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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
Blind since birth, Martin has never trusted anyone. He takes photographs as proof that the world he imagines is the same as that seen by sighted people. He relies on his young housekeeper, who is in love with him. But when he makes a new friend, the housekeeper's jealousy turns to vindictive rage.
Notes
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The trailer for this film is available to view via YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AixgCHv2N7I (Sighted: 14/9/2012)
Affiliation Notes
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Writing Disability in Australia
Type of disability Blindness. Type of character Primary. Point of view Third person.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Proof Is an Australian Classic – It’s a Shame Almost No One Has Seen It
2023
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 13 September 2023;
— Review of Proof 1991 single work film/TV'Starring a young Hugo Weaving as a blind photographer and Russell Crowe as his hapless friend, Jocelyn Moorhouse 1991 film is elegant and subversive'
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Director and Writer Jocelyn Moorhouse
2019
single work
column
— Appears in: The Saturday Paper , 11-17 May 2019;'A quiet chat with one of Australia’s most acclaimed directors about visual thinking, motherhood and her memoir, Unconditional Love.' (Introduction)
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Affectively Trapped, Fossilised and Fetishised : Early 1990s Melbourne through Stillness, Movement and Music in Proof (Jocelyn Moorhouse, 1991)
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , December no. 85 2017;In Proof (Jocelyn Moorhouse 1991), the photographs of blind central protagonist, Martin, construct multiple Melbournes. Martin’s compulsive photography is a product of a dysfunctional relationship with his mother and becomes his primary mechanism to document and regulate his world. Through this process, Martin’s Melbourne exists as a fossil; the preserved remains of his memories. In contrast, Martin’s burgeoning friendship with Andy introduces a Melbourne that exceeds the fossil image. This Melbourne is captured in shared photographs that reflect the promise of community abundance; a promise connected with 1990s Melbourne live music culture. The soundtrack by Melbourne band, Not Drowning, Waving, significantly contributes to this heterotopic representation of Melbourne, and their distinct musical style further evokes a lived Melbourne from this period. Proof’s soundtrack here combines with recognisable chronotopes of the inner city to re-fossilise this Melbourne for the present-day spectator for whom, like the film’s characters, Melbourne was their lived experience.
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Rewind : The Making of the Aussie Classic, Proof
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: FilmInk , 27 July 2016; Set to screen at The Melbourne International Film Festival in its newly restored form, we look back at the making of the brilliant Aussie drama, Proof, starring Hugo Weaving, Russell Crowe, and Genevieve Picot. -
The Films That Changed My Life : Matthew Saville
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: FilmInk , 27 April 2016;
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Untitled
1993
single work
review
— Appears in: Australasian Drama Studies , April no. 22 1993; (p. 138-140)
— Review of My Brilliant Career 1979 single work film/TV ; Proof 1991 single work film/TV -
First-Timer Offers Glossy Local Drama
1991
single work
review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 28 September 1991; (p. wkd 8)
— Review of Proof 1991 single work film/TV -
A Parable of Hope, Trust and Love
1995
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 18 September 1995; (p. 4)
— Review of Proof 1991 single work film/TV -
Seeing Isn't Believing
1996
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 19 March 1996; (p. 9)
— Review of Proof 1991 single work film/TV -
Proof Rewatched – An Enormously Compelling Character Study
2014
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 28 November 2014;
— Review of Proof 1991 single work film/TV -
Spielberg Gives Aussie Big Break
1995
single work
column
— Appears in: The Mercury , 11 October 1995; (p. 28) - y Reel Meals, Set Meals : Food in Film and Theatre Sydney : Currency Press , 1991 Z1536510 1991 single work prose A study of the social and symbolic meaning of food that begins with an overview that demonstrates the use of food in plays throughout the ages and how filmmakers quickly learnt to exploit its potential.
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Wedding Follows Up Wife's Success
1994
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Age , 12 May 1994; (p. 19) -
Australia on the Crest of a New Wave
1994
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 18 May 1994; (p. 29,30) -
A Wedding to Celebrate in Cannes
1994
single work
criticism
— Appears in: The Australian , 20 May 1994; (p. 9)
Awards
- 1992 winner Victorian Premier's Literary Awards — Prize for Drama
- 1991 winner Festival de Cannes — Camera d'or — Mention Spéciale
- 1991 winner Australian Film Institute Awards — Best Film
- 1991 winner Australian Film Institute Awards — Best Original Screenplay