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The Sound of One Hand Clapping

Director: Flanagan, Richard
Year: 1998
Type: Film

Synopsis

In a remote Tasmanian worker’s camp in the winter of 1954, Slovenian immigrant Maria Buloh (Melita Jurisic) abandons husband Bojan (Kristof Kaczmarek) and their three-year-old daughter Sonja (Arabella Wain). Sent to live with family friends for many years, eight-year-old Sonja (Rosie Flanagan) is reunited with Bojan when he quits his job with the Hydro-Electric Commission. Following some happier times at their house in Hobart, Bojan sinks into an alcoholic depression. At the age of 16, Sonja (Kerry Fox) is beaten by Bojan and leaves home. Twenty years pass before Sonja, now pregnant, returns to Hobart. A difficult reunion with Bojan sparks painful memories of the past and uncovers long-hidden family secrets.

Synopsis from Australian Screen Online: http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping/notes/



Adaptation of: The Sound of One Hand Clapping (Flanagan, Richard, 1997)
This film is an adaptation of Richard Flanagan's 1997 novel of the same name.

Narrative Locations

Butlers Gorge Power Station, South West Wilderness, Tasmania  

Temporal setting: 1954

Location notes:

The hydroelectric station at Butlers Gorge on the edge of Lake King William opened in November 1952. It forms part of the Derwent Hydroelectric scheme which was constructed from 1934. Slovenian immigrants, including Sonja's father, work on the Butlers Gorge hydroelectric project in 1954.

Shooting Locations

Butlers Gorge Power Station , South West Wilderness, Tasmania

Bronte Park Highland Village, South West Wilderness, Tasmania

The interiors of the pub and the cabin were filmed at the Bronte Park Highland Village, 378 Marlborough Highway, Bronte Park, Tasmania.

Mount Field National Park, South West Wilderness, Tasmania

Eerie, gothic scenes in which trees appear to bleed sap when Sonja's mother hangs herself, and scenes from Sonja's childhood when trees stand sentry alongside the road as they travel by car late at night were shot in Mount Field National Park.

Gallery

  • Butlers Gorge PS 3

Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park, South West Wilderness, Tasmania  

Temporal setting: 1989s

Location notes:

The film begins and concludes with misty scenic views showing lakes amidst the buttongrass.

Shooting Locations

Bronte Park Highland Village, Bronte Park, Tasmania, South West Wilderness, Tasmania

The landscape scenes at the beginning and end of the film were at the Bronte Park Highland Village, 378 Marlborough Highway, Bronte Park, Tasmania.


Gordon River, South West Wilderness, Tasmania  

Temporal setting: 1989

Location notes:

The Gordon River is one of Tasmania's major rivers. It rises from Lake Richmond and runs to Macquarie Harbour on the Western coast. Strahan, a town North of Gordon River, offers river cruises which are popular with tourists. Bojan and his grown daughter Sonja talk together on the World Heritage Cruise here.

Shooting Locations

Gordon River, Franklin-Gordon Rivers National Park, South West Wilderness, Tasmania


Hobart, Hobart and the South, Tasmania  

Temporal setting: 1989

Location notes:

Sonja, the daughter of Slovenian immigrants returns to Hobart as an adult in 1989 to make peace with her past.

Shooting Locations

Hobart, Hobart and the South, Tasmania


Mount Wellington, Hobart and the South, Tasmania  

Temporal setting: 1989

Location notes:

The foothills of Mount Wellington effectively constitute the land of Hobart, Tasmania's capital. Often referred to as 'the Mountain' by locals, Mount Wellington is 1271 metres (4166 feet) in altitude and a common tourist attraction for visitors to Hobart. Atop Mount Wellington Sonja reminisces with a family friend about the good times when her parents were young and happy together.

Shooting Locations

Gallery

  • Mount Wellington, Hobart



Content


Synopsis
Narrative Locations
Map

Related Texts


The Sound of One Hand Clapping (Flanagan, Richard, 1997)

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