AustLit

'Ryan's client is 10 years old. Maria Bitov is worried because some men have been frightening her daddy.

'Thus, Ryan is drawn into the nightmare world of Anton Bitov - a proud, secretive, tormented Russian immigrant. Why does he fiercely reject Ryan's help? Why does he endure the bashings and the bombings?

'Ryan finds the answers, but by then Anton has suicided, Maria is being held hostage, and Ryan is given an impossible deadline to produce the ransom money.

'An interesting feature of this episode is a sequence shot during an Australina Rules football match.'

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):

'RHODA BITOV. Anton Bitov's second wife. Is 24ish. Pretty. An Australian girl of limited education but with feeling and perception. She fell into instant love with Anton and Maria. She thinks him a fine man, respecting his ideals, his concern for others.

'ANTON BITOV. Is 40. Born and raised in Yalta, on the Crimea. A Russian Russian despite his years in Australia - arrived in 1962. Was a teacher in Russia, but has worked as a process worker in Australia. A man of conscience forced into a nightmare of guilt. Actor able to drive.

'MARIA BITOV. Is 10. Raised by her father, a little precocious, she tends to "take care" of the adults in her life. Born in Australia.

'NATALIA BITOV. Anton Bitov's first wife. Is 39ish. Has been in Australia the same length of time as Anton, but though she still has an accent, she is much more "Australianised" than Anton. She has no love for Anton or Maria. She wanted freedom and the fun life in Australia - and now she is lonely, fat, and totally lethargic and apathetic.

'ANDREW TAYLOR. Mid 20's. Bank teller wounded in a hold-up who is permanently disabled. Used to fly light aircraft as a hobby. Sly and secretive man.

'BILLY HALL. 22ish. Psychopathic little youth, lacking empathy or guilt. His sexual identification is with Jack Bell. Actor able to drive.

'JACK BELL. 30ish. Heavier build. More quietly dominating type. Nicer, more normal sort of criminal but very hard and vicious just the same. Actor able to drive.

'FATS. Is 40ish. Fat. A gentle criminal who works for the big men and knows exactly what goes on. One scene.

'MR. GARDENER. 60ish. A hard, thin man, wears glasses, used to working outdoors and skilled with his hands. Respected by all crims. One scene.

'TOM MOORE. Outdoor type. Ruddy. Finds body. No lines.

'CAR DRIVER. Just a fast driver. Stuntman, perhaps.

[...]

'TWO DOGS; ONE BIG, ONE SMALL.'