Cinema of Australia

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Australasian cinema
Ned Kelly depicted in the first Australian feature-length narrative film
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Ned Kelly depicted in the first Australian feature-length narrative film

The cinema of Australia has a long history and has produced many internationally-recognized films, actors and filmmakers, although it has frequently suffered from an under funded industry.

Contents

[edit] History

Australia's film history has been characterized as one of 'boom and bust' due to the unstable and cyclical nature of its industry; there have been deep troughs when few films were made for decades and high peaks when a glut of films reached the market.[1]

Australian film has a long history. Indeed, the earliest known feature length narrative film in the world was the Australian production The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906).

Arguably one of the world's first film studios, The Limelight Department was operated by The Salvation Army in Melbourne, Australia, between 1891 and 1910. The Limelight Department produced evangelical material for use by the Salvation Army, as well as private and government contracts. In its 19 years of operation, the Limelight Department produced about 300 films of various lengths, making it the largest film producer of its time. The major innovation of the Limelight Department would come in 1899 when Herbert Booth and Joseph Perry began work on Soldiers of the Cross, arguably the first feature length film ever produced. Soldiers of the Cross fortified the Limelight Department as a major player in the early film industry. However, Soldier of the Cross would be dwarfed when the Limelight Department was commissioned to film the Federation of Australia.

[edit] The boom of the 1910s

The first 'boom' in Australian film occurred in the 1910s. After beginning slowly in the years from 1900, 1910 saw 4 narrative films released, then 51 in 1911, 30 in 1912, and 17 in 1913, and back to 4 in 1914, the beginning of World War I.[2] While these numbers may seem small, Australia was one of the most prolific film-producing countries at the time [citation needed].

There are various explanations for the subsequent demise of the industry; some historians have pointed to falling audience numbers, a lack of interest in Australian product and narratives, and the decision to participate in World War I. However, a major reason lay in the official banning of bushranger films in 1912.[3] Looking for alternative products, Australian theatre chains realised that Australian films were much more expensive than imported films from the United States, which could be purchased cheaply as production expenses had already been recouped. To redress this decline, the federal government imposed a tax on imported film in 1914, but this was removed by 1918. By 1923, U.S. films dominated the Australian exhibition sector, with 94% of all films coming from that country. [citation needed]


[edit] The boom of the 1970s and 1980s

During the 1970s, government funding for Australian filmmakers was increased and the Australian Film Commission was created in 1975 to fund and produce internationally competitive films.[1] A generation of directors and actors emerged who told distinctively Australian stories. Films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975) and Sunday Too Far Away (Ken Hannam, 1975) made an impact on the international arena. The 1970s and 80s are regarded by many as a 'golden age' of Australian cinema, with many successful films, from the dark science fiction of Mad Max (George Miller, 1979) to the blatantly commercial Aussie-bloke romantic comedy of Crocodile Dundee (Peter Faiman, 1986), a film that defined Australia in the eyes of many foreigners despite having little to do with the lifestyle of most Australians.

[edit] The industry today

The Australian film industry continues to produce a reasonable number of films each year,[citation needed] but in common with other English-speaking countries, Australia has often found it difficult to compete in a marketplace dominated by American product. The most successful actors and film-makers are easily lured by Hollywood and rarely return to the domestic film industry.

Many US producers have moved productions to Australian studios as they discover a pool of professional talent well below US costs. Studios established in Australia, like Fox Studios Australia and Warner Bros. Movie World, host large international productions like The Matrix and Star Wars II and III.

[edit] Government support

A recurring debate in the Australian film industry revolves around the necessity or otherwise of government support for the industry. In brief, the argument for government support maintains that a viable film industry is only possible if it is supported in some way by the government and proponents of this view hold that the industry cannot compete against the hegemony of Hollywood. The argument against government support is that the industry is viable without support and will become stronger if increasingly globalized market forces are allowed full and untrammeled play. Others argue that a film industry in itself has little value. The history of the industry in Australia is to some extent a result of the ascendancy of one position over the other.

[edit] Australian exports

The Australian film industry has produced a number of successful actors and directors, most of whom have moved on to Hollywood. These include actors and actresses Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Geoffrey Rush and Russell Crowe, directors Peter Weir, Mario Andreacchio and Baz Luhrmann, and associated production experts.

[edit] Notable films

The following is a selection of films that are particularly important to Australian film history.

