The Devil's Playground

The Devil's Playground (1977)

Australia, 1953. Thirteen-year-old Tom Allen attends a strict Catholic seminary for boys administered by De La Salle Brothers. The adolescent students and their adult instructors struggle deeply with sexual repression and religious doubt.

Date of release
1977-12-23
TMDB
6.3 / 10 (38)
Runtime
1h 47m
Genres
Drama
Director
Fred Schepisi

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Box office: A$334K
  • Awards: 5 · Nominations: 8. Including: AACTA Award for Best Film; AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role; AACTA Award for Best Direction; AACTA Award for Best Cinematography

The Devil's Playground is a 1976 Australian drama film written, produced and directed by Fred Schepisi. It is a semi-autobiographical film which tells the story of a boy growing up and going to school in a Catholic juniorate administered by the Little Brothers of Mary. Its focus is on the trials of the flesh and the tensions that arise, for both Brothers and students, from the religious injunction to control one's sexuality. It is considered part of the Australian New Wave film genre.

Production

The screenplay was based on Schepisi's own experience attending a Catholic juniorate and took him five years to write. The film financing took three years to arrange, eventually coming from the Australian Film Commission ($100,000) and the Film House, Schepisi's own company ($154,000), with the balance coming from private investment.

It was shot in 1975 mostly at Werribee Park near Melbourne.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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