http://www.metromagazine.com.au http://theeducationshop.com.au A STUDY GUIDE BY © ATOM 2018 ISBN: 978-1-76061-197-2 MARGUERITE O’HARA OVERVIEW

Ladies in Black is a feature film about the lives of several women who work in a department store. Set in the summer of 1959, when the impact of European migration and the rise of women’s liberation is about to change Australia forever, a shy schoolgirl (Lisa) takes a summer job at the prestigious Sydney department store, Goode’s. There she meets the ‘ladies in black’, Patty, Fay and the exotic Magda. The impact A classic Australian story about they have on each other will change all their love, hope and the perfect dress lives.

Beguiled and influenced by Magda, the vivacious manager of the high-fashion floor, CONTENT HYPERLINKS and befriended by fellow sales ladies Patty and Fay, Lisa is awakened to a world of 3 SYNOPSIS possibilities. 4 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES The film is based on a novel by Australian 5 BACKGROUND INFORMATION born Madeleine St John, The Women in Black, and directed by 5 THE AUTHOR, THE DIRECTOR AND who met St John as a university student in THE PRODUCERS the 1960s and became her literary executor 6 KEY CAST AND CREW after she died in 2006. The film is a comic and affectionate picture of Sydney life in the 7 ADAPTATION FROM BOOK TO SCREEN late 1950s. It shows a 21st century audience how life for women and men has undergone 8 PRE-VIEWING DISCUSSION POINTS changes over the past 60 years. 9 POST-VIEWING QUESTIONS

Ladies in Black is a story threaded through © ATOM 2018 16 QUESTIONS with universal themes that still resonate today. 17 REFERENCES AND RESOURCES 2 SYNOPSIS

AS 1959 AND THE RESTLESS POST-WAR BOOM DECADE DRAWS TO A CLOSE, SHY LISA MILES (), 16, TAKES A SUMMER JOB AT THE GRAND SYDNEY DEPARTMENT STORE GOODE’S, WHILE AWAITING THE RESULTS OF HER FINAL SCHOOL EXAMS.

There she meets the ‘ladies in black’ of the 5th floor; Fay landed her an enviable position at Goode’s. Baines (Rachael Taylor) and Patty Williams (Alison McGirr), who work in Ladies’ Cocktail; and the elegant but aloof Lisa’s goal is to attend the , if she can Magda Szombatheli (Julia Ormond), who manages the convince her stubborn father Mr. Miles (Shane Jacobson) Model Gowns high fashion boutique. to sign her scholarship application. Mr. Miles sees no point whatsoever in higher education, especially for women. Lisa Lisa is initially entrusted to Fay and Patty, and the slightly wants to be a poet or an actress, and Magda recognises a awkward young girl who wears clothes made by her fellow creative spirit in the girl. mother Mrs. Miles (), is targeted with their casual disdain. Slowly, though, Lisa begins to reveal her in- Magda begins to teach Lisa about style, introducing her to telligence and quiet self-belief to her co-workers in Ladies’ European culture. Lisa falls in love with ‘Lisette’, an elegant Cocktail, as well as to Miss Cartwright (Noni Hazlehurst), creation in Model Gowns that speaks to her of confidence the buttoned-up but highly capable fashion department and boldness. floor supervisor. As Lisa grows from a girl into a self-assured and positive Lisa and her great potential are most recognised, however, young woman, she herself becomes a catalyst for change by Magda, who escaped her native Slovenia in the politi- in the lives of the ladies in black; Fay, disillusioned by cal maelstrom following World War Two. She landed in Australian men, is introduced to Dostoyevsky’s novel Anna an Australian refugee camp, where she met her dashing Karenina by Lisa and to the debonair Hungarian Rudi (Ryan © ATOM 2018 Hungarian husband Stefan (Vincent Perez), and where she Corr), opening a door to her own self-awareness; and Patty reoriented herself to this strange new place. Her tenac- finds a way to embrace her physicality and reignite the ity and her stories about working in Paris before the war passion with her distant husband Frank (Luke Pegler). 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES Ladies in Black would be suitable for middle and senior secondary students. It presents a story from almost 60 years ago set in Sydney at a time in Australia when society was changing and women were embracing the opportunities for changes in their lives.

