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  Film: Black and White November 3, 2002 Reporter : Peter Thompson Peter's Verdict: An engaging human drama Director: Craig Lahiff Genre: Drama. Video: broadband  Like many of the landmark Australian films of the past thirty years, films such as Sunday Too Far Away, Breaker Morant and, more recently, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Black And White is firmly rooted in fact. It’s a dramatic reconstruction of a famous trial half a century ago in which a man was sentenced to death on the basis of nothing more than a dubious confession. The case had far-reaching consequences for the justice system in Australia but just as important, it’s a rattling good story…The starting point is the brutal rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl in the isolated desert township of Ceduna. The small community understandably wants revenge and an arrest is quickly made.  It’s a revolting crime but the sort of tragedy that usually plays itself out in weeks rather than months. Max Stuart is almost a non-person and even though the evidence against him is sketchy, his confession should be an end to it. But there’s an unexpected twist. An obscure Adelaide solicitor called David O’Sullivan is nominated by the court to represent him.O’Sullivan travels to Ceduna to meet his client and it doesn’t take him long to discover that the odds are stacked against Stuart. But he’s soon convinced that the police have the wrong man. Stuart is moved to Adelaide for his trial. O’Sullivan and his legal partner Helen Devaney find themselves more deeply involved than they expected and well out of their depth. O’Sullivan is no great shakes as a lawyer and in court he has to face the formidable figure of Roderic Chamberlain, one of the pillars of South Australian society and soon to be appointed Chief Justice.  One thing that distinguishes Black And White is that it is so obviously a labour of love. Producer Helen Leake and director Craig Lahiff were determined to achieve a level of production that was appropriate to the weight of the story.INTERVIEW CRAIG LAHIFF: “When I first started researching the material for this film, I soon realized what a powerful story it could make, not just a simple message film but a story about how racism, the justice system and society at the time came into collision because of one man, Max Stuart.” The casting net was thrown wide, pulling in Scottish actor Robert Carlyle to play the Irish O’Sullivan and bringing Kerry Fox back from London as Helen Devaney. Max Stuart was found closer to home — the remarkable David Ngoombujarra.  INTERVIEW DAVID NGOOMBUJARRA: “When I read the script, I got a feeling. I said, yeah! This one here! I’ll look after this one. It was a gift to me, this story.”Ngoombujarra’s is one of the best performances in any film this year but perhaps the most unusual aspect of Black And White is its dissection of the Australian class system of 50 years ago. Filling the heavy presence of Roderic Chamberlain is the distinguished British actor Charles Dance. INTERVIEW CHARLES DANCE: “Adelaide society in 1958, from what I can gather, was very similar to other well-heeled societies in an ostensibly white-predominated society. And it was rife with bigotry and prejudice although they would probably deny that. But I think in our terms now it most certainly was.”  Contrary to the title, nothing in Black And White is clear cut. Most similar films are essentially plot driven but screenwriter Louis Nowra was more concerned with the human dimensions of Max Stuart’s story. INTERVIEW LOUIS NOWRA: “Max is a catalyst for a lot of people’s lives being changed and that interested me, curiously enough, more than Max himself. Max is important for this transformation.” One surprising intervention is that of young Rupert Murdoch. While the Adelaide Advertiser toes the establishment line, the upstart owner of the Adelaide News decides that the Stuart case will become his crusade.  Because of O’Sullivan’s determination, appeals go all the way to the Privy Council in London — a stark reminder of our colonial origins. The conduct of the trial will have significant effects on police procedure and the rules of evidence. But, intriguingly, both sides of the case are argued with tremendous force.There are fascinating twists and turns in Black And White and purely as entertainment the film offers an engaging human drama and a rich display of acting talent — the cast is huge. But Black And White seeks to make its mark as an important statement about our history as well. The Australian legal system was profoundly tested, and changed, by the Max Stuart case and for anyone concerned about the kind of society we’re building, it’s essential information. |
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