At the movies
Growing up, I used to think that there were just nine actors and actresses in Australia. They would begin their working days in the waiting room of The Country Practice, briefly pay a call on The Sullivans, launch into an afternoon pub crawl that would take in drinks at Bunny's Place and Happy Hour at Lassiter's, and then clock on for the night-shift at Wentworth Prison, the home of Prisoner Cellblock H.
It's not just the soaps. Aussie movies sometimes rely on the same revolving casts. Something is seriously amiss if you watch an Aussie film and don't catch a glimpse of Bill Hunter, who is as fabulous as he is prolific. He's the father of the bride in Muriel's Wedding, the increasingly irate major in Gallipoli, the Outback mechanic in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the dancing impresario in Strictly Ballroom, and even the voice of the dentist in Finding Nemo. So it's reassuring to hear that he's going to pop up in Australia, Baz Luhrman's eagerly awaited new epic. Hunter is to Australian films what ravens are to the Tower of London. Without his portly presence, such films would be doomed to fall.
I mention all this because the Australian Film Institute has just announced its short-list of five all-time favourite Australian films, as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. Here is the short-list, which was compiled after that most fashionable test of instant popularity, an online poll.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Gallipoli
Muriel's Wedding
Lantana, the Sydney-based thriller starring Anthony LaPaglia
The Castle
The AFI will announce the winner at its awards show in December.
You'll notice there's no room for Picnic at Hanging Rock, Mad Max, Storm Boy, Crocodile Dundee, Babe, Romper Stomper, Shine or Pharr Lap. Neither do the classics The Man from Snowy River or 'Breaker' Morant get a look in. I'd love to hear what you think of the list.
Watching Aussie movies has been a key part of my Aussie assimilation process, partly because they illustrate many recurring national themes, ideas, beliefs and sentiments. There's the veneration of the Bush and the Outback (Man from Snowy River, Croc Dundee). There's the fondness for the Aussie battler and under-dog (The Castle, Kenny, Muriel's Wedding, Priscilla and Strictly Ballroom). There's the strong sense of colonial and post-colonial injustice ('Breaker' Morant and Gallipoli). There's the celebration of chirpy larrikinism (Croc Dundee, The Castle, Kenny).
And what of the gaps in Australia's cinematic canon? With the exception of Rabbit-Proof Fence, the movie about two mixed-race Aboriginal girls who run away from a settlement to be reunited with their parents, is there are a truly great film about the indigenous experience? Similarly, is there a top-notch film about the immigrant experience?
In fairness, Australia does better with gritty social dramas, with Romper Stomper, Two Hands and Candy (for my money, Heath Ledger's best film performance as a heroine addict). Still, Australia cinema cannot boast a Mike Leigh or a Spike Lee.
The lack of really good recent films - Lantana came out seven years ago - speaks of other problems: talent flight and a lack of adequate funding. Australian cinema has served like a feeder team in baseball, or a lower division side in British football: the nursery of talent for actors, directors, designers and cinematographers, who then go on to greater success in the Hollywood major leagues.
I've love to get your thoughts, and your favourite films. For what it's worth, here are my top five:
1. Gallipoli
2. The Castle
3. Alexandra's Project
4. Lantana
5. Don's Party
I'm 
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No mention of Kangaroo Jack - a classic Aussie filum and yes, Bill Hunter was in that
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Nick,
Come on - what about Wake In Fright? There are many who reckon this visionary little gem is the greatest Aussie film ever. No Bill Hunter, though.
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Well, what would you expect from an online poll? Still, I would dread to think what obscure films the so-called movie experts would have picked.
As for a film about the Aboriginal experience, you can't go past Bruce Beresford's 1986 film 'The Fringe Dwellers'. If you're wanting a taste of 1960s Australia from a (superficially) Italian migrant viewpoint, the comedy 'They're A Weird Mob' is a real time capsule. Not a top-notch film, nor would it be PC enough for many people these days, but it does provide a glimpse of what life ands social norms were like in Australia then.
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What about the film Australian Rules re modern Aboriginal experience or Looking for Alibrandi for the migrant experience. I can't believe Puberty Blues isn't in the top five...
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What about 'Romulus my father' for a real class movie about the migrant experience.