Australian History

This is Australian history of the immediate store and those who worked there, and post-war years when many young also through looking at the different way women’s lives changed as they were of life of recent arrivals from Europe who better educated (stayed at school longer enriched Australian life and culture. and/or moved on to tertiary education) and less inclined to accept the often repressive At Year 10 level, students study aspects and authoritarian aspects of a patriarchal of the modern world and Australia. One society. While marriage, having children study (ACDSEH144) focusses on the and living a stable life in the suburbs migrant experience. Students look at the remained the goal of many young women, waves of post-World War Two migration, others were looking for something more investigating the countries that were the than this – higher education, financial source of migration. independence and choices about their future. The film’s story explores several They also look at the contribution of aspects of a changing society, partly migration to Australia’s changing identity through the world of the department as a nation (ACDSEH147).

Culture and Society

By reading stories, looking at photos and a small group of women and men in watching films and documentaries set in Sydney as Australia moved into the 1960s. earlier times and places, we can begin Education, migration from Europe, the to understand why living in Australia increased availability of the contraceptive has changed so much since the middle pill, the beginnings of teenage culture and of the twentieth century. The 1960s are identity and a general relaxation in life after often characterised as a decade of social the war years when rationing and stringent changes, not just in Australia but in many economic and social controls limited the other countries. Ladies in Black uncovers opportunities for adopting real change. how some of those changes affected

Gender Studies - Women, Work and Relationships

Relationships between men and women in the late 1950s and 1960s, there were began to change as more girls and women the beginnings of calls for equal pay and stayed at school longer, went on to further for child care, the two things that enable study or worked in jobs alongside men, women to live fulfilling and independent as many had during the years of World lives, whether married or single. War Two. While not a lot of women could claim complete financial independence © ATOM 2018

4 BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Women in Black is Madeleine St John’s first novel, published in 1993 when she was 52. It is the only one of her four novels set in Australia. The story is set in the Ladies’ Frocks department of Goode’s Department Store in Sydney, thought to be based on David Jones, a department store still operating in Australia. Ladies’ Frocks department included sections specialising in Evening Wear, Cocktail Frocks and Model Gowns.

The Second World War ended in 1945. The 1950s and 1960s was a time when people from different parts of Europe whose lives had been disrupted and destroyed by war and political interference in their countries, im- migrated to more stable places such as Canada and Australia, where they were generally welcomed for their skills but still regarded with suspicion and some resentment for being ‘different’ and unable to speak English ‘properly’.

This first wave of migrants in the 1950s changed Australia for ever in almost every aspect of life – culturally, linguistically, intellectually. The Slovenian woman Magda, her Hungarian husband Stefan and their young friend Rudi introduce Lisa to a differ- ent way of life. European countries including Slovenia and Hungary came under the control of countries with anti-democratic regimes at the end of the Second World THE AUTHOR, War, including Germany and later the Soviet Union. Many THE DIRECTOR AND people from these regions whose lives were massively THE PRODUCERS disrupted by war and foreign occupation left their home- lands to resettle in countries like Australia and Canada in Sue Milliken, one of the producers of Ladies in Black had the 1950s. They brought with them their cultures, beliefs, worked with Director Bruce Beresford on a number of his foods and education. They were often characterised as earlier films, including The Fringe Dwellers, Black Robe, “Continentals” because the countries they came from Paradise Road and Sydney: A Story of a City. After, at were referred to by Australians at the time generically Beresford’s suggestion, reading Madeleine St John’s The as “The Continent” – shorthand for “The Continent of Women in Black in 1994, Milliken acquired an option on the Europe” (much as later migrants from Vietnam, Laos, film rights. Like Beresford, she was drawn to the themes Korea and China were referred to as ‘Asians’). in the story about people’s inborn prejudices against foreigners.

The book has a very strong point of view about intol- erance and ignorance, explains Milliken. The Anglo Australians in the book aren’t bad people, but they don’t understand that these new people are the same as they are, and that each side has something to learn. You can change people’s perceptions with humour, whereas if you lecture them they’ll often turn away. I think the book does this beautifully.

Milliken and Beresford worked together on the screenplay over a number of years while they raised the finance to make the film.

