
Issue No 104		27 July 2001

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

Review

Mixing Pop and Politics

By Peter Lewis

'The Bank' is a new Australian film that takes a contemporary political issue and transforms it into a piece of compelling popular culture.


	Scenes from "The Bank"

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Due out later this year, Robert Connolly's 'The Bank' could well add momentum to one of the sleeping issues for the upcoming federal election - the growing perception that the banks have become too big, too greedy and too self-interested.

The Bank skillfully weaves two plots: a young gun mathematician (David Wenham) who has worked out the killer program to predict market fluctuations recruited to clean up for the bank; and a young family decimated when the bastard bank forecloses on them. As the two stories fall into each other, the sheer greed driving the industry becomes a key protagonist. That and the bastard (Anthony Laplagia) who runs the bank.

Some of the lines in the script are vintage soap-box:

- "The shareholders are our people, they are our society - the public can look after itself."

- "We have now entered the age of corporate feudalism, and we are the new princes."

- "A the end of the day, it's really quite simple. I just hate banks"

But this is more than a polemic - it is a rollicking good yarn. And it is not one of those Australian movies that sneers on mainstream Australia - it treats its audience as intelligent and able to deal with complex issues. The dramatic tensions centre around chaos theory, pure mathematics, short-term profit taking and the amorality of the finance sector.

But the real success is that it is not a dry treatise, but a drama in the finest traditions of David and Goalith. A little guy using the gray matter to triumph over the powerful and evil. Only this time it isn't a crime boss or a corrupt politician, but an entire institution that is slain in the name of justice. And the heroine, the voice of truth and justice - is a bank teller!

The film is not due for release for some months and advance screening are being organized to get build the vibe before it goes public. For Labor it could be a pre-election God-send, an opportunity to import a social issue and give it the polish and glitz to take it out of the boring world of political spin and into the popular culture. With a Banking Social Charter to roll out during the campaign, let's see if the campaign honchos have the savvy to see a gift-horse when it comes along.

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  Issue 104 contents

Interview: A Super Agenda
Labor's federal spokesman on superannuation Kelvin Thompson outlines the challenges a Beazley Government will face in managing the nation's savings.

E-Change: 1.4 The Shifting Sands of Ideology
Peter Lewis and Michael Gadiel conclude the first part of their study of new politics by looking for core Labor values in a post-Cold War environment.

Corporate: Locking Horns
The same names keep cropping up in the business pages as the web of corporate control stays tied to a few big players. Georgina Murray has been looking at the extent and depth of the connections.

Unions: The Workers Bank
With banks on the nose, David Whiteley looks at how unions and super funds have got together to create the real deal � the workers bank.

International: Phil Davey's Amazon Postcard
The CFMEU's Boy Wonder has downed the megaphone for three months in South America. Here's what he's been up to.

History: Faded Vision of The American Bounder
King O'Malley was an American ex-pat who dreamed of a people's bank. Neale Towart looks at what happened to his vision.

Activists: The Big Gee-Up
With the big guns of the anti-corporate movement in town, Mark Hebblewhite goes looking for a definition of globalisation.

Indonesia: Where to the Workers After Gus Dur?
At the end of a turbulent week, Jasper Goss looks at the impact of the overthrow of Wahid on Indonesian workers.

Review: Mixing Pop and Politics
'The Bank' is a new Australian film that takes a contemporary political issue and transforms it into a piece of compelling popular culture.

Satire: Milosevic's Defence: "I Was Just Issuing Orders"
Disgraced former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic has brushed off against charges for war crimes against humanity and mass genocide.

» Community Banks Are No Collectivists

» Labor Vows to Widen Royal Commission

» WorkCover Finally Fesses Up � Premiums the Problem

» Unions Launch 56 Hour Watch

» Call Centre Campaign Bares First Fruit

» Justice at Last for One.Tel Workers

» Entitlements Push Gathers Momentum

» Employer Dirty on Leave Win

» Rights Put In Too Hard Basket

» AMA Move on Doctors� Hours Welcome

» Aussie Post Workers Rally

» Strike by Airport Guards Lawful

» Workers Rejects Brough Deal

» Unions Will March at CHOGM

» Average Response to Robberies

» Coca-Cola Sued for Using Paramilitary Force

» Activists Notebook