Beloved in Australia but little-known elsewhere, Newsfront (1978) deserves a look. It launched the career of Philip Noyce, who's balanced Hollywood blockbusters (Patriot Games) with domestic films (Rabbit-Proof Fence). This ode to newsreel photographers is charmingly old-fashioned, wistful and entertaining.Len Mcguire (Bill Hunter) is an ace cameraman for Cinetone, an Australian newsreel company. In the years after WWII newsreels dominate Australian media, and Len's motley crew are present for all events, momentous and trivial: Robert Menzies' anticommunist crusade, government campaigns against rabbits, the Hunter Valley floods and Melbourne Olympics. But political pressure and the advent of television threaten Cinetone's empire, while Len deals with numerous personal difficulties.
Newsfront pays handsome tribute to its subject. Noyce and writer Bob Hill show the immense risk incurred by newsreel photographers in war and peace. Early scenes pay tribute to Damien Parer, a war correspondent killed by a Japanese sniper on Palau. Len's crew race cars, braves floods and wildfires, not without loss; several characters don't survive to the curtain. These journalists, at least, can't be dismissed as vultures or "scribblers." Such exploits require undeniable bravery - or madness.
Noyce places personal tribulations alongside the historical sweep. Len feuds with his Catholic wife (Angela Punch Macgregor), who resents his liberal politics and constant absence. Amy's expertise is repeatedly dismissed, partly because she's viewed as the office tart. And novice Chris (Chris Haywod) impregnates a girl after a one-night stand. Len's bigshot brother Frank (Gerard Kennedy) tempts him with offers of television work. Then there's the rivalry with Newsco, whose photographers don't balk at sabotaging Len's work. It's a dozen little stories neatly wrapped together.
Newsfront does assume familiarity with Australian politics, though its conflicts are easily accessible. Ben Chifley's Labour government loses in 1949 to Robert Menzies, whose Liberal Party cracks down on unions, immigrants and dissidents. His referendum to outlaw Communism narrowly fails but paranoia lingers. One newsreader threatens resignation rather than read an opposition leader's denunciation of Menzies' "police state." And Len's friends deem him a "fellow traveler" for declining anticommunist literature. Newsfront shows that Red-baiting wasn't a solely American phenomenon.
But Newsfront is less about politics than capturing an era, warts and all. It's nostalgic yet critical of postwar Australia, a promising young country resisting its reactionary elements. Indeed, Noyce acknowledges that television renders newsreels obsolete: TV can shoot live what newsreels take seven days to film, produce and edit. The ending affirms this sentiment while celebrating its protagonists: principled men like Len will always have a place in Australia.Noyce captures this all in endearing style. He switches seamlessly between black-and-white and color, incorporating real archival footage for verisimilitude. We get fascinating photography of WWII combat, car accidents and everyday Aussies recalling Man With a Movie Camera. John Scott emulates the editing style of classic Hollywood, with wipes, irises and playful pacing - a feeling enhanced by William Motzing's jaunty score. Fittingly, Newsfront ends on a note of defiant independence, Len resisting Frank's overtures to the last.
Bill Hunter (Gallipoli) grounds the film with bedrock integrity. Hunter's gruff and understated, making Len a flawed but commendable hero. Wendy Hughes (My Brilliant Career) gives Amy fortitude and quiet defiance. Amidst personal turmoil and technological innovation, she never doubts her place. Bryan Brown (Breaker Morant) plays an editor whose politics land him in hot water; Chris Haywood (Beneath Hill 60) is Len's ill-fated apprentice.
Newsfront is an impressive film. Noyce provides the expanse of an epic, yet his intimate storytelling and quirky direction mark Newsfront more than a period piece.