In 2016, Beresford invited Allanah Zitserman to join the © ATOM 2018 project as a co-producer. This was after Tim Finn had made a musical version of the story which premiered in late 2015 and was a big success. 5 KEY CAST AND CREW Key Cast

Magda Szombatheli Julia Ormond

Lisa Miles Angourie Rice

Fay Baines Rachael Taylor

Patty Williams Alison McGirr

Miss Cartwright Noni Hazlehurst

Mr. Miles Shane Jacobson

Mrs. Miles Suzie Porter

Reflecting on the relevance of the film to an audience Stefan Szombatheli Vincent Perez today, Milliken has said: Rudi Janosi We are in an era where women are coming to the fore- front, where the story of intolerance to immigrants and Frank Williams Luke Pegler refugees is again a part of our experience, globally, and so suddenly this book written 25 years ago is incredibly timely. Key Crew

Director Bruce Beresford Allanah Zitserman, a self-acknowledged ‘reffo’ herself, talks about the disarmingly simple story. She says: Producers Allanah Zitserman and Sue Milliken On the surface, Ladies in Black is about the joyful ex- periences a diverse group of women have together over Writing Credits Sue Milliken and Bruce the course of a Sydney summer, but underneath, subtly - adaptation Beresford, from the novel and carefully, sit important themes which were relevant by Madeleine St John in 1959 and continue to be today. Director of Photography Peter James Immigrants can change and inspire people; they add a component which can be an incredible way for a place Film Editor Mark Warner to evolve, but this was a tough time because some Australians were quite uncomfortable and confused by Music Christopher Gordon these newcomers. It was a complex time globally, with ongoing move- Production Design Felicity Abbott ments of populations caused by the fractures of WW2 and political shifts in the wake of Communism and the Art Direction Sophie Nash Cold War. In Australia, ‘refugees’ was often shortened to ‘reffos’, Set Decoration Katie Sharrock and ‘continentals’ was a nickname for European immi- grants; some characters in Ladies in Black use this now Costume design Wendy Cork out of favour parlance of the time. In many countries, women still weren’t expected to work, or if they did, it Hair and Makeup Jen Lamphee © ATOM 2018 was in very specific types of roles. Going to university was not something that many Australians felt women Casting Director Christine King should be doing. 6 ADAPTATION FROM Given the collaborative nature of filmmaking, the numbers BOOK TO SCREEN of individuals involved in putting the film together and the inherently different medium film is from text, it is impor- What do we expect? tant to make some allowances for the film deviating from parts of the novel, telescoping some parts and exploring When we read a novel or a memoir, we often picture the others in more depth. Budgetary constraints and tight time characters, from their appearance to how they behave and schedules as well as final length of the film after editing are relate to one another. We may also have a visual idea of all factors we need to at least be aware of. place and landscape. When the film or series is as well- known and widely read and loved as those based on the We need to watch the film with an open mind, acknowledg- novels of Jane Austen, J.R. Tolkien or J.K. Rowling, we are ing that the film is a separate, though related, entity to the sometimes delighted by the filmed adaptation, but at other book on which it is based and try to appreciate the film with times disappointed that the playing these much- clear eyes, without looking to find fault with what is left out loved characters are not quite as we imagined them when or who gets more screen time than they had pages in the we read the book. ‘Not as good as the book’, is a common book. What will make the film a satisfying experience, both complaint but whether it is justified is a matter of opinion. as an entertainment and as a way of presenting a story? Will We need to understand the different demands, strengths and should it satisfy both readers and author as a faithful and limitations of each medium- book and film - and ac- transposition and a moving experience? Of course, many knowledge these different qualities. authors are not around to see their novels translated to film, some cheerfully sell the film rights, others stay in the back- What should we expect of a filmed adaptation of a novel? ground while some authors assist with the scriptwriting. For many people it is that the film adheres to what they see as the essence of the novel, that it is a true reflection of • Make a list of books and/or stories you have read the author’s intent. But just what this ‘essence’ and ‘intent’ that you think have made a successful transition is can be quite different from reader to reader and viewer to the screen, e.g. The Harry Potter books, The to viewer. It largely depends on the film director’s vision Hobbit, Ian Fleming’s James Bond series, Alice in and intention in creating not simply a pictorial version but Wonderland, The Twilight Sagas? an interpretation of the story that will be essentially visual, • Did either the film or the book encourage you to rather than spoken. investigate the other medium?

