AustLit

Films in the silent era—in Australia these were largely of the bushranger genre—told stories of outlaws like Ned Kelly, as well as stories where gluttonous urban folk were portrayed negatively compared to wholesome farming types (Zielinski 131). It is important to understanding the social context surrounding bushranger films as anti-establishment ideals and the dissatisfaction of the people personified Australian culture at that time (Zielinski 131). Such ideals are illustrated in Charles Taits 1906 silent film The Story of the Kelly Gang. Prior to the invention of “talkies” in the 30s, silent films featured no audible dialogue, but were accompanied by a musical arrangement and text narration.

Due to an influx in international films after the bushranger film ban, Australian crime films were influenced by the American film noir style as can be seen in John Macks 1951 The Felt Hat. During this time in Australia, production of feature films decreased significantly with the Department of National Development forbidding any film with a capital worth exceeding £10,000 (Shirley 183). With little local content to showcase, the first film festival in Melbourne opened with foreign films (Hope and Dickerson).

Although the 60s is considered to be the “hiatus” film period in the industry, Journey Out of Darkness is one film that was forgotten but has thankfully resurfaced. The film was a co-production between Australia and America with American producer Frank Brittain and writers James Trainor (who was the son-in-law of Casablanca co-writer Howard Koch) and Howard Koch (Kuipers). Co-productions were important in distribution and funding, leading to international collaborations and providing us with films, such as Journey, that were made during an otherwise incredibly difficult time for the film industry.

Moving on to the 70s and 80s, Australian film regained some of its lost ground by establishing television dramas along with “ocker” and “quality” style films. The ocker style of film created a stereotypical sense of “Australian-ness”, with its vernacular and narrative marketed toward local audiences, while quality films like Picnic at Hanging Rock showcased Australian talent and performed well internationally. The now flourishing film industry gave way to The Surfer, a film that imitates real life crime on the Gold Coast during the 70s and 80s (Kuipers).

The 90s and the 2000s saw Australian film address issues of a social nature, particularly looking at themes of disability, inequality, and unconventional characters. David Michôds 2010 Animal Kingdom is one such crime film that explores social inequality in an urban Australian setting while reflecting the social climate and some of the attitudes of disenfranchised Australian youth. In this manner, the film has similarities with The Story of the Kelly Gang as it shows young people rebelling against what they feel is a corrupted system.