"Bad Boy Bubby" was right out there, totally shocking, I squirmed the whole way through it but it had an originality that was admirable.
My top 5: Pricilla, Romulus, Breaker Morant, Two Hands, Rabbit Proof Fence.
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Little Fish, Dating the Enemy, The Light Horseman, Clowning Around, Dead Calm, Proof, Hearbreak Kid, The Dish, Looking for Alibrandi, The Proposition, Noise, BMX Bandits.
oh the list goes on. I could watch these over and over again. I just love that Aussie films are either so quirky or very real.
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You've missed some great ones Nick. My top films, in no particular order, would have to be...
Odd Angry Shot
Adventures of Barry McKenzie
The Castle
Puberty Blues
Two Hands
Kenny
Dirty Deeds
Gallipoli
Breaker Morant
Attack Force Z
Dons Party
The Cars That Ate Paris
Chopper
The Lighthorsemen
There are others but none worth mentioning in my opinion.
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I have to agree with you. Gallipoli is my number one chioce. I cannot watch that final scene when Mel Gibson is running through the trenches without hoping that tis time he wILL get their in time to stop his mate going over the top. A fantastic movie.
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1.The Proposition
2.Ten Canoes
3.Wolf Creek
4.Moulin Rouge!
5.Shine
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i would definitely include rabbit proof fence and bmx bandits.
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I've always liked The Year My Voice Broke, the only movie I've ever seen in which Thandie Newtown actually bothers to act, rather than just pose and simper (see Nicole Kidman for the same Vice).
I liked very much the joke about Bill Hunter, aka what we call "that permanent fixture known as Fense Postt".
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My top Five and a half;
1. Bad Boy Bubby
2. Chopper
3. Shine
4. Death in Brunswick
5. The Year my Voice Broke
5.5. The Proposition
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Maybe it seems irrelevant to anyone who isn't about to hit pension age, but where is Newsfront in all this? Does an Australian historical drama absolutely need to have a war in it to have lasting appeal?
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No mention of Sunday Too Far Away - probably the quintissential Aussie flick - starring the quintissential Aussie, Jack Thompson.
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I'd add "A Bush Christmas" (1947) with Chips Rafferty.
One wonders why only create a list of five. What is wrong with the usual 10?
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For Aboriginal experience how about "The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith" (Dir Fred Schepisi from the Keneally novel). Then there is Peter Weir's apocalyptic "The Last Wave". Also add to my list Phillip Noyce's "Newsfront" and that 70's classic camping horror "The Long Weekend".
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Hi Nick, there is a must-see Australian film about Catholicism in Oz, which I saw as an 11 year old child, called 'The Devil's Playground'. Maybe you should try and view for Halloween! Also, my mother, the late Hannah Downie, made a film in the late 1980's called, 'Flight of Diamonds', which was filmed near Broome and was based on a fascinating true story from the war years, about a boat plane crashing onto the beach of the NW coast. The flight carried Dutch refugees from the Dutch East Indies and a cargo of diamonds, which disappeared after the flight. A great mystery, even today.
Ferretneck
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What about Jindabyne? I havn't seen it but I heard it won a number of awards. As for me, 'Kenny' was by far the funniest film I have seen for ages. Also up there are 'The Nugget', 'The Castle' and 'Chopper'.
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Hi, Bill Hunter here.. no not THE Bill Hunter, just a bloke in Edinburgh. Anyway I was in Perth visiting family and they insisted on showing us The Castle which they thought was hillarious. They explained every scene and pointed out the catch phrases, Pool Room etc. In fact they made DVD copies and insisted we take them home to show the Scottish family. Needless to say the humour didn't quite hit the spot. I'm left with my DVD and John Williamson CD's. They love him to. It just emphasises how they love their country..
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Bad Boy Bubby is my choice for best Aussie film - probably one of cinemas' most thought provoking, original and unusual stories ever made. how it's not on the short list I have no clue - it 's simply extraordinary.
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oh, my top 5..
1. Bad Boy Bubby
2. Muriels Wedding
3. Sweetie
4. The Sum Of Us
5. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
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#20 Yeah I have to agree about Bad Boy Bubby and I'll never forget that opening scene as along as I live. It was extraordinary how it evoked such emotion and thought. I loved it, but I can see a lot of folk wouldn't handle it so well.
