ROUGH DIAMONDS
Australia, 1995, 90 minutes, Colour.
Jason Donovan, Angie Milliken, Peter Phelps, Jocelyn Gabriel, Hayley Toomey, Jeff Truman, Max Cullen, Kit Taylor, Roger Ward.
Directed by Donald Crombie.
Rough Diamonds is a popular entertainment from 90 the mid-1990s, capitalising on the reputation and popularity of Jason Donovan, actor in Neighbours, singer…
The setting is a Queensland country town, the open highway and a truck hitting a car off the road. The driver is Chrissy, a singer (Angie Millikan), unhappily married to a lawyer, travelling with her daughter. They are stranded in the town, and dependent on Mike, Jason Donovan, who is actually a cattle man, driving to supplement his income. There have been difficulties in the family, deaths, car crash, and struggling to keep his farm going. His younger sister cares for their prize ball.
The film shows the image of a country town of the past, the range of characters, the pub, drinking and singing in the pub, the Rodeo and the prize money, the banking difficulties and the confrontation by the bankers.
Peter Phelps appears as a friend, would-be entrepreneur, smart, successful the rodeo, singing, collecting money in the pub, fights and friendship.
The focus on Chrissy and her daughter, who befriends Mike’s sister, shows her alienation from her husband, the attraction to Mike, and her being commandeered to drive the prize bull to the show in Brisbane while Mike has been taken to prison (fairly easy-going, playing cards with Peter Phelps and the local Constable). And the bull wins the prize.
Chrissy meets up with her husband, commenting on his infidelity, her being arrested for stealing the bull, his offering to defend her and going to the country with his week, giving a long long speech. However, the local magistrate is played entertainingly by veteran, Max Cullen, Mike’s friend, lowering the fines, good friends.
Chrissy stays in the town, has a turn in singing with Mike, then goes out on her own, the two girls supportive, Mike thinking that she was gone back with her husband to Brisbane but her staying behind, reconciliation is all round – and a happy future.
This is all pre-social media but there are mobile phones. Because of this, the story and characters are very much of the 20th century rather than the 21st.
Direction is by veteran director, Donald Crombie (Caddy, Robbery under Arms, Cathy’s Child).
