Say You Want Me (1977)

A wife is raped. The reporting of the crime will endanger her husband’s career and their future together. Not reporting the crime will endanger their marriage and make the wife lose faith in the husband.

Tony Crosby (Serge Lazareff) is a radio talkback star, and his show is doing well. Julie Crosby (Belinda Giblin) is pretty and amenable – and his property. He will not allow her to work.

Their future will be secured by a lucrative endorsement contract with land developer Harry Kirby (Hugh Keays-Byrne).

At a party to seal the deal, young and pretty Julie draws Kirby’s attention. He takes her to see his boat, where after a few advances he becomes aggressive and brutally rapes her.

She takes off, with her husband following her home later.

Unable to grasp the horror of the situation in which he finds himself, Tony accuses Julie of leading the developer on and tells her she must not report the rape to the police, cannot say anything and must be quiet about the whole matter while he accepts the contract with Kirby’s company.

The conflicts which arise as the couple try to resolve their differences over the rape – and Julie tries to cope with her husband’s inaction in the matter – are examined cursorily.

The script by Laura Jones is full of holes and Julie’s quest to bring Kirby to justice goes absolutely nowhere as she cannot convince the taxi driver to testify for her and the man at the marina who might have heard her screams seems not to have heard anything.

Serge Lazareff is particularly wooden and unintelligent, and his character is largely superficial. Belinda Giblin’s Julie is a better study. She has more animation, and more vitality than most of the rest of the cast put together. The beastly Kirby, however, is well played by Hugh Keays-Byrne.

But the best characterisations are in the smaller roles for well-known Aussie actors. Henri Szeps plays Tony’s boss, Robyn Nevin is the policewoman who talks to Julie, Anna Volska is a Qantas personnel officer, Tom Oliver is a photographer, Peter Adams a doctor, Tony Alvarez a hairdresser and Les Foxcroft a scientist at a party.

Directed by Oliver Howes, Say You Want Me was made for television by Australia’s Channel 9 in partnership with Film Australia and the South Australian Film Corporation.

Julie Crosby
Belinda Giblin
Tony Crosby
Serge Lazareff
Harry Kirby
Hugh Keays-Byrne
Jim Morton
Henri Szeps
Hairdresser
Tony Alvarez
Police Woman
Robyn Nevin
Photographer
Tom Oliver
Sam (Doctor)
Peter Adams
Qantas personnel officer
Anna Volska

Director
Oliver Howes

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