National Film and Sound Archive > The Collection > Collection Spotlights

Mike and Stefani

This spotlight provides a wealth of material that we hope will appeal to those with an interest in the history of Australian film production and the filmmaking process, as well as to those whose interest is primarily in the subject matter.

You'll notice the name ScreenSound Australia on the supporting PDF material. Please note this project was completed in 2002 prior to ScreenSound Australia's name change to the National Film and Sound Archive.

Throughout white history, Australia has periodically debated immigration - who should be allowed and/or encouraged to settle in Australia? At whose expense? To whose advantage? Today, we debate the pragmatic and ethical issues around immigration applications from those who have reached Australian shores through unconventional channels. Almost sixty years ago, the debate centred on the re-settlement of people whose lives had been disrupted by World War 2 - the Displaced Persons of Europe, often called simply 'DPs'.

In particular, the Film Division of the Department of Information (later known as the Commonwealth Film Unit, and later still as Film Australia ) was called upon to produce films that would both publicise the government's participation in the international program to re-settle the DPs, and to reconcile the Australian public to the process and to the substantial social changes it would bring. The topic was addressed in several issues of Australian Diary, the film magazine series produced between 1947 and 1973, and - most notably - in the documentary-style narrative feature-length production, Mike and Stefani (pictured), released in 1952.

The starting point for documentation around the films was an exchange of letters in late 1949 between the director (Ron Maslyn Williams), who at the time was travelling around Europe preparing the film, and the producer (Stanley Hawes), head of the Film Division in Sydney. These letters are reproduced here in full, along with short biographies of the key players (Williams, Hawes, Kevin Murphy of the Department of Information, and cinematographer Reg Pearse).

Letters into Context PDF [1.6 MB]
Mike and Stefani biographical notes PDF [32 KB]

The timeline allows readers to see how the key events in the history of the film's production and distribution relate to other events in the film industry and in the wider political and social context. The film was not widely distributed, so there were few reviews: only two could be reproduced here.

Mike & Stefani Timeline PDF [26.7 KB]
Mike and Stefani Reviews PDF [17 KB]

Finally, two essays are offered – Dr Ina Bertrand uses the exchange of letters as the basis for a discussion of the production and distribution of the film, and Dr Deane Williams provides a textual analysis of the film as 'neo-realist'. All of the text is generously illustrated with production stills and images from the film. All three films discussed can be accessed via the National Collection.

Mike & Stefani: Production Letters PDF [160 KB]
Neorealism of Mike & Stefani PDF [1.147 MB]

NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS

Ina Bertrand

Ina Bertrand is currently a Principal Fellow at the University of Melbourne, after having taught Media Studies at La Trobe University for 25 years. She has researched and written extensively on the history of Australian film and television.

Deane Williams

Deane Williams is currently Head of Film and Television Studies, School of English, Communications and Performance Studies, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria.