Bonjour Balwyn
Clip 3: Repo men
2 min 56 sec
Taken from the feature Bonjour Balwyn (1971)
Original title classification not known – this clip chosen to be G
Availability of the complete title
Curator’s clip description
Kevin (John Duigan) meets a TV repairman (Peter Cummins), who offers him a way to earn some money. Kevin has to keep defaulters talking at their front door as his mate repossesses various electrical goods via the back door. Kevin applies his acting skills to the task, posing as a bible salesman, a taker of surveys about sexuality, or a purveyor of free foreign-language classes.
Curator’s notes
A more overt style of comedy takes over near the end, as Kevin discovers a more can-do approach to making money. The film ends a few minutes later with Cummins pulling an armed robbery, as Kevin waits in the car, horrified by where his penury has got him – but very pleased to receive a cut of the loot. Buesst leaves the question of his future very much up for grabs, suggesting that Kevin’s idealism may have been skin-deep all along.
Paul Byrnes, curator
