Labassa Lives

Labassa lives Volume 2, Issue 2, 2014 Life through a lens the permission of the owner or tenant. A window in the Music Room was smashed for dramatic effect. In 1977, the occupants of the Drawing Room rented the space to the producers of the Australian horror film Patrick for use as the office of Dr Roget (played by Robert Helpmann). Patrick had an appreciable impact on the life of the house and there are numerous stories of meeting Helpmann and seeing him dancing on the staircase. The crew even welcomed resident Russell D. Clarke onto the set allowing him to take a series of photos, including the one above left Prior to the National Trust Experimental productions of a crew member. assuming full possession of the involving collaborations among house, filmmaking reflected the residents were a feature of the creative interests of residents. 1970s. Before 1980, commercial film Inside this issue There were sophisticated home companies took considerable Filmmakers at Labassa movies such as One Man’s Family, liberties with the fabric of the a 9.5mm film with scenes shot at house to meet the needs of a script. Labassa during the Manton A section of the Drawing Room family’s residency (1947-56). wall was re-painted blue without Vale: Phil Speller Phil Speller (left) who lived in the Drawing Room flat c.1969-70, passed away in December 2013. In his Labassa days, Phil was a photographer working with fashion and graphic art photographer Kurt Veld. He previously worked with celebrated portrait photographer Athol Shmith and Above: commercial photographer John Phil Speller used Labassa as a backdrop Cato. Phil’s photography was in several of his professional fashion featured in major publications such shoots. as Myer Fashion and Distinction. Photos: Karen Wood. Above: Photo: Bruce Postle Page 2 Labassa lives Film pioneer and star Louise Lovely Left: Louise Lovely Mrs Cowen used her enduring (centre) in Jewelled celebrity to fundraise for charities Nights (1925). although she was not immune to gossip columnist barbs. Table Talk’s William Hazlitt Jnr wrote in 1938: “Louise Lovely … is now happily busy being nothing else than just Mrs Cowen, with all the glitter of Hollywood turned to a glow in the dusk of memory … Of late years Louise has become an Labassa’s most famous screen and Sound Archive (NFSA) ‘Most ardent Christian Scientist—rarely actress and film pioneer was Wanted’ list. Louise retired from will you meet her where one or Louise Lovely, known to residents the screen and married Bert Cowen, two are gathered together as Mrs Nellie Cowen. Between who by 1937 was Manager of without the conversation turning 1915 and 1922 she starred in nearly St Kilda’s Victory Theatre (now sooner or later to her pet subject.” 50 Hollywood films. On her return the National). There are no records of how long to Australia (1924) she made an The couple moved into the newly independent feature with her the Cowens resided at the Willas completed Willas flats in late 1937 flats. They moved to Hobart in then husband Wilton Welch called or early 1938. Manor Grove Jewelled Nights. As well as playing 1946, where Bert became resident Barry Jones, who was Manager of the Prince of Wales the lead, Louise produced, befriended by the Cowens, recalls designed and contributed to the Theatre and Mrs Cowen ran the Nellie’s ‚elaborate toilet gear, her sweets store next door. editing. Jewelled Nights is now one furs, and her chocolates and being of Australia’s ‘lost films’ and taken to the cinema‛. appears on the National Film Low budgets and high aspirations Labassa resident John Laurie was Year at Marienbad and made ‚with at the forefront of a new era of no money‛. The performers includ- Australian independent film ed Rosemary Gerrett, Anthony making. He started making films Everingham and Richard Beck with in the 1960s when he was a trainee music by David Evans and sound film editor at the ABC and prior to by John Morrison. Stroker (1987) which was shot the establishment of any funding without a written script. The plot After leaving Labassa, John headed bodies. of Stroker evolved from what for London with a print of the film occurred in front of the camera. In 1964-65 John was living in Flat 6 intending to leverage off it into a The actors spoke numbers and the (Upstairs Balcony) and working on film career in England ‚but was dialogue was constructed from his first production — a 30 sidetracked by the delights of body language and lip movements minute black and white 16mm film ‘Swinging London’ and foreign after editing. Performers included called Choice of an Evening Face travel‛. John Laurie went on to take John Flaus and Ross Macleod. which was an adaptation of a tale a lead acting