Figure 1.--Nicholas Gledhill is seen here in the role of PS in "PS, Carefull jr might hear you." Notice the rugby-style shirt, a popular style in Australia at the time.

Touching little film about an orphaned Australian boy. He plays the part of a younger boy subject to a custody battle by two aunts, one of modest circumstances and the other quite well off. His rich aunt, who wants to take care of him. He wears short pants including a short pants suit. The clothes he wore were typical of Australiam boys' clothdes in the 1930s. He goes to a new school where the school bully, interestingly a girl, picks on him. Nicholas Gledhill played a limited, but successful roles in the film, although the plot is built around his character.

Cast

Nicholas Gledhill played a limited, but successful roles in the film, although the plot is built around his character. Other cast members include: Wendy Hughes, Robyn Nevin, John Hargreaves, Geraldine Turner, and Isabelle Anderson.

Filmography

The director is Carl Schult. "Careful,He Might Hear You" won eight Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Hughes), and Best Supporting Actor (Hargreaves). The film is based on the novel by Sumner Locke Elliott.

Setting

The fim is set in 1930s depression-era Australia.

Characters

Nicholas Gledhill plays P.S., a 6-year-old boy who lives with his Aunt Lila (Robyn Nevin) and Uncle George (Peter Whitford). P.S.'s mother had died in childbirth, so her sister Lila took him in and he looks on them as his parents. Lila's other sister Vanessa (Wendy Hughes) decided that she can do better for PS. P.S.'s long-absent father, Logan (John Hargreaves), is an alcoholic completely incapable of caring for the boy.

Plot

Touching little film about an orphaned boy, 6-year-old PS. The boy is abandoned by his alcoholic father and becomes a pawn between his dead mother's two sisters. The boy is subject to a custody battle by two aunts, one of modest circumstances and the other quite well off. His rich aunt, who wants to take care of him. "P.S." received his name because his late mother believed him to be a "postscript to her life". That inauspicious start set the pace for P.S.' troubled childhood. George and Lila don't have much money, but they have given PS a good home. Lila is a very loving aunt. Their world was secure and cozy until wealthy Aunt Vanessa invades their tranquil universe. The plot thickens when Vanessa returns to Australia after touring the world for several years. Vanessa is wealthy, and when she returns she expresses an interest in ciustody of PS explaining all she can do for him. It doesn't help matters when his uncle loses his job. P.S. visits his rich but rather hardened Aunt Vanessa. Lila is at first willing to let Vanessa visit with P.S. His rich aunt is able to turn his head with limousine rides and lavish gifts. But when Vanessa decides she wants complete custodty of PS, Lila decides to fight her in court. The plot case further complicated by the appearance of P.S.'s long-absent father, Logan, who loves his son but is an alcoholic and inable to care for PS. His real let Aunt Vanessa know he didn't like how P.S. was being raised to be an oh-so polite little gentleman, but it's clear he's an alcoholic and unable to support P.S. Actually, none of the male role models in this film is satisfactory. Uncle George can't keep a job. The dad is an alcoholic. P.S. is terrorized not only by his aunt but by a girl at the swanky school he's enrolled in. The end of the film is a little murky, but it seemed that P.S. was adopting Aunt Vanessa's ways. Schultz's book provides a touching, child's eye view of the struggle between PS's relatives whicg he does not fully understand.

Figure 2.--PS is pictured here woth his two aunts. Notice the same blue shirt seen above, sweater, and khaki shorts.

Costuming

PS wears short pants including a short pants suit. The clothes he wore were typical of Australiam boys' clothes in the 1930s. He often wears rugby style shirts with khaki shorts which were especially popular in Australia. He goes to a new school where the school bully, interestingly a girl, picks on him. The period clothes are faithfully presented on the film. Aussie viewers may recall a TV series set in the late 1930's to early 1940's entitled "The Sullivans". Another good example of clothing from 1930's Australia.

Reader Comments

An Australian reader tells us, "I think if you want to know what a typical Australian boy is like epecially the 1930s then you should watch the wonderful "PS, Careful He Might Hear You" starring Nicholas Gledhill, a precocious but sweet 6 year old boy. 'PS' is torn between two oposite worlds. One with George and Lilia the battlers from suburbia with grubby faced little boys, jam and vegemite sandwiches, and backyard cricket plus poverty and poor brands clothing or hand me downs, but they love PS dearly. The other world is that of Aunt Vanessa with prestige, riches, and upwardly reserved but cold from lack of a true love. There is prep school, piano lessions, horseriding, elecution and speach lessons, and good manners. People in her world are dressed up to the nines and have reserved attitudes."

Created: October 29, 2001
Last updated: December 3, 2002