[edit] Walkabout

Main article: Walkabout (film)

Walkabout is based on the novel by James Vance Marshall, with direction by Nicolas Roeg and screenplay by Edward Bond. It stars Jenny Agutter and Luc Roeg (the director's son) as a fourteen year old girl and her little brother lost in Australia's outback after their father attempts to murder them and then himself commits suicide. They are saved from certain death when they encounter a teenage aboriginal boy (played by David Gulpilil) on his walkabout. The movie follows the gradual acclimatization of the two to a more primitive and innocent lifestyle and the growing bond between the three. Throughout the movie, related scenes in civilization and the outback are contrasted, implying that perhaps the gap between primitive and modern is not so wide as we might like to think. Although the young brother learns to communicate with their saviour, Jenny seems disinterested in truly understanding the young Aborigine and in turn he never attempts to learn about her. In the end the movie is about how the failure to try to understand one another leads to mutual loss, and not a Rousseau-like comparison of the "noble savage" vrs. the degraded civilized man. The movie was censored for its US release for nudity but is available in full as a director's cut from the Criterion Collection.

[edit] Picnic at Hanging Rock

Main article: Picnic at Hanging Rock

Picnic at Hanging Rock was produced by Patricia Lovell, Hal McElroy and Jim McElroy and directed by Peter Weir. It was one of the first Australian films to be seen internationally. It is an enigmatic art film; its rhythm is marked by a recurring sense of unease, the use of lingering, even haunting, images of the Rock and the Australian outback.

[edit] The Mad Max series

Main article: Mad Max

Released in 1979, Mad Max is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi/action thriller directed by George Miller, and written by Miller, James McCausland, and Byron Kennedy, who also produced the film. It was the first mainstream, populist Australian film to be seen internationally and became a worldwide box office hit with its combination of odd characters and over-the-top car stunts, launching Mel Gibson to international stardom. This was followed by Mad Max 2 (1981; known in the US as The Road Warrior), and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985).

[edit] Breaker Morant

Main article: Breaker Morant (film)

Breaker Morant was an internationally popular Australian film set during the Second Boer War in South Africa. It tells the story of Harry "Breaker" Morant, who ordered the summary execution of several Afrikaner and African prisoners, which led to his controversial court-martial and execution for murder by the British Army. The all-Australian supporting cast features Bryan Brown, Lewis FitzGerald and Jack Thompson.

[edit] Gallipoli

Main article: Gallipoli (1981 film)

Gallipoli is a 1981 film, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson about several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War. The climax of the movie occurs on the Anzac battlefield at Gallipoli and depicts the ill-fated attack at the Nek on the morning of the 7 August 1915, by the 3rd Light Horse Brigade. The film is very popular in Australia as it depicts an important moment in Australian history. [citation needed]

[edit] Crocodile Dundee series

Main article: Crocodile Dundee

Crocodile Dundee is one of the few Australian films to have a large success in America, in part because its second half takes place in New York City. Released on April 30, 1986 in Australia, and on September 26, 1986 in the United States, it was the second highest grossing film in the USA in that year and went on to become the No. 1 film worldwide at the box office. The film used stereotypes about Australians as plain-speaking bush-dwellers to popular effect. It is perhaps best remembered for the phrase "That's not a knife ... This (pulls out machete) is a knife." uttered by Paul Hogan's Mick Dundee when confronted by a mugger in New York. A sequel, Crocodile Dundee II was made in 1988 which was the fifth highest-grossing film of the year in the United States and earned more than $300 million worldwide. A belated third sequel, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001) was not as successful.

[edit] Romper Stomper

Main article: Romper Stomper

Romper Stomper (1992), directed by Geoffrey Wright, was a controversial film in Australia, due to its portrayal of neo-Nazis. The film follows the exploits and downfall of a neo-Nazi skinhead group in blue-collar suburban Melbourne. Intended to discourage neo-Nazism, it unintentionally became a cult classic among racist skinheads. The film starred Russell Crowe before he became internationally famous.

[edit] Strictly Ballroom

Main article: Strictly Ballroom

Strictly Ballroom was Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of his own short play of the same name, first staged in 1986. It was a huge hit at the Cannes Film Festival, winning the Prix de Jeunesse award. It was sought after by distributors from across the world and immediately after its showing at Cannes, it was sold to 86 countries for more than $10 million. Luhrmann went on to direct two Hollywood films.

[edit] Muriel's Wedding

Main article: Muriel's Wedding
A scene from Muriel's Wedding
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A scene from Muriel's Wedding

Muriel's Wedding is a 1994 Australian film that was a success around the world. Toni Collette received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her role, and the worldwide success of this film furthered the international careers of Collette, Rachel Griffiths, and director P.J. Hogan.

