Reconsidering Goosens

A new film examining the tragic life and career of British conductor Sir Eugene Goossens is screening at the Sydney Film Festival, “impelling Australians to reflect on a shameful episode in their past.” Goossens was brought to Australia to lead the Sydney Symphony in the 1950s, but his promising career was cut short when he was fired and deported after airport authorities discovered pornographic photos in his luggage. Goossens died in disgrace in London, but the film portrays him as “a victim of the tabloid press and a morally zealous vice squad detective.”