The Devil's Playground

1977 1h 47m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

6.8

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 38🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes★6.8IMDB · 1,350

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Australia, 1953. Thirteen-year-old Tom Allen attends a strict Catholic seminary for boys administered by De La Salle Brothers. The adolescent students and their adult instructors struggle deeply with sexual repression and religious doubt.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Arthur Dignam
Brother Francine
Nick Tate
Brother Victor
Simon Burke
Tom Allen
Charles McCallum
Brother Sebastian
John Frawley
Brother Celian
John Diedrich
Fitz
Alan Cinis
Waite
Richard Morgan
Smith

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Fred Schepisi
Writers: Fred Schepisi
Languages: English
Countries: Australia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

49 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Fred Schepisi, shot by Ian Baker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Brian Kavanagh shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Arthur Dignam and Nick Tate and Simon Burke carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0074404 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 38 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Fred Schepisi directs. Ian Baker behind the camera. Brian Kavanagh cuts. Produced in Australia. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
249 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Fred Schepisi, shot by Ian Baker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Editor Brian Kavanagh shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Arthur Dignam and Nick Tate and Simon Burke carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0074404 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 38 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.