Films and novels, or ‘visual texts’ and ‘written texts’ as The screenplay of Ladies in Black was a collaborative ad- they are sometimes described on English courses, are dif- aptation of the novel between Bruce Beresford, the film’s ferent artistic creations in many ways. While each often has Director and Sue Milliken, one of the film’s Producers. a narrative (many of the best films have strong story lines, Beresford, an experienced film director, knew the author reflecting their genesis in the written word), the means Madeleine St John. She had him named as literary execu- © ATOM 2018 available to the author or director for presenting the story tor in her will. are very different. The book has also inspired a successful musical production. 7 PRE-VIEWING DISCUSSION POINTS

1. How many people do you know today who were born in the immediate years after the Second World War ended in 1945 – grandparents, aunts and uncles, family friends, neighbours? 2. Where were the people born that you have identified – in Australia or in another country they migrated from to come to Australia? 3. In what ways do you think the lives of people growing up in the 1950s and 1960s would have been unlike your life and that of your parents? 4. List the pluses and minuses you think may have been part of growing up in the 1950s and 1960s? (Try not to wear ei- ther rose - coloured glasses or dark glasses as you do this exercise) 5. What do you think sex education would have been like in Australia at the time? How do you think a lack of sex edu- cation might have affected relationships between men and women? Women and Men, Work, 6. Why do you think many fathers did not think their daughters should attend university or train for a profession during the Education and Money 1950s and 1960s? Each of the characters we meet in this story 7. How far have attitudes about the importance of equal edu- is a product of their background, experiences, cational opportunities for everyone changed over the past education, personal drive and opportunities. No 50+ years? one seems to be fabulously wealthy or desper- 8. What are some of the factors that have brought about these ately poor, but their social, family and economic changes? circumstances, as well as their character, affect 9. How far do we still need to go to achieve equality of oppor- their capacity to dare to dream and perhaps even tunity for males and females? fulfil their dreams. 10. Where are inequities of opportunity still glaringly obvious? 11. How are choices you make about your life, learning and At this time, well before meeting people online friendships affected by the place and times in which you was even possible, friendships, family connec- are living? What are some of the factors that might limit tions, work colleagues and shared interests such your ambitions? as dancing or sporting activities often provided 12. In what ways do education and financial stability allow peo- the best way of meeting friends and partners and ple to move outside the worlds in which they were brought expanding social networks. In this story we see up? What are some of the other factors today that lessen people from very different backgrounds mak- the inevitability of following in your parents’ footsteps? How ing lasting connections and benefiting from the much is a desire for their children to succeed in a chosen varied experiences they were willing to share and field a strong factor in the ambitions of many parents for explore. their children? Marriage was still the main reason for young women to move away from the family home, but the cracks were beginning to show in these ‘preferences’ as many women were no longer pre- pared to be basically wives and mothers running a home for a man and children. Complete financial dependence on a man was not always enthusi- astically embraced. Women may have worked during the Second World War, either directly or indirectly as part of the war effort. They increas- ingly had driving licences and many had trained for work traditionally done by men who had joined up to fight between 1939 and 1945. However, without reliable contraception and affordable child © ATOM 2018 care, opportunities for women to choose inde- pendence were limited during this period, whether married or single. 8 POST-VIEWING QUESTIONS

Main Characters This film is a character driven narrative where we learn about Select three of the characters listed above and the place and time in which it is set through a number of make notes about their life and loves in Table 1 characters, mostly women, although there are a number of men overleaf. At least one of these three should be who contribute to the outcomes. a man, i.e. Frank Williams, Stefan, Rudi or Mr Miles, Lisa’s father.

