Dark Age (film)

Dark Age
Theatrical film poster
Directed by Arch Nicholson
Produced by Antony I. Ginnane
Written by Sonia Borg
Stephen Cross
Tony Morphett
Based on Numunwari by
Grahame Webb
Starring John Jarratt
Nikki Coghill
Max Phipps
Burnam Burnam
David Gulpilil
Music by Danny Beckerman
Cinematography Andrew Lesnie
Edited by Adrian Carr
Production
company
RKO
F.G. Film Productions
Release date
 July 10, 1987
Running time
 91 mins
Country Australia
Language English
Budget A$4,808,232[1]

Dark Age is a 1987 Australian horror adventure film[2] directed by Arch Nicholson, produced by Antony I. Ginnane and starring John Jarratt.

Plot synopsis

Steve Harris (John Jarratt) is a ranger who has been assigned to deal with a massive saltwater crocodile that's been attacking and killing people in the Northern Territory. He finds himself at odds with the local Aborigines, who believe the crocodile should be preserved since it contains the spirit of their past. Steve must develop a plan to respect the wishes of the Aborigines and also protect the residents threatened by the crocodile.

Cast

Production

The film was part of a two-picture deal between executive producer Antony I. Ginnane and Hollywood studio RKO which also included The Lighthorsemen. Shooting took place five weeks in Cairns and one week in Alice Springs, starting 22 April 1986.[3]

Release

The movie was never seen in Australia theatrically and took a long time to be seen on DVD.[3]

Reception

Despite no approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes currently, the film has a 39% Audience Score. Dennis Schwartz of Ozus' World Movie Reviews gave a positive review, calling the film "well-produced and acted, and an intelligent environmental adventure film results."

Quentin Tarantino spoke enthusiastically of the film in the documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!, commenting "You could re-release Dark Age in 2,000 screenings and people would go see it." In 2009, Tarantino hosted a screening for it in Sydney.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Australian Productions Top $175 million", Cinema Papers, March 1986 p64
  2. ↑ Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p34
  3. 1 2 David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p302-303
  4. ↑ "Dark Age Q & A" Popcorn Taxi 2009 accessed 1 November 2012
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