The Delinquents (1989 film)

Village Roadshow Pictures
Company type	Film production company
Industry	Film production
Founded	1989
Founder	Greg Coote, John Tarnoff
Headquarters	Australia
Products	Films

The Delinquents is a 1989 Australian coming-of-age romantic drama helmed by director Chris Thomson, featuring a screenplay crafted by Clayton Frohman and Mac Gudgeon, adapted from Criena Rohan's 1962 novel. This film represents the inaugural project of Village Roadshow Pictures. It stars Kylie Minogue in her first feature film role alongside Charlie Schlatter, with principal photography conducted in various Queensland locations such as Brisbane, Maryborough, and Bundaberg.

The movie premiered in Australia on 21 December 1989, garnering mixed critical responses and earning $3.37 million at the domestic box office. A soundtrack album was also released in conjunction with the film.

Plot

Set against the backdrop of 1950s Bundaberg, Australia, the story follows teenagers Lola and Brownie who fall deeply in love but encounter resistance from their families and social welfare officials due to their youth. When Lola becomes pregnant, the young couple flees but is soon apprehended; Lola is compelled to undergo an abortion in Brisbane.

Brownie joins a ship’s crew to search for Lola and forms a friendship with a sailor named Bosun, who offers him employment. Meanwhile, Lola relocates to Melbourne where she works as a waitress and alters her appearance. They reunite during Brownie’s shore leave but struggle with life aboard the vessel.

After moving into a shared residence with friends Lyle and Mavis, Lola and Brownie are arrested for underage drinking and vagrancy. Lola is subsequently placed under the care of Aunt Westbury in the countryside for a year with strict conditions prohibiting contact with Brownie. Upon discovering her letters are intercepted, Lola attempts to escape but is recaptured and sent to reform school.

Released at eighteen, Lola reunites with Brownie and learns that Mavis is pregnant again. Following Mavis’s death during childbirth along with her baby, Lola and Brownie offer to adopt her surviving daughter Sharon but are refused due to their unmarried status. Lyle entrusts Sharon to Lola before leaving on his travels.

As Lola prepares to take Sharon to welfare services prior to returning home, Brownie pursues them and catches up. The film concludes with their wedding attended by family and friends.

Cast

Kylie Minogue as Lola Lovell
Charlie Schlatter as Brownie Hansen
Bruno Lawrence as Bosun
Todd Boyce as Lyle
Desirée Smith as Mavis
Angela Punch McGregor as Mrs. Lovell
Melissa Jaffer as Aunt Westbury
Lynette Curran as Mrs. Hansen
Duncan Wass as Bert
Lyn Treadgold as Prison matron
Rosemary Harris as Isobel
Rachel Szalay as Maxine

Original novel

The source novel was published in 1962, written while the author was hospitalized for tuberculosis, and submitted for the Miles Franklin Award. Criena Rohan passed away in 1963, having authored only one other book. The novel was re-released in 1986 and again in 1989 to coincide with the film adaptation.

Differences between the book and movie include Lola’s Asian heritage in the novel and her miscarriage occurring at an all-girls school—elements that were either excluded from the screenplay or removed during production to achieve a lower classification rating.

Production

Producers Alex Cutler and Michael Wilcox acquired adaptation rights in 1985 after facing challenges securing another Australian novel. Financing was obtained from the New South Wales Film Corporation and Australian Film Commission, initially engaging Lex Marinos for a draft script. Interest intensified in 1987 when David Bowie praised the novel and announced intentions to compose the score but later withdrew due to creative differences, citing a mismatch between the book’s tone and the film’s approach.

Further script development was supported by the Australian Film Commission with Dorothy Hewett producing a second draft. Village Roadshow executives Greg Coote and John Tarnoff joined the project; Coote suggested casting Kylie Minogue for the lead role, marking Village Roadshow's first major film production. Originally Ben Mendelsohn was cast opposite Minogue, but American actor Charlie Schlatter replaced him to boost international appeal.

Director Chris Thomson, initially critical of the screenplay yet fond of the novel, convinced producers to bring Mac Gudgeon on board for rewrites. Village Roadshow contributed half of the budget while additional funding was sought from the FFC in 1988.