THE LADIES IN BLACK

Lisa (Lesley) Miles -16, going on 17: A temporary sales assistant at Goode’s. Lisa has just completed her Leaving Certificate (now • In what ways are each of the three charac- called HSC) and is waiting for the results of her final exams before ters you have chosen to focus on in the film going on to further study or work. important to the development of the story? Patty Williams – late 20s: Saleslady in the Ladies’ Cocktail • How are each of these characters able to department of Goode’s and married to Frank Williams. open up new worlds to other characters, e.g. How does Lisa encourage Fay to be more Saleslady in the Ladies’ Cocktail department and Fay Baines - 28: confident and discerning? unmarried. • Which of the characters is shown to be pre- Miss Cartwright – 50s: Floor Supervisor in Ladies Frocks in pared to change their own views in the light Goode’s Department Store in Sydney. of a changing world and new experiences? Magda Szombatheli- 45: In charge of Model Gowns, the most exclusive and expensive frock section in the store.

Mr Ryder: The Floor Manager.

FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS

Frank Williams: Patty’s husband. Stefan Szombatheli (Magda’s husband): A migrant from Hungary who met Magda at the migrant hostel in Australia when they both migrated from Europe.

Mrs Miles: Lisa’s mother. Mr Miles: Lisa’s father. © ATOM 2018 Rudi Janosi: A young friend of Magda and Stefan. Michael: A young friend of Magda’s who was born in Australia to Hungarian parents and has also just finished his schooling. 9 Table 1 Choose from: LISA MILES, PATTY WILLIAMS, FAY BAINES, MISS CARTWRIGHT, MAGDA SZOMBATHELI, STEFAN SZOMBATHELI, RUDI JANOSI, MR MILES, MRS MILES

Character Approximate age Family Personality Most important and appearance connections role in the story © ATOM 2018

10 Themes There are a number of important themes explored in this film. They include A. Relations between men and women B. Shopping and retail culture in the 1950s and ‘60s C. Education and women’s changing roles D. The impact of migration in the 1950s and 1960s.

All of these elements overlap within the story told in this film. While the ladies might wear black in their day job and life sometimes looks a bit staid, the film is essentially a positive picture of a society undergoing change.

