''Private Collection'' is a 1972 Australian

black comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

film that marked the feature debuts of

Pamela Stephenson Pamela Stephenson, Lady Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born psychologist, writer, actress and comedian. She moved with her family to Australia in 1953 and studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). After playi ...

and

Michael Caton Michael Caton (born 21 July 1943) is an Australian actor, comedian and television host, best known for playing Uncle Harry in the Australian television series '' The Sullivans'', Darryl Kerrigan in 1997's low-budget hit film '' The Castle'', an ...

Plot

Two rival art collectors, Henry Phillips and Joseph Tibbsworth, engage the services of George Kleptoman, a thief, to steal from each other. In the meantime Mary-Ann, Henry's bored wife, has acquired a secret boyfriend and plans

mariticide Mariticide (from Latin ''maritus'' "husband" + ''-cide'', from ''caedere'' "to cut, to kill") literally means the killing of one's own husband. It can refer to the act itself or the person who carries it out. It can also be used in the context o ...

Cast

* Peter Reynolds as Henry Phillips *

as Mary-Ann Phillips * Brian Blain as Joseph Tibbsworth *

Grahame Bond Grahame John Bond AM (born 21 November 1943) is an Australian Bachelor Architecture, actor, writer, director, musician and composer, known primarily for his role as Aunty Jack. Early career Bond began his career in entertainment at University ...

as George Kleptoman *John Paramor as The Boyfriend *

Noel Ferrier Noel Ferrier Member of the Order of Australia, AM (20 December 193016 October 1997) was an Australian television personality, comedian, stage and film actor, raconteur, and theatrical producer. He was a regular panelist in Graham Kennedy's popu ...

as Chief Inspector *Jerry Thomas as Superintendent *

Les Foxcroft Clement Leslie Foxcroft (19 November 1918 – 24 June 2004) professionally known as Les Foxcroft and credited also as Lester Foxcroft was an Australian character actor with a career spanning over 50 years, working in all major facets of the ...

as The Citizen

Production

The film was shot on 16mm in Sydney in January 1972. It was the first film with investment from the

Australian Film Development Corporation The Australian Film Development Corporation was an organisation created and funded by the Australian Government in the 1970s, intended to allow filmmakers in the Australian film industry to create movies for everyone to see. In 1975 it was repla ...

to be publicly shown.David Stratton, ''The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival'', Angus & Robertson, 1980 p14 It premiered at the

Sydney Film Festival The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize. , the festival's director is Nashen Moodley. Histo ...

in June of that year.

References

External links

*
''Private Collection''
at Oz Movies 1972 black comedy films Australian black comedy films 1972 films 1970s English-language films 1970s Australian films Fiction about mariticide Films shot in Sydney English-language black comedy films {{1970s-comedy-film-stub