Australian New Wave
The Australian New Wave (also known as the Australian Film Revival, Australian Film Renaissance, or New Australian Cinema) was an era of resurgence in worldwide popularity of Australian cinema, particularly in the United States. It began in the early 1970s and lasted until the mid-late 1980s. The era also marked the emergence of Ozploitation, a film genre characterised by the exploitation of colloquial Australian culture.
Background
The Australian film industry declined after World War II, coming to a virtual stop by the early 1960s. The Gorton (1968–71) and Whitlam Governments (1972–75) intervened and rescued the industry from its expected oblivion.[1] The federal and several state governments established bodies to assist with the funding of film production and the training of film makers through the Australian Film Television and Radio School, which fostered a new generation of Australian filmmakers who were able to bring their visions to the screen. The 1970s saw a huge renaissance of the Australian film industry. Australia produced nearly 400 films between 1970 and 1985, more than had been made in the history of the Australian film industry.[1][2]
In contrast to pre-New Wave films, New Wave films are often viewed as fresh and creative, possessing "a vitality, a love of open spaces and a propensity for sudden violence and languorous sexuality". The "straight-ahead narrative style" of many Australian New Wave films reminded American audiences of "the Hollywood-maverick period of the late 1960s and early '70s that had just about run its course".[3]
Notable films
1970s
- 3 to Go (1971)
- Stork (1971)
- Walkabout (1971)
- Wake in Fright (1971)
- The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972)
- Alvin Purple (1973)
- The Cars That Ate Paris (1974)
- Petersen (1974)
- Stone (1974)
- The Man from Hong Kong (1975)
- Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
- Sunday Too Far Away (1975)
- Mad Dog Morgan (1976)
- Caddie (1976)
- The Devil's Playground (1976)
- Don's Party (1976)
- Eliza Fraser (1976)
- Storm Boy (1976)
- Fantasm (1976)
- Deathcheaters (1976)
- Fantasm Comes Again (1977)
- The Last Wave (1977)
- Backroads (1977)
- Dot and the Kangaroo (1977)
- The FJ Holden (1977)
- Summerfield (1977)
- The Getting of Wisdom (1977)
- Patrick (1978)
- The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978)
- Long Weekend (1978)
- Money Movers (1978)
- Newsfront (1978)
- Mad Max (1979)
- My Brilliant Career (1979)
- Snapshot (1979)
- The Odd Angry Shot (1979)
- Thirst (1979)
- The Plumber (1979)
1980s
- Breaker Morant (1980)
- The Club (1980)
- The Chain Reaction (1980)
- Manganinnie (1980)
- Harlequin (1980)
- Gallipoli (1981)
- Mad Max 2 (1981)
- The Killing of Angel Street (1981)
- Puberty Blues (1981)
- Roadgames (1981)
- Winter of Our Dreams (1981)
- Attack Force Z (1982)
- Heatwave (1982)
- The Man from Snowy River (1982)
- Monkey Grip (1982)
- Next of Kin (1982)
- We of the Never Never (1982)
- Lonely Hearts (1982)
- The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
- BMX Bandits (1983)
- Careful, He Might Hear You (1983)
- Phar Lap (1983)
- Going Down (1983)
- Annie's Coming Out (1984)
- The Boy Who Had Everything (1984)
- Razorback (1984)
- My First Wife (1984)
- Bliss (1985)
- Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
- Burke & Wills (1985)
- A Street to Die (1985)
- Fortress (1985)
- Crocodile Dundee (1986)
- Malcolm (1986)
- Backlash (1986)
- Dead-End Drive In (1986)
- The Fringe Dwellers (1986)
- The Year My Voice Broke (1987)
- The Lighthorsemen (1987)
- Celia (1988)
- Crocodile Dundee II (1988)
- Young Einstein (1988)
- Evil Angels (1988)
- Emerald City (1988)
- Shame (1988)
- The Navigator (1988)
- Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds (1989)
- Malpractice (1989)
- Dead Calm (1989)
Notable figures
Many filmmakers and actors launched international careers through their work in the Australian New Wave.
- Mel Gibson
- Nicole Kidman
- Sam Neill
- George Miller
- Peter Weir
Directors
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Actors |
Others
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Legacy
Several films of the Australian New Wave are regarded as classics of world cinema and have been ranked among films considered the best. Published in 2004, The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made includes Walkabout, Mad Max, Breaker Morant, Gallipoli, Mad Max 2, The Year of Living Dangerously and Dead Calm.[4] In 2008, Empire magazine chose Mad Max 2 and The Year of Living Dangerously as two of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, ranking in at #280 and #161 respectively.[5] The 2011 book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die features Walkabout, Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, My Brilliant Career, Mad Max and Gallipoli.[6] Since its re-release in 2009, Wake in Fright has been assessed as one of, if not the greatest, Australian New Wave film.[7][8][9]
The term "glitter cycle" refers to a subgenre of eccentric Australian comedies that came to prominence in the early 1990s, spurning a post-new wave revival of Australian film. These films are noted for their celebration of Australian popular culture, camp aesthetic, colourful makeup and costuming, and musical performance pieces. Prominent glitter films include Strictly Ballroom (1992), Muriel's Wedding (1994), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and Love Serenade (1996). Other prominent post-new wave revival films of the 1990s include The Big Steal (1990), Proof (1991), Romper Stomper (1992), Babe (1995), Shine (1996), Kiss or Kill (1997), and The Castle (1997).
In 2008, a documentary film celebrating the romps of the Australian New Wave of 1970s and 1980s low-budget cinema was made. Calleed Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!, it was directed by Mark Hartley and includes George Miller, Quentin Tarantino, Dennis Hopper, and Barry Humphries.
References
- 1 2 "Film in Australia". Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ↑ Wendy Lewis, Simon Balderstone and John Bowan (2006). Events That Shaped Australia. New Holland. pp. 229–233. ISBN 978-1-74110-492-9.
- ↑ Hale, Mike (23 January 2013). "When Australia Soared on Film", The New York Times. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
- ↑ "The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made", The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- ↑ "Empire's 500 Greatest Movies of All Time", Empire. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- ↑ Schneider, Steven Jay. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. London: Quintessence Editions Ltd.. ISBN 1844036979
- ↑ Buckmaster, Luke (14 February 2014). "Wake in Fright: rewatching classic Australian films", The Guardian. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
- ↑ Cave, Nick. "Wake in Fright (brand-new 35mm print!)" Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine., The Cinefamily. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
- ↑ Gibson, Anthony (18 January 2013). "Lawless director John Hillcoat: Wake In Fright is hands down the greatest Australian movie", Metro. Retrieved 16 May 2015.