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MOVIE FEATURE

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Although travelling tent boxing shows are a thing of the past, their legacy still resonates across rural and outback Australia. Starting in the early 20th century, these shows crisscrossed the country to entertain bush communities - farmers, cattlemen, and others whose days were spent in hard labour and evenings at the pub sinking cold ones. Tent boxing thrived especially during the Depression, providing both employment and escapism. Over the decades, it became synonymous with Australian working class culture. However, the scene declined in the 1970s as safety regulations gained prominence in workplaces across the country.

Paul Goldman has made movies like Aussie Rules , Suburban Mayhem , and last year's brilliant rockumentary Ego:The Michael Gudinski Story . His latest film, Kid Snow , is a tribute to a bygone era, written by local screen icon John Brumpton. Words Glenn Cochrane

”M ost people would know John as an esteemed actor,” says Goldman when sitting down to chat with STACK . ”He is, indeed, also a screenwriter. He spent some time in his life travelling with a tent boxing troupe, and so his original script was written from personal experiences.” Set in the 1970s, Kid Snow

original screenplay. The attraction for me was that it was authentic. I loved the epic nature of the

storytelling, I loved the fact that there were going to be so many characters to juggle, which is not something I had done in the past. I love the relationships, I love the landscape, and I was aware of tent boxing and the wonderful mythology surrounding it and I think that it’s a very colourful part of Australian folklore.”

legend of the travelling boxing scene, who ran Roy Bell’s Tent and Roy Bell’s Touring Stadium for decades. ”Michael was related to Roy Bell by marriage, and I found out that just outside of Dubbo at a place called Tullamore, Michael had Roy Bell’s hundred-year-old tent wrapped up. We had always worried about reproducing that tent, because we’d seen the rich archive of photos of boxing tents, and I’d read the memoirs and talked to people who’d been there. ”So, I flew to Dubbo and drove out to Michael’s place, and he pulled Roy Bell’s tent out of mothballs - one hundred years old - and he put it up for me, and it was like stepping back in time. You know, we’re talking about a boxing tent that had travelled all around Australia that was soaked in beer, blood, and dung.” Having such an integral set piece bringing a tangible sense of history to the film, it was a tall order for the production designer to ensure that the rest of the setting matched organically. ”The production designer on this film has done the most extraordinary job. I think it’s one of the most beautiful pieces of production design in a recent Australian film that I’ve seen.”

Dirctor Paul Goldman

is a sports drama that follows two Irish brothers running a travelling tent boxing business during a time when such attractions were losing their appeal. Their already strained relationship faces new challenges when a young single mother and her son join the troupe, adding a striptease sideshow to attract fresh audiences. The film stars British actors Billy Howle ( On Chesil Beach ) and Tom Bateman ( Thirteen Lives ), alongside Australian actress Phoebe Tonkin ( Babylon ). Supporting roles are played by Robert Taylor ( Longmire ), Nathan Phillips ( These Final Hours ), and Mark Coles Smith ( Mystery Road: Origin ). ”I came to the project after one of the producers optioned John’s

PhoebeTonkin and Billy Howie

Kid Snow has a timeless quality. Although set in the 1970s, its rugged, dust-swept atmosphere feels like it could easily belong to the 1930s. The film’s classic cinematic look is a testament

• Kid Snow is out Dec 11

not only to production designer Clayton Jauncey, but also to one standout set piece: the tent. ”Once we started production, we accidentally met Michael Karaitiana,” explains Goldman, referring to his fortuitous encounter with the Australian boxing icon. ”Michael appears in the film and is related to Roy Bell,” he adds, referencing another

Tom Bateman

20 DECEMBER 2024

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