role in the contro- in Cervantes' Don Quixote. versial and once banned Pure S Copies of Choice of an Evening Face, According to John, it was heavily (1975). He directed a number of Pure S and Stroker are held by the influenced by Alain Resnais’ Last shorts and the innovative feature National Film and Sound Archive. Labassa lives Page 3 Exploring the Surreal Far left: Daryl Lindquist late 1970s with cans of the film. Photo: Daryl Lindquist. Left: A page from the Inkspots comic book which was based on the film made at Labassa. Image: Daryl Lindquist and Andrew Strathie. The resurgence of the Australian ‚We shot the movie circa 1973/74 ‚It included Russell Hellyer and film industry in the 1970s was over a couple of months, in short me playing chess with dead largely realised through govern- chunks. Since we had no idea what scorpions. Much of the film was ment funding bodies. Innovative we were doing, it wasn't very inspired by the early films of short films had their own fund — good. Our cameraman was Robert Luis Buñuel and Alejandro the Experimental Film and Pickford who had never used a Jodorowsky.‛ Stephen believes Television Fund (1970-78) — and movie camera but was familiar the plan was to call the film ‚any-one school-age to bald-age‛ with still cameras (which was Belladonna after the poisonous was encouraged to apply. more than the rest of us). Our lead plant also known as Deadly actor was Russell Hellyer, who Nightshade. Labassa’s grounds A group of friends with Labassa had never acted. Labassa resident were overgrown with Morning connections did just that. Graphic Stephen Hall was also involved, Glory, a member of the Night- artist Daryl Lindquist, who has along with Brian Hellyer (Russell's shade family. been guardian of the resulting film brother), Elaine Baker and others for 40 years, recently donated the According to Daryl Lindquist, the who drifted in and out, and whose original 16mm footage to Labassa. film didn’t reach a final cut stage. names escape me. A year or two after filming he ‚The film was our first attempt at ‚I was introduced to Labassa by converted the script into a anything like this,‛ Daryl says. Stephen Hall. It was such a great graphic short story, which was ‚We applied for a grant. We location. There were a couple of published in the first issue of submitted a script, written by scenes set in the house including a Inkspots, an Australian comic Labassa resident Andrew Strathie, shot of a canoe being carried up magazine. The above page from and got an interview. It must have the main staircase. At the time we Inkspots provides some insights been pretty clear we knew zero were all into Surrealism and into the film’s intended visual about making movies, but they exploring the subconscious and impact. Note in particular the gave us a grant anyway (a couple psyche.‚ man in the boat, the chessboard of thousand dollars from memory, pattern and scorpions, all of enough to hire a camera for a Stephen Hall remembers the boat which were featured in the film- couple of weeks). on the staircase shoot very well. ing at Labassa. Page 4 Labassa lives Apostasy Left: Juliet Bacskai as ‘The Woman’ and Rod McNicol as ‘The Man’. Photo: Peter Friedrich. Right: Rod McNicol’s photos of artist and resident John Money. The first was taken in his room at Labassa with his art works in the background. According to resident Miriam Gregory, Apostasy also represents an important the feature film Apostasy was shot in the phase in Australian film history. Music Room (Flat 2) over a three month According to director Zbigniew Peter period in 1977. Several residents were Friedrich, Apostasy was part of a involved in the production and the movement to make non-mainstream credits acknowledge Miriam Gregory, Australian feature films and help revive Leonie Gregory and Ann Moir the Australian film industry. amongst others. With a tiny budget of around $13,000, Peter Friedrich relied on cameramen A photograph of artist John Money, from production houses such as who lived in the Smoking Room and Crawfords to contribute the raw film shared the Flat with the Gregory sisters, left over at the end of their own shoots was incorporated in the script. known as ‘short ends’. Apostasy’s lead actor, Rod McNicol, went on to become an internationally The complex structure of the film defies a successful photographer, winning the simplistic summary. Set during the 1975 2012 National Photographic Portrait election campaign, which saw the defeat Prize for his photo of Jack Charles. of the Whitlam Government, it focuses Only one of Rod McNicol’s photos on the interactions of two characters — of John Money was used in Apostasy.

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