Director Peter Weir
When I first learned that Peter Weir, the great Australian director behind such indelible movies as Witness (1985), Dead Poets Society (1989) and The Truman Show (1998), had directed a billiards short film early in his career, I was giddy. After all, Weir was a six-time Oscar nominee. Granted, I had never seen any of Weir’s films prior to Galipoli (1981), but we’re talking about a highly credible and accomplished director.
Oh, man, was I disappointed.
It turns out The Billiard Room was no ordinary short film. The seven-minute billiards short film (shown below), commissioned by the Australian Commonwealth Unit in 1972, was part of a longer 47-minute “teaching aid” film created that year for the Commonwealth as it started to invest in “message films” to speak to an evolving and increasingly complex Australian society. The Billiard Room was also part of a larger “adult learning” series Weir filmed, including Boat Building (a man pursues his dream of building a boat); The Computer Centre (An older staff member struggles with the introduction of new technology); Field Day (an agricultural field day provides an opportunity to share ideas); and The Country Couldn’t Do Without You.
Perhaps to mitigate confusion or reduce liability, the movie begins with the following prologue: “This film should not be screened by itself as a documentary. It does not provide direct information on the process of adult learning. It is a teaching aid which provides a basis for discussion.”
The billiards short film then focuses on a student at a pool hall who is considering dropping out of the university. Suddenly, he receives an impromptu lesson in the game of snooker from some scraggly fellow. Apparently, this lesson was designed as a teaching aid to promote group discussion on the problems of the adult learning process in management – staff relations.
I have no idea how this film is a teaching aid on adult learning processes. The only thing that is clear is it’s certainly not a teaching aid on snooker. Not when the guy is doling out advice, such as “You need a good cue. Straight.” Or, “in this game, you don’t move the ball.” And, “the further away, the harder the play.” Finally, my favorite piece of lunacy: “The thing to remember is always hit the cue ball dead center. Every time.”
What?????
I assure you that I’m a raving fan of the land Down Under, but between The Billiard Room and Hard Kunckle, the subject of a future blog post, Australia has not been kind to the billiards movie genre.
For an in-depth review of Peter Weir’s filmography, check out Sense of Cinema – Peter Weir.
