Cartoonist Mark Knight uses movie scene to capture joy of Olivia Newton-John
Cartoonist Mark Knight has used a famous scene from the movie Grease to pay tribute to Australian icon Olivia Newton-John and capture the joy she brought generations
READING LEVEL: GREEN
When we lose a person who has played a big part in influencing our lives – whether through their work in politics, science, sport, the arts, entertainment or something else – I like to pay tribute to their contribution and the difference they have made.
The death of someone is obviously a sad occasion, but it is also a chance to celebrate a life well lived.
This week Australia’s Olivia Newton-John lost her long battle with breast cancer at the age of 73 and what followed was a huge outpouring* of emotion and tributes from around the world. The singer, actress and fundraiser for cancer was universally admired and held in great affection, and so it was an obvious choice for me to pay tribute to her in my daily cartoon in the Herald Sun.
The question I ask myself when I look at creating a drawing to celebrate a life like hers is: “what is it I want to say about her?”
Olivia’s career was long and she had many hit songs. Then there were the movies Grease and Xanadu and the songs that came from them.
She was also as equally successful in her campaigning to raise awareness about breast cancer, after her own diagnosis, and the creation of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Melbourne.
There are a lot of facets* to this gem of a woman, but I didn’t want the drawing to be over-complicated. It had to translate quickly and easily to the reader.
After watching the tributes and reading the many messages of condolence*, I decided to rely on my own instincts about the essential* qualities I thought she brought to the stage and screen: and that was the joy she gave people.
I thought I could show that in a simple caricature* drawing of a scene from arguably her most famous project, the movie Grease.
We all know the songs, even you students from a different generation would be familiar with the tunes, songs about teenage relationships, growing up, love and happiness.
It is the final scene in Grease when Sandy and Danny (Olivia and John Travolta) drive away into the distance together, happily ever after.
Surprisingly the car starts to climb into the sky. As it soars upwards, Sandy turns to look back and wave goodbye. The scene is almost ethereal*, like ascending* to the afterlife*, I thought.
But in that final farewell her smile is radiant*. That is how I remember ONJ, as she is known.
So I simply drew that moment, in my cartoon caricature style.
The drawing not only had to capture her likeness, but more importantly it had to capture the joy in her smile, that radiance and warmth that we all felt when we saw Olivia. The essence* of the person.
That is what I wanted my readers to experience when they opened the paper and saw my drawing the next morning. That magic.
GLOSSARY
- outpouring: an outburst of strong feelings
- facets: sides, parts
- condolence: the expression of sympathy and sadness
- essential: someone’s basic or most important qualities
- caricature: a drawing which exaggerates certain characteristics of a person
- ethereal: extremely delicate and light in a way that seems not to be of this world
- ascending: rising, leading upwards
- afterlife: life after death, for example in heaven
- radiant: very bright and happy
- essence: the most important part, a thing that belongs naturally and makes a person who they are
EXTRA READING
Farewell to voice of stolen generation
Aussie spirit front and centre at rock concert
QUICK QUIZ
- Which disease did Olivia Newton-John raise money for?
- Why did she fundraise for this cause?
- What is the name of the medical centre she opened in Melbourne?
- Why did Mark Knight choose this scene from the movie Grease for his cartoon?
- What does he hope readers will see in his cartoon?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Caption it!
Cartoonist Mark Knight has not used a caption on this cartoon, letting the imagery speak for itself.
Read Mark’s explanation of what the cartoon means again and write two, three or four short sentences, just to make sure you understand what the cartoon is saying.
Using your sentences to help you, write a caption for the cartoon or some thought bubbles or quotes from the person in the cartoon that will make Mark’s meaning clearer for children or people who haven’t been reading the news this week.
Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum links: English, Humanities, Visual Arts, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
Look through the most recent stories on Kids News and choose one to draw a cartoon about.
Use Mark’s three-step process to get started:
- What is my subject?
- What do I want to say about this issue?
- How do I say it? Do I use visual metaphors (an image that the viewer is meant to understand as a symbol for something else), multiple panels or symbolism (when one idea, feeling or emotion is represented by something else such as a picture, character, colour or object)?
Time: allow at least 40 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum links: English, Humanities, Visual Arts, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Describe it
Look at the cartoon and make a list of five nouns that you see. Then describe those five nouns with five adjectives.
Add a preposition to those five nouns and adjectives.
Now choose your favourite bundle and put all the words together to make one descriptive sentence.