A. Men and Women

Having things in common is not a recipe for a happy marriage – Stefan to Magda

1. Why is Patty Williams rather disillusioned with the com- panionship she finds in her marriage to Frank? Close Viewing What is the episode that marks a quite dramatic change in the marriage for each of them? Lunch at Magda and Stefan’s flat at Mosman on a What kinds of satisfactions do Patty and Frank find in Saturday afternoon their work? 01:28: 08 – 01:30: 00 Patty’s mother tells her daughter that Frank will come In this sequence Magda and Lisa are taking the ferry to back after he has mysteriously disappeared for some Mosman. Describe some of the pleasures each of them days - ‘men always come back because they can’t re- finds in this classically Sydney experience and in each ally manage by themselves’. other’s company. Is this emotional and physical dependence something • How has the harbour city changed since this period to be admired and is she right about why Frank has in 1959 – 60? When was the bridge constructed gone off somewhere? and when did the Opera House become a feature 2. Lisa’s mother is very absorbed in her daughter’s life. of Sydney? How does she seem to spend her days? • What other form of transport, now disappeared How can we tell that Lisa and her mother are very from Sydney Streets, is featured in the film? close? • What models of cars are shown? Do there seem to What are some of the time saving home appliances be traffic jams or overcrowded roads? that have reduced the amount of time we all spend • How does this scene reveal Sydney as another today on household chores? character in the story? What expectations does Ed Miles have of his wife • What is on the table for lunch at Magda and and daughter? As a linotype operator on the Sydney Stefan’s place? How would this food have been Morning Herald newspaper, what hours does he work? quite unlike that of many people at this time? How do Lisa and her mother manage to break down • Describe the atmosphere and the manner in which some of Ed’s stereotypically chauvinist and narrow Stefan and Rudi behave towards Lisa. views as the story develops? • In what ways is this outing a new experience for 3. Where did Magda and Stefan meet? What experi- Lisa? ences have they shared? Describe what we see of the 5. At least with an Australian you know where you are – dynamic in this relationship? Myra, Fay’s friend What does Stefan do at home that was pretty much That’s only if you want to be there. At least with a conti- unheard of at this time? nental you know you’re going somewhere new - Fay. How is Magda regarded by some of the younger staff Outline some of the experiences Fay Baines has had © ATOM 2018 at Goode’s? What are some of the ways she behaves ‘looking for love’. that they find ‘un-Australian’? Where does she live and how have her family experi- How do Magda and Stefan break down the suspicions ences as a result of the second world war limited her of them being ‘other’, ‘reffos’, ‘continentals’? opportunities for education and work? 4. How would you describe their hospitality? 11 What has been one of her pleasures in her free time? Centres and Malls spread throughout all major cities How does Rudi come across as being unlike most and suburbs today? of the men Fay has been out with over the past few 4. Ask an older relative who might have shopped or even years? worked in a department store in the 1960s what a day What experiences does Rudi offer to Fay that are rather out shopping included then? Ask about service and unlike many of her previous experiences with men? lay-by. What attracts them to each other? 5. Lisa’s mother makes some of her own and Lisa’s clothes. What is Rudi looking for in a wife? Have the skills involved in designing and creating your What is Fay able to offer Rudi as a female partner? own clothes largely faded in our world today? How many 6. While we see little of Miss Cartwright’s home life in the people do you know who still knit woollen clothes and/or film – she is shown to be wedded to her work as Floor create, design, repair and alter their clothes? Supervisor – what do we see on Christmas Day of her 6. How would you describe the style and look of the life at home? frocks and dresses shown in the film, from everyday wear to formal Model Gowns? B. Shopping and retail culture In what ways are the A-line and fitted cocktail dresses in the 1950s and ‘60s suited to the body shapes of many women during this period? 1. How is the Frock Department of Goode’s depicted in What are some of the accessories we see the women this film? In what ways is the work experience depicted and even some of the men, wearing in the film? – casual work, expertise, staff structure, staff dress To what occasions do people now wear such well- code, opening hours, services offered? matched outfits – dressing up. 2. Do you think there are any comparable retail stores/ Which styles of frocks/dresses have continued to be departments/specialist clothes shops around today run popular 50 years on from this period? along the lines of Goode’s? What is meant by Vintage/ Retro Fashion and which What has taken their place? period of clothing is sought after in 2018? Why and how has this slowly evolving but massive 7. When the 150 guineas dress – the Lisette – is reduced change in shopping habits changed over the past 50 + to 75 and then 35 guineas, how expensive is it relative years? to Lisa’s wages of 7 pounds a week or $14 in today’s 3. What sort of experience was a shopping expedition in money? the time the film is set? Why is it so important for Lisa to buy this dress? How has the shopping day out changed since the How is this dress quite different to those she has worn 1960s? until now? Is it possible to compare department stores such as In what ways do fashion and style choices matter? Myer and David Jones with the Emporiums, Shopping Do you have one item of clothing that has great © ATOM 2018

12 Table 2 EXPRESSIONS AND TERMS 2018 EQUIVALENT (IF ANY)

Hoo roo importance in your life? Why is it a signifier of some kind?

The women who work at Goode’s needed to be well presented and disciplined, says actress Noni Reffos Hazlehurst, who plays Miss Cartwright, the Floor Supervisor for Ladies Frocks at Goode’s. They had a chance to be independent, to earn their own money, but they’re not highly educated. During the rise of consumerism after WW2, The Leaving Certificate fashion was held up as a carrot to women to get them out of the workforce that they’d been enjoying during the war, and back into the home along with shiny new appliances. They didn’t have Goin’ to see a man about a a lot of other opportunities in their lives. dog The powerful story arc of Ladies in Black is one in which Lisa and the other characters grow and emerge into a reality which is more embracing of difference and more liberating for women. 150 guineas. Value. When did There are a lot of rich layers that will appeal to Australia go decimal? audiences and will encourage conversations about these themes. Through a safe medium like film, you can get people to reflect on their own attitudes about these issues. Negligee Noni Hazlehurst – Miss Cartwright

Do you think Noni Hazlehurst is right in her belief in the power of film to affect changes in attitudes? Libertarians and communists Back then – expressions and food

While many people spoke at least some English/ Australian in the 1960s, the range of colloquial expres- Frocks sions has grown fewer, often confined to rural areas or what some people like to call ‘the old Aussie ways’? As more people from Europe and Asian countries migrated to Australia, many colourful expressions disappeared. Green Kooka oven Give the meaning of these words and expressions in column 1 of Table 2 and write their equivalent meaning in column 2.

