AustLit

'Charles Chauvel's final film, Jedda, has become iconic within the history of Australian cinema. Released in 1955, during a period when 'assimilation' was becoming the widely held policy of states and the Commonwealth in relation to the Indigenous population, Jedda grapples directly with the nation's ongoing questions about how 'Aboriginality' might be defined and understood, and about what the future for Australia's Indigenous inhabitants might look like. While very much an ideological product of its time, Jedda provides some surprising insights into complex cultural issues, while also presenting a narrative that revels in the particularities of Australia's outback landscape. Moreover, Jedda can claim a number of firsts: it was the first film by an Australian director made in colour, the first to use Indigenous actors (and indeed non-professional actors in leading roles), the first film to make such striking use of outback landscapes, and the first Australian film to be invited to the Cannes Film Festival.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.