The Film Industry in Australia - Essay Example

Critical Analysis on Period Film Name Institution Instructor Course Date of Submission Period Film The 1970s formed a crucial moment in the film industry in Australia. Under the leadership of Gorton, the film industry witnessed a rapid revival after the silent period (Rayner 2000, 94). In his article, Art Directing History: The period film, Graeme Turner analyzes the films produced at this period, the factors that influenced the rise of the film industry and how the films faired on the market. The films produced during this period were known as the period films. Graeme asserts that the films produced in this period were highly laced with Australian content (Turner 1989, 104). The films were mainly about expressing the Australian culture and way of life. The films expressed the history of the Australian people, the landscape and values such as fondness which are identical with the Australian way of life and culture. This article gives a detailed approach to the subject of the period film, addressing the issue of why this period was characterized a rapid rise of the industry. It is discovered that the film industry at this period grew very fast mainly because of the goodwill of the Australian government. The Australian government, through the Australian film commission, decided to fund the film industry in the country (Fitzsimons, Laughren & Williamson 2011, 167). However, this funding came with a condition. The condition was that the film industry was to produce culturally relevant movies. The films produced were supposed to reflect the Australian way of life and rich culture. Although the funding resulted in the rapid growth of the industry, the conditions set could have been the undoing of the period film sub-genre because with time, the period film lost its initial charm and people started viewing other genres. The author gives a detailed description of the period films, giving examples of such films, and how they faired on the local as well as on the international market. One of the films that the author analyzes is the picnic at hanging rock. This film opened the chapter for the period film sub-genre. Produced in 1975, the film is about schoolgirls who went for a picnic. However, the picnic turns tragic as the some girls and one of their female teachers disappear. One of the girls is later found but has no memory of the events that transpired on the hanging rock. The teacher’s body is also found but nothing is discovered of the rest of the girls. Though poorly produced, the film gets a good reception locally and internationally. The movie does not contain violence that is always characteristic of such movies, where victims are shown being maimed by vampires or other ghastly creatures (Monk 2011, 65). The explanation for such a scenario, Graeme explains, was because of keeping in line with Australian culture that shuns violence. Turner gives a detailed analysis of the Picnic on hanging rock film, pointing at its strengths and weaknesses. One of the strengths that the author points at that the film is culturally rich and depicts the Australian landscape. This made it to be acclaimed both locally and internationally, with even critics acknowledging the powerfulness of the movie. Other movies analyzed by Graeme in this article include Sunday too far away, Newsfront, and Irishman. Sunday too far away is a movie that is set in a sheep station in Australia. The movie is about the reaction of sheep shearers about the possibility of losing their bonuses and the introduction of non-union labor. The movie concentrates on one character called Foley who is a shearer. Foley fails to adapt to life in the city, decides to return to the village, and takes up the shearing job. The movie offers a glimpse on the inevitability of the changes that are to come to the Australian society. The inclusion of some contemporary issues makes the film to appeal to people more than the picnic on hanging rock. This explains why this movie is more successful than the hanging on rock one. As Turner says, the Sunday too far was not the typical 1970s movie. This is because is because movies of the 1970s were historical and concentrated on depicting the history of the Australian society. Sunday too far away, on its part, included themes that affected the society at that time and this made people to identify with it more than the picnic on hanging rock. The author also points at innovative nature of the movie as one of the attributes that contribute to its success (Turner 1989, 110). Although the films produced in the ‘70s were out to depict the cultural values as well as the way of life of the Australian people, the author points out that there are others that veered from that norm and included contemporary issues. As pointed out earlier, one of the movies was Sunday too far away. Another film that made the bold move of going against the convention, albeit by a small fraction, was My Brilliant Career movie. This movie is a romantic movie involving a girl called Sybylla who refuses to marry a wealthy young man called Harry in order to study. Sybylla comes from a poor family and it is conventional that she accepts Harry’s proposal (Turner 1989, 110). However, against the expectations of many and against what