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Wondrous Oblivion |
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This topic contains:
Overall comments and recommendationsRacism is always a topical theme for a movie and Wondrous Oblivion handles it very well. Set in London in the 1960s it is still very relevant today. Wondrous Oblivion also intermixes social relationships between father and son/daughters, marital relationships and the desire for another’s wife or husband. It is very well acted, particularly by Delroy Lindo (Dennis Samuels) and young Sam Smith as David. This movie would appeal to all ages.
About the movieThis section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.
YMA reviewThis review of the movie Wondrous Oblivion contains the following information:
A synopsis of the storyDavid Wiseman is an eleven year old Jewish boy growing up in London during the 1960s. David is a keen cricket fan who collects cricket cards and knows all about the players but unfortunately can’t throw or hit a ball himself. His school mates make fun of this and although David longs to make the school team and play for the coveted cup, he usually gets left to be the scorer. David lives in a very narrow minded community who barely tolerate a Jewish family living amongst them but when a black family, the Samuels, move in next door to the Wisemans, it’s more than they are prepared to take. The Samuels family consists of Father, Mother and two daughters. They make quite a noise moving in, especially when they throw a party and play loud music which keeps the neighbours awake. Also much to the horror of the neighbours, Dennis Samuels proceeds to dig up the roses in the back garden and erects a net the width and length of the garden (which isn’t very large). David watches with longing while Dennis and his daughter Judy play cricket in their back garden. Before too long and against his parents’ wishes, David joins the Samuels to practise some cricket. Dennis soon realises that David doesn’t have any skill and with patience and kindness he teaches him to bat and throw a ball. David’s mother Ruth is pleased for him that he has found new friends and now allows him to go just into their back garden. David becomes firm friends with Dennis and particularly Judy. Ruth also admires Dennis for the way he treats David. The tension in the neighbourhood increases and threats are made to both families but when the Samuels’ house is set on fire one night, things become very ugly. Use of violenceResearch shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another. Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world. There is some violence in this movie:
Material that may scare childrenUnder eight Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters. Children in this age group could be scared by the above mentioned violent scenes and in particular by the house being set on fire. David wakes Judy up by breaking her window and calling out to her. The family all have to get out of the house. When the police arrive they accuse Dennis of setting the house on fire himself and so he goes back into the house to retrieve the hate mail he’s been receiving. However he is in the house for a long time and Mr. Wiseman has to go in and fetch him out. Aged eight to thirteen Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened Children in this age group could still be concerned by the above mentioned scenes and by the hatred expressed in the movie. Over the age of thirteen Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult. Children in this age group wouldn’t be scared by this movie. Product placementResearch shows that children, particularly children under the age of eight, are vulnerable to product placement in movies. Even if the child doesn’t recall seeing a particular brand in the movie, they will choose that brand in preference to another, if they have just seen it used or displayed in a movie. This effect may be exacerbated if the product is highlighted as part of the story or if an actor or character they admire is seen to endorse or enjoy the product. David collects cricket cards sponsored by Players Cigarettes. Sexual referencesThere are no sexual references in this movie. Nudity and sexual activityThere’s not really any sexual activity except that Ruth and Dennis kiss passionately but don’t go any further because Dennis feels it is wrong. Use of substancesThere’s a bit of drinking and smoking in this movie—in the cricket club, at a dance and at home. When David starts hitting the ball, his friends say he must be ‘on drugs’. Coarse languageThere is a little coarse language in this movie with the occasional use of the following:
The movie's messageThe take home message of this movie is the senseless pain and violence caused by racial intolerance. Values parents may wish to encourage include:
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Copyright 2002 Young Media Australia
Page Modified
22-May-2002