In Search Of Anna

Director: 
Esben Storm
18 Sep 1978

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One of many road movies.

John composed part of the score. Other contributions from Alan Stivell, AC/DC and Rose Tattoo.

90 minutes homecoming movie of man who has been in prison for six years, about troubles with his former partners in crime and search for disappeared wife.
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John contributed to the score while in Australia touring. On the website Cult Film Alley, filmmaker Haydn Keenan shared some memories from the period:
"[Editor] Michael Norton stayed in a lift going up and down for about an hour at The Sebel Townhouse where all the musos stayed when they were touring, until John Martyn the Scottish singer got into the lift and Michael put it on him. He came down to the ABC studios on William Street – it was a bottle of scotch, an ounce of dope and a thousand bucks and he played for a couple of hours… and he had his stuff liberally sprayed throughout the soundtrack. It’s a great soundtrack. Martyn got an AFI nomination for his score!"

The melody of the title song resembles verses of Small Hours. There's also a Dealer version there and one of Certain Surprise.

The first finished cut of this movie ran for two and a half hours. The film screened at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival only two days after the final print left the lab.
"When theatrically released in Australia this movie was a failure at the box-office."

First shown in Canada 18 September 1978 at the Toronto Film Festival. US release was 9 months later.
VHS copies carried different covers depending on year or country of release.
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Cover text for the American release:

"the most purposefully original new film in Cannes" - Nigel Andrews

IN SEARCH OF ANNA
Starring Richard Moir, Judy Morris
Written, directed, and produced by Esben Storm

In Search Of Anna unfolds the story of Tony (Richard Moir), a newly released convict trying to pull his life together.
He returns home to find that his girlfriend, Anna, has suddenly vanished, and members of his former gang angrily pursue him to retrieve the money they think he has stashed away.
Escaping, tony is obsessed with salvaging his relationship and thus begins his search for Anna. Hitchhiking northward, he's picked up by a beautiful female model by the name of Sam (Judy Morris), who is also looking to begin a new life.
Their adventure together becomes a tale of suspense, soul-searching, and unlikely love.
In Search Of Anna is beautifully photographed, with a pulsing rock score featuring the sounds of AC/DC.

Credits: 
Producer: Esben Storm
Director: Esben Storm
Actors: Richard Moir, Judy Morris, Chris Haywood, Bill Hunter
Carriers: 
Active Home Video, A226 (US)