Titles curated by Paul Byrnes
260 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 next
H (continued)
The Hayseeds feature film – 1933
This is the seventh and last film about a comical rural family known as the Hayseeds — it is also the first with sound.
Head On feature film – 1998
In terms of iconoclastic daring, Head On has no equal in Australian cinema. It broke so many rules, offended so many polite conventions, attacked so many silences, that it left audiences stunned and gulping for air.
Heatwave feature film – 1982
An architect and an activist from opposing sides unite against a crooked developer.
Heritage feature film – 1935
Heritage is a thunderous piece of endorsement for the pioneer mythology of Australia, made by the prolific Charles Chauvel.
The Hero of the Dardanelles feature film – 1915
Hero is the first surviving feature film depiction of Australian troops of the First World War and includes images of a real army camp and real soldiers, in training at Liverpool, NSW.
High on a Cool Wave documentary – 1968
A classic Australian surf movie featuring Nat Young, Bob McTavish and Peter Drouyn, from just before the short board revolution in 1968.
His Royal Highness feature film – 1932
The performance of George Wallace, star and writer, is a road map of comic techniques from the passing vaudeville era.
The Home Song Stories feature film – 2007
The film succeeds on the basis of uniformly superb performances. Joan Chen’s Rose is a tour de force, perhaps the best role of an already distinguished international career.
Hot to Trot short film – 1977
A cartoon adventure featuring Captain Goodvibes, the pig of steel, and his sidekick Astro.
I
Idiot Box feature film – 1996
Idiot Box argues that bored men who spend years watching television, desire catharsis on a theatrical scale.
Incidents in Connection with the Funeral of Captain Baron von Richthofen historical – 1918
The funeral of Germany’s greatest air ace in the First World War, conducted with full military honours by a squadron of the Australian Flying Corps, in April 1918.
In Search of Anna feature film – 1978
This film has a restless energy and is part of a pre-professional maverick tradition that grew out of the experimental cinema of the 1970s.
In the Wake of the Bounty feature film – 1933
Made by Charles Chauvel and with Errol Flynn in the cast, In the Wake of the Bounty is an odd mixture of re-creation and travelogue.
In the Winter Dark feature film – 1998
There have been genre films that explored this kind of rural paranoia, but not so many that take the loneliness of the bush seriously as a cause of real mental trauma.
It Isn’t Done feature film – 1937
1937 was Cinesound’s golden year – the studio’s films now boasted wittier scripts, more attention to performance, and a series of strong leading players.
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The Jammed feature film – 2007
The Jammed (2007) is a rare kind of Australian film – a passionately committed thriller about a great wrong. It was shot on a low budget and struggled to find a cinema release until it was championed by critics.
Japanese Story feature film – 2003
An unexpected plot development in the middle of Japanese Story left audiences stunned and disbelieving — and occasionally hostile.
Jedda feature film – 1955
Jedda (1955) is probably Charles Chauvel’s best film, as well as his last. It is historic both for being the first colour feature film made in Australia, but more importantly, because it is arguably the first Australian film to take the emotional lives of Aboriginal people seriously.
Jewboy short feature – 2005
Jewboy was well received locally and internationally, screening at the Cannes Film Festival and winning three AFI awards.
Jindabyne feature film – 2006
Jindabyne is based on a 20-year-old short story by American Raymond Carver, but it’s been so well adapted to the Australian milieu that it feels home-grown.
Journey among Women feature film – 1977
Making this film in the 1970s became politically charged: should and could a male director make a meaningful film about women?
Jungle Patrol newsreel – 1944
The story of eight Australian soldiers fighting the Japanese on Shaggy Ridge in New Guinea, in 1943.
K
Kenny feature film – 2006
Audiences loved Kenny because his calm response to adversity made him a heroic figure, though he’d never see himself like that.
Kerr’s Cur historical – 1975
On 11 November 1975, on the steps of Parliament House, the dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam delivers his now-famous verdict on the day’s events.
The Kid Stakes feature film – 1927
The Kid Stakes is one of the greatest comedies of the silent era, although it was largely dismissed at the time as simply a children’s film.
