Original classification rating: M.
This clip chosen to be PG
Clip description
Peter (John Hargreaves) and Marcia (Briony Behets) argue as they drive out of the city on a rainy night. She doesn’t like camping; he doesn’t want to spend another weekend with their friends at Eildon. She criticises the amount he has spent on camping gear; he makes a crack about her recent affair. Taking his eyes off the road, Peter runs over a kangaroo. Marcia hears a terrible haunting cry in her sleep.
Curator’s notes
This is a classic horror story set-up: a couple consumed by their own troubled chemistry moving into what film academics call 'the liminal zone’, a space between order and chaos, outside their normal life. The death of the kangaroo takes their crimes against each other into a wider world. They are now committing crimes against nature, for which they must be punished. Actually, the death of the 'roo is the second crime in the scene, after Peter’s starting a fire with his cigarette butt. His mention of the word 'recuperate’ is the first clue that Marcia has 'lost’ a baby. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that this is another crime, for which they are being punished, but it becomes less clear which was their 'original sin’ – her abortion, or his encouraging her to have the affair in the first place.
Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer Cries in the dark from the feature film Long Weekend as a high quality video download.
To play the downloadable video, you need QuickTime 7.0, VLC, or similar.
You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before downloading the clip:
australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described 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.
When you access australianscreen you agree that:
- You may retrieve materials for information only.
- You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
- You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
- 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.
All other rights reserved.
ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.
This clip is available in the following configurations:
| File name | Size | Quality | Suitability |
|
longweek1_pr.mp4
|
Large: 21.5MB |
High |
Optimised for full-screen display on a fast computer. |
|
longweek1_bb.mp4
|
Medium: 10.2MB |
Medium |
Can be displayed full screen. Also suitable for video iPods. |
Right-click on the links above to download video files to your computer.
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.
You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before embedding the clip:
australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described 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.
When you access australianscreen you agree that:
- You may retrieve materials for information only.
- You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
- You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
- 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.
All other rights reserved.
ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.
Copy and paste the following code into your own web page to embed this clip:
Share
