Malcolm (film)

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Malcolm
DVD cover
Directed by	Nadia Tass
Produced by	David ParkerNadia Tass
Written by	David Parker
Starring	Colin Friels Lindy Davies Chris Haywood
Music by	Paul Coppens Simon Jeffes
Cinematography	David Parker
Editing by	Ken Sallows
Release date(s)	1986
Running time	90 mins
Country	Australia
Language	English
IMDb profile

Malcolm is a 1986 Australian film, written by David Parker and directed by Nadia Tass. The film stars Colin Friels as the titular tram enthusiast who becomes involved with petty crime. The film won the 1986 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film.

At the start of the film Malcolm is working for the tram company. He builds himself a "tram", which leads to his losing the job. With his mother dead and no income, he is forced to take a boarder, Frank. Frank is a petty criminal, and Malcolm turns his mechanical mind to helping him pursue his career. A number of surreal inventions ensue, including a getaway car which splits into two independently powered halves and bank robbery by remote control.

The pace of the film is gentle, but it is funny and charming. Friels' performance as the socially inept Malcolm is compelling. The quirky soundtrack, from the Penguin Café Orchestra, underscores the understated humour of the piece as the rather shallow Frank and his girlfriend Judith (Lindy Davies) come to terms with Malcolm and he with them.

[edit] Trivia

The model tram that Malcolm "built" ran on a motorbike engine, the rest having being put together with spare parts by workers at Preston Workshops in Melbourne, Australia. After the film was completed, the tram was donated to the Tramway Museum Society of Victoria.

In the late 1990s, a man bought a furnished house (which also contained a lot of junk) in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. To His surprise, the garage contained the yellow getaway car from this movie. The car had not been seen since the film wrapped.^{[citation needed]}

The remote controlled car used by Malcolm to rob his first bank is a Tamiya Sand Scorcher (model number 58016).

Malcolm at the Internet Movie Database

Cinema of Australia
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