Black and White is an Australian historical and biographical drama (based on a true story) which premiered in 2002.
It is about the case against the Australian Aboriginal Rupert Max Stuart (1932-2014).
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Produced by Helen Leake and Nik Powell
** Directed by Craig Lahiff
** Written by Louis Nowra
** Released on DVD in 2005
** Run time: 94 minutes
The cast includes the following:
** Robert Carlyle as David O’Sullivan (died in 1965) – a lawyer
** Charles Dance as Roderic Chamberlain (1901-1990) - a crown solicitor
** Kerry Fox as Helen Devaney – a lawyer
** David Ngoombujarra as young Max Stuart
** Max Stuart as old Max Stuart
** Colin Friels as Father Tom Dixon (1916-1992) – a Catholic priest
** Ben Mendelsohn as Rupert Murdoch (born 1931) – the owner of The Adelaide
News
** John Gregg as Rohan Rivett (1917-1977) - the editor of The Adelaide News
** Bille Brown as Thomas Playford (1896-1981) - Premier of South Australia
** Petru Gheorghiu as Dr. Ted Strehlow (1908-1978) - an anthropologist
In December 1958, a nine-year-old girl Mary Olive Hattam disappeared from the beach of Ceduna, South Australia.
A search was organized and her body was found in a cave. She had been raped and murdered. It was a horrible crime.
The police soon arrested a young Aboriginal for the crime. His name was Rupert Max Stuart. The police did not have any physical evidence against him. And no witness had seen him commit the crime. But after an intensive interrogation by the police, he signed a written confession.
A court case against him began in April 1959. He was found guilty by an all-male and all-white jury. He was sentenced to death. His lawyers David O’Sullivan and Helen Devaney appealed, but the verdict was upheld.
His fate seemed to be sealed, but the government of South Australia decided to
commute the death sentence to life in prison. Max was released in 1973, having
served 14 years in prison. He was in and out of prison until 1984 when he was
finally given a full pardon.
In this historical drama, we see how his lawyers try to use every option that is open to
them in the legal system in order to have the guilty verdict overturned.
We also see how the police, the public prosecutor, and the local government insist that they have the right man and that he deserves to be punished for the crime he has committed.
The question of Max Stuart’s guilt or innocence has never been completely settled. His defence lawyers seem to believe he is innocent, while the crown prosecutor Roderic Chamberlain seems to believe he is guilty.
This drama does not take a stand on this issue one way or the other. But it does point out that there was no physical evidence against the suspect and that no witness saw him commit the crime.
We also learn that the signed confession is highly dubious: Max was illiterate. At the time, he could not read or write English. He did not even speak English very well.
But the confession was written in perfect English and it included words and expressions that an Aboriginal such as Max was not likely to use.
The case against Max became the subject of an Australian campaign to abolish the death penalty.
The defence received assistance from an unexpected source: Rupert Murdoch, who was the owner of the local newspaper The Adelaide News, and his editor Rohan Rivett conducted an intensive campaign in support of Max.
Murdoch had recently inherited this newspaper from his father. He was against the death penalty and decided to use his paper as an advocate for this point of view.
An on-screen message placed at the end of the drama informs us that Murdoch went to establish one of the biggest media companies in the world. Today Murdoch is not exactly known as a man who supports the underdog, but at that time this was what he did.
Some reviewers claim that this drama makes Murdoch’s role in the campaign larger than it really was, and that it makes Rivett’s role in the campaign smaller than it really was.
The newspaper was sued for libel by the authorities, but in the end all charges were dropped.
As soon as this happened, Murdoch fired his editor. This significant detail is not shown in the drama, but one scene seems to hint in that direction:
Murdoch tells Rivett that they have to talk and then he closes the door to his office, so we cannot hear what is being said. This is probably the moment when Rivett is fired.
The case against Max Stuart is a landmark case in Australian legal history. It had important long-term consequences.
It was one reason why Thomas Playford lost the position as Premier of South Australia in 1965, even though he had held this position for many years, in fact since 1938. It was also one reason why the death penalty was abolished.
The story deserves to be told, and in this drama, it is done
very well.
If you are interested in Australian history – in particular the question of human rights and justice for all - this historical drama is definitely something for you.
It is highly recommended.
PS # 1. There is a book about the case:
The Stuart Case
By K. S. Inglis
The first edition was published in 1961. A second edition (with a new afterword) was published in 2002 to coincide with the historical drama.
PS # 2. The following items are available online:
David Fickling,
“Rupert the Brave,”
The Guardian
02 January 2004
David Smith,
“Ruthless Rupe is recast as an angel of mercy,”
The Guardian
04 January 2004
Joey Watson,
"The 1959 true crime stories that saved a man's life and launched Rupert Murdoch's career,"
ABC News
18 December 2018
PS # 3. A forced confession is often a false confession. For more information
on this aspect of the legal system, see the following book:
True Stories of false Confessions
Edited by Rob Warden and Steven A. Drizin
(2009)
*****
Black and White
This historical and biographical drama
premiered in 2002
*****
Rupert Max Stuart
(1932-2014)
*****
The Stuart Case
By K. S. Inglis
(first edition published in 1961)
(second edition published in 2002)
*****
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