| The Great Macarthy | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | David Baker |
| Produced by | Richard Brennan, David Baker |
| Written by | John Romeril from the novel A Salute to the Great Macarthy by Barry Oakley |
| Starring |
John Jarratt Mx Gilles Chris Haywood |
| Studio | South Australian Film Corporation |
| Release date(s) | 1975 |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
The Great Macarthy is a 1975 comedy about Australian rules football. It was an adaptation of the novel A Salute to the Great Macarthy by Barry Oakley. It stars John Jarratt as the title character (in his film debut) as a local footballer who is signed up (or more appropriately, kidnapped) by the South Melbourne Football Club (now Sydney Swans). It also stars Barry Humphries and Judy Morris. It was released at a time when Australian films were starting to re-emerge. It was not very successful despite its high profile cast.
John Jarratt did not play Aussie Rules football before this film. He learned by training with the Swans. The directors were lucky enough to find a Swans player in Gary Scott who looked just like him who they used in stock footage (intercut with staged footage with Jarratt). Most footage was used from reserve games though the grand final was filmed in front of a grand final crowd (at half time).