The Killing of Angel Street feature film – 1981
This political thriller is loosely based on the disappearance of Sydney heiress and anti-development campaigner Juanita Nielsen.
King of the Surf sponsored film – 1964
In 1964, ten of the world’s best surfers converge on Manly Beach to fight for the title of world champion.
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The Landing of the Australian Troops in Egypt historical – c1916
A short commercial recording dramatising the Australian troops arriving in Egypt, before Gallipoli.
Lantana feature film – 2001
Lantana is distinctly different to most contemporary Australian films: sparser, darker and more emotionally mysterious.
La Spagnola feature film – 2001
The men here are little better than beasts, and into sex without responsibility; the women are crafty, creative and capable of malice.
The Last Days of Chez Nous feature film – 1992
The Last Days of Chez Nous was one of the most interesting films of the early 1990s.
The Last Wave feature film – 1977
As the weather gets worse, tax lawyer David Burton has a premonition of disaster, in which he is to play a key role.
Let George Do It feature film – 1938
Although reliant on the comic sketches Wallace made famous in his vaudeville act, the film is pushed along by the thrilling outdoor action sequences Ken Hall knew how to direct.
The Lighthorsemen feature film – 1987
In Palestine in 1917, two regiments of the Australian Light Horse attack Beersheba, in one of the last great mounted charges in history.
Little Fish feature film – 2005
In the climax of Little Fish Cate Blanchett convinces a man with a gun that he has a choice about what to do. There’s never really been a scene like it in another Australian film, because guns, once drawn, tend to get used. It’s a powerful message for young viewers used to violent resolutions to complex problems.
Lonely Hearts feature film – 1981
Comedian and satirist John Clarke wrote this film with Paul Cox: no wonder it is full of bright impish humour.
Long Weekend feature film – 1978
On a long weekend camping trip to a lonely beach, Peter and Marcia confront the despair of their marriage, as nature takes revenge on them.
Look Both Ways feature film – 2005
Rather than having just one viewpoint, Sarah Watt’s hit debut explores the emotions of six major characters, all connected by a tragedy.
Looking For Alibrandi feature film – 1999
There is a lot of genuine affection between the grandmother, mother, and daughter in this film but conversations are bruising too.
Love Letters from Teralba Road short feature – 1977
Based on letters found in a flat in Sydney, Love Letters from Teralba Road examines love among the working classes in the western suburbs.
Lovers and Luggers feature film – 1937
This entertaining film is packed with action, romance and comedy — the cocktail Ken G Hall’s usually offers — but also sophistication.
Love Serenade feature film – 1996
The director’s light touch and the performances allows Love Serenade to get away with an outrageous joke involving a big fish.
Lucky Miles feature film – 2007
Few Australian films have dealt with illegal immigration and refugees. Lucky Miles does so through comedy, but without losing its sense of compassion.
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Mad Dog Morgan feature film – 1976
Mad Dog Morgan updates the bushranging movie conventions, by seeing Morgan as a modern media phenomenon.
Mad Max feature film – 1979
Mad Max was a piece of impolite, independent cinema that had a profound effect on audiences and filmmakers across the world.
Mad Max 2 feature film – 1981
Mad Max 2 is a more self-consciously mythic film than its predecessor, in a much more primal landscape, with a lot more action.
Majestic Fanfare music – 1943
The original 1943 recording of the ABC’s much loved ‘Majestic Fanfare’, used in various forms since 1952 to introduce news broadcasts.
Malcolm feature film – 1986
Malcolm is one of the most charming modern Australian comedies, and probably the closest we’ve come to matching the joyful silliness of Britain’s 1950s Ealing comedies.
The Man from Hong Kong feature film – 1975
The film has great energy and a series of superb action sequences, including quite possibly the best car chase in Australian cinema before Mad Max.
The Man from Snowy River feature film – 1982
The Man From Snowy River is an iconic Australian western. It’s a naive film of epic proportions, but the naiveté is calculated to appeal to a sense of American nostalgia, and Australian chauvinism.
