The Night the Prowler
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| The Night the Prowler | |
|---|---|
 Cover of screenplay | |
| Directed by | Jim Sharman |
| Written by | Patrick White |
| Produced by | Anthony Buckley |
| Starring | Ruth Cracknell John Frawley Kerry Walker John Derum Maggie Kirkpatrick Terry Camilleri |
| Cinematography | David Sanderson |
| Edited by | Sara Bennett |
| Music by | Cameron Allan |
Production companies | Chariot Films New South Wales Film Corporation |
| Distributed by | International Harmony (US) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | AU$417,000[1] |
The Night the Prowler (also known as Patrick White's The Night the Prowler) is a 1978 Australian film written by Patrick White, produced by Anthony Buckley and directed by Jim Sharman.[2] Ruth Cracknell was nominated in 1979 for an AFI Award for Best Actress in a Lead Role for her part at the 1979 Australian Film Institute Awards.[3][4]
Felicity Bannister is a young girl living in the wealthy Sydney suburbs where her controlling mother Doris is arranging her engagement to an older man, John, who works in foreign affairs. After enduring a terrible sixteenth birthday party, Felicity calls off the engagement.
As a way of rebelling against Doris, Felicity roams the streets of Sydney at night, dressed in leather, and has a fantasy about being molested by a house burglar prowler. Felicity turns into a prowler herself, burglarizing men’s homes at night and learning to enjoy the underbelly of society.
Cast
- Ruth Cracknell as Doris Bannister
- John Frawley as Humphrey Bannister
- Kerry Walker as Felicity Bannister
- John Derum as John
- Maggie Kirkpatrick as Madge Hopkirk
- Terry Camilleri as The Prowler
- Harry Neilson as Old man
- Alexander Archdale
Production
Jim Sharman had worked successfully with Patrick White directing the latter's play The Season at Sarsaparilla. White suggested that his book The Night the Prowler might make a film; Sharman agreed and White wrote a screenplay.[5]
The film was shot in November and December 1977.[6]
Release
The film was selected to open the 1978 Sydney Film Festival and was harshly received.[1]
