My First Wife is a 1984 Australian drama film directed by Paul Cox. The film won several AFI Awards in 1984.
Plot John is a composer and radio presenter. His wife Helen tells him she is leaving him, having had an affair with one of his friends, Tim. Helen moves out with their daughter Lucy to her parents' house.
John becomes mororse and potentially violent. He sleeps with a work colleague, Hilary, and takes pills and wakes up in a psychiatric unit. Helen movies back in briefly but he tries to sleep with her when she does not want to and he hits her. Helen keeps seeing Tim. John abducts Lucy and the police do nothing. John returns Lucy to her mother.
During this John's father dies.
Cast John Hargreaves as John Wendy Hughes as Helen Lucy Angwin as Lucy David Cameron as Tom Anna Maria Monticelli (Anna Jemison) as Hilary Betty Lucas as Helen's Mother Lucy Uralov as John's Mother Robin Lovejoy as John's father Charles 'Bud' Tingwell as Helen's Father Jon Finlayson as Bernard Julia Blake as Kirstin Dennis Miller as Public Bar Patron (uncredited)
Production The film was based on the breakdown of Cox's marriage. He started writing the script, showed it to Bob Ellis and the two men wrote the screenplay together. (Ellis says they spent a day and a half on it.Interview with Bob Ellis, 13 August 1996 accessed 14 October 2012)
Film Victoria invested $150,000 and loaned $120,000. The original budget was $700,000 but it was made for less.
The film was shot mostly at a house in Williamstown in Melbourne.David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p99-100
Music Choir: Members of the Tudor Choristers directed by David Carolane Christoph Willibald Gluck: "Orpheus & Euridice". Berliner Symphoniker – Hermann Prey, Conductor – Horst Stein Joseph Haydn - "Paukenmesse", Bayerischen Rundfunks Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Conductor – Rafael Kubelik, Polygram Ann Boyd - "As I crossed a Bridge of Dreams", "Cycle of love", Faber Music Ltd. Carl Orff - "Carmine Burana" Czech Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, Conducted by Vaclev Smetacek, Supraphon Rene Geyer - "Hot Minuets", Mushroom Records, Australia Frans Sussmayr - "Grandfather's Birthday Celebration", Hungarian Radio Children's Chorus, Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Conductor – Laszlo Csanyl
Box office My First Wife grossed $413,199 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $1,049,525 in 2009 dollars.
Awards My First Wife won in 1984 AFI Awards in the Best Actor in a Lead Role (John Hargreaves), Best Director (Paul Cox), Best Original Screenplay (Paul Cox, Bob Ellis) categories and was nominated in 4 more categories (Best Film, Best Editor, Best Actress, Best Cinematographer). Paul Cox also won the 1986 Grand Prix award at Film Fest Gent in 1986.IMDb awards
See also Cinema of Australia
References
Notes
External links
My First Wife at Letterbox DVD My First Wife at the Australian screen My First Wife at Screen Australia My First Wife at BFI My First Wife at AustLit