A NEW COMEDY FROM BRUCE BERESFORD DIRECTOR OF “DRIVING MISS DAISY” ACADEMY AWARD WINNER BEST FILM Ladies in Black 1 Ladies in Black an alluring and tender-hearted comedy about the lives of a group of de- partment store employees in 1959 Sydney Director Bruce Beresford Producers Allanah Zitserman and Sue Milliken Screenplay Bruce Beresford and Sue Milliken Based on the novel The Women In Black by Madeleine St John PRAISE FOR THE BOOK “... masterpiece, a witty and poignant snapshot of Sydney the year before yesterday.” BARRY HUMPHRIES “This book is like the perfect, vintage little black dress. It is beautifully constructed, it evokes another time while being mysteriously classic and up to date, and it makes you feel happy. I love it.” KAZ COOKE (Author & Cartoonist) “Seductive, hilarious, brilliantly observed, this novel shimmers with wit and tenderness.” HELEN GARNER (Author & Screenwriter) Cover designed by Studio DA All other images by Rene Gruau © 2016 Samson Productions Pty Ltd, The Entertainment Quarter 205/122 Lang Road Moore Park, NSW 2021 Australia 2 Background Now is the perfect time to bring this story, with all of its charm and wit, to the screen. Madeleine St John’s Australian classic The Women In Black is to be brought to the screen by internationally acclaimed director Bruce Beresford - cinematic master of wit and tenderness. Beresford has been passionate about making a movie of this celebrated novel ever since he read it almost twenty years ago. The film titledLadies In Black is set in the summer of 1959 as the world is on the brink of the swinging sixties and captures through its beautifully crafted characters the rapidly changing cultural landscape of Australia at the time. As author and broadcaster Clive James noted, “Madeleine St John evokes the collision of modern European history and the still awakening Australian culture”. The novel, described by many reviewers as a masterpiece, is uncannily modern. Its themes, a cultural clash with the arrival of migrants in a staid and homogenous society and the transition of a young girl to womanhood, are as relevant today as they were half a century ago. 3 Contents BACKGROUND 3 BRIEF SYNOPSIS 5 SYNOPSIS 6 BRUCE BERESFORD 8 ALLANAH ZITSERMAN 10 SUE MILLIKEN 12 ALLANAH & SUE’S TAKE 14 BRUCE’S TAKE 15 MADELEINE & ME 16 PRODUCTION & AUDIENCE 20 CONTACT 21 4 Brief Synopsis Sydney, at the end of the 1950s, when thousands of European migrants are arriving to make new lives. Suburban schoolgirl Lisa, while waiting for the results of her final high school exams, takes a summer job at a large city department store. Here she meets many of the “ladies in black” (all the employees are required to wear black) including Magda, a worldly, sophisticated and imperious Slovenian immigrant who manages “Model Gowns”, the high fashion boutique within the store. Beguiled and influenced by the exotic ways of Magda and her circle of friends, Lisa starts metamorphosing - to the horror of her controlling father and bewildered mother - from a shy schoolgirl to a positive and glamorous young woman. 5 Synopsis Adapted from the best selling novel by Madeleine a young woman with a neglectful husband. An St John. The story takes place in Sydney in the older supervisor, Miss Cartwright, who comes to summer of 1959 - a time when thousands of appreciate Lisa’s intelligence. Most important of migrants were coming to Australia from Europe. all, Magda - the Slovenian immigrant who is in charge of “Model Gowns” the most fashionable Lesley Miles (Lisa) is 16 years old. Her father, Ed section of the store. Because of her innate Miles, works as a compositor on the night-shift of sophistication and an unverifiable claim that she a major city newspaper. Her mother is a suburban worked in a Paris fashion house before the war, she housewife. is somewhat resented by the Australian sales ladies. Lisa has just finished high school and has to wait Magda finds Lisa a capable assistant and befriends for her final examination results to appear. She her. She invites Lisa to lunch at her apartment in a wants to attend University, a wish forcefully harbour suburb and introduces her to her Hungarian opposed by her father, who - in common with many husband, Stefan, and his friend, Rudi. Lisa enjoys men of his generation - thinks that educating girls the European food provided, so different to her as far as University is pointless, as they won’t have mother’s cooking. After lunch Magda gives her a career but will simply marry and have children. some advice on her clothes, hair and make-up. Lisa’s mother is more sympathetic but both she and Lisa are dominated by a man whose life, apart from Lisa’s parents (especially her father) find it difficult his printing job, is an obsession with