity and success of female film-makers such as Jane Campion and Gillian Armstrong. Their inclusion in a trend toward taking up themes of inequalities between the sexes framed the film within a feminist discourse.
Shirley Barrett describes the character of Ken as "a kind of composite of every 'Mr. Wrong'. "
Ken’s character and mysogenistic values are foregrounded throughout the soundtrack, which comprises of seventies music with moody, sinister lyrics laden with sexual innuendo:
"take it off baby, take it all off...keep on doin’ it, oh baby...making love to you right now...I know you need it girl and I know I need it too"
"feels so good, lying here next to you, my hands just won’t keep still...come on baby...I can’t help myself if I wanted to...deeper and deeper.."
Vicki-Ann and Dimity exhibit sometimes pathetic displays of desperation and devotion. But given the social context that has been constructed for these characters: as a waitress and a hairdresser in a small country town, without access to further education or progressive feminist ideology, their actions can be read as a product of their geographical and cultural isolation.
"I really wanted to write something that was set in a town like that, where the atmosphere would have an affect on the girls. I wanted people to understand why the girls are so yearning for something else, where the town has such an oppressiveness about it," director Shirley Barrett said of the film.
The issue of geographical and social isolation is foregrounded by the desolate imagery of the town while the costume, set design and soundtrack combine to produce a retrospective cultural landscape that is suspended in time. Within this cultural landscape, issues of power and equality, love and sex are similarly those of another era.
Although Vicki-Ann and Dimity are not feminist role models, the script does not position them as women who succumb to the rude, self-centred and mysogenistic Ken Sherry. Instead, their act of killing him could be read as overcoming that which oppresses them, and a symbolic ceasing of power.
An alternative reading would suggest that the film deals with a familiar theme in contemporary Australian film and literature - that of the struggle for cultural identity and that the concluding cease of power offers a symbolic demise of American cultural imperialism in Australia.
That struggle between the provincialism of small town Australia and its dreams and aspirations of being something more - of looking towards big cities such as Sydney, and of the nation as a whole looking to other countries - particularly America. The provincialism of Sun Ray is clearly apparent in that the residents are in awe of a radio celebrity that has come from (not NYC, not Sydney but) Brisbane. Ken Sherry is as close as these people have come to meeting a ‘real life’ celebrity - and he represents the sensuality of seventies rock and the hype and glitz of Hollywood.
The cultural landscape that has been constructed seems to have been informed by the ideas circulated by the music on the radio and movies at the local drive in, which historically have been dominated by the American cultural industries.
Shirley Barrett said that the sinister song of seduction "Love Serenade", by Barry White, formed the inspiration for the script, and that the character of Ken is based on the persona present in White's music. This reading of the film considers the seedy love affair that exists between the women and Ken on another level: that of the love affair that Australia has with American culture. Not unlike the devotion displayed by the women.
The age difference between Vicki and Dimity is significant. While Vicki is very conservative and traditional (older Australia) Dimity is more liberal and progressive (younger Australia.)
It is Vicki's simultaneous disillusionment with Sherry and realisation of her own immaturity that is the turning point in the film. His death may be read as the demise (or the need for the demise of ) American cultural imperialism in Australia. The fact that Dimity is the one that pushes him to his death is significant here.
It is interesting that the man portrayed in opposition to Ken is Albert. Albert is described as having been interested in Vicki-Anne, but it was implied that he was too progressive for her. Albert, read as representing a new multicultural Australia is in opposition to the cultural imperialism Ken represents.
Albert’s role in the film is not that of the stereotypical Asian character (demure, hardworking, submissive, superstitious.) He is portrayed as a thinker, a leader and the way forward. He supersedes Ken Sherry.
There has not been a major critical uptake of this film since its release. It's highest praise came from winning the Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996. It seems that it is not a particularly important Australian production and that if it wasn't for this award it may not have done as well as it did at the box office.
It achieved a brief spate of notoriety internationally for its unorthodox style and skilful camera work and interest was also generated over its prodominately female crew. Most of what is written about Love Serenade seems to be from its marketing machine and distributors.
Although not much has been written, to date, about the film, this does not necessarily indicate its importance in the Australian film milieu. It may be too early to say if this is all that will be written and whether or not the film will fade into obscurity.
The script was in development for three years and the film received funding from the Australian Film Finance Corporation (FFC). Shirley Barrett based the script on the song "Love Serenade" by Barry White and gave it an Australian flavour by setting it in Sunray, which was based on a town called Robinvale in north-west Victoria. Barrett then gave the script to Jan Chapman who was impressed, and was aware of her previous work through Jane Campion. She decided to produce the film and brought in director of photography, Mandy Walker. They were rewarded with immediate success with a Palm d' Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996.
"I made it absolutely clear to people I presented it to that we were not interested in casting for names. It had to be cast for the truth of the characters, with people who may not be well known." - Jan Chapman about the film.
Shirley Barrett - directed the award winning short film Cherith. Practice and Boys from the Bush. Love Serenade is Barrett's first and only feature film to date.
George Shevtsov was in Barrett's short, Cherith.
Jan Chapman - produced the Piano (Jane Campion, 1993), Naked : Stories of Men (a six part series for the ABC). Her most recent project is The Riders by Tim Winton.
Miranda Otto - has also appeared in The Well, True Love and Chaos.
While Love Serenade is not a filmic masterpiece or a film of great critical acclaim, it can be said that it has helped in defining the meaning of Australian film in the international arena.
To it's credit, Love Serenade has helped to raise the profile of previous and future Australian productions with its screening and Palm d' Or award at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. It could be argued that any such achievements of an individual production are beneficial to the Australian film industry as a whole.
The Australian-ness of the film, its quirky and arkward style not only stand alone and be recognised, but also contribute to the building of Australian Film as a genre unto itself.
As is noted in the following extract from an interview with Jan Chapman, 'independent visions' are a hallmark of Australian cinema and are integral to its success in the international market. This unique quality that Australian films present has been made possible, in part, by the funding structure available to the Australian film industry. This structure has contributed to the value of Australian cinema internationally, making it the envy of many other film industries around the world.
"I have a lot of respect for 'Beyond' and the Australian Film Finance Corporation (FFC) for taking it up as they did. The FFC is such a gift to us all. I don't think we all know how lucky we are. Other countries know how lucky we are. It continually strikes me that we couldn't make the kind of independent visions that we often do without the support of the FFC. It is why our industry is so strong. It means we can develop a cinema that is attractive to Europe as well as America, but which is our own! Australia is the only place in the world that can do that. So, I feel very fortunate to be working with the FFC." - Jan Chapman.