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This Australian film classic, the feature film debut of Fred Schepisi (Roxanne, A Cry in the Dark), is a semi-autobiographical drama of a 13-year-old boy's struggles at a Catholic seminary in the 1950s. Tom (Simon Burke) is a student gripped with Catholic guilt as he struggles with his nascent sexual yearning and his divine calling. The seminary, run by a group of Brothers also torn between their vows and human desire, follows a harsh code of religious discipline. The boys are lorded over by the obsessively watchful eye of Brother Francine (Arthur Dignam), who prowls the halls looking for evidence of "the undisciplined mind." A lyrical, mordantly funny memory film about the age-old struggles of mind, body and spirit. This re-release is being presented in a brand-new high definition transfer.

Media

Watch trailer »

Bonus Materials

• Featurette with director Fred Schepisi and key cast and crew - 43 Mins
• Interview with Fred Schepisi - 39 Mins
• Audio Commentary with Fred Schepisi
• Theatrical Trailer

Sales Points

• Winner of 7 Australian Film Institute Awards
• There was a 2014 Australian TV series which continued the original story.
• Exclusive new widescreen telecine transfer
• With its theme of troubled and abusive priests, the theme rings relevant today
• Famed Hollywood director Fred Schepisi's first feature film.

Press Quotes

'The Devil's Playground is such a completely and thoroughly realized piece of cinema that almost every scene and sequence in it compels admiration.'

     —Boston Globe

'Everyone makes a terrific contribution as Schepisi peels away the surface to reveal a morass of personal demons.'

     —Urban Cinefile