Filming took place partially at Warner Bros studios on the Gold Coast. Media reports highlighted interference from US executives who demanded numerous script revisions aimed at minimizing Australian slang and references. Investors hoped to emulate Dirty Dancing's success by attracting a youthful audience likely to watch repeatedly.

Release and reception

Following its world premiere in London, The Delinquents opened broadly across Australia and New Zealand on 21 December 1989. It released in the UK on 26 December 1989 before expanding into European territories: Finland and Sweden on 1 June 1990 (titled Delinquents – Nuoret Kapinalliset), Netherlands on 8 June, Denmark on 15 June (as For ung til kærlighed), Portugal on 29 June, followed by Germany.

Despite casting an American lead actor and composer targeting US audiences, distribution complications prevented a US release; consequently, the production company initiated legal action against Village Roadshow Pictures and the FFC.

Reception

The film provoked controversy over its content; Britain's Daily Mail criticized its '12' certificate rating as "immoral and dangerous." David Stratton of Variety labeled the plot "trite," questioned Schlatter’s casting choice, and remained uncertain about Minogue’s acting prospects. DVD.net rated it 5/10, whereas Scoopy.com commended its cinematography, period authenticity, and Minogue's leading performance. The Radio Times awarded two out of five stars, describing it as a "passable tale of teenage torment."

Box office

Opening on 98 screens across Australia, The Delinquents grossed A$752,800 during its first week. It ultimately garnered A$3.37 million domestically, becoming Australia's highest-grossing film of 1990. In the UK market, it debuted on 207 screens with £399,785 over its opening weekend; it reached number one with £1.07 million during its initial week. It ranked seventeenth among top-grossing films of 1989 there and was that year’s most popular Australian film.

Producer Mike Wilcox disputed claims that the movie was financially unsuccessful, noting that definitive performance figures were unclear and stating that "the jury is still out" regarding its profitability.

Home media

The Delinquents saw worldwide VHS release in 1990 followed by an Australian DVD release in 2005. It became accessible internationally through digital platforms such as iTunes in 2016.

Soundtrack

Issued by Mushroom Records in Australia and New Zealand and by PWL Records in the UK, the soundtrack featured classic songs alongside performances by Kylie Minogue and Johnny Diesel and the Injectors plus one original score piece.

The single "Tears on My Pillow" was released in February 1990; it peaked at number 20 in Australia and topped UK charts for one week in January 1990, ranking as the UK's 26th best-selling single that year. "Please Send Me Someone to Love" reached number 11 in Australia.

"Please Send Me Someone to Love" – Johnny Diesel and the Injectors (Written by Percy Mayfield) (4:25)
"Slippin' and Slidin'" – Little Richard (Written by Little Richard (as Penniman)/Eddie Bo (as Edwin J. Bocage)/Al Collins/James Smith) (2:33)
"Twenty Flight Rock" – Eddie Cochran (Written by Ned Fairchild/Eddie Cochran) (1:45)
"Break Up" – Jerry Lee Lewis (Written by Charlie Rich) (2:40)
"Be-Bop-A-Lula" – Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps (Written by Gene Vincent/Tex Davis) (2:36)
"Lucille" – Swanee (Written by Richard Penniman/Al Collins) (2:24)
"One Night" – Fats Domino (Written by David Bartholomew/Pearl King) (2:50)
"Only You" – The Platters (Written by Buck Ram/Ande Rand) (2:38)
"Tears on My Pillow" – Kylie Minogue (Written by Bradford Lewis) (2:31)
"Theme From The Delinquents" – The Delinquents Orchestra (Composed and Conducted by Miles Goodman) (2:24)

Additional tracks heard within the film but absent from the soundtrack album include pieces by Eddie Cochran, Patti Page, Ivory Joe Hunter, Dinah Shore, Little Walter, and Johnny O'Keefe.

Charts

Template:Album chart

Chart (1989)	Peak position

External links

The Delinquents at the National Film and Sound Archive
The Delinquents on Oz Movies