Jason KingNot Quite Hollywood ($14-)
August 19th 2008 12:30
Not Quite Hollywood ($14-)
Free-wheelin’ sex romps! Bloodsoaked terror tales! High-octane action extravaganzas! They’re the main ingredients of NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD, the first detailed examination and celebration of Australian genre cinema of the 70s and 80s.
In 1971, with the introduction of the R-certificate, Australia’s censorship regime went from repressive to progressive virtually overnight. This cultural explosion gave birth to arthouse classics, such as PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK and MY BRILLIANT CAREER, but also spawned a group of demon-children: maverick filmmakers who braved assault from all quarters to bring films like ALVIN PURPLE, THE MAN FROM HONG KONG, PATRICK, TURKEY SHOOT and MAD MAX to the big screen.
As explicit, violent and energetic as their northern cousins, Aussie genre movies presented a unique take on established conventions.
In England, Italy and the grindhouses and Drive-ins of America, audiences applauded our homegrown marauding revheads with brutish cars, our spunky well-stacked heroines and our stunts – unparalleled in their quality and extreme danger!
Full of outrageous anecdotes, a large cast of local and International names and a genuine, infectious love of Australian movies, NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD is a fast-moving journey through an unjustly forgotten cinematic era that was unashamedly packed full of boobs, pubes, tubes… and even a little kung fu.
In 2003, the A-list of the local film industry attended the Australian premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL—VOLUME ONE. When introducing the film Tarantino shocked the audience by dedicating it to his favorite Antipodean Filmmaker, Brian Trenchard-Smith—Australia’s leading exponent of action/exploitation films in the 70s and 80s.
Newspaper articles reported, in disbelief, Tarantino’s keen interest and love of Australian genre cinema. It appeared the journalists, and indeed the Australian filmgoing public, had forgotten that, as well as the revered historical films of the 70s and 80s, the local industry had also produced a steady stream of sex romps, terror tales and action extravaganzas.
The early 70s were a time of change in Australia. After decades of repressive censorship laws and highly conservative governments, a wave of liberalism swept the country. The R-certificate was introduced in late 1971 to reflect changing community standards—and almost overnight Australia had one of the most progressive censorship regimes in the world.
At the same time, Australia was rediscovering itself on the cinema screen. For several decades the country had been overwhelmingly on the receiving end of British and American cinema – and Australian audiences had rarely seen their own landscapes or heard their own accent in the local picture theatre. Now, the creative floodgates opened and a film industry re-emerged after being virtually dormant for thirty years.
Playwright David Williamson and satirist Barry Humphries recognized that exaggerated humor verging on parody worked with Australian audiences at that time – and the films STORK (1971) and THE ADVENTURES OF BARRY McKENZIE (1972) were born. These films were a sensational success with Australian audiences – providing a voice for the long silent proletariat. Most importantly, these films proved to cynical distributors that all-Australian productions could attract the public.
Alongside STORK’s director, Tim Burstall, a select group of fearless filmmaking mavericks emerged—including cheeky, diminutive sex-specialist John D. Lamond, foot-to-the-floor action helmer, Brian Trenchard-Smith, and high-concept genre producer Antony I. Ginnane, who had little time for loose talk of art or culture and much time for marketing and packaging deals.
This wild bunch of colourful cinematic renegades quickly took advantage of Australia’s newfound big-screen liberation and produced a string of films that packed Australian cinemas with patrons craving to see boobs, pubes, tubes and kung fu—with a unique Australian spin.
Along the way these filmmakers braved a barrage of assault from critics with “high art” notions who found it distasteful that this appalling culture was being foisted on poor, unsuspecting suburbanites.
They faced accusations from moral crusaders, The Festival of Light, who proclaimed many of their early films “Government sponsored pornography”.
They battled through claims from the emerging feminist movement that their films featured the worst instances of Australian sexism and misogyny.
They took a stand against Actors Equity who introduced new tougher guidelines limiting the number of foreign actors that could be imported for an Australian film.
They soldiered on when critics and politicians alike demanded a less vulgar, more culturally elevated filmmaking in an attempt to represent Australia abroad as refined, genteel and sentimental.
They offered an alternative to the wave of nostalgic films produced during Australian cinema’s elegiac period of the late 70s—and ultimately, they produced Aussie genre films that were playing in hundreds of American theatres and breaking box office records in the most unlikely countries.
As the 70s progressed, the “bedroom action” soon gave way to “white-line action”. Films such as STONE (1974) and THE MAN FROM HONG KONG (1975) laid the foundation for the groundbreaking MAD MAX movies –- climaxing with that one magic moment in time when, to quote Tarantino, “Aussie films were so bang-on that the Italians did rip-offs of them. First the unofficial PATRICK sequel and then for most of the 80s Italy’s rip-off machine specialized in MAD MAX rip-offs. That was the coin of the realm!”
