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Jack Thompson Down Under – Episode 25 (1987)

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Australia’s wild shores

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

Clip description

Jack Thompson introduces us to two Melbourne businessmen passionate about their hang-gliding. They’re out to break the world record recently set by an American.

Curator’s notes

by Janet Bell

The terrifying cliffs along the Great Australian Bight plunge hundreds of metres into the Great Southern Ocean, renowned for its Great Whites – the terrifying sharks that patrol the coastline. All of this is set up to explain the utter madness of these wild adventurers, practising what is these days called an extreme sport.

What’s been lost in these shortened versions of the earlier documentary-paced programs is the psychology of the participants. The original might have had time to capture their single-minded ambition or their moments of doubt, or even their rivalry, but this is lost within the constraints of the five to seven minute magazine format. Jack Thompson’s commentary is after the event and, although his on camera narration is filmed to give the impression that he’s on site with the adventurers, he’s not. While his appeal and professionalism make up a lot for this, the lack of immediacy is still an emotionally distancing factor.

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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.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

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  • 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.

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

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