John Flaus
Encyclopedia
John Flaus is an Australian broadcaster
, actor
, voice talent, anarchist and raconteur. He was formerly a prominent film academic and theorist. He was born in Maroubra
, Sydney
.
In 1953, he was a conscientious objector
to military conscription during the Korean War
, which he claims was instinctive anarchism
:
It was just like in the movies. This bloke on the prosecution asks me, "What would you do if you saw an Asiatic attacking your mother?" – remember this is 1953. I said, "I'd try to stop him". He said, "What if the only way was to kill him?" I said, "I'd kill him." He said. "Well, that's what a soldier does, so why are you objecting to being a soldier?" I said, "Now wait a minute, you asked me what I'd do, what decision I'd take on my own initiative. If I'm a soldier someone else takes the initiatives for me, and that's an entirely different thing." This went on for an hour; at one point they tried to ascertain whether there were any religious grounds on which I wouldn't be a soldier. I said, "No, it seems to me the best soldiers get religion" – and that didn't go down too well either
John Flaus has been active in the film society
movement since 1953,published his first film reviews in 1954, and was sacked during the same year when he wrote that On the Waterfront
was right-wing propaganda
. He was also a member of the Sydney Push
. In the 1960s, he was a member of the Sydney University Film Group and the WEA Film Study Group
with such notable people as Frank Moorhouse
, Michael Thornhill
, John Baxter
and Ken Quinnell
.
He has lectured on film at various tertiary institutions, was Head of Education at the AFTRS
, and designed the original Cinema Studies course at La Trobe University
in 1970, the first of its kind in Australia. He became a professional actor in 1977 and has over 100 credits in theatre, film and television.
He was honoured by the Australian Writers' Guild
in 1994 for his services as a script editor on various Australian films.
He presented the radio program Film-buff's Forecast with fellow film critic Paul Harris
on 3RRR
from 1980 to 1989.
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, voice talent, anarchist and raconteur. He was formerly a prominent film academic and theorist. He was born in Maroubra
Maroubra, New South Wales
Maroubra is a beachside suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Maroubra is located 10 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Randwick. Maroubra is the largest suburb in the area governed...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
In 1953, he was a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
to military conscription during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, which he claims was instinctive anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
:
It was just like in the movies. This bloke on the prosecution asks me, "What would you do if you saw an Asiatic attacking your mother?" – remember this is 1953. I said, "I'd try to stop him". He said, "What if the only way was to kill him?" I said, "I'd kill him." He said. "Well, that's what a soldier does, so why are you objecting to being a soldier?" I said, "Now wait a minute, you asked me what I'd do, what decision I'd take on my own initiative. If I'm a soldier someone else takes the initiatives for me, and that's an entirely different thing." This went on for an hour; at one point they tried to ascertain whether there were any religious grounds on which I wouldn't be a soldier. I said, "No, it seems to me the best soldiers get religion" – and that didn't go down too well either
John Flaus has been active in the film society
Film society
A film society is a membership club where people can watch screenings of films which would otherwise not be shown in mainstream cinemas. In Spain they are known as "Cineclubs," and in Germany they are known as "Filmclubs"....
movement since 1953,published his first film reviews in 1954, and was sacked during the same year when he wrote that On the Waterfront
On the Waterfront
On the Waterfront is a 1954 American drama film about union violence and corruption among longshoremen. The film was directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb and Karl Malden. The soundtrack score was composed by Leonard...
was right-wing propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
. He was also a member of the Sydney Push
Sydney Push
The Sydney Push was a predominantly left-wing intellectual sub-culture in Sydney from the late 1940s to the early '70s. Well known associates of the Push include Jim Baker, John Flaus, Harry Hooton, Margaret Fink, Sasha Soldatow, Lex Banning, Eva Cox, Richard Appleton, Paddy McGuinness, David...
. In the 1960s, he was a member of the Sydney University Film Group and the WEA Film Study Group
WEA Film Study Group
The WEA Sydney Film Society is a non-profit film society based in Sydney, Australia.It is a club of WEA Sydney, which is part of the Workers' Educational Association .-History:...
with such notable people as Frank Moorhouse
Frank Moorhouse
Frank Moorhouse is an acclaimed Australian writer with a growing international reputation. He has won major Australian national prizes for the short story, the novel, the essay, and for script writing....
, Michael Thornhill
Michael Thornhill
Michael Thornhill is a film producer, screenwriter, and director.He has a background in freelance journalism and publishing including working as a film critic....
, John Baxter
John Baxter (author)
John Baxter is an Australian-born writer, journalist, and film-maker.Baxter has lived in Britain and the United States as well as in his native Sydney, but has made his home in Paris since 1989, where he is married to the film-maker Marie-Dominique Montel...
and Ken Quinnell
Ken Quinnell
Ken Quinnell is a screenwriter and director.He has a background in publishing and freelance journalism including working for Screen International and Rolling Stone. He was a member of the WEA Film Study Group in the 1960s where he met writers Michael Thornhill and Frank Moorhouse...
.
