Summary

The NFSA has restored Giorgio Mangiamele’s uncompleted (and therefore mute) first feature film 'Il Contratto' (The Contract). A remarkable film in the context of Australian cinema of its era, 'Il Contratto' was the only feature of the 1950s to unflinchingly show the isolation, alienation and loneliness of Italian migrants to Australia. Mangiamele based his script on the experiences of the fellow countrymen with whom he travelled to Australia in 1952. The film’s authentic portrayal of immigrant hardships was accentuated by his casting of people who had lived through the events they were portraying. While Mangiamele later focused on loners who were up against the system, the characters of 'Il Contratto' are sustained by their unity.