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Didn't see anyone mention:
The Highest Honour or Heroes of the Krait
Talk about a difference in cultures....could be appropriate in today's struggles...
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bad boy bubby
BMX bandits
mad max
chopper
gallipoli
all of them about hard men, hard times, and a little bit of Nicole K.
A special mention goes to Blue Murder telemovie - the best use of a crappy Chinese restaurant in Australian moving picture history.
Good blog NB. when i think of the failure of Australian cinema to really grasp its own culture I am reminded of a documentary about The Jam.
A whole bunch of well known muso's were asked why the Jam (and Weller) were so influential. and one bright spark said "becuase they made the mundane heroic not by glorifying or romanticising it but by simply acknowledging its existence. Until the Jam I never thought i was allowed to write songs about my shitty life"
Australian's still haven;'t had their Jam moment, the light switch going on, that lets them stell stories well enough to capture Australian audiences.
Its not a unique situation. The Japanese are just terrible film makers at present, as as the Taiwanese and most of SEA, except for the Koreans and Hong Kongers.
In Europe, the French are locked in a cul de sac of nonsense but becuase the cinema audience decline is slow it is not arrested.
Local film's ability to attract a local audience is certainly a litmus test. I'm just not sure of what.
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Just on Bill Hunter. He and the likes of Australian cinema of Charles 'Bud' Tingwell are often included in ensemble casts for the comedic effect that you have to have Bill Hunter or Charles 'Bud' Tingwell to succeed.
my top five classic aussie movies:
Mad Max
Gallipolli
The Castle
Chopper
Sunday Too Far Away
Oh and on immigration experiences, try They're a Wierd Mob. Fantastic!
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Although I enjoy a good movie I find the majority rather boring and predictable. Of all those mentioned here I've watched perhaps three. Am always bemused how fans go apeshit over film "stars". There are not too many female stars I would like to wake up next to in the morning.
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You forgot "Strictly Ballroom"!
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Nick, mate you write a good blog. I think obviously the best Australian films were:
- The Lord of the Rings films, and
- The Matrix.
Look at all the acclaim, awards, money those two trilogies received worldwide. I was also thoroughly moved by your country's awesome "Whale Rider". It shows your native culture in a powerfully amazing heart-felt and respectful light. I wish there was more high quality aborigine films like Whale Rider around.
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IDIOT BOX!!!!!!
Along with
- The Castle
- Lantana
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I agree The Fringe Dwellers is a great film and another not mentioned is Walkabout with David Gullpulil.
As for the migrant experience try Silver City or for something more gritty how about Head On.
I can't believe people are praising Wierd Mob!!!
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A note to samjfung.... be prepared to be ripped apart for confusing new zealand with australia. Or are you a kiwi having a go?
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Why has no-one else nominated Picnic at Hanging Rock as their favourite? It is the most mysterious, moody, thrilling, downright scary period film. And the star is the Australian bush (no, not Miranda, silly). Fabulous use of Beethoven too.
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Thanks geniejaneolivia for mentioning Wake in Fright. I'm not sure how well known or how widely available it is, but I had the good fortune to see it a few years back, at a film festival in Broken Hill, where it was filmed and where I grew up. It has scenes of animal cruelty in it which would not pass muster these days. But still, it includes some aching, visceral scenes which have a really enduring quality. One of my all-time faves.
Again for parochial (spot-the-local) reasons, Priscilla and Mad Max 2 make it onto my list. Has anyone mentioned "Malcolm"? Loved that. There are lots to love. Bazza McKenzie and anything with Barry Humphries in it was a turkey.
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I immediately thought of BMX bandits!
However, maybe someone can help here, when in Oz, I was recommended a film about a young guy who was a talented swimmer, but had an abusive relationship with his father.
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What about Picnic at Hanging Rock... what did happen to those girls?