Recently, there has been a fevered examination and re-evaluation of genre cinema from England (Hammer Horror), Italy (the Spaghetti westerns and Giallo horror movies), America (grindhouse cinema) and Canada (the early Cronenberg movies), but Australian genre cinema has been overlooked, even locally –- still eclipsed by the focus on our “historical” cinematic output.
But the influence of these films is starting to be seen amongst a new generation of young Australian filmmakers.
Director Jamie Blanks, a big fan of Australian genre directors Richard Franklin (ROADGAMES) and Brian Trenchard-Smith (TURKEY SHOOT), has followed his two big budget Hollywood horror films, URBAN LEGEND (1998) and VALENTINE (2001) with a couple of local genre films scripted by Everett DeRoche (PATRICK, RAZORBACK)—STORM WARNING and a remake of Colin Eggleston’s LONG WEEKEND.
Leigh Whannell, another self-confessed “Ozploitation” fanatic, has written, produced and starred in the US box office smashes SAW (2004) and SAW 2 (2005).
Greg McLean’s low budget horror film, WOLF CREEK (2005), was the highest grossing Australian film of 2005, with reviews linking it back to 70s Australian genre films such as MAD MAX (1979) and ROADGAMES (1981).
Internationally, genre specialist Quentin Tarantino has even paid homage to PATRICK (1978) in KILL BILL (having the comatose bride replicate Patrick’s trademark spitting) and FAIR GAME (1985) in DEATH PROOF (Stuntwoman Zoe Bell is strapped to the front of a speeding vehicle).
“NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD” is the first detailed examination and celebration of Australian genre cinema. It looks at how genre cinema got started in Australia; its triumphs, near misses and tragedies—and it finally shines a spotlight on the undervalued auteurs who brought it to life in such an explosive way!
A thoroughly enjoyable showpiece of cinema pioneering Australian Cinema. A time when there were no health and safety, no restrictions at all placed on film making, no full frontals and sex was used to titillate the audience, when B grade was cool. It comes across as a school reunion of some of the best Australian filmmakers from a nearly forgotten era. The effort put into this sensational documentary will blow you away. The people they interviewed and got to speak about this time is phenomenal. They show footage from oodles and oodles of cinema greats I grew up watching but had all but forgotten. I want Sunday re-runs!!!
Tarantino's passion and knowledge of our film making history is nearly unmatched, Dennis Hopper is even wilder than you already imagined and some of the interviews are hysterical with little cut-too quips. This film should be compulsory viewing and study at all film schools and a pleasure to watch for all.
Trivia: 1)ALVIN PURPLE recouped its $200,000 budget in its first few days of release in 1973 and by 1976 had grossed over $4.7 million at the local box office – equating to over $35 million today. In New Zealand it earned more money in its first two weeks than any other film ever theatrically released there. 2) By the time ALVIN RIDES AGAIN premiered in December 1974, an estimated 10% of the Australian population had paid to see ALVIN PURPLE. 3) In 1975, THE MAN FROM HONG KONG broke box office records in London, taking the highest opening week since MIDNIGHT COWBOY six years earlier. 4) In Pakistan THE MAN FROM HONG KONG became the all time box office champ for four years. It ran for six months, out-grossing previous record holders, THE GUNS OF NAVARONE , CLEOPATRA and WHERE EAGLES DARE. 5) Screening alongside PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK and CADDIE, MAD DOG MORGAN became one of the most successful Australian films ever shown at Cannes. It was purchased by for release in North America with an advance of $300,000 on US sales plus profit share, the largest overseas advance to that time. 6) PATRICK was the highest priced Australian film ever sold to Canada and SouthEast Asia. At Cannes in 1978 it notched up world sales of more than $500,000 – more than the other competing Australian films, THE CHANT OF JIMMY BLACKSMITH and NEWSFRONT. 7) In the first week of its U.S. release PATRICK topped the $1 million mark on the Variety box office chart, rocketing to 10th place among the top 50 major releases. 8) In 1978, PATRICK became the highest grossing film ever released in Italy and spawned an unauthorized spaghetti-sequel, PATRICK VIVE ANCORA a.k.a. PATRICK IS STILL ALIVE (1979). 9) In May 1979, the Australian Crime Prevention Council President, Mr. P. Johnson, declared that MAD MAX should be banned because of its excessive violence. “It contains scenes of pack rape, barbecuing traffic policemen and running down children, which only a very small minority of Australians could consider worthwhile entertainment.” Johnson said MAD MAX was the sort of film the Commonwealth Censorship Board should make an example of so that other Australian producers would not portray the same scenes. 10) New Zealand censors banned MAD MAX informing the distributor that the film contained “too much antisocial behaviour”. 11) FELICITY and MAD MAX were the only two Australian moneymakers in 1979 – and the only two Australian releases that year without major investment and/or loans from federal and/or state government sources.
