Wattamolla Fantasy
Sydney Morning Herald
Sunday July 12, 1987
A ROMAN galley with large cheeky eyes, canopy and oars at the ready bobbed up and down on Wattamolla Bay. It seemed oblivious to its short life span.
It is the pride and joy of "Seehoss" (Wayne Saunders) of Dangar Island and his mate. They used an old wooden lifeboat for its base and rebuilt the stern and bow. They designed it so the boat could actually sail and row. But the boat's days are numbered - to 35 at the very most.
The boat, called SPQR, has been built for Peter and Pompey, one of six films for children being produced by the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) at a cost of $6.5 million. The ABC has already bought screening rights for $2m.
Written by John Misto (Natural Causes, Dancing Days and Palace of Dreams), the story centres on the discovery by three children of an ancient Roman vessel in a cave. The boat, it seems, has a curse on all who have anything to do with it - hence its timely end with bangs and shooting stars representing the expunging of trapped spirits. While adults may be appalled by the destruction of a historical treasure, the conclusion is logical in children's eyes.
The way children perceive the world is very much in the mind of director Michael Carson who, with credits such as The Petrov Affair, Scales Of Justice and Man Of Letters, is making his first film for children. Being a father of a seven-year-old boy, he feels strongly about the validity of the fantasy world of children and their freedom to "take a mind trip".
Carson is also opposed to the tendency of children's films to be black and white in their depiction of good and evil. Spielberg's film Goonies had its goodies and baddies so clearly defined that Carson found it boring. In Peter and Pompey, he is determined to have normal characters with their foibles, with good points and bad points.
"My kid at seven understands quite sophisticated concepts. I suppose the spirit of my son is guiding some of the things I do," he said.
© 1987 Sydney Morning Herald
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