Ever had one of those nights?

HELEN: Mosquitoes are the spawn of Lucifer! They come to us in the night on the wings of horror!! They break into our sleep like lazy burglars, bringing pestilence and disease: Malaria, Ross River Virus, Dengue Fever. And Cancer!!

Despite his injured state this last is too much for Frank.

FRANK: They do not bring cancer!!

Helen leaps back onto the bed, again injuring Frank as she does so.

HELEN: In the 13th Century one third of the world's population was wiped out by Bubonic Plague. And how do you think it was spread?

FRANK: Er, fleas wasn't it?

HELEN: That's what they'd have you believe.

About the Film


Synopsis

Take an obsessive wife and her neurotic husband, add a determined insect and see whether their marriage will last the night.



Credits

Helen: Liz Lualdi

Frank: Michael Cinquitti

Production company: Amish Productions

Crew: Glen O'Brien and Greame Thorburne

Written and co-produced by Simon Luckhurst

Directed and co-produced by Harrison J. Chadd



Screening

Tropfest 'Best of the Rest' at the TAP Gallery Darlinghurst, Sydney 2000.



Budget

We bought the bedside lamps, some beer for Gerardo at Relativity Studios where we edited and borrowed just about everything else. If we spent more than $200 I'd be surprised.



Notes

I'm not saying the part of a woman obsessed by eliminating every mosquito in the immediate neighbourhood was inspired by a certain girlfriend of my acquaintance at one time, I'll just let the inference be drawn...

We shot in an empty room which was above Spearman's Cycle shop when it was located in Crown St, Wollongong. We filmed the first half of the film on a digital camera, and then when the camera's owner decided he wanted this back when it got late, we re-shot the entire film on Super VHS (as you did in those days.) For Michael Cinquitti, this meant no sleep AND a drive back to Sydney in the morning AND having to work all the next day in his day job.

Liz Lualdi introduced me to Gerardo Ceres not long afterwards. At that time Gerardo had one computer he could edit films on. It was the late 90s, and I'd never seen such a thing before. Working on this project was the first of many happy collaborations, and I like to think that somewhere in the fun we had in editing this film he became more determined to begin the business which has become Relativity Studios.

A few years later, we assembled my first three films together and joined them with a send up of The Movie Show.



Watch the movie with the spoof Movie Show intro.



Pictures

The always funny and gorgeous Rowena Doyle as Valerie Ruthless .


Rowena Doyle and Simon Luckhurst


Liz Lualdi and Michael Cinquetti


Liz Lualdi and Michael Cinquetti


Liz Lualdi and Michael Cinquetti


Liz Lualdi and Michael Cinquetti