At the Inner West Film Forum (at the Petersham Bowling Club) - A rare screening of Nigel Buesst's BONJOUR BALWYN (Melbourne, Victoria, 1971)

John Duigan, Bonjour Balwyn

I'm sure I've written about Nigel Buesst's wonderful low-budget comedy BONJOUR BALWYN sometime somewhere but can't for the life of me recall just where.

Never mind, it has a very rare screening next Monday 26th November at the Petersham Bowling Club  starting at 7.30 pm sponsored by the Inner West Film Forum. If you've never seen this little gem of a movie then head out to to the Petersham Bowling Club for what will be a treat.

A little background. Bonjour Balwyn was an early recipient of the modest largesse of the Experimental Film Fund established by the Gorton Government on the back of the recommendations of Phillip Adams, Barry Jones and the now forgotten Peter Coleman. Oops, nostalgia.

John Duigan has the lead in Bonjour Balwyn.  He plays Kevin Agar a young man publishing a struggling magazine, beset by creditors including one played by moi (wearing glasses) in a scene shot at the Melbourne trots one Saturday night.

Kevin's struggles to raise money lead him to take a job as an offsider to a repossession agent played by the great man Peter Cummins. The scenes of the two at work are, IMHO, hilarious.

Its a terrific little movie played with a lot of heart and soul and it, along with Brian Davies Brake Fluid not merely kicked along Nigel's career but also introduced John Duigan, till then an unknown would be actor/writer/novelist hanging around the University of Melbourne.

I can just hope that more than a few with either long memories or abundant curiosity turn up for the show.

The evening is completed by a screening of another of Nigel's medium length movies, the boxing drama Come Out Fighting. 

Quite a Night!