Lonely Hearts (1982 film)

Lonely Hearts
Lonely Hearts
Directed by	Paul Cox
Written by	Paul Cox; John Clarke
Produced by	John B. Murray
Starring	Wendy Hughes; Norman Kaye
Cinematography	Yuri Sokol
Edited by	Tim Lewis
Music by	Norman Kaye
Production; company	Adams-Packer
Distributed by	Filmways Australasian Distributors
Release date	1982;
Running time	95 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English
Budget	A$690,000

Lonely Hearts is a 1982 Australian film directed by Paul Cox which won the 1982 AFI Award for Best Film and was nominated in four other categories.^[2]

Plot

Shortly after the death of his mother, middle-aged, Peter, realizes how lonely he is. Hoping to find adventure, he signs on with a dating agency in search of a companion. Soon, Peter is introduced to a shy bank clerk Patricia. Patricia is younger than Peter, but is also lonely, having endured smothering parents.

Cast

Wendy Hughes as Patricia Curnow
Norman Kaye as Peter Thompson
Jon Finlayson as George
Julia Blake as Pamela
Jonathan Hardy as Bruce
Irene Inescort as Patricia's mother
Vic Gordon as Patricia's father
Ted Grove-Rogers as Peter's father
Maurie Fields as Taxi Driver
Pepe Trevor

Production

Paul Cox wrote the first two drafts, then Phillip Adams proposed the movie be the first of four films made by the Adams-Packer company. John Clarke was brought in to co-write and John Murray became producer. Cox was paid $30,000 which he says was the first payment he ever received for making a film.^[1]

The film was shot over six weeks with two weeks for rehearsal.^[3]

Release

The film was extremely well received and screened widely overseas, establishing Cox's reputation.^[1]

Bob Ellis later argued that the movie was Cox's best because more time and care was put into it with less improvisation. "It had a producer, a director, a script editor, you know, the usual apparatus and, of course, it's a full and wonderful film. His other ones are like brief, infinitely prolonged screams or sonatas or something..."^[4]

Home media

Lonely Hearts was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in August 2007. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as the theatrical trailer and interviews with Paul Cox, John Clarke and Wendy Hughes.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p94-95
^ IMDb awards
^ Richard Brennan, "Wendy Hughes", Cinema Papers, October 1982 p429-432
^ Interview with Bob Ellis, 13 August 1996. Retrieved 14 October 2012
^ "Umbrella Entertainment". Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2013.