was socially acceptable at that time, Sybylla rejects Harry’s proposal. As the author points, this was a bold move on the part of the character as well as the producers of the film. Such movies point out that although the period film era was characterized by movies that depicted the cultural and traditional way of life of the Australian people, there are some that went against that convention and included some creativity in it to address some contemporary issues (Kindem, 2000, 89). In his article, Graeme applauds the 1970s as the critical period in the film industry in Australia because of its influence. Although the period films were acclaimed both locally and internationally, their success, as the author points out, was also attributed to the economic cushioning they received from the government. The government viewed the film industry as a vehicle that could be used to bolster the cultural image of the country locally as well as abroad (Rayner 2000, 96). This made it to provide all the financial support to the industry so that the industry can be used as a tool to educate the citizens of the country about their cultural heritage. The economic value of the industry played second fiddle in encouraging the growth of the industry. This article also addresses the collapse of the period films and the factors that led to the collapse of the films. Graeme says that one of the factors that led to the demise of the period film was its emphasis on the depicting the history and the culture of the country while forgetting the contemporary issues that affected the society. In addition, the films concentrated on constructing a romantic view of the Australian culture and way of life, which was far from the reality that was being experienced by the people. The bad images of the society were not outlined in the movies. This made the movies to lose touch with reality and with the people of Australia as well as with those abroad. The films also put emphasis on depicting the past Australia, while forgetting the contemporary Australia, which made them to also lose touch with the new generation of young people who could not identify with the events in the movies (Fitzsimons, Laughren & Williamson 2011, 174). This growing confidence, the author asserts, made the producers and filmmakers to engage in the production of films that veered away from the conventions set by the government. Most of the movies produced from then emulated those produced by Hollywood although they were still laced by the cultural content. Another factor was the decline in government funding. With time, the government withdrew its funding and this removed the financial cushioning the industry was enjoying from the government. The film industry was no longer just a cultural vehicle but a commercial entity. For it to continue surviving in the industry, it had to produce movies that appealed to the audience. Since most of the period films had lost favor with audience both locally and internationally, the producers had to abandon their production and this led to their demise. The entry of private investors was also a contributing factor that led to the decline of the period film. In this article, Graeme Turner gives an incisive and a detailed analysis of the Australian film industry from 1970. The author gives unbiased analysis of the various movies produced during this period, addressing their strengths as well as their weaknesses. His approach to the subject is conclusive and one that is based on facts. The author takes into account the views of renowned critics such as Rex Reed and Kathleen Carroll in analyzing the how the movies faired both locally and internationally. The author does not base his decision on the views of the critics; rather he tries to explain why the critics gave such views. He approaches his arguments objectively, analyzing every opinion and fact very carefully. Generally, Graeme’s article provides a powerful insight in the development of the Australian film industry from 1970, and especially the rise, development, and decline of the period film in Australia. Graeme Turner’s unbiased analysis of the film industry in Australia provides valuable knowledge about the history of the industry and how it developed throughout this period (Kindem 2000, 124). His analysis of the various films provides an insight on how the early filmmakers and producers produced their workers, their strengths, and the mistakes they made. The author also used simple and understandable language that makes the article easy to read. This article demonstrates the author’s vast knowledge in the history and development of the film industry in Australia. Bibliography Fitzsimons, T., Laughren, P., & Williamson, D. (2011). Australian documentary: history, practices and genres. Port Melbourne, Vic, Cambridge University Press. Kindem, G. A. (2000). The international movie industry. Carbondale [u.a.], Southern Illinois Univ. Press. Monk, C. (2011). Heritage film audiences: period films and contemporary audiences in the UK. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press. Rayner, J. (2000). Contemporary Australian cinema: an introduction. Manchester [u.a.], Manchester University Press. Turner, G. (1989). Art directing history: The period film. Ringwood, Penguin Books. Read More