[edit] The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Main article: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a 1994 Australian film about a drag queen, a transvestite and a transsexual driving across the outback from Sydney to Alice Springs in a large bus they have named Priscilla. The film brought Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce to international attention. It was written and directed by Stephan Elliott.

[edit] Babe

Main article: Babe (film)

Babe is a 1995 fantasy film that tells the story of a pig who wants to be a herding dog. It was successful across the world, in part because the international cast used ambiguous accents, so the film's origin was unclear; it could appear as much like England or America as Australia. Babe: Pig in the City was the sequel, released in 1998.

[edit] Shine

Main article: Shine (film)

Shine is a 1996 film that tells the true story of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. It was one of the most successful Australian films at the Oscars, winning the Academy Award for Best Actor (Geoffrey Rush), and being nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Armin Mueller-Stahl), Best Director (Scott Hicks), Best Film Editing, Best Music, Original Dramatic Score, Best Picture and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

[edit] The Castle

Main article: The Castle (movie)

The Castle is a cult film in Australia but little seen internationally, owing to its perceived obscurity to those unfamiliar with Australian working class culture. The story follows the exploits of a tow-truck driver living in Melbourne who foils an attempt to evict his family from their home in order to expand the airport.

[edit] Rabbit-Proof Fence

Main article: Rabbit-Proof Fence (film)
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Rabbit-Proof Fence is a 2002 film about three Aboriginal girls who travelled a huge distance in Western Australia by following 1500 miles of rabbit-proof fence for nine weeks to return to their mother's community at Jigalong. When it was released, the film caused debate over its historical accuracy. It is one of the few internationally successful Australian films to depict the Aboriginal experience.

[edit] Harvie Krumpet

The Australian animated short film Harvie Krumpet recently received an Academy Award for Animated Short Film.

[edit] Selected list of films shot or produced in Australia

Main article: List of Australian films

[edit] Notable directors

Peter Weir was born in Sydney, and studied art and law at the University of Sydney. He directed well known Australian films Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Gallipoli (1981), and The Year of Living Dangerously. He has directed several films in the United States, including Dead Poets Society (1989) Green Card (1990) The Truman Show (1998) and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003).

Baz Luhrmann was born in Herons Creek in New South Wales in 1962. His best known films are Strictly Ballroom (1990), Romeo and Juliet (1996), and Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Other Australian directors:

[edit] Notable Actors

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Sydney: Pan Macmillan, 1990
  2. ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 1–49
  3. ^ Reade, Eric (1970) Australian Silent Films: A Pictoral History of Silent Films from 1896 to 1926. Melbourne: Lansdowne Press, 59. See also Routt, William D. More Australian than Aristotelian:The Australian Bushranger Film,1904-1914. Senses of Cinema 18 (January-February), 2002. The banning of bushranger films in NSW is fictionalised in Kathryn Heyman's 2006 novel, Captain Starlight's Apprentice.

[edit] Literature

[edit] Encyclopedia and Reference

  • Murray, Scott, ed. Australian Film: 1978–1994. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-19-553777-7
  • Pike, Andrew and Ross Cooper. Australian Film: 1900–1977. revised ed. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-19-550784-3
  • McFarland, Brian, Geoff Mayer and Ina Bertrand, eds. The Oxford Companion to Australian Film. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-19-553797-1
  • Moran, Albert and Errol Vieth. Historical Dictionary of Australian and New Zealand Cinema. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8108-5459-7
  • Reade, Eric. Australian Silent Films: A Pictoral History of Silent Films from 1896 to 1926. Melbourne: Lansdowne Press, 1970.
  • Verhoeven, Deb, ed. Twin Peeks: Australian and New Zealand Feature Films. Melbourne: Damned Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-876310-00-6

[edit] Critique and Commentary

  • Collins, Felicity, and Theresa Davis. Australian Cinema After Mabo. Sydney: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
  • Dawson, Johnathon, and Bruce Molloy, eds. Queensland Images in Film and Television. Brisbane: University of Queensland Press, 1990.
  • Dermody, Susan and Elizabeth Jacka, eds. The Screening of Australia, Volume 1: Anatomy of a Film Industry. Sydney: Currency Press, 1987.
  • ———. The Screening of Australia, Volume 2: Anatomy of a National Cinema. Sydney: Currency Press, 1988.
  • Moran, Albert and Tom O’Regan, eds. An Australian Film Reader (Australian Screen Series). Sydney: Currency Press, 1985.
  • O'Regan, Tom. Australian National Cinema. London: Routledge, 1996.
  • Stratton, David. The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry. Sydney : Pan Macmillan, 1990. 465p. ISBN 0-7329-0250-9

[edit] External links

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