Spotswood (1992)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Mark Joffe

Writers:

Max Dann (written by) and
Andrew Knight (written by)

Release Date:

July 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

An everyday story about loyalty, betrayal, lust and footwear.

Plot:

An expert on productivity shows wacky workers in 1966 Australia how to run their moccasin factory like clockwork, despite laying off more than half the workforce.

Plot Keywords:

Factory | Moccasin | Efficiency Expert | Efficiency | Australia

Awards:

3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Anthony Hopkins	...	Errol Wallace
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Carey
Alwyn Kurts	...	Mr. Ball
Bruno Lawrence	...	Robert, Carey's Father
John Walton	...	Jerry Finn
Rebecca Rigg	...	Cheryl Ball
Toni Collette	...	Wendy Robinson
Russell Crowe	...	Kim Barry
Angela Punch McGregor	...	Caroline Wallace
Daniel Wyllie	...	Frank Fletcher
John Flaus	...	Gordon
Gary Adams	...	Kevin
Jeff Truman	...	Ron
Toni Lamond	...	Mrs. Lorna Ball
Jillian Murray	...	Ophelia, Carey's Mom (as Jillian Murray)

Also Known As:

The Efficiency Expert (USA)

Runtime:

Argentina:97 min | UK:95 min | USA:85 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Sweden:7 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Commission, The

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Carey walks past two railway carriages with the word 'VLine' on them. VLine is the trading name of the State Transport Authority. It was formed in 1983 when the Victorian Railways was split into two organisations. However the film is set in the 1960s and Vline did not exist at this time.

Quotes:

[Carey's little brother sees him writing a poem.]
Carey's Brother: Hee-hee-hee. Who's Cheryl?
Carey: No one you'd know. A model.
Carey's Brother: "I wake up with the sun, bright and new. I listen to the sun, and the early morning dew." Dew doesn't make any noise.
Carey: What? Look, it's my poem, I can write what I like.
Carey's Brother: Just trying to help. If I was you I'd stick to drawing.

Movie Connections:

Features "My Name's McGooley, What's Yours?" (1967)

Soundtrack:

Hey Baby

They do good work "down under."

Who knew Hannibal Lector could be so subtly funny and filled with pathos. Hopkns turns in a marvelous role of the efficiency consultant who thinks nothing of recommending that half a work force be fired for better profits. Then he visits a down and out shoe company and meets his match in the Mendelshohn and Kurts characters and the rest of their workmates. Indeed, Kurts steals the film as the owner who lives back then and hopes that his efficiency expert can get him and his factory into the modern era, but does not expect it to be as brutal and painful as it is.

Kudos to all. If you want a droll comedy that gives remarkable insight into the human dilemma, rent this. You will not regret it. In closing, pay close attention to how Hopkins portrays a plethora of emotions with only his facial and non verbal reactions. He is a genius!