He has lectured on film at various tertiary institutions, was Head of Education at the AFTRS
Australian Film Television and Radio School
The Australian Film, Television and Radio School is the Australian national centre for professional education and advanced training in film, television, radio and digital media. The School is an Australian Commonwealth government statutory authority...
, and designed the original Cinema Studies course at La Trobe University
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...
in 1970, the first of its kind in Australia. He became a professional actor in 1977 and has over 100 credits in theatre, film and television.
He was honoured by the Australian Writers' Guild
Australian Writers' Guild
The Australian Writers' Guild is the professional association for all performance writers, that is, writers for film, television, radio, theatre, video and new media. The AWG was established in 1962 and is recognised throughout the industry in Australia as being the voice of performance writers...
in 1994 for his services as a script editor on various Australian films.
He presented the radio program Film-buff's Forecast with fellow film critic Paul Harris
Paul Harris (film critic)
Paul Harris, born in 1950 in Melbourne, Australia and educated at Assumption College, Kilmore is a film critic, who appears on radio stations 3RRR and 3AW. Known for his vast knowledge of film, music and theatre, and for his elaborate puns and impressions, he has fronted the radio show Filmbuff's...
on 3RRR
3RRR
3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
from 1980 to 1989.
Film career
- Pinion (2010)
- I Love You Too (2010)
- Mary and MaxMary and MaxMary and Max is a 2009 Australian clay-animated black comedy-drama film written and directed by Adam Elliot and produced by Melanie Coombs. The voice cast included Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette, Eric Bana, Bethany Whitmore, with narration by Barry Humphries. The film premiered on the...
(2009) - Harvie KrumpetHarvie KrumpetHarvie Krumpet is an Australian clay animation made in Melbourne written, directed and animated by Adam Elliot and produced by Melanie Coombs. This short film won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film in 2003, in addition to numerous festival awards and the 2004 Australian Film Institute Best...
(2003) - Crackerjack (2002)
- The DishThe DishThe Dish is a 2000 Australian film that tells the story of how the Parkes Observatory was used to relay the live television of man's first steps on the moon, during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969...
(2001) - The CastleThe Castle (film)The Castle is a 1997 Australian comedy film directed by Rob Sitch. It starred Michael Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry, Sophie Lee, Eric Bana and Charles 'Bud' Tingwell. The screenwriting team comprised Sitch, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Jane Kennedy of Working Dog Productions.The Castle was...
(1997) - Lilian's Story (1996)
- The Nun and the Bandit (1992)
- Bloodlust (1992)
- SpotswoodSpotswood (film)Spotswood is an Australian comedy film directed by Mark Joffe, made in 1990-1991, released in 1992 in some locations. It is also known as The Efficiency Expert in America....
(1992) - In Too Deep (1990)
- Jigsaw (1990)
- Nirvana Street Murder (1990)
- Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train (1989)
- Grievous Bodily HarmGrievous Bodily HarmGrievous Bodily Harm is a 1988 Australian crime film directed by Mark Joffe starring Colin Friels and John Waters. Crime reporter Tom Stewart and a cop look for a deranged schoolteacher who goes on a murder spree while looking for the lover he thought to be dead.-Awards:The film was nominated...
(1988) - Devil's HillTouch the Sun (Australian TV series)Touch the Sun was a television series commissioned by the Australian Children's Television Foundation in 1988 as part of the Australian Bicentenary celebrations. It may have been intended that seven feature-length episodes were produced, one for each State, plus the Northern Territory, but only six...
telemovie (1988) - Ghosts of the Civil Dead (1988)
- Hungry Heart (1987)
- FeathersFeathers (film)Feathers is a 1987 Australian drama film directed by John Ruane. It was screened out of competition at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* James Laurie - James* Neil Melville - Bert* Rebecca Gilling - Fran* Julie Forsyth - Olla* John Flaus - Doug...
(1987) - Traps (1986)
- StrikeboundStrikeboundStrikebound is a 1984 Australian film directed by Richard Lowenstein and based on the Wendy Lowenstein novel Dead Men Don't Dig Coal. The film got several AFI Award nominations and won in the Best Achievement in Production Design category....
(1984) - The Plains of Heaven (1982)
- Wronsky (1980)
- Blood Money (1980)
- Palm BeachPalm Beach (film)Palm Beach is a 1980 Australian drama film directed by Albie Thoms. The stories involving surfing and drugs are followed in Sydney during 2 days...
(1979) - NewsfrontNewsfrontNewsfront is a 1978 Australian drama film starring Bill Hunter, Wendy Hughes, and Bryan Brown, directed by Phillip Noyce. The screenplay is written by David Elfick, Bob Ellis, Philippe Mora, and Phillip Noyce. The original music score is composed by William Motzing...
(1978) - The Love Letters from Teralba RoadThe Love Letters from Teralba RoadThe Love Letters from Teralba Road is a 1977 Australian short film directed by Stephen Wallace. Len and his wife Barbara have separated after he beat her in a drunken rage. He tries to get her back with a series of letters....
(1977) - Queensland (1976)
- Yakkety Yak (1974)
- The American Poet's Visit (1969)