Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Monday 26 June 1950, page 12


'Bitter Springs'

is triumph

for aborigines

By F. KEITH MANZIE

THE world premiere of the Australian

film, "Bitter Springs," handled in a lavish and smoothly-co-ordinated manner in Adelaide on Friday night, was notable for two reasons.

First, for the way the aborigines "stole" the show with intelligent, enthusiastic, and real-istic performances.

Secondly, for the orderly and perfectly behaved way the excited Adelaide public reacted to the "gala" at-mosphere of this big South

Australian occasion.

When premieres are held in Melbourne (and in Sydney, too, it is stated) sightseers inevitably mass outside the theatre, impede proceedings, and behave in an uncontrolled manner which neither police nor theatre officials can handle.

Which means that ticket-holders who arrive late have liter-ally to fight their way into the theatre through struggling crowds.

Both Melbourne and Sydney could take a lesson from how the equally-enthusiastic Adelaide

people co-operated with police

and officials and saw and heard

all there was to see and hear without any pushing and shov-ing. Their behaviour added to the pleasure of a memorable night.

"Bitter Springs" itself again emphasises the fact that the Aus-tralian scene is most photogenic and that Australian cameramen and technicians can produce a high-grade film. Some of the photographic quality was out-standing.

Vitality and drama

"BUT it remained for the

aboriginal members of

the cast to invest a somewhat stereotyped Austiahan story (re-miniscent of both "The Overlan-ders" and "Sons of Matthew") with the vitality and drama which make "Bitter Springs" a pleasing but not outstanding film.

As tribesmen who resent the intrusion of white settlers on to their waterhole camping ground, these native Australians have re-sponded to direction in a way which should ensure "Bitter Springs" an enthusiastic recep-

tion overseas.

The white members of the cast are not quite so convincing.

THE experienced Tommy

Trinder is, of course, very

much at ease in the "comedy re-lief" role of inexpert handy man.

But the part is more a distraction than an aid to action and atmos-phere.

Chips Rafferty is much better suited to the role of the home-steader impatient of native rights than he has been to recent film characters. But he is still self-conscious in his playing—as are the other members of the cast.

"Bitter Springs" brings noth-ing fresh to the Australian film industry in plot and production methods. But it adds a lot of in-terest to film entertainment generally in highlighting the tribal customs of the aborigine, and in proving his film-acting

abilities.

TOMMY TRINDER