Re: RARA-AVIS: movie music and novelizations- Thimoty Harris

From: Etienne Borgers ( wbac1203@wanadoo.be)
Date: 15 Jul 2002


Well, it's interesting that at least someone has seen the Australian movie. One thing that puzzled me is that (as per the note I have) Harris is not credited for the script of the film; but we know that this does not mean he
(or his script) was not used up to a certain point, and not being officially credited at the same time. I of course don't know the content of his original script, but there is a rather great similitude between the synopsis Rene give in his message and HEATWAVE as a novel. If you erase the American specificity of the book (city on the West Coast, American context of early 20th century, position of the central character) and the Australian context of the film (based on a local true story, set in Australia...etc) we find the same kind of storyline in both pieces, and the book carries a rather good social content as well- even if this social aspect is not obstructing the story told by Harris. The book carries also a rather interesting central character, obsessed by his father and some values of the past. I cannot find my copy of Harris's book in the heaps of books I still keep
"unshelved" since my moving, but I hope I will have it soon, so I could re-read it.

E.Borgers Hard-Boiled Mysteries http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6384

At 10:38 14-07-02 +1000, Rene wrote:
>>
>I've never read Harris but I doubt that the Australian film HEATWAVE is
>related in any way. The movie is inspired by the real life murder &
>disappearance (her body has still not been found) of journalist Juanita
>Nielsen back in the 1970's. Nielsen was a vocal opponent of the rampant
>development that was happening at the time, in particular relating to
>Victoria Street in Kings Cross, a working class street that had seen
>mass evictions. It was believed at the time that the developer, who was
>losing millions of dollars, had had her "knocked" through the agency of
>a local gangster (she was last seen at a meeting with this gangster's
>top lieutenant). Later, info came out that in the course of her
>investigations, Nielsen had dug up proof of massive corruption involving
>the highest levels of power in the state of New South Wales.(A few years
>later, two independent journalists were roughed up & threatened by local
>police when they tried to track her last known movements). This murder
>also served as the inspiration for another Aussie film, THE KILLING OF
>ANGEL STREET.
>
>Rene
>
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