I would like to thank Rebecca Gilling for being in this - I never knew how many films she did back then and how popular she must have been but a 10yr old boy named me fell in love with her on the TV show Return to Eden and she has always been a fave since then. I had also forgotten how gorgeous Mel Gibson was when he was younger, wearing head to toe leather and shooting and/ or running over bad guys.
This film is all in fun but ever so educational and really surprised me at how things were done back then - they were like pioneers of the highest degree with their amazing guerrilla styled shooting, some of them setting themselves on fire to get a good shot or risking their lives just to get a shot. One director has a 35mm camera (or a damn big 16mm) on his shoulder sitting behind the lead actor on a motorbike traveling 180kph for a great shot. Car chases back then were shot with limited safety and actors racing down opened highways without informing the police and to top it off they were fighting on rooves of cars. COOL
What has happened to the Australian Cinema industry - besides their arty films or comedies making us look like idiots, while quite good make me feel they take themselves too seriously - loosen up and make some more gold - where is an Oz action film that's good. MAD MAX was gold!!!!
If you aren't a docco person then this is one for you, if you are a docco person - you will probably also buy this film on DVD after you've seen the film. Watch it NOW - out for previews this weekend and released next Thursday 28th August. Worth $14-
As a PS: Thanks to Madman Cinema for allowing me to watch this and for most of the information provided above (a lot directly copied from their site - it's too good to leave any of it out) - I put this article together but they did all the work. Visit their site at: HERE
Free-wheelin’ sex romps! Bloodsoaked terror tales! High-octane action extravaganzas! They’re the main ingredients of NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD, the first detailed examination and celebration of Australian genre cinema of the 70s and 80s.
In 1971, with the introduction of the R-certificate, Australia’s censorship regime went from repressive to progressive virtually overnight. This cultural explosion gave birth to arthouse classics, such as PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK and MY BRILLIANT CAREER, but also spawned a group of demon-children: maverick filmmakers who braved assault from all quarters to bring films like ALVIN PURPLE, THE MAN FROM HONG KONG, PATRICK, TURKEY SHOOT and MAD MAX to the big screen.
As explicit, violent and energetic as their northern cousins, Aussie genre movies presented a unique take on established conventions.
In England, Italy and the grindhouses and Drive-ins of America, audiences applauded our homegrown marauding revheads with brutish cars, our spunky well-stacked heroines and our stunts – unparalleled in their quality and extreme danger!
Full of outrageous anecdotes, a large cast of local and International names and a genuine, infectious love of Australian movies, NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD is a fast-moving journey through an unjustly forgotten cinematic era that was unashamedly packed full of boobs, pubes, tubes… and even a little kung fu.
In 2003, the A-list of the local film industry attended the Australian premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL—VOLUME ONE. When introducing the film Tarantino shocked the audience by dedicating it to his favorite Antipodean Filmmaker, Brian Trenchard-Smith—Australia’s leading exponent of action/exploitation films in the 70s and 80s.
Newspaper articles reported, in disbelief, Tarantino’s keen interest and love of Australian genre cinema. It appeared the journalists, and indeed the Australian filmgoing public, had forgotten that, as well as the revered historical films of the 70s and 80s, the local industry had also produced a steady stream of sex romps, terror tales and action extravaganzas.
The early 70s were a time of change in Australia. After decades of repressive censorship laws and highly conservative governments, a wave of liberalism swept the country. The R-certificate was introduced in late 1971 to reflect changing community standards—and almost overnight Australia had one of the most progressive censorship regimes in the world.
At the same time, Australia was rediscovering itself on the cinema screen. For several decades the country had been overwhelmingly on the receiving end of British and American cinema – and Australian audiences had rarely seen their own landscapes or heard their own accent in the local picture theatre. Now, the creative floodgates opened and a film industry re-emerged after being virtually dormant for thirty years.
Playwright David Williamson and satirist Barry Humphries recognized that exaggerated humor verging on parody worked with Australian audiences at that time – and the films STORK (1971) and THE ADVENTURES OF BARRY McKENZIE (1972) were born. These films were a sensational success with Australian audiences – providing a voice for the long silent proletariat. Most importantly, these films proved to cynical distributors that all-Australian productions could attract the public.
