Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home Culture

15 AMORE

byStaff writers
25 June 2000 - Updated on 25 March 2021
Reading Time: 2 mins read
AA
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Starring: Lisa Hensley, Steve Bastoni
Director: Maurice Murphy
Rated: M

THE new home-grown film 15 Amore captures the world of rural Australia in World War II brilliantly, where people played tennis, the days were long, the men were away and the women were in control.

Dorothy (Lisa Hensley) lives on a property called “Wallalong” in country NSW with her three young children, Brendan, Denis and Mercia. Her husband, Bill, has been away at war since it started in 1939.

The government has given Dorothy two Italian POWs, Alfredo (Steve Bastoni) and Joseph (Domenic Galati), to help her run the farm. She offers a home to two German Jewish refugees, Rachel (Tara Jakszewicz) and Madame Guttman (Gertraud Ingeborg).

The film’s title comes from the way Alfredo calls the score at the regular tennis matches.

Dorothy’s kindness to everyone on the farm enables the horror and dislocation of the war to subside through the simple pleasures of gold panning, picnics, tennis matches and meals. Even the weekly visit from the army to check on the “enemy aliens” is a reasonable affair.

Only the weekly newsreel, shown at the local shire hall, reminds the farm of the horror overseas and the propaganda fed and swallowed at home.

Toward the end of the war, however, Joseph falls in love with Rachel and a bitter local battle breaks out at “Wallalong”.

This film is largely autobiographical. Director, writer and producer Maurice Murphy lovingly portrays the humanity of the seven other characters with whom he spent the war. He captures so well the collision of cultures we easily forget, like when Dorothy first eats pasta, or how Madame Guttman is petrified of Australia’s snakes and spiders, or when Alfredo’s body hosts a tick in the most delicate of places.

Technically the film is very fine indeed. John Brock’s cinematography is outstanding, especially the pictures of the insects and animals. Dana Hughes’ editing is terrific. The attention to period detail is, on the whole, meticulous. The acting is appropriately low key and unaffected, though the Guttmans’ German accents seem to wear off as the film goes on.

Related Stories

Gwen has given 15,000 hours of cuddles to sick and premature babies

Helping stroke survivors earns Ozcare volunteer national recognition

Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

The narrator of the film is the adult Brendan (Bill Hunter) but his voice-over is a little too strongly produced to be engaging. Furthermore there seems to be confusion about Brendan’s age and the film brings some attention to it.

Finally, no matter when we see “Wallalong” the clothes and trees tell us it is summer, even when the end of the war is declared in August!

These are small quibbles in comparison to the warmth and humour of this film. 15 Amore is about telling stories we are in danger of forgetting and it won me over game, set and match.

ShareTweet
Previous Post

Man with a passion

Next Post

Childers reaches out to backpacker fire victims

Staff writers

Related Posts

Gwen has given 15,000 hours of cuddles to sick and premature babies
QLD

Gwen has given 15,000 hours of cuddles to sick and premature babies

20 May 2022
Helping stroke survivors earns Ozcare volunteer national recognition
QLD

Helping stroke survivors earns Ozcare volunteer national recognition

20 May 2022
Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning
QLD

Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

19 May 2022
Next Post

Childers reaches out to backpacker fire victims

Third Fatima secret released

Loss to India

Popular News

  • Catholic relationship advisers offer five tips to look after your mental health

    Nationwide rosary event happening for Australia’s patroness this Saturday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Angel’s Kitchen serves hot meals to the hungry in Southport

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Queensland election: The pro-life political parties committed to abortion law reforms

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Here are the stories of 10 new saints being canonised this Sunday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

Gwen has given 15,000 hours of cuddles to sick and premature babies
QLD

Gwen has given 15,000 hours of cuddles to sick and premature babies

by Joe Higgins
20 May 2022
0

BRISBANE grandmother Gwendoline Grant has clocked up 15,000 hours cuddling and caring for sick and premature babies...

Helping stroke survivors earns Ozcare volunteer national recognition

Helping stroke survivors earns Ozcare volunteer national recognition

20 May 2022
Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

Br Alan Moss remembered for a life of faith and learning

19 May 2022
Catholic relationship advisers offer five tips to look after your mental health

Nationwide rosary event happening for Australia’s patroness this Saturday

19 May 2022
Francis offers advice on politics: Seek unity, don’t get lost in conflict

Francis offers advice on politics: Seek unity, don’t get lost in conflict

19 May 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping