Success of Film Australia vs Wake in Fright - Movie Review Example

Australian film industry Name: Name of institution:  Film industry in Australia is advancing tremendously since 1906. As a result, Australia is now able to attract so many people interested in filmmaking, movies, and films among others. In this way, Australia film industry continues to promote and boost tourism in the country. The film industry reflects the cultural aspects of Australia in a positive manner. This helps in boosting the Image of Australia both domestically and internationally. However, some people have some critics about Australia. This is perceptible in Crikey article where Ben Eltham clearly indicates that “Australia does not need better film but just better distribution” (Ben Eltham, 2013, 1). I find Ben Eltham comment very enticing. Therefore, in the cinema studies I undertake the task of comparing two different Australian film productions from two different periods. Precisely, analyzing funding that was involved in the making of the films, and if the films generated a boom in tourism and presented Australia to the world. These two films will be Wake in Fright (1971), and Australia (2008).Basically, I would really like to address that the AUSTRALIA, which was co-funded by the Australian Government, paints the country in a very different light than WAKE IN FRIGHT does. My argument is that because of the Government funding, the artistic integrity behind AUSTRALIA is often at risk. To start with it is important to note that the stories that hit the Australian screen are essential to the Australian. Therefore, film production for cinema release in the country becomes risky and competitive. Screen Australia has a lot of demand from the audience who demand more of Australian content. For this reason, the producers have to ensure that the content they provide contributes to the cultural fabric of the Australian society in a very positive way. Hence, any Australian film must entertain, enlighten and resonate with the viewers. Most importantly, it must reflect the Australian sense of Identity locally and globally. For this reason, the government opts to assist in the funding of the films. However, this means that the artists must comply with the government policy and guidelines released for the film industry consultation. Given this background it is possible to see why The Wake in Fright and Film Australia had different reception and appreciation in Australia (Screen Australia). In addition, it explains why the government funding puts the Australian artist integrity in risk. Firstly, the story manifested in the film Australia dates back before World War II. Actually, it runs from late 1930s to early 1940s. The film opens while Nicole Kidman (Lady Sarah Ashley) voyages to Australia. She had a plan to sell station that they owned in Faraway downs and pay a surprise visit to her beloved husband for she suspected him of having an affair. Unfortunately, before her arrival the husband is murdered and she is informed that she was killed by the Aboriginal elder by the name King George. Following his death, Neil Fletcher, (by then the station manager) cohorts with King Carney to take over the Faraway Downs station. Fortunately Nullah informs Lady Sarah that her cattle’s have been driven to Carneys land. As a result, Fletcher threatens to kill Nullah and mistreats her. Nevertheless, Neil Fletcher was sacked and, Lady Ashley requested drover to take the cattle to Darwin for sale. Drover was so friendly with the Aborigines, so he was able outshine the whites in the territory. Drover agrees to lead the way. He is accompanied by Magari (his Aboriginal brother in law); Kipling stations account, Nullah and Sarah. They undertook the task of taking a herd of 2000 cattle to Darwin. Along the way they encountered so many hardships. For instance, the Carney men set fire to scare the cattle and Kipling dies on the process of protecting the cattle from stepping over the cliff. They also had to make sure that their cattle get into the ship before Carneys cattle. Eventually, Fletcher kills Carney and marries his daughter thus becomes the owner of the Carney cattle. This gives him an opportunity to threaten Lady Sarah. In the process, Lady Sarahrealizes that Fletcher killed her husband, and he is the actual father of Nullah. Nullah is abducted and taken to live with the other half- Aboriginal children in a mission Island. Drover had a disagreement with LadySarah and left. Upon his return to Darwin, he believes the rumors that she died in the bombing. Drover decided to rescue Nullah and other children from the mission. Taking his brother and a priest they went to rescue them. Sarah decides to evacuate Darwin, but at the same time Drover returns from his rescue mission with the children. Nullah plays the Over the Rainbow song. While Sarah hears the song she looks for them and gets re-united. Fletcher plans to shoot Nullah dead. King George kills Fletcher with a spear. This gives Nullah, drover, and Lady Sarah a safety place in Faraway Downs. However, King George calls Nullah, and he goes to reside with his grandfather. Luhrmannthe director of Australia 2008 researched the history of Australia for six months. After getting all the information, he decided to focus on main aspects to depict a mythologized Australia. Therefore, he explored Australians affiliation with England and with its nativepopulace. As a result, he set the film covering the period between World War I and World War II. This was to amalgamate the chronologicalfiction with the stolen generation. Therefore, he manifested how the mixed-race Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their families and were incorporated in the white societies. Film Australia had lingered in the mind of its director BazLuhrmann for quite a long time. However, in 2005 he began the negotiations for the films initial casting. He completed the filming in 2007 and put it in the market in the year 2008. The film casting delay was due to lack of funding. However, there emerged some investors from within and outside the country who decided to fund the film and video. One of these investors were the overseas investors who contributed $224million which amounted to the fifty seven percent of the total funding for Australian and co-production feature films in 2008. Similarly, in the same year the Australian government contributed nine percent of the total funding for the Australian features. Additionally, the same government in the year 2005 had provided $140 million to fund the film, and video and the state territory governments contributed around $75.4 million. Australia 2008 is one of the films that had generated a boom in tourism and presented Australia to the world. This is because the director of the film had so much intelligence in film making and also to follow the government policy on film production. He was able to produce a romantic movie and combined it with the countries history in a very distinctive manner. Additionally, he was able to make a great use of the screen. He also made a supersized screen shot, had fascinating performances and used obstruction of major fraction. In an addition, this movie was able to capture two periods simultaneously. This is because film Australia is a modern epic that recalls Demille days. The movie falls a under the category of modernized romance epic movie. This is because it can be qualify to be a twin sister of Titanic emotionally and stylistically. However, there are so many people who critic the movie. In addition, the actors of the movie such as drover, Lady Sarah, Nullah, Fletcher and Carney among others were best actors who are compared with the Hollywood actors. For this reason film Australia continues to present the country to the whole world as many people continue to be thrilled by the talent of the actors. This has made the film makers, graphics and designers to come to Australia in big numbers to learn more about movie shooting and acting. Additionally, Australia 2008 is the second best movie in Australia, and it involves history which so many people are interested in.For this reason many people flock to the country or buys the movie to learn about the segregation, inequality and about the Darwin bombing. This positively presents Australia and the neighboring country to the world and attracts tourists in the country. Moreover, many investors including the Australian government volunteered to be part of the filming and the movie features funders. This in itself is a sign of hope they all had for this movie for they were sure that it will create a name for Australia. These funders came from within the country as well as outside the country. They therefore boosted the image of the country and attracted many viewers from the entire globe. To be precise, Australia 2008 has generated a lot of income to the country. They have been able to sell the video to many other countries, and as people continue to watch they get an urge to visit the country in person. The fact that even the government funded the film is also a factor that attracts many people to the country and encourages many viewers to watch the movie. Therefore, film Australia as the second best film in the country has generated a boom in tourism from outside and within the country. By so doing, the country has presented itself to the world through acting and through the film industry. The character, the casters and directors in the movie had done an admirable job which speaks volume about their country. They also seem to have a talent that ragesfrom, filming, designing, directing, creativity, and wit. This in itself is a treasure which will attract so many other people from outside world to come and learn one or two things about the movie industry. As well, entertainment is one of the things that so many people enjoy in the whole world. As a result, the movie Australia 2008 is one of the most entertaining films for it captures romance, family love, equality, and fantasy. More so, the historians and other scholars are more interested in watching the movie and also visit the country to learn about the Aborigines and the natives. Mostly, their interest focuses on the past when the Aborigines suffered a great deal. Therefore, Australia 2008 has so much to offer to them and to the entire world in regard to the Aborigines. On the other hand, Wake In Fright 1971 is a film made in Australia in the year 1971. However, it got lost for ever for not many people went to watch it after its release. However, the film has of recent resurfaced in Toronto film festival in 2009. It is a very powerful and amazing film though it is a bit shocking. It can be categorized as a horror film; however, this horror is fully human and cruelly pragmatic. The actors of the movie included Donald, Pleasance, Jack Thompson and Gary Bond. The film manifests a schoolteacher who is in the middle of the outback wilderness. He landed into this isolated wilderness due to the government money lent to him to study as a teacher. After completing his collegeteaching, he is sent into this school to become a teacher. In this place, there was a school and a hotel on the other side. People take a very long time to reach at this place. It was during the end of the year; Gary Bond (the teacher) bonds the train with a plan to arrive at a place where he can get a fright to Sidney. He was flying to Sidney to spend the holiday with his girlfriend. Unfortunately, he finds himself in the middle of drunkards, rough and cruel men he thus lost some of his money to them and some in gambling. As a result, he spends his holiday in drunkenness, brutality, rape and cruel moonlight kangaroo hunt. This means that the teacher is morally degraded after finding himself stranded in outback Australia. He even contemplated killing a man and even suicide. The film directed by a Canadian born man Ted Kotcheff was not well received in Australia. It did well in overseas and disappeared thus become labeled as the Australian great lost film. The editor of this movie Antony Buckley searched for it found one and restored in the Australian Film Archive. History has it that the film was received with hostility because it portrayed a horrifying life in the isolation of the Outback. The people there wanted to paint a picture of a positively civilized society. However, this movie is well acted and is photographed and edited in a brilliant manner. The film was well received in countries like France and overseas but got a very cold shoulder in Australia. The film also had a great review from all over the world and great response from the United Kingdom. Wake In Fright film had a budget f $800,000, and the director tried to search for the production money in vain. Luckily enough, the film got funded NLT production and group thus becoming a co- production f Australia and American. From 1971, the film has not for a long time generated a boom in tourism. This is because it was made to disappear as soon as it hit the screen of Australia (screen Australia). Nonetheless, in countries like France, United Kingdom and some parts in the overseas the film continues to somehow attract local and international tourists. The film has not also presented Australia into the world as it would have due to the blockades put by the government and other people who were against the country affairs revealed in the film. However, since 2009 the film has been restored in Australia archives and also is preserved and made available in DVD’s. This has continued to be shown in some parts of Australia and outside the country and people have come to rate it as one of the best so far. This means that it is attracting tourists gradually, and it has started to present Australia as it really is to the entire world. This is a clear indication that the government in Australia wanted nothing to do with the production of this