"Summerfield" has an intriguing story with excellent actors, a great sense of place and loads of atmosphere.From reading some of the reviews here, it is apparent that the film wasn't well received by the critics at the time. However, forty years later, it is removed from all the influences that may have coloured a critic's judgement. The thing that surprised me was how fresh it seems - the remote setting gives it a timeless quality - it hasn't dated much beyond the makes of cars, a few 70's hairstyles and the absence of mobile phones and Xboxes. It also shows the maturity that Australian films had achieved after the more strident efforts of the 60's and early 70's.Simon Robinson, played by Nick Tate - a Robert Redford lookalike especially when shirtless - arrives in the small seaside town of Bannings Beach as a replacement for a teacher who has mysteriously disappeared.He senses that the townspeople are hiding something about the disappearance, and feels that many of them are wary of his presence. When Simon accidentally injures Sally Abbott, a pupil from his school played by Michelle Jarman, he becomes acquainted with her mother, Jenny Abbott and her uncle, David Abbott, who own a property on secluded Summerfield Island. Elizabeth Alexander, whose ethereal quality was just right for this movie, plays Jenny Abbott. John Waters as David Abbott, exudes an underlying sense of menace.Simon continues to search for clues about his predecessor's disappearance while becoming more attracted to Jenny. Eventually, after a shock finale, he learns all the answers, but wishes he hadn't.The early part of the movie reminded me a little of "The Wicker Man" - even the name Summerfield is reminiscent of Summerisle, the setting for that classic horror movie of 1973. Although the stories have different resolutions, and the similarities are no doubt coincidental, both films start with a stranger arriving in a remote location, a disappearance, and inhabitants who seem to share a secret. Even the sexual temptation by the hotel manager's wife in the case of "Summerfield" has similarities with the encounter with the landlord's daughter in "The Wicker Man". But the similarities end there, "Summerfield" heads off to it's own surprising and tragic conclusion.The movie benefits from Bruce Smeaton's score. He was a very experimental composer with an amazing range. An Aeolian harp, which works as an acoustic wind chime, and other stringed instruments including a bouzouki, all find a place in the score, which also features a lilting main theme.This is a movie that has shed whatever baggage worried the critics all those years ago - it is simply a beautifully made film that holds your attention from start to finish.

Nice to be able to pick up the DVD of this recently."Summerfield" is a remarkable film in that not very much happens, yet the viewer's attention is gripped from the first frame. The lead character is Simon Robinson, a supply teacher (played by the excellent Nick Tate of "Space 1999" fame) sent to replace another teacher who has disappeared from a remote township in Victoria, Australia.Simon almost immediately falls in with the Abbott family – brother and sister David and Jennifer, along with the latter's daughter, Sally – who live on the isolated island estate of Summerfield. The Abbotts and other locals all seem to know something about something, but nobody is saying anything beyond dropping a few obscure hints here and there.The film is a mood piece. We see shots of lonely coastline, dark clouds looming over gloomy waters. Against this ominous background, Simon comes across information about his predecessor and the Abbotts. He follows up on it, with disastrous results, leading to a doozy of a conclusion, full of savage irony. If only, if only…"Summerfield" had a very mixed critical reception on its release, but in an interview included on the DVD Nick Tate calls the film a "minor classic". Despite an irritating and superfluous side story where Simon makes love to his landlady, I certainly don't disagree.Recommended, unless you like a lot of physical action. Rating: 8/10.

A richly atmospheric mystery with a light sprinkle of eroticism and a slyly ironic epilogue.There is strict attention paid to justified camera movement and exquisite composition in this tale of blood secrets.Mike Malloy, who shot the movie, is to be commended for the beautiful, warm veneers of this subtle drama. Bruce Smeaton, who scored PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, turns in another hypnotic score that expresses the inner workings of its characters. Cliff Green, who scripted PICNIC, wrote this mildly haunting piece.Performances are above par. Nick Tate, a vastly underused Australian actor, is superb as Simon Robinson, a replacement teacher in the midst of a mystery. Elizabeth Alexander, as Jenny Abbott, delivers an extraordinary performance which is a cocktail of ice poured over steamy passion. John Waters, as her peculiar brother, achieves just the right note. Most affecting of all is little Michelle Jarman's performance as Sally Abbott. An impossibly beautiful child, she has shattering on-screen charisma and conveys an ethereal otherworldliness that contributes so much to the film's success as a mood-ridden mystery.The film is deliberately paced, but it is also quietly enchanting and seductive.

A great story yes but the real winner here is the photography. Even on a 23 year old video tape the sunsets, beach colours and water shots still look magnificent. John Waters is understated but nonetheless powerful. Nick Tate is rock solid as usual. Geraldine Turner never looked better!