AustLit

'A person dies, but the memory lingers on. Unfortunately, in some cases, the memory does more harm than good. This is the case of Steven Berry.

'A father's reputation in crime 15 years ago is brought to light at his death and the son must learn to cope with the malicious and doubting attitudes of a world quick to judge a man, not for himself alone, but for the stigma attached to his father.

'Rejected by the parents of the girl he is to marry, Steven goes through an emotional upheaval which leads him to the brink of suicide. However, outside influences take a hand and he finds himself embroiled in a one-way situation - a seige [sic] with hostages.

'Bluey finds it difficult to deal with such an explosive problem especially with other members of the police force hindering his every move. His unorthodox approach places him at the other end of a gun - as a hostage.

'An enforced wedding ceremony, and events take a turn for the worst; a long day ending in tragedy.'

Source: Synopsis held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection (RMIT).

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'STEVE BERRY 23. A good looking young man. Totally sympathetic. He is completely in love with Sue and his world is shattered when their wedding is called off. A set of circumstances gradually wear him down from a frightened man to one who sees his only salvation being at the right end of a gun.

'SUE GOLDING 20. Attractive. A slightly weak person because she is torn between two loves. That of Steve's and that of her parents. As Steve's character weakens, hers gets stronger. She does love and care for Steve.

'BERT GOLDING 45. The ruler of the family. His word goes. He and his wife, Tina, have over the years, lost a certain amount of closeness. To Bert, position in a community is very important. He refuses to believe Sue knows what she is doing. A protector.

'TINA GOLDING 40. She cares for Sue much more than she cares for Bert. A woman prone to hysteria - but nothing like this has ever happened to her before and her safe world is threatened.

'IDA BERRY 45. A woman who has seen a lot of life. Has no trouble with reality. She loved her husband and equally loves her son. Kind and warm.

'INSPECTOR BILL DERMOT 40 ish. Duty Officer. Operates by the book. Generalises his cases. His whole experience in siege situations is aimed at protecting the innocent - the man with the gun is the enemy - a person not to know.

'PRIEST Catholic.

'MOURNERS (3) Men of about 45/50.

'P/C #1

'P/C #2 Young and efficient cops.

'P/C #3

'P/C #4 Dermot's sharpshooters.'