movie. For this reason, compared to the Australia 2008 one can conclude that the Australian government wanted to paint its country as one of the best with no faults. In fact, even during the resurfacing of the film there was a man who shouted that the film does not mirror them. “This is not us” he shouted (Tom, 1996). This points me back to the argument that the Australia 2008 painted the country in a different light than the Wake In Fright 1971. Additionally, due to government funding the integrity of the artists is always at risk. The Wake in fright manifests Australia as a country like any other with all its faults and goodness. On the other hand, the Australia 2008 paints the country as paradise praise where people live in harmony and fights for each others rights. For instance, in the Australia 2008 we find that the Aborigines and non-whites were having nothing in common. It even reached a point where the Aborigines were abducted and kept in an isolated mission. The movie portrays that some whites and Aborigines went there to rescue them. It also portrays the intermarriages between the two groups aiming to bring harmony and equality in the country. This is a clear indication that the government funding wanted them to focus on the better side country. This will present Australia as a harmonious and wonderful country which is not always the case. Therefore, the artist’s integrity is tampered with and is put to risk for they have to tell the story as the governments want (Tom, 1996). Unlike the Australia 2008, the Wake In Fright film paints the country as it is. The film shows clearly that there are gamblers, rapists, vicious and cruel men who engage in all kinds of activities. The film also portrays that in Australia, there are some isolated corners which looks like deserts. In these places, any one can be forced to go and work there according to his/her background. It also manifests that these horrible activities are perpetuating for government and the ministry of the internal security seems to be doing nothing. This is a clear indication that compared to the Australia 2008 the integrity of the director of Wake in Fright is intact. Additionally, the Australia 2008 was received with open hands by the government of Australia and even the people in general. Additionally, it was appreciated by other countries with the encouragement of the investors (Australia 2008). For this reason, it was rated as the second best movie in the country while as the Wake in Fright due to its honesty was made to disappear. Even the restoration of the movie in 2009 has not made any impact on the government for it still wants the country to remain one of the best (Tom, 1996). Additionally, Wake in Fright film used simple terms and based its story in the local affairs of the country. Unlike Wake In Fright, Australia focused mostly on Darwin bombing and the World war I and II. This is a clear indication that because it was funded by the government they had to shift from reality to fiction (Rachel &Parenta, 2010).Actually the film also focused on Australian chronological fiction as well as the stolen generation. This is can only point to the will of the government which is to retain a positive and a good presentation of the country to the world at large. Comparing the two films manifests the way the government uses its funding to make the artists use their creativity and imagination in a controlled way. They have to create and screen the films which are so fictional to get the government support. If the artists decide to follow the footsteps of the Wake In Fright, they end up being frustrated with no audience or anyone to boost their efforts. This way it means that the integrity of the artists will always be at risk when it comes to the Australian film Industry (Tom, 1996). In my own opinion, I think that most of the Australia artists seem to focus more on fiction for in this way they will remain on the safer side of the government. Most of the artists think of horror and other kinds of movies that will have to incorporate many fictional ideas that true country issues. It is also clear that the government uses its money power to control the artists on what to produce and what to retain. This way the government continues to preserve the country image and cartel the internal affairs presented to the world. As a result, the tourists continue to flock into the county in large numbers to explore this wonderful and harmonious country without faults or crime. To conclude, both films were directed and filmed by artists who were so talented and very imaginative. However, Australia received government and international favor while as the Wake In Fright was made to disappear. The government funded the Australia forcing the artist to work on its policy and not their own mind. On the other hand, Wake In Fright film searched for its on fund and was labeled as raw and uncompromised thus made to disappear. Looking at the publicity of the two films we can see that the government continues to control the film industry in a cunning manner. Therefore, the artists who rely on the government funding must always produce and film something that is in line with the government expectations. For this reason, we can conclude that due to government funding the artists’ integrity will always be at risk. I think that this kind of policies applied by the government can only create so many tensions in the artists mind. Therefore, what is beneficial to the government is a pain to the artists and some citizens who want to watch and engage with the reality of the country. However, the government benefits because the country continues to receive so many visitors who come to learn about the management of the Australian film industry. Additionally, due to the way these films present Australia to the world the country continues to receive a big number of tourists who flock into the country to explore the harmony of the country. This can be clearly seen in the Australia 2008 which presented the country better than the Wake In Fright 1971. However, the Wake in Fright retains its artists integrity while as the Australia 2008 sacrifices their integrity to serve the government purpose. The question that lingers in the mind is for how long will the artists integrity be at risk just because of the governments funding? References: Ben Eltham, (2013): Australia doesn’t need better films, just better distribution: Retrieved on 7th April 2013 from Screen Australia: Features production: Retrieved on 11th May 2013 from Tom O’ Regan, (1996): A National Cinema.” Australian National Cinema. London: Routledge. Roger Elbert, (2012): Wake in Fright 1971: Retrieved on 11 May 2013 from Rachel Parker, OlegParenta (2010): Multi-level order, Friction and Contradiction: the Evolution of Australian Film Industry Policy." International Journal of Cultural Policy. London: Routledge. Australia 2008: Retrieved on 11th May 2013 from Read More