Rooming house

Having relations

Turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse

Ladies Cocktail dresses © ATOM 2018

13 Food • Where do Lisa and her parents go for tea to celebrate her exam success? Just as colloquial expressions have changed a great deal, • On the evidence of the film, and/or what you under- so too have the foods we eat and how and when we eat. stand about the changing shapes of many Australians, Remember that black and white television was only begin- did fatness seem to be a big problem in the 1960s? ning to be more often found in Australian houses after the How have our eating and exercising behaviours 1956 Olympic Games in . Advertising until this changed – for better or worse – over the past 50 + period had largely been on billboards, on some radio sta- years? tions and in classified ads in newspapers and magazines • What other habits seen in the film have greatly less- such as the Australian Woman’s Weekly and Picture Post. ened over this period?

Hope you like frog’s legs, fish eyes and God knows what… C. Education and Women’s those reffos eat all sorts of horrible things - Fay to Lisa changing roles before she goes to Magda and Stefan’s for lunch A clever girl is the most wonderful thing in all creation – Food has changed very dramatically from the steak and Miss Cartwright to Lisa. three veg Patty and Mrs Miles usually served their hus- bands for tea. Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Hungarian and While for some years women have held senior jobs in Baltic migrants brought their own ideas about food and some industries such as retail sales, nursing and teaching, drink. Snacking and take-away food choices were very the opportunities for women to take senior roles in industry limited. Plastic wrap and bags were rarely used and not all and commerce in particular continues to be very limited. houses had refrigerators. There is a long way to go. We do see some of the begin- nings of a change in the culture in this film. • Make a list of the new and different foods introduced by European migrants in the 1950s and 1960s, many Secondary schooling has been compulsory for all children of which are served by Magda and Stefan and include in Australia for many years, since the 1870s, but it is only wine, coffee, garlic, olive oil, salami and borscht (beet- in the past 50 years that girls have demonstrably excelled © ATOM 2018 root soup). in higher secondary education and felt that they were able • Which of these foods does Lisa introduce to her to pursue tertiary qualifications in traditionally male areas parents? such as engineering, building, architecture and IT. Many 14 girls were pulled out of schools at 15 to work, as higher D. Migrants/’Reffos’/New arrivals education for girls was considered a waste of time as they were most likely to have children and look after Australia has become a country of migrants from all over the houses and husbands. What use was education? world. Apart from Australia’s Indigenous people, the rest of the population has only arrived here in various waves of migration 1. Identify the individuals in this story who not and by various forms of transport since 1788. only encourage Lisa in her studies but happily acknowledge her achievements? 1. In what ways are the lives of Lisa and Fay enriched by What are Lisa’s father’s reservations about higher their friendship with Magda, Stefan, Rudi and their many education for girls? What does he warn her against friends? becoming involved in at university? 2. Give some examples from the film of what might be de- Are scholarships such as the Commonwealth scribed as ‘casual racism’ where assumptions are made Scholarship Lisa is awarded to cover the cost of about different individuals and their habits and jokes/ tuition at university widely available today? asides made at their expense. How has the casual work world changed over the 3. Why do you think the opportunity to enjoy a range of past 30 years which makes supporting yourself while different foods brought here and adapted by numbers of studying extremely difficult? European, Middle Eastern and Asian people is such an 2. What factors limited Fay’s opportunities to continue important aspect of a multicultural society? her schooling? 4. In these days before easy access to other places opened How does her friendship with Lisa and growing up numerous cultural opportunities to Australians who relationship with Rudi begin to open up the world for knew little of most of the world’s history and geography, her? how were migrants such as Magda, Stefan and Rudi able 3. We do not know if Magda had tertiary education to enlarge life in Australia, including in Model Gowns at opportunities (unlikely given the chaos created in Goode’s? many parts of Europe as a result of the Second World 5. Do you think observing the lives of others, especially how War and its aftermath). What is it that drives her to men and women conceive their roles, can show us that life open her own business? What qualities does she can be more interesting and richer if we are not hobbled display and what support does she get to pursue by conservatism and fear of change. How do the exam- these ambitions? ples of the way others live and relate allow individuals to express themselves more freely and become more open? © ATOM 2018

