50 Years Of Silence

In the Sunday Telegraph Sean Day-Lewis says Ruff-O'Herne "courageously and poignantly tells of her months providing as little comfort as she could after being forced to serve in a Japanese army brothel.."^[2] Martin Massingberd wrote in the Daily Telegraph that it "was an inspiring film about a remarkable woman, whose undimmed warmth and sympath shone through her appalling ordeal as a triumph of the human spirit."^[3] Michael Hutak of the Sydney Morning Herald writes "This film stands as a lasting testimony of those atrocities and a plea for victims to break the cycle of guilt and speak out."^[4] Robin Oliver, also of the Sydney Morning Herald, states "The shattering contents of this documentary overwhelm the viewer and it is difficult to look beyond the story of Jan Ruff-O'Herne and consider the film itself, which is often disjointed and poorly edited."^[5]

• 1994 Australian Film Institute Awards
  • Best Documentary - Ned Lander, Carol Ruff and James Bradley - won^[6]