Australian Film Revival
by SmackCheeks | created - 14 Oct 2016 | updated - 31 Aug 2020 | PublicThe Australian film industry declined after World War II, coming to a virtual stop by the early 1960s. The Gorton (1968–71) and Whitlam Governments (1972–75) intervened and rescued the industry from its expected oblivion. The federal and several state governments established bodies to assist with the funding of film production and the training of film makers through the Australian Film Television and Radio School, which fostered a new generation of Australian filmmakers who were able to bring their visions to the screen.
The 1970s saw a huge renaissance of Australian film production which created nearly 400 films between 1970 and 1985, more than had been made in the history of the Australian film industry. When the 10BA tax concessions came into effect in the mid 1980s, the Australian film industry surged from the average 25 films being produced each year since 1970 to more than 50 films per year from 1986 onward.
In contrast to pre-1970 films, Australian New Wave films are often