horse-racing. to cope with their daughter’s changing attitudes and style. With her growing self confidence she Lisa finds a job over the Christmas holidays at now tells them that she no longer wants to be called Goodes, a major city department store. Here she Lesley, but “Lisa” – the name by which she is meets a variety of sales ladies (the store uniform is known by the staff at Goode’s. the black dress), and becomes friends with some of them - Faye, an ex-dancer who has had some The high school exam results are announced. unhappy love affairs and is “over men”, Patty, Because he works at the newspaper where all the 6 results are published Mr Miles is the first to hear Patty’s life hits a crisis when her husband of his daughter’s brilliance. He is stunned then disappears for some weeks after a night of torrid overwhelmed by the congratulations of the staff of lovemaking. When he returns she realises he was the newspaper. Despite a display of indifference, he embarrassed at his outburst of passion. An outburst is proud of his clever offspring. that in fact delighted her. Once he is aware she was not offended but thrilled, their passion continues. Still with reservations – he considers Universities hotbeds of licentiousness - he bows to a concen- With the help of a sale price and a staff discount trated assault by his wife and daughter and agrees Lisa manages to buy the dress that she has fallen to Lisa’s enrolment. in love with. She wears it – now no longer an awkward schoolgirl but a beautiful young woman Goodes is inundated in the Christmas rush. Lisa has - to a party at Magda’s apartment. Even Mr Miles her eye on a beautiful dress in Magda’s department is now reconciled to her “refugee” friends. With that she can’t afford. hesitation, but then with warily expressed delight, he enjoys the pate, salami and Australian wine Lisa suggests to Magda, that Stefan’s friend Rudi, (he’d always been a beer drinker) offered by the who is looking for an Australian girl-friend – effervescent Magda. “some of them are very beautiful” – might like to meet Fay. Magda surveys Fay…” she is about Lisa tells the group that after University she’d like 30 or less. She is not quite beautiful, but not bad. to be “an actress… or a poet… or a novelist… or Her maquillage is terrible and of course she has maybe all three”. no style. Perfect!” The romance blossoms, as Faye (tired of the rough tactics of her Australian would- be-lovers) succumbs to a man who has charm and appreciates her. Her friend, Myra, warns her against falling in love with a “Continental” but Fay is not to be dissuaded. 7 Bruce Beresford DIRECTOR AWARDS [selected] DONS PARTY Australian Film Awards Best Director BREAKER MORANT Australian Film Awards Best Script and Best Director THE FRINGE DWELLERS Australian Film Awards Best Adapted Screenplay and Official Competition, Cannes Film Festival TENDER MERCIES Academy Award nomination for Best Director BLACK ROBE Canadian Academy Awards Best Film and Best Director MAO’S LAST DANCER winner of 11 international film festival Audience Awards for Best Film DRIVING MISS DAISY Academy Award Winner Best Film 8 ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S most popular and well-known directors, Bruce Beresford is a graduate of Sydney University. He worked from 1964 - 66 as a film editor in Nigeria, then went to London where he was head of the British Film Institute Production Board from 1966 - 1970. The board encouraged many talented film makers at the beginning of their careers - including Ridley and Tony Scott, Mike Leigh, Nick Broomfield, Stephen Frears and Derek Boshier. Bruce returned to Australia in 1972 and made the feature The Adventures of Barry McKenzie - a popular success. Later films includeDon’s Party, The Getting of Wisdom, The Club, Puberty Blues, The Fringe Dwellers and Breaker Morant. In 1983, Bruce went to USA and directed Tender Mercies; for which he received an Academy Award nomination. Other films made in America include Crimes of the Heart (1986) and Driving Miss Daisy, (1989) which won four Academy Awards including Best Film. Black Robe followed Driving Miss Daisy and won ten Canadian Screen awards including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Later films include Mister Johnson, Silent Fall, Double Jeopardy and Mao’s Last Dancer. His most recent film (2016) isMr Church a drama with Eddie Murphy, Britt Robertson and Natasha McElhone. For TV Bruce has directed And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself with Antonio Banderas, a 3 hour Bonnie and Clyde with Emile Hirsch and Holliday Grainger and an episode of the 2016 remake of Roots. He has written an entertaining and indiscreet book about his film experiences – Josh Hartnett Definitely Wants to do This.