Far East (film)

Far East is a 1982 Australian drama film directed by John Duigan and starring Bryan Brown, Helen Morse and John Bell. Far East has many similarities to the 1942 classic Casablanca.

Far East
Directed by	John Duigan
Written by	John Duigan
Produced by	Richard Mason
Starring	Bryan Brown Helen Morse John Bell
Cinematography	Brian Probyn
Edited by	Henry Dangar
Music by	Sharon Calcraft
Production company	Filmco
Distributed by	Umbrella Entertainment Village Roadshow
Release date	30 July 1982 (1982-07-30)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English
Budget	AU$1.3 million[1]
Box office	AU$1,972,000 (Australia)

Filmink said it was "part of Australian cinema’s (brief as it turned out) interest in Asia in the early '80s".^[2]

Plot

Journalist Peter Reeves (John Bell) takes his wife Jo (Helen Morse) to the Far East. There they meet Morgan Keefe (Bryan Brown), an expat Aussie who owns a sleazy bar/nightspot called "The Koala Klub". After renewing their romance, Jo seeks Morgan's help when her husband is persecuted by the military regime for his investigations.

Cast

• Bryan Brown as Morgan Keefe
• Helen Morse as Jo Reeves
• John Bell as Peter Reeves
• Raina McKeon as Rosita Constanza
• Henry Duvall as Rodolfo De Cruz
• Sinan Leong as Nene
• Bill Hunter as Walker
• John Clayton as Tony Alsop
• Louise Pajo as Shirley
• Duc Sanh Lieu as Kip
• Anna Rowena as Julia

Production

The original script was about an international business conference in the Philippines where members of the Philippines New Army surrounded them. However, the story would then drift to more of a Casablanca-type tale. Macao was used for eight days of location shooting.^[1]

Awards

John Bell was nominated at the 1982 AFI Awards in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category.

Box office

Far East grossed $1,972,000 at the box office in Australia.^[3]

Home media

Far East was released on DVD with a new print by Umbrella Entertainment in April 2012. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as the theatrical trailer and audio commentary with director John Duigan.^[4]

See also

• Cinema of Australia