Original classification rating: PG.
This clip chosen to be PG
Clip description
In the Gulf country of northern Australia, a farming family are living through the wet season that, each year, takes over their lives. The pedal radio is all the Forshaw family have to keep them in touch with civilisation during several months of enforced isolation. They have no telephone or other contact with the outside world (the mail plane can’t deliver in the wet) and now they’re being told that the river is overflowing its banks.
Curator’s notes
This clip is vintage A Big Country, featuring Australians that city folk would never normally meet, living lives pitted against the elements. The filmmaking is very unobtrusive and non-judgemental, with no sense of the crew’s presence being unwelcome or disruptive to the Forshaws despite the apparently small size of their dwelling visible here. Andrew Olle’s measured narration is particularly well done, adding a layer of understanding to what we are seeing on screen. Olle was one of Australia’s best-loved journalists before his untimely death of a brain tumour in 1992. The filming is powerfully evocative of frontier life.
The aim of the series was to bring the lives of outback and country Australians into the living rooms of city people. A Big Country always rated well and, for over 20 years, was the flagship documentary series of the ABC. Stories were often found by rural reporters in the field and passed back to the program-making unit in Sydney. In this way, stories that had bypassed the mainstream media were the staple of the program.
Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer In the wet from the television program A Big Country – Gulf Battlers 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.
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:
- You may download this clip to assist your information, criticism and review purposes in conjunction with viewing this website only;
- Downloading this clip for purposes other than criticism and review is Prohibited;
- Downloading for purposes other than non-commercial educational uses is Prohibited;
- 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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