Australian
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an NFSA website

Backroads (1977)

play May contain names, images or voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Coarse language – medium; Violence – medium
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clip 'The trouble with you Abos …'

Original classification rating: R. This clip chosen to be M

Clip description

After a big night of drinking, Jack King (Bill Hunter) steals a car, a 1962 Pontiac Parisienne, with the help of a stranger (Gary Foley), whose own car has been stripped overnight. They take off through deserted streets of a town in western NSW, with no plans and no cash.

Curator’s notes

Noyce gets the film off to an energetic and memorable start, with a scene that turns on a spur of the moment decision. Most of the events in the film happen in this way, as characters act on barely conscious impulses, sometimes with terrible results. The film dispenses with the usual scenes to establish character, or motivation. Noyce wanted to avoid a three-act structure, for something looser and more spontaneous. The film also has noticeably aggressive and racist language in the way Jack talks to the stranger – but it also suggests an instant kinship, a 'brotherhood of outlaws’.

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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. All rights are reserved.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

  • You may retrieve materials for information only.
  • You may save, copy, print, distribute or download materials for your own personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes. Commercial exploitation of materials on this website 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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