The Removalists

Infobox_Film
name = The Removalists


imdb_id = 0073618
writer = David Williamson
starring = Peter Cummins,
John Hargreaves,
Kate Fitzpatrick,
Jackie Weaver,
Chris Haywood
director = Tom Jeffrey
producer = Richard Brennan,
Margaret Fink
distributor =
released = 1975
runtime = 93 min.
language = English
music = Galapagos Duck
awards =
budget =

The Removalists (1971) is a play written by Australian playwriter David Williamson. The main issues the play addresses are violence, specifically domestic violence, and the abuse of power and authority. The story is supposed to be a microcosm of 1970s Australian society.

It was adapted into a Margaret Fink-produced film in 1975, starring Peter Cummins as Simmonds, John Hargreaves as Ross, Kate Fitzpatrick as Kate, Jackie Weaver as Fiona, Martin Harris as Kenny, and Chris Haywood as the Removalist.

The Plot

The play begins in a police station as the Constable Neville Ross meets Sergeant Dan Simmonds. This is Ross's first placement, as he has just finished his police training. Simmonds establishes his authority by continually patronising Ross. Simmonds explains his antipathy to modern police training, and his comments reveal him as sexist and chauvinistic.

Kate Mason and Fiona Carter (who are sisters) enter. Kate encourages Fiona as she tells Ross and Simmonds about her husband Kenny's physical abuse of her. Simmonds gets Ross to take photos of Fiona's bruises, his actions imbued with sexual intent. Simmonds convinces the insecure Fiona of the importance of the actions, saying that her bruises should be "visible signs of abuse to the medically untrained eye".

The sexual innuendo is developed as the two sisters display competitive attitudes for Simmonds’ attention. Simmonds arranges for himself and Ross to help Fiona move her furniture to her new flat and the atmosphere suggests that Simmonds justifiably expects sexual favours from the sisters in return for his help. They then depart for Fiona and Kenny's flat.

At the flat, Kenny returns home drunk and becomes violent, and the Removalist, who has been contracted to remove Fiona's belongings, continually complains. Simmonds and Ross burst in, and cuff Kenny, while the Removalist proceeds to remove the furniture. Tensions rise, until Ross, provoked beyond all reason beats up Kenny, who then dies suddenly from a brain haemorrhage.

Characters

There are six characters in the play. There are some unseen characters, however, such as a car salesman, Fiona's Mother and Kenny's baby daughter Sophie.

immonds

Simmonds is the police sergeant who abuses his power by threatening the new recruit, Ross. He is a chauvinistic hypocrite who has no respect for women, including his own wife and daughter. He sees to satisfy his sexually perverse needs through the pretext of examining his clients, such as Fiona, for marks "apparent to the medically untrained eye". His clients, usually victims of circumstances, are in desperate need of help.

Through the character Simmonds, Williamson shows that the authority conferred upon society can be exploitative and violent. Williamson demonstrates that should abuse occur in a police station and under the witness of policemen, their victims rendered powerless.

Ross

Ross is a recruit who has only recently joined the police force after being in training for one year. When he is assigned his first duty at a small police station located in a small suburb of Melbourne, Ross becomes a subject of abuse from his sergeant Simmonds.As the play progresses, he begins taking part in the actions of corruption that Simmonds creates.Near the end of the play, Ross assaults Kenny after losing his temper. Under the belief that he had killed Kenny, Ross tries to blackmail Simmonds to save himself. Simmonds gets a taste of his own medicine.The transformation from a naïve recruit to abuser of power is clearly depicted. He is no longer a puppet for Simmonds but a player in this sick game.

Kate

Kate Mason is married with three children. The wife of a dentist, she enjoys an upper class lifestyle. Her children attend one of Melbourne's "better" (more exclusive/expensive) schools. Kate forms a feminine mirror to Simmonds. They both like to be in a position of power, which is evident of Kate's controlling of her sister Fiona. Like Simmonds, Kate has been unfaithful to her partner on numerous occasions.

Fiona

Fiona Carter is Kate's sister. Fiona wants to divorce her husband Kenny, after being beaten by him. She is a passive housewife and fits into the stereotypical gender roles of 1970s Australia. She is married to Kenny, and has a baby daughter Sophie. Fiona is insecure, vulnerable and hesitant to leave.

Kenny

Kenny is depicted as a "larrikin" working-class man, and represents the stereotypical egoistic "Aussie" male of the 70s. The play's action is instigated by Kenny's beating of his wife Fiona, the reporting of which prompts her visit to Ross and Simmonds's police station, and her move out of their shared home. Kenny is very hot-headed and his vocabulary is vulgar Australian vernacular.

Comparisons to Simmonds reveal they share similar qualities (or perform a similar conception of masculinity); they both like to use threats, use sexually explicit and rude language and both use physical forms of violence to make them seem dominant. The play's major plot twist occurs in the final minutes when Kenny, despite apparently having recovered from a beating by Ross to the point where he begins to negotiate a deal with the two officers, dies suddenly and mid-conversation from a brain hemorrhage. In the end Kenny seems to be the victim.

The Removalist

The removalist (Rob) is the man who moves the furniture out of Fiona and Kenny's house when they are separating. The Removalist represents the everyman who 'sits on the fence'. His main concern is getting paid for the work, and running off to the next 'job'. He represents another part of Australian society whom are passive in times of crisis.The removalist is a curious character in the play. He plays no role in involving himself in helping others. The only thing we know is that he has 'ten thousand worth of machinery tickin' over there'.

Issues

The play deals with a lot of issues/themes/concerns and expresses these through the 'new age theatre' that David Williamson enages his audiences through. For the first time Australians were seeing themselves on stage. Symbolically David Williamson explores Australian society through the characters, themes and concerns. For example, "The Removalist" represents the everyman who 'sits on the fence'. The use of the 'police force' is interesting too - it is a blackly humorous pun, given the force and violence that the two police characters use.

Violence is a constant theme throughout the play. Words such as 'fuck' and 'shit' are provocative and confronting but also true of the 'ocker' language and mannerisms that Kenny, Ross and Simmonds embody.

Background

The play is set in 1971 - a turbulent time in Australian history and society. In 1956, Melbourne hosted the Olympic games, and television was launched in Australia. Both these events meant Australians began to see more of the world, and had a different picture of their place in it.In 1962,changes were made enabling the indigenous Aboriginal population to vote. In the same year, the Vietnam War began, which led to an increasing Australian involvement, including the introduction of National service (1964.)In 1964, The Beatles toured Australia. Young girls went crazy, and society changed forever.In 1966, the Australian Labour Party dropped the White Australia Policy as part of its party's platform.1969 saw Man walk on the moon, and Australian Women getting the right to equal pay.In the late 1960's and into the early 70's, Australian Society was getting more publicly vocal - women's right, indigenous rights, protesting against the Vietnam war, etc. With a string of public trials against corruption in the police force, The Removalists is an examination of Australian Society at one of its most turbulent times.

External links

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20051107010423/http://www.hccy.cg.catholic.edu.au/home/pamela_cohen/removalists/removalistindex.htm David Williamson's The Removalists - An online Study Guide for Year 11 English]
* [http://www.theblurb.com.au/Issue32/Removalists.htm The Blurb - Moving Out]
* [http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=Number%3A50559;querytype=;rec=0;resCount=10 The Removalist at the National Film and Sound Archive]