Everynight ... Everynight
Encyclopedia
Everynight ... Everynight is an Australian drama film directed by Alkinos Tsilimidos
and released in 1994. Based on a play of the same name, written by Ray Mooney, the film details the early life of contract killer Christopher Dale Flannery
and is set inside Melbourne's HM Prison Pentridge
's maximum security H Division. Filming was undertaken at HM Prison Geelong
.
Initially Dale submits to the psychological and physical traumas of his situation. By day they attempt to break his spirit and sanity by forcing him to smash blue-stone with a pick, invoking images of Australia's convict heritage, while another inmate is compelled to perform more demeaning behaviour such as licking faeces off toilet doors. Gradually Dale becomes indifferent to the bashings and horrors of prison life and develops an alternative, subversive way to exist and express his rage.
At one point Dale is depicted pacing his cell naked and mumbling incoherently. It seems as if the ego shattering experience has forced him to the verge of insanity. It's not until he claims : "I've resigned from this life" and urges the other inmates to do so as well, that we see method in his madness. By refusing to play the dehumanising prison game anymore the guards have lost their threat of psychological and physical suppression over him and he in turn has reaffirmed the power of the simple utterance of which he can never be deprived. Although contact between the inmates is strictly forbidden at night they manage to shout and finally communicate through the prison walls. "Unity in adversity!", Dale shouts beginning a chant which reverberates throughout the cells. Meanwhile Berriman, realising the threat of pure violence or psychological abuse is no longer effective starts to panic.
As Dale walks defiantly from the prison in the last scene to be tried, the failure of the correctional system to produce docile, disciplined bodies pulls its last punch. Even if the system has enframed Dale he has maintained his sanity and his voice.
and also nominated for Best Director
and Best Screenplay
at the 1994 Australian Film Institute Awards
and a nomination for the Bronze Horse award at the 1994 Stockholm International Film Festival
.
Alkinos Tsilimidos
Alkinos Tsilimidos is an Australian film director. Raised in comfortable circumstances in middle-class Doncaster, Tsilimidos won the Montréal First Film Prize at the Montréal World Film Festival for his 1994 film Everynight ... Everynight...
and released in 1994. Based on a play of the same name, written by Ray Mooney, the film details the early life of contract killer Christopher Dale Flannery
Christopher Dale Flannery
Christopher Dale Flannery, aka Mr. Rent-A-Kill is alleged to have been an Australian hitman. Flannery was born in Brunswick, Victoria.- Juvenile Crime:...
and is set inside Melbourne's HM Prison Pentridge
HM Prison Pentridge
HM Prison Pentridge was an Australian prison built in 1850 in Coburg, Victoria. The first prisoners arrived in 1851. The prison officially closed on 1 May 1997....
's maximum security H Division. Filming was undertaken at HM Prison Geelong
HM Prison Geelong
HM Prison Geelong was a maximum security Australia prison located on the corner of Myers Street and Swanston Street in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The prison was built in stages from 1849 to 1864. Its panopticon design is based on Pentonville Prison in England...
.
Plot
Dale, a remandee, is awaiting a court hearing and yet to be sentenced, highlighting the horrific injustice of the repeated beatings he's subjected to. Although the first depicted beating lasts less than 3 minutes of screen time, the actual beating it was based on allegedly lasted a gruelling 7 hours.Initially Dale submits to the psychological and physical traumas of his situation. By day they attempt to break his spirit and sanity by forcing him to smash blue-stone with a pick, invoking images of Australia's convict heritage, while another inmate is compelled to perform more demeaning behaviour such as licking faeces off toilet doors. Gradually Dale becomes indifferent to the bashings and horrors of prison life and develops an alternative, subversive way to exist and express his rage.
At one point Dale is depicted pacing his cell naked and mumbling incoherently. It seems as if the ego shattering experience has forced him to the verge of insanity. It's not until he claims : "I've resigned from this life" and urges the other inmates to do so as well, that we see method in his madness. By refusing to play the dehumanising prison game anymore the guards have lost their threat of psychological and physical suppression over him and he in turn has reaffirmed the power of the simple utterance of which he can never be deprived. Although contact between the inmates is strictly forbidden at night they manage to shout and finally communicate through the prison walls. "Unity in adversity!", Dale shouts beginning a chant which reverberates throughout the cells. Meanwhile Berriman, realising the threat of pure violence or psychological abuse is no longer effective starts to panic.
As Dale walks defiantly from the prison in the last scene to be tried, the failure of the correctional system to produce docile, disciplined bodies pulls its last punch. Even if the system has enframed Dale he has maintained his sanity and his voice.
Awards
The film was awarded the 1994 Best First Fiction Film Prize at the Montreal World Film FestivalMontreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...
and also nominated for Best Director
Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards.-Previous winners:*1971 – Homesdale *1972 – Stork...
and Best Screenplay
Australian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. It has been awarded annually since 1976 as a joint category until 1993 when the award was separated into Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay...
at the 1994 Australian Film Institute Awards
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
and a nomination for the Bronze Horse award at the 1994 Stockholm International Film Festival
Stockholm International Film Festival
The Stockholm International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Stockholm, Sweden. It was launched in 1990 and has been held every year in the second half of November...
.
Cast
- David FieldDavid Field (actor)David Field is an Australian actor who has appeared on television and in films. Some of the films he appeared in include Chopper, Two Hands and Gettin' Square. His most notable roles are as Keithy in Chopper and as Acko in Two Hands...
as Dale - Bill HunterBill Hunter (actor)William John "Bill" Hunter was an Australian actor of film, stage and television. He appeared in more than 60 films and won two Australian Film Institute Awards.-Early life:Hunter was a son of William and Francie Hunter...
as Berriman - Robert MorganRobert Morgan (actor)Robert Morgan is an Australian actor who played the character of Tony Corbett on the Australian soap opera Neighbours in 2005.-Filmography:* Suburban Mayhem .... John* The Proposition .... Sgt Lawrence* Stranded .... Rex...
as Best - Phil Motherwell as Bryant
- Jim DalyJim DalyJim Daly is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Cork South West constituency at the 2011 general election. He was a member of Cork County Council for the Skibbereen electoral area from 2004–11....
as Barrett - Jim Shaw as Governor
- Billy Tisdall as Gilchrist
- Simon Woodward as Gavat
- Theodore Zakos as Driscoll
External links
- Everynight... Everynight at Allmovie
- Everynight... Everynight at Screen Australia
- Everynight... Everynight at New York Times
- Everynight... Everynight at Film.com