Alongside STORK’s director, Tim Burstall, a select group of fearless filmmaking mavericks emerged—including cheeky, diminutive sex-specialist John D. Lamond, foot-to-the-floor action helmer, Brian Trenchard-Smith, and high-concept genre producer Antony I. Ginnane, who had little time for loose talk of art or culture and much time for marketing and packaging deals.
This wild bunch of colourful cinematic renegades quickly took advantage of Australia’s newfound big-screen liberation and produced a string of films that packed Australian cinemas with patrons craving to see boobs, pubes, tubes and kung fu—with a unique Australian spin.
Along the way these filmmakers braved a barrage of assault from critics with “high art” notions who found it distasteful that this appalling culture was being foisted on poor, unsuspecting suburbanites.
They faced accusations from moral crusaders, The Festival of Light, who proclaimed many of their early films “Government sponsored pornography”.
They battled through claims from the emerging feminist movement that their films featured the worst instances of Australian sexism and misogyny.
They took a stand against Actors Equity who introduced new tougher guidelines limiting the number of foreign actors that could be imported for an Australian film.
They soldiered on when critics and politicians alike demanded a less vulgar, more culturally elevated filmmaking in an attempt to represent Australia abroad as refined, genteel and sentimental.
They offered an alternative to the wave of nostalgic films produced during Australian cinema’s elegiac period of the late 70s—and ultimately, they produced Aussie genre films that were playing in hundreds of American theatres and breaking box office records in the most unlikely countries.
As the 70s progressed, the “bedroom action” soon gave way to “white-line action”. Films such as STONE (1974) and THE MAN FROM HONG KONG (1975) laid the foundation for the groundbreaking MAD MAX movies –- climaxing with that one magic moment in time when, to quote Tarantino, “Aussie films were so bang-on that the Italians did rip-offs of them. First the unofficial PATRICK sequel and then for most of the 80s Italy’s rip-off machine specialized in MAD MAX rip-offs. That was the coin of the realm!”
Recently, there has been a fevered examination and re-evaluation of genre cinema from England (Hammer Horror), Italy (the Spaghetti westerns and Giallo horror movies), America (grindhouse cinema) and Canada (the early Cronenberg movies), but Australian genre cinema has been overlooked, even locally –- still eclipsed by the focus on our “historical” cinematic output.
But the influence of these films is starting to be seen amongst a new generation of young Australian filmmakers.
Director Jamie Blanks, a big fan of Australian genre directors Richard Franklin (ROADGAMES) and Brian Trenchard-Smith (TURKEY SHOOT), has followed his two big budget Hollywood horror films, URBAN LEGEND (1998) and VALENTINE (2001) with a couple of local genre films scripted by Everett DeRoche (PATRICK, RAZORBACK)—STORM WARNING and a remake of Colin Eggleston’s LONG WEEKEND.
Leigh Whannell, another self-confessed “Ozploitation” fanatic, has written, produced and starred in the US box office smashes SAW (2004) and SAW 2 (2005).
Greg McLean’s low budget horror film, WOLF CREEK (2005), was the highest grossing Australian film of 2005, with reviews linking it back to 70s Australian genre films such as MAD MAX (1979) and ROADGAMES (1981).
Internationally, genre specialist Quentin Tarantino has even paid homage to PATRICK (1978) in KILL BILL (having the comatose bride replicate Patrick’s trademark spitting) and FAIR GAME (1985) in DEATH PROOF (Stuntwoman Zoe Bell is strapped to the front of a speeding vehicle).
“NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD” is the first detailed examination and celebration of Australian genre cinema. It looks at how genre cinema got started in Australia; its triumphs, near misses and tragedies—and it finally shines a spotlight on the undervalued auteurs who brought it to life in such an explosive way!
A thoroughly enjoyable showpiece of cinema pioneering Australian Cinema. A time when there were no health and safety, no restrictions at all placed on film making, no full frontals and sex was used to titillate the audience, when B grade was cool. It comes across as a school reunion of some of the best Australian filmmakers from a nearly forgotten era. The effort put into this sensational documentary will blow you away. The people they interviewed and got to speak about this time is phenomenal. They show footage from oodles and oodles of cinema greats I grew up watching but had all but forgotten. I want Sunday re-runs!!!
Tarantino's passion and knowledge of our film making history is nearly unmatched, Dennis Hopper is even wilder than you already imagined and some of the interviews are hysterical with little cut-too quips. This film should be compulsory viewing and study at all film schools and a pleasure to watch for all.
