Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Wednesday 17 June 1981, page 141


Double tribute to Angela

Australian film-maker Terry Bourke tells how one of our leading ladies

has made her mark after just one Hollywood role.

Superstar Michael Caine

and his beautiful wife, Shakira, have high praise for Sydney actress Angela Punch McGregor. Angela, who co-stars with Louis Jourdan in the soonto-be-released Australianthriller thriller Double Deal, was Caine's leading lady in a multi-million-dollar adven-ture-drama, The Island, a Hollywood production, a year

ago.

When asked to star in Double Deal, the Hollywoodbased Jourdan asked Shakira what Michael thought of Angela. "She's very good. And a nice girl, too," Shakira told Jourdan. "A very special talent. She didn't complain at all when we were on location."

Shakira (an actress her-self) said the harsh Island lo-cation conditions, and the fact Angela was covered in oozing mud most of the time, made it difficult for shooting. "But she was a perfect dar-ling," adds Caine's wife.

Jourdan says he was quickly attracted to the script of Double Deal, and when he heard Angela was to play his wife in the Melbourne movie, "I did the usual checking

around."

He is now a fan of Angela. "Michael and Shakira are ex-cellent judges. Everything they said about Angela is true," he said before jetting back to the US.

Jourdan portrays an art collector and millionaire businessman, Peter Stirling, married to the younger Christina (played by Angela Punch McGregor). The el-egant, pampered but con-fused Christina is troubled by her husband's closeness to his secretary, June Stevens (Diane Craig).

When a sensuous young man (Warwick Comber) ap-pears on the scene, Christina decides to strike out and be-come independent, even if !t means scheming and

Aussie Angela Punch McGregor has built up a fan following among the superstar set.

lying about her secret affair.

There's a kidnap plan, store robbery and plenty of hi-jinks before Double Deal speeds to a deadly finale.

With a $1 million budget, the director of photography, Ross Berryman, and writerdirector Brian Kavanagh strived for a "European look" about the film.

Kavanagh is also one of Australia's top film editors. He cut The Chant Of Jimmy

Blacksmith, The Odd Angry Shot, The Devil's Playground and Long Weekend. He produced and directed A City's Child (1971) and produced the romance-drama Maybe This Time last year.

He says Double Deal is the most ambitious of his movies to date. "It explores the manipulation of people. I think we have created a very special mood. "

Double Deal continues

two new trends in Australian movies - there are no gov-ernment funds involved, and two women are key execu-tives in the production. Lynn Baker is co-producer and well-known public relations consultant Carlie Deans is associate producer.

Pact Productions (as-sociated with Breaker Morant and Race To The Yankee Zephyr) financed Double Deal. ?