AustLit

'Molly Reynolds has documented a remarkable half-century career'

'Fred Schepisi is one of the crucial names associated with the revival of the Australian film industry in the 1970s. The Films of Fred Schepisi traces the lead-up to his critical successes in feature filmmaking, via his earlier award-winning success as a producer in advertising commercials in the 1960s and the setting up of his own company. Unlike some directors, he derived from this experience a sure sense of the commercial aspects of filmmaking, as well as its aesthetic considerations. The volume also considers stories of his early education in a Catholic seminary, which he drew on in his semiautobiographical film, The Devil's Playground, the success of which launched him as an exciting new feature director.

'The volume expands on Schepisi's success story to chart his development as a director in demand in other countries, notably in the US and the UK, as well as continuing to make major films in Australia. Brian McFarlane argues that Schepisi's career is symptomatic of Australian directors who have made their presences felt on the international stage. Whereas other key directors of the Australian film revival, such as Peter Weir and Bruce Beresford, have been the subject of book-length critical studies, Schepisi's career has not to-date been so explored. McFarlane takes a critical account of Schepisi's film output-including such standouts as The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Plenty, Roxanne, Six Degrees of Separation, Mr. Baseball, and Last Orders-and he augments analysis with interviews with the director. By discussing the production histories and both critical and popular receptions, McFarlane's study shines a new light on Schepisi's work and his rise to prominence in the global film industry.' (Publication summary)

'Like all the best cinematic remakes, Rams stands on its own feet'

'A genre mostly associated with quintessentially American landscapes and cultural tropes, the western has developed its own fascinating tradition in Australia - most notably, since the turn of the twenty-first century. Brian McFarlane surveys a range of films from the last two decades, dealing with subjects such as bushrangers, abuse and colonial dispossession, and finds both echoes of US antecedents and new visions that blaze their own distinctive trails.'

Source: Abstract.

'Australian film-makers do best when they don’t try to beat Hollywood at its own game'

'For more than forty years, readers of The Age newspaper have learned about the latest films through the interpretations and judgements of Brian McFarlane, now himself a Melbourne institution of sorts. Over that time McFarlane’s reviews of and articles on film have also featured in Australian Book Review, Cinema Papers, Inside Story, Meanjin, Metro, Screening the Past, Senses of Cinema, Sight & Sound, and many other newspapers, magazines, and journals.

'This selection of McFarlane’s writings on film, taken as a whole, tells a story about what has brought us back to the cinema again and again, from recent times to a now more distant past. In his attuned but easy style, sprinkled with wit and insight, our guide brings back memories, fills gaps in our knowledge, triggers conversations, and inspires delight and enthusiasm.

'Making a Meal of It is a first-rate resource for film buffs and excellent dinner-table company.'  (Publication summary)

'In Simon Baker’s film, there is a visually stunning moment – one among many – of a giant curving wave on the verge of breaking that recalls the Japanese artist Hokusai’s famous ‘The Great Wave of Kanagawa’. What these two images share is the sense of rapturous beauty that doesn’t underestimate the challenge it offers. It seems appropriate to start on this note as the cinematography (the work of Marden Dean and Rick Rifici) creates from the outset the centrality of the surf to the film, as indeed it is in Tim Winton’s 2008 novel.'  (Introduction)

'Not many can boast of careers that lasted successfully for nearly 70 years, but that is what was achieved by Australian actors Googie Withers and John McCallum. Withers acted everything, from brazen murderesses to Lady Bracknell, as well as a broad range of everyman characters, such as blonde nitwits, wartime Resistance workers, lady farmers, and Shakespearean women. McCallum not only performed memorably in all the acting media, but he was also a pioneer producer in Australian television, sending the popular series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo into the far corners of the world. He was also the managing director of a huge theatrical firm, a film director, a playwright, and an author. Just as remarkable was their 62-year marriage, not all that common in the entertainment world, and the way their marriage succeeded is as fascinating as their varied and prolific careers. There were plenty of disagreements along the way, but underlying all was their profound respect for each other's work and a kind of love that was essentially complementary. Together, in professional and personal matters alike, Googie Withers and John McCallum were an unbeatable combination.' (Publication summary)

'The best-ever account of an Australian director? Brian McFarlane reviews Jane Freebury’s survey of the director’s eclectic career'

'In 'The Water Diviner', Russell Crowe - who also directed the film - plays a father searching for the sons he had lost in the war. But according to Brian McFarlane, Crowe's directorial debut also highlights how historical distance allows us to reconsider the ANZAC legend and how search narratives inevitably offer characters more than what they're looking for.'

Source: Abstract.