Trivia: 1)ALVIN PURPLE recouped its $200,000 budget in its first few days of release in 1973 and by 1976 had grossed over $4.7 million at the local box office – equating to over $35 million today. In New Zealand it earned more money in its first two weeks than any other film ever theatrically released there. 2) By the time ALVIN RIDES AGAIN premiered in December 1974, an estimated 10% of the Australian population had paid to see ALVIN PURPLE. 3) In 1975, THE MAN FROM HONG KONG broke box office records in London, taking the highest opening week since MIDNIGHT COWBOY six years earlier. 4) In Pakistan THE MAN FROM HONG KONG became the all time box office champ for four years. It ran for six months, out-grossing previous record holders, THE GUNS OF NAVARONE , CLEOPATRA and WHERE EAGLES DARE. 5) Screening alongside PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK and CADDIE, MAD DOG MORGAN became one of the most successful Australian films ever shown at Cannes. It was purchased by for release in North America with an advance of $300,000 on US sales plus profit share, the largest overseas advance to that time. 6) PATRICK was the highest priced Australian film ever sold to Canada and SouthEast Asia. At Cannes in 1978 it notched up world sales of more than $500,000 – more than the other competing Australian films, THE CHANT OF JIMMY BLACKSMITH and NEWSFRONT. 7) In the first week of its U.S. release PATRICK topped the $1 million mark on the Variety box office chart, rocketing to 10th place among the top 50 major releases. 8) In 1978, PATRICK became the highest grossing film ever released in Italy and spawned an unauthorized spaghetti-sequel, PATRICK VIVE ANCORA a.k.a. PATRICK IS STILL ALIVE (1979). 9) In May 1979, the Australian Crime Prevention Council President, Mr. P. Johnson, declared that MAD MAX should be banned because of its excessive violence. “It contains scenes of pack rape, barbecuing traffic policemen and running down children, which only a very small minority of Australians could consider worthwhile entertainment.” Johnson said MAD MAX was the sort of film the Commonwealth Censorship Board should make an example of so that other Australian producers would not portray the same scenes. 10) New Zealand censors banned MAD MAX informing the distributor that the film contained “too much antisocial behaviour”. 11) FELICITY and MAD MAX were the only two Australian moneymakers in 1979 – and the only two Australian releases that year without major investment and/or loans from federal and/or state government sources.
I would like to thank Rebecca Gilling for being in this - I never knew how many films she did back then and how popular she must have been but a 10yr old boy named me fell in love with her on the TV show Return to Eden and she has always been a fave since then. I had also forgotten how gorgeous Mel Gibson was when he was younger, wearing head to toe leather and shooting and/ or running over bad guys.
This film is all in fun but ever so educational and really surprised me at how things were done back then - they were like pioneers of the highest degree with their amazing guerrilla styled shooting, some of them setting themselves on fire to get a good shot or risking their lives just to get a shot. One director has a 35mm camera (or a damn big 16mm) on his shoulder sitting behind the lead actor on a motorbike traveling 180kph for a great shot. Car chases back then were shot with limited safety and actors racing down opened highways without informing the police and to top it off they were fighting on rooves of cars. COOL
What has happened to the Australian Cinema industry - besides their arty films or comedies making us look like idiots, while quite good make me feel they take themselves too seriously - loosen up and make some more gold - where is an Oz action film that's good. MAD MAX was gold!!!!
If you aren't a docco person then this is one for you, if you are a docco person - you will probably also buy this film on DVD after you've seen the film. Watch it NOW - out for previews this weekend and released next Thursday 28th August. Worth $14-
As a PS: Thanks to Madman Cinema for allowing me to watch this and for most of the information provided above (a lot directly copied from their site - it's too good to leave any of it out) - I put this article together but they did all the work. Visit their site at: HERE
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Comment by Cheryl J
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It's great that someone has put something together celebrating Australian film. We get such a steady stream of imports we often forget all of the homegrown movies that were made back then.
Great review Jason.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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Comment by Jason King
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Morgan - you will love this and I see a great article out of it for you - just how appallingly sexist films were in those days. Things like Jackie Weaver offered $500- cash to take her whole kit off and do the scene. The main star of the Man from Hong Kong being an absolute asshole and Rebecca Gilling (while he thought of her as the lowest of low scum for being a female actor) having to do a love scene with him.
Thanks for popping in ladies!
Comment by Rix
Comment by Andrew J
Back then people knew about australia and seemed to find it rich a new environment, during the 70s and 80s australia was alive with its own culture and individualism but nowadays we seem to have lost it and become americanized.
We are lucky if the industry here or our country gets any mention at all from the outside apart from american movie land or tv but these seem mainly quips about "dingo ate my baby" and Crocodile Dundee all the time or "g'day mate" and Vegemite.