I’ve just seen the film at the magnificiant State. A wonderful occasion, but a powerful and sometimes sobering film. I didn’t cry as much I thought I would, nor get as angry as I suspected. And there were actually some funny moments, particularly the clips from Charles Pickering. One other funny moment is a clip where a calm Caroline Wilson runs intellectual rings around a stupid Gary Lyon.
I also was remindered about what an intelligent and poised man Adam Goodes is.
For me it was an extraordinary example of supreme documentary film making.
I’m now looking forward to the Stan Grant documentary premiering in Melbourne in early August.
Last edited by Meg; 8th June 2019 at 10:07 AM.
Look I don't like Eddie, but I will give him credit for actually owning up to his actions, apologizing for his role in it all and actively encouraging people to go see and learn from it.
More interested to see how Andrew Bolt, Sam Newman and Alan Jones try and explain themselves.
Alan Jones is perhaps the only person in the world currently backpedalling even harder than Eddie. You should have seen him on Q&A a few weeks ago when asked about Adam Goodes.
Bolt and Newman I haven't heard, but I'm tipping both of them are such egotistical contrarians that they'll positively enjoy going the full Edith Piaf.
My opinion is objective truth in its purest form
There’s a Q&A after the showing (my partner was there last night) if you are going tomorrow to the State Theatre.
Mike Fitzpatrick (AFL Commissioner 2007-2017) is not mentioned in the doco, because Ian Darling (Director) couldn’t find anything.
Fitzpatrick absent from Goodes doco
No footage of ex-AFL chairman in documentary on the booing saga for a simple reason.
http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/n...1vmd.html?btis
Sent from my iPad
So we saw "The Final Quarter" last night at a packed State Theatre, and as Mrs Tigers commented, how often do you see a
film with 2,000 other people in a theatre these days? The film is very powerful, even for people like myself and
I’m sure many others on this forum who are very familiar with the events surrounding Adam from 2013 to 2015.
It's a very well produced archival film made with a lot of thought and care by a team of clearly impassioned people.
The editing is crucial in this style of film, and the person doing it for “The Final Quarter” is a total pro.
Basically the film is made up of a time line of media footage covering that time. On the positive side the film
reminds you that there was a lot of support for Adam at the time. From the Swans, the SCG crowds & Richard
Colless, to Bob Murphy & Lewis Jetta, to Waleed Aly, Caroline Wilson and Robbo, who was very strident in
his criticism of the boo-ing and the AFL’s lack of action on it.
But as we’ll all remember there was so much ugliness directed at Adam. Sam Newman was just appalling.
There is Dermott’s attempt at anthropology when trying to explain the significance and history behind
Adam’s war dance during the Carlton SCG game which was excruciating, even by his standards. The usual tiresome
conservative flunkies (Bolt, Jones, Devine) get a lot of coverage in the film, all of them blaming Adam for bringing
the boo-ing upon himself. Unfortunately as long as media organisations keep paying these tools, they’ll keep
trotting out their totally uninformed and vitriolic @@@@.
And then there is McGuire who seems to think as long as he issues yet another “heartfelt apology” it’s
totally OK to keep saying offensive stuff. McGuire, despite all his supposed “success” isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed,
which is bad luck for him, but you’d think he might have a few people around him to tell him to at least try and
think a little before sprouting off yet again. But it seems not.
There are a couple of very humourous segments from Charlie Pickering that savage other sections
of the media. And the sadist in me enjoyed watching Caroline Wilson handing Gary Lyon more shovels to dig the
hole he was burying himself in, during one of their exchanges.
All the way through it though, Adam comes across as an intelligent, sensitive and dignified guy, which I’m sure he is,
though I’ve never met him. Probably the most poignant moment was the footage of his mother talking about
the toll the boo-ing had taken on him towards the end of 2015.
Will the film change things? Maybe a little. But basically people have to see it. At the Q & A after the screening
the filmmakers said the film was being made available free to every school in the country. Which can’t be a
bad thing. The thing you take away from “The Final Quarter” is sure, the AFL could have done more, but mostly that
large sections of footy crowds all over the country could have been better people.
Last edited by KTigers; 8th June 2019 at 12:01 PM.
What a brilliant review KTigers, David Stratton eat your heart out!
The points you make about Mark Robinson and Caroline Wilson is so accurate. Both get occasional criticisms on R&W online concerning totally different issues. However, relating this film, Robbo’s self deprecating ‘yobbo’ style in his fierce and passionate defence of Goodes was so inspiring. It was also great to see Wilson’s intelligence being used so positively.
What angered me was the pathetic lack of leadership shown by the relevant AFL CEOs, Demetriou (in 2013) and McLachlan (in 2015).
Thanks Tigers, a fine piece of work.
Here's a report from The Age: https://www.theage.com.au/entertainm...07-p51vot.html
Last edited by dimelb; 8th June 2019 at 01:53 PM.
He reminds him of the guys, close-set, slow, and never rattled, who were play-makers on the team. (John Updike, seeing Josh Kennedy in a crystal ball)
Sorry, I went back and looked at the transcript of his recent Q&A appearance and it wasn't there - it must have been on another outlet around the same time (given Jones has been very vigorously campaigning for Israel Folau).
Basically, he was asked how he felt with the documentary coming ..... he was at pains to say several times what an "outstanding young man" Adam Goodes was off the field and what a champion on it, and then mentioned just the once that there'd been some (unspecified) comments Adam made some time ago that he disagreed with .... but what an outstanding young man he is and what a champion he was.
It was painfully obvious he's another one trying to slink over to the right side of history. The fact that he refused to allow footage of himself at the time to be used in the film speaks far more eloquently of him than anything he may say now.
My opinion is objective truth in its purest form
I can never forget Adam’s last game and how the North “cheer squad” booed him as he took his last shot for goal. Despite everything that had gone on, their behavior that night was profoundly disturbing. Even though two North fans near us stood and applauded, to make a show of their own respect and support of a great player (and I thank them for it), I have not been able to get over my own disgust at that club’s official supporter representatives and the club in general. On the other hand, I have nothing but respect and admiration for those Adelaide supporters who joined in the standing ovation for Adam in the match he stood out from. Sadly, the whole saga, along with several others since, have left me with a - dare I say - Kafkaesque view of the Australian nation.
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