Australian swimming has long been one of our most consistant sporting successes. Today it’s names like Hackett, Thorpe, and Elka Graham that grab the headlines, but over the years we have had many, many, champions. Swimming Upstream is the true story of one such swimming champion from the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, Anthony (Tony) Fingleton. With a significant input from Tony himself, and his only sister, Diane, this is a heartwarming tale that tends to fall somewhat into soap opera territory, but is worth a look nonetheless.
The Fingletons were not unlike many other Australian families in the 1950s. Father, Harold (Geoffrey Rush), is your typical working man, but seems to have little time for much of the world, and is not one to make friends easily. His own troubled upbringing is the source of most of his problems including alcoholism, and his inability to relate to people, his wife, Dora (Judy Davis), and five children included. On the surface, everything seems quite normal, but scratch just below the surface and you’ll find a family that has its share of demons.
The four boys, Harold Jnr. (David Hoflin), John (Tim Draxl), Tony (Jesse Spencer), Ron (Craig Horner), and Diane (Brittnay Byrnes), love their father and are desperate to win his love and approval, but few, if any of the children, actually win any. Harold is particularly harsh on Tony, even when he learns that both he and John are strong swimmers. He ridicules Tony, pushes him away physically and emotionally, and derides him for his softer side that would rather play piano and read Shakespeare than box or play football.
As Tony and John continue to excel at swimming, Harold favours John over Tony at every opportunity and expresses his emotions only at John’s success. The fact that Tony is as good a swimmer as John, if not better, is not merely ignored, but openly dismissed, and seems to infuriate Harold all the more. Harold abandons Tony in favour of John, thereby separating Tony from his greatest ally, a rift that would never be truly resolved.
Spurred on by his mother’s love and support and the need to gain his father’s approval, Tony decides to manage his own swimming affairs and train himself in an attempt to make the Australian Swimming team. Although success would be his, it is interesting to ponder just how good he might have been in the hands of a professional coach.
| "I wish you didn't exist." |
Swimming Upstream was written by Tony Fingleton and his sister Diane, (herself the subject of some recent and unwanted publicity as a Chief Magistrate) and their input into the film stretches to executive production. We can assume then, that even if some elements have been dramatised, this is mostly an accurate account of the Fingleton story. Either way, watching it is emotionally draining, and tougher still I am sure, for anyone with a similar experience.
Watching a father dismiss his child and openly wish the child had never been born is tough, tougher still for that poor child. It is hard to understand even when that child is a deadbeat and a loser, but when the child is not only loving but also gifted, the abuse is criminal. Any abuse of children is intolerable, but watching those same children busting themselves to win approval from that parent is heartbreaking. The only thing not truly explained, is why Harold had so little time and love for Tony, but I assume Harold Fingleton himself never knew the answer to that.
The cast is strong, as is the direction from successful Australian director, Russell Mulcahy. There are some interesting camera angles used, and some split screen, but it suits the film. There are some touched up location shots and minimal archival footage.
While tending towards soapie status occasionally, the film is worth a look. The title might have you believe the film is about swimming, but it is not. The Fingleton brothers could just have easily been boxers or tennis players and the story would have been very similar. Not the best Aussie film of recent times, but far from the worst.
This is a very tasty treat, in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 which is less than the original ratio in the cinema I suspect, but the 16x9 enhancement scores an extra point. The picture is extremely good with no complaints. It is razor sharp with great colouring, slightly overexposed in some of the outdoor pool scenes. There are no problems with colouring, and skin tones look fabulous. The underwater shots are also clear and bright. In fact, shadow detail is exemplary.
There are no artefacts to impede viewing pleasure, nor edge enhancement, shimmer, or interference from noise. There is not even a layer change to disrupt proceedings. The only grip would be about some mild grain in a handful of scenes, but this is not going to distract anyone. Even the archival footage is of a fair standard, and even the newsreel footage artificially aged comes up looking like it is of age, but in good nick.
