Silo 15
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| Silo 15 | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Alaimo |
| Written by | Gregory Marton |
| Starring | Jack Thompson |
| Cinematography | Heinz Fenke |
| Edited by | Brian Kavanagh |
| Distributed by | Seven Keys |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 45 mins |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
Silo 15 is a 1969 Australian short feature. It was shot in 1969 and was produced by Grahame Jennings and directed by John Alaimo.[1]
In the 1990s, two men, Captain Thomson and Lt O'Donnell, are trapped in a nuclear missile silo with war looming. They receive an alarm and lose contact outside the silo. Thomson thinks they need to fire the missile.
Cast
- Owen Weingott as Captain Thomson
- Jack Thompson as Lieutenant O'Donnell
Production
The film was based on an original TV play by Mosman writer Gregory Marton which had first been conceived as a stage play. Marton had arrived in Australia from Hungary in 1949. In 1965 he sent the play to the ABC but did not hear back from them. He began negotiations with companies in Europe to make it and ask for it back.[2]
The play won a Merit Award at the first Australian Writers Guild Awards in March 1968 and sold to West Germany for $1,000. The German version was shot in Hamburg and shown throughout Europe on German speaking networks, including in Switzerland and Austria. "Does the ABC remember it?" wrote Valda Marshall in the Sun Herald. "Will the ABC read it now??"[3]
The Sydney Morning Herald wrote an article about this in 1968 prompting revived interest in the play. An Australian version was filmed in Sydney, produced by Grahame Jennings and directed by John Alaimo, who worked in advertising. Alaimo called the play "an absolute winner... I am astrounded it has never been produced here." Alaimo arranged for the production to be shot in colour and on film to help with overseas sales. "This is a powerful drama with a topical theme," said Alaimo.[4] It was shot over nine days in a Sydney studio.[5] Jack Thompson had one of his first roles.[6]