She had a plan to sell station that they owned in Faraway downs and pay a surprise visit to her beloved husband for she suspected him of having an affair. Unfortunately, before her arrival the husband is murdered and she is informed that she was killed by the Aboriginal elder by the name King George. Following his death, Neil Fletcher, (by then the station manager) cohorts with King Carney to take over the Faraway Downs station. Fortunately Nullah informs Lady Sarah that her cattle’s have been driven to Carneys land.

As a result, Fletcher threatens to kill Nullah and mistreats her. Nevertheless, Neil Fletcher was sacked and, Lady Ashley requested drover to take the cattle to Darwin for sale. Drover was so friendly with the Aborigines, so he was able outshine the whites in the territory. Drover agrees to lead the way. He is accompanied by Magari (his Aboriginal brother in law); Kipling stations account, Nullah and Sarah. They undertook the task of taking a herd of 2000 cattle to Darwin. Along the way they encountered so many hardships.

For instance, the Carney men set fire to scare the cattle and Kipling dies on the process of protecting the cattle from stepping over the cliff. They also had to make sure that their cattle get into the ship before Carneys cattle. Eventually, Fletcher kills Carney and marries his daughter thus becomes the owner of the Carney cattle. This gives him an opportunity to threaten Lady Sarah. In the process, Lady Sarahrealizes that Fletcher killed her husband, and he is the actual father of Nullah.

Nullah is abducted and taken to live with the other half- Aboriginal children in a mission Island. Drover had a disagreement with LadySarah and left. Upon his return to Darwin, he believes the rumors that she died in the bombing. Drover decided to rescue Nullah and other children from the mission. Taking his brother and a priest they went to rescue them. Sarah decides to evacuate Darwin, but at the same time Drover returns from his rescue mission with the children. Nullah plays the Over the Rainbow song.

While Sarah hears the song she looks for them and gets re-united. Fletcher plans to shoot Nullah dead. King George kills Fletcher with a spear. This gives Nullah, drover, and Lady Sarah a safety place in Faraway Downs. However, King George calls Nullah, and he goes to reside with his grandfather. Luhrmannthe director of Australia 2008 researched the history of Australia for six months. After getting all the information, he decided to focus on main aspects to depict a mythologized Australia. Therefore, he explored Australians affiliation with England and with its nativepopulace.

As a result, he set the film covering the period between World War I and World War II. This was to amalgamate the chronologicalfiction with the stolen generation. Therefore, he manifested how the mixed-race Aboriginal children were forcibly removed from their families and were incorporated in the white societies. Film Australia had lingered in the mind of its director BazLuhrmann for quite a long time. However, in 2005 he began the negotiations for the films initial casting. He completed the filming in 2007 and put it in the market in the year 2008.

The film casting delay was due to lack of funding. However, there emerged some investors from within and outside the country who decided to fund the film and video. One of these investors were the overseas investors who contributed $224million which amounted to the fifty seven percent of the total funding for Australian and co-production feature films in 2008. Similarly, in the same year the Australian government contributed nine percent of the total funding for the Australian features. Additionally, the same government in the year 2005 had provided $140 million to fund the film, and video and the state territory governments contributed around $75.4 million. Australia 2008 is one of the films that had generated a boom in tourism and presented Australia to the world.

This is because the director of the film had so much intelligence in film making and also to follow the government policy on film production.

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