Shirley Barrett's Love Serenade is a romantic comedy that, by playing on its dark side, broadens its appeal to both sexes and to a wider age range. The small cast is excellent and the film's bizarre secret will be a talking point.
The film's title is taken from a 70s hit song by Barry White, whose material plays a key role in the film. "All the songs in Love Serenade are favourites of mine," says Barrett. And "one way of weaving them into the film was to give Ken Sherry the job of disc jockey…What these songs have in common is that they create an atmosphere of yearning and desire and longing."
Other songs featured include White's Never Never Gonna Give You Up and I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby, as well as Billy Paul's Me And Mrs Jones, Van McCoy's The Hustle, George McRea's Rock Your Baby, and Gwen McCrea's Rockin' Chair.
Ken Sherry (George Shevtov) is not your average disc jockey, and when he arrives in Sunray, a small country town, for a stint on the tiny radio station, he plucks the heart strings of two desperate sisters (Miranda Otto and Rebecca Frith) living next door. To the thick, black, gravelly love songs of White, the siblings go feral with romantic notions the 'rock jock' can't possibly satisfy.
The sisters are of course misguided about Ken Sherry — far from being a deep and wonderful Mr Right, he is a shallow and thrice-divorced Mr Wrong.
The fierce battle for his affections leaves no victors — but it does leave a large question mark.
"A lot of the inspiration came from my own pathetic, girlish diaries, written when I was in my late teens and early 20s, which were totally misguided about any notion of romantic love.
"I suspect most women, particularly young women, have a tendency to paint the most seedy and downbeat liaisons in a very romantic light." The film was co-produced by Jan Chapman, who produced Jane Campion's The Piano, a co-winner of the Palm d'Or at Cannes in 1993. Andrew L Urban
Prod Co: Jan Chapman Productions
Prod: Jan Chapman
Dir/Scr: Shirley Barrett
Ph: Mandy Walker
Prod Des: Steven Jones-Evans
Cos: Anna Borghesi
Ed: Denise Haratzis
Cast: Miranda Otto, Rebecca Frith, George Shevtov, John Alansu
Running time: 100mins
Int Sales: Beyond Films
