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A Big Country – The Darcys of Mallapunyah (1981)

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The Darcy family

Original classification rating: PG. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

The Darcys are an unusual family. They are extremely wealthy and yet they live the tough and hard-working life of real outback battlers. Nevertheless, the family makes light of chores and there’s a real warmth between all of them.

Curator’s notes

The camera captures an idyllic lifestyle with the children and grandchildren roaming freely, answerable only to the family. They still own and operate Mallapunyah Station on the Barclay Tablelands of northern Australia that the family settled in the 1920s. Yet what emerges as this story unfolds is the price that each generation has paid for the success of the station; a lack of educational opportunity and the loneliness of the single life for those who were unable to find a partner.

The program makes heavy use of voice-over. In this clip the male narrator relates the story at a slow pace with regular pauses for thought as we are treated to long diversionary cutaways of local bird life. This clip features a leisurely pace by today’s television standards.

Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer The Darcy family from the television program A Big Country – The Darcys of Mallapunyah as a high quality video download.

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Downloadable Video – FOR EDUCATIONAL CRITICISM AND REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY

This clip is available for download for the limited purpose of criticism and review in an educational context. You must obtain permission from editorial@aso.gov.au for all other purposes for use of this material.

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This clip is available in the following configurations:

File nameSizeQualitySuitability
bcdarcys1_pr.mp4 Large: 14.6MB High Optimised for full-screen display on a fast computer.
bcdarcys1_bb.mp4 Medium: 6.9MB Medium Can be displayed full screen. Also suitable for video iPods.

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Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer this clip in an embeddable format for personal or non-commercial educational use in full form on your own website or your own blog.

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Downloadable Video – FOR EDUCATIONAL CRITICISM AND REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY

This clip is available for download for the limited purpose of criticism and review in an educational context. You must obtain permission from editorial@aso.gov.au for all other purposes for use of this material.

Terms & Conditions

australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described here and elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions. ALL rights are reserved.

You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before downloading this clip:

When you access ABC materials on australianscreen you agree that:

  1. You may download this clip to assist your information, criticism and review purposes in conjunction with viewing this website only;
  2. Downloading this clip for purposes other than criticism and review is Prohibited;
  3. Downloading for purposes other than non-commercial educational uses is Prohibited;
  4. Downloading this clip in association with any commercial purpose is Prohibited;

The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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