15 QUESTIONS CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOUR SUGGESTED SETS OF QUESTIONS.

1. Is it still like this? From your understanding of the film, the statement from • What is it about the lives people lived in the 1960s that one of the producers below and your own responses to the some people may feel quite nostalgic about today? questions about the film, develop a piece of writing or an • Are employment conditions for people working in retail oral response that addresses the question of how relevant stores generally better today in terms of hours, training the themes of this film are today. and experience than they were in the 1960s as shown in the film? What’s exciting is that the messaging is so current. • Are migrants coming to Australia in the 2000s still Women are still trying to achieve full equality, and some subjected to some of the hostility and suspicion that people are still uncomfortable with new people entering the post-World War Two European immigrants often their country, so the film has very powerful messages, but endured? it’s told in a subtle and careful way. Audiences will enjoy • How has intermarriage between people of different an extraordinarily entertaining film, but also walk away racial backgrounds been one of the positive aspects of with ideas that they can reflect upon and be inspired by – multiculturalism? Allanah Zitserman, Co-Producer of Ladies in Black

2. Shopping • In what ways has the experience of shopping for – or op shop purchases (recycling) play in your life? clothes in particular become such a different experi- • Talk to someone who lived through the 1950s and 1960s ence for people today? about how they tended to shop and how many outfits • Why do you think many Department Stores such as they bought each year. Find out whether they had a par- Myer and David Jones are now struggling to remain ent or grandparent who made some of their clothes. open in their present form? • Can you recall desperately wanting a particular piece of • What are some of the social, economic and personal clothing or shoes that were just too expensive for you consequences for workers when a growing percentage to have? of purchasing is done online rather than in person in • How has the cost of clothing and shoes, relative to local shops? incomes, changed since the 1960s? • What role does vintage shopping – buying clothes • What kind of shopping do you really enjoy – alone or either from another time or replicated from other eras with friends?

3. Award time Ladies in Black is likely to be honoured at Film Award cer- ‘Cinematography’ or any other aspect of the film that you emonies such as The Australian Academy of Cinema and thought was really outstanding. Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards. • Write a single page recommendation outlining why you Looking back at the cast and crew list, select one cast think this cast or crew member should be recognised and one crew member for an award such as ‘Best / with an award for excellence. Choose at least 2 scenes Actress’, ‘Best Film’, ‘Production Design’, ‘Costumes’, for showing on the awards night the illustrate your view.

4. Extending the story • Prepare a creative piece of writing that focusses on Will Lisa’s mother embark on a new project when her what might happen in one or more of the character’s daughter goes to university? lives in the year following 1959. Try and make it con- What kind of business does Rudi set up and is Fay able sistent with what we learn of them in this film. to be part of this project? For example: What are some of the early days like in Magda’s new Might Miss Cartwright have an opportunity to change upmarket dress shop? © ATOM 2018 her life? Are Patty and Frank able to rebuild their relationship? Will Lisa discover new opportunities and friendships at university? 16 REFERENCES AND RESOURCES

Madeleine St John, The Women in Black, first published by Andre Deutsch 1993. Text Publishing, Melbourne, Victoria published the novel in Australia in 2009. It is now available as a Text Classic and has been reprinted many times since 2009.

Madeleine St John, The Women in Black, read by Deidre Rubenstein, Bolinda audio, 2009. Helen Trinca, Madeleine, A life of Madeleine St John, Text Publishing, 2013. For anyone interested in seeing more of the fashions of the 1950s and 1960s. https://vintagedancer.com/1950s/1950s-fashion-women-get-look/ Read a timeline of significant events in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s. http://www.abc.net.au/archives/timeline/1950s.htm What do shops and shopping habits tell us about social change? http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/heritagebranch/heritage/alotinstorech4.pdf

Back in Time for Dinner, ABC documentary series. Annabel Crabb takes an Australian family on a time- travelling adventure to discover how the food we eat has transformed the way we live, the fabric of the nation and defined family roles over the past 60 years.

Each episode looks at a decade, beginning with the 1950s. All episodes are available on iView. The 1950s and 1960s have particular relevance to Ladies in Black.

This study guide was produced by ATOM. (© ATOM 2018) ISBN: 978-1-76061-197-2 [email protected] To download other study guides, plus thousands of articles on Film as Text, Screen Literacy, Multiliteracy and Media Studies, visit . Join ATOM’s email broadcast list for invitations to

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