Jilted (film)

Jilted
Directed by	Bill Bennett
Written by	Bill Bennett
Produced by	Bill Bennett Jenny Day
Starring	Richard Moir Jennifer Cluff Tina Bursill
Edited by	Denise Hunter
Music by	Michael Atkinson
Production company	Mermaid Beach Productions
Distributed by	The Home Cinema Group (video)
Release date	1987 (1987)
Running time	89 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English
Budget	AU$600,000[1] or $730,000[2]

Jilted is a 1987 film directed by Bill Bennett.[3]

Plot

Al is a chef at a tourist resort on a tropical island. His wife has just left him and he is having an affair with a waitress, Cindy, while the manager, Bob, tries to have an affair with Paula, the accountant.

Al falls for Harry, whose husband has slept with another man, and who is camping on the island.

Cast

• Richard Moir as Al
• Jennifer Cluff as Harry
• Steve Jacobs as Bob
• Helen Mutkins as Cindy
• Tina Bursill as Paula
• Ken Radley as Doug

Production

The script was inspired by the breakup of Bennett's first marriage. He said the film "explored the notion that people who have had a bad time in relationships sometimes have a distrust of going into other relationships." He later said "I think that script could have done with another 12 months' work."[4]

Half the budget was raised by a pre-sale to J.C. Williamson who also sought finance for another feature by Bennett, Wrong Number.[5] Bennett raised $250,000 door knocking in Queensland and then got $480,000 at the last minute.[2]

The movie was shot on Fraser Island in February 1987, near Orchid Beach Resort.[1]

Release

The film was not released theatrically, despite Tina Burstill winning an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actress. It was released on video in 1989.[1][6]

Variety wrote " Bill Bennett’s fourth feature is his best yet, a witty, moving rondo of relationships which bring to mind the best films of Alan Rudolph, sans the music. If pic gets the critical notices it deserves, it should perform well in arthouse situations in Australia."[7]

The Age wrote "the dialogue is rather strained and one soon tires of picturesque scenes with nothing much happening in them."[8] The Canberra Times called it "a sort of Fraser Island Fawlty Towers without so many laughs... For those who find this all a bit like an exotic version of Neighbours, I would recommend fast forwarding to the plentiful scenes of sun-drenched beaches, restless ocean and tropical vegetation."[9]

Bill Bennett later said Jilted and another film of his Dear Cardholder "were good attempts, but I think I went into them too quickly and I don't think the ideas were realised as well as they could have been." This led to him taking a break from making features for a number of years.[4]

References

1. David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p104-105
2. Glover, Richard (1 July 1986). "A day when the money pours in". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 3.
3. Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p91
4. "Interview with Bill Bennett". Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. 11 April 1966. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
5. Bright, Greg (28 May 1986). "Filmmakers $150m chase". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 27.
6. "ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT The deal-driven 1980s have borne bitter fruit for the film industry". The Canberra Times. Vol. 65, no. 20, 414. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4 March 1991. p. 20. Retrieved 30 December 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Jilted". Variety film reviews. 4 November 1987. p. 317.
8. "Video". The Age. 26 October 1989. p. Green Guide p12.
9. "Like an exotic 'Neighbours'". The Canberra Times. Vol. 64, no. 19, 787. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 11 December 1989. p. 10 (THE GUIDE). Retrieved 30 December 2024 – via National Library of Australia.

External links

• Jilted at IMDb
• Jilted at Screen Australia
• Jilted at Letterbox DVD