The titles I’ve selected are not always my favorite films, but they’ve all made an impression on me and contain never-forgotten images or moments.
Mad Max 2 (1981, George Miller) – Pure cinema, mythic colour and movement, Mad Max 2 does what movies do best. The last third of the film is the tanker chase and has virtually no dialogue (I included a small homage to it in my truck chase in Prime Mover, 2009). It’s a whole new genre and one of the few indigenous Australian genres – this movie needs to be seen on the big screen in all its visceral glory.
The FJ Holden (1977, Michael Thornhill) – This film really surprised me when I first saw it, a long time after it was made. There’s something about that self-contained working class car culture which was all about the illusion of independence and individuality. I think the film does a great job of showing how transitory that time can be in someone’s life. It also captures a world that is long gone from the Australian landscape, and after people see the sex scenes they will probably think that is a good thing.
Goodbye Paradise (1981, Carl Schultz) – A strange but endearing film written by Bob Ellis, who’s at his best when he’s being playful. It has a sadness about it that makes the almost surreal moments really sing. The movie plays with film noir conventions and Australian dagginess to make something totally original. Ray Barrett is great, his craggy head the perfect foil to all the tawdry glitz and cheap glamour of the Gold Coast.
The Night the Prowler (1978, Jim Sharman) – This is an odd film that doesn’t always work, but I love the skewed tone to it and the way it messes with suburban iconography. It has all that Patrick White misanthropy which can be very funny. For me, despite its flaws, it’s a classic piece of dysfunctional 70s filmmaking with Kerry Walker fantastic in the main role.
The Overlanders (1946, Harry Watt) – I love this movie. I can’t remember when I first saw it, but there’s something about the laidback tone to it that is fantastic. The Overlanders is old-fashioned, but then it’s over 50 years old now. It’s not directed by an Australian but it feels Australian, as any film starring Chips Rafferty does. I always had it in the back of my mind to remake it, but now Baz Luhrmann has done it (with the first half of Australia), that probably won’t happen.