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Oh a nother favourite - a wonderful film called Shame. The Aussie version with Deborra-Lee Furness (Hugh Jackman's wife)
(and not the dreadful American version)
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Malcolm
The Tracker
Puberty Blues
He Died with a Falafel in His Hand
The Year my Voice Broke
There are so many classic Aussie films out there, it's a shame the 'top five' are so recent. Here in the UK the top 100 films of all time had Gladiator at number 6, above so many better ones. I guess that's what happens when you do an online poll.
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Top films?
Quality films?
And films about Indigenous experience?
Why is 10 Canoes not in the list?
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What makes it an Australian film? Location, actors or finance? I'd add the Year of Living Dangerously (Aussie star and director) and Tim (perhaps not the best film ever made, but it has a certain place in my heart). Favourites? Definitely Gallipolli - I start crying during the opening credits now, I've seen it that many times - Strictly Ballroom, The Dish. Liked the Year My Voice Broke alot as well.
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Very pleased to see The Castle - one of the best films of all time. Aah the serenity!
What about Chopper???
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And how about La Spagnola for the immigrant experience?
Black and White - aboriginal
And honourable mentions to The Dish, Cosi, and Dirty Deeds
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I thought The Proposition was quite good a year or two back. Probably too violent but stunning cinematography.
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#34 nuddayr
Yeah, Swimming Upstream was a great one I'd forgotten, plus Shine.
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The recent films I've admired over the past five years have included such gems as.
Kokoda and Kenny.
And a few others mentioned here such as, The Proposition, and Square.
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Look both ways?
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What about The Dish?? Great film about a great piece of kit...
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"Till human voices wake us"
-remarkable
-deeply moving but surprisingly misunderstood.
And ?Look both ways? was excellent.
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I can't believe no one has said Bliss yet!
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only 3 mentions of "chopper" so far
what's thqat all about
Candy and Romper stomper would be in my list too
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Surely the Castle ranks as on of the greatest Aussie films of all times. As such really deserves to be placerd carefully in the pool room! ;o)
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Bad Boy Bubby the best, for sure :)
Dead Heart wasn t the best, but certainly not the worst.
Lantana is great and has a dark humor too, as does Shine.
I had good expectations for the Proposition. it got lost a bit, I thought.
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What a boring subject.....come on Nick how about something more juicy and interesting.
Did I hear right when you were quoted on a radio news report as being the BBCs US correspondent?
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The Dish is one of the best films ever. My husband has watched it 8 times!!!
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Surely "The Dish" should be on the list.
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what about Death in Brunswick and Proof
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What about 'Love and other catastrophes'?
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Hi Nick
I don't know if filmmaker Paul Cox is well represented in any lists but when I was at uni, back in the eighties, his films really stood out for me and I still populate my top five entirely with them (especially those containing leading lady Wendy Hughes, the quintessential "Paul Cox" performer, and Norman Kaye).
1) Lonely Hearts
2) My First Wife
3) Man of Flowers
4) A Woman's Tale
5) Father Damien
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Someone mentioned 10 Canoes - great film!
But how have the enriching artistic contributions of the (late?) Yahoo Serious been overlooked?
This is a travesty!
I'm buying the DVD catalogue as soon as I can find it somewhere.
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PS... I know he's not dead.
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Dons' Party, based an a brilliant play by David Williamson, must come close.
Lantana, too.
The Last Picture Show Man - in fact, almost any film with the late John Mellion.
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The Sundowners? On the Beach? The Rats of Tobruk?
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"Young Einstein"
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Hi from Italy!
As a fan of Aussie movies, I love particularly "Walkabout" and "The tracker", as well as "Pic nic at Hanging Rock" and "Priscilla", but I think that Australia has so much more potential and hope to see more and more movies about and from that wonderful country.
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Walking On Water (not the Spanish film of the same name, which is also wonderful)
Head On*
Strictly Ballroom
Book of Revelation*
My Brilliant Career
The Fringe Dwellers
*too edgy for?
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This is incredibly hard - Australia has made some great movies. Would have to say:
the Proposition
Storm Boy
Ten Canoes
Gallipoli
Death in Brunswick
The Tracker
The Dish
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Whats wrong with Skippy the Bush Kangaroo?
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Clara Law's 1996 film Floating Life was a good one about the Azn experience of immigration (but technically only a third of the film dealt with that specifically).
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There are more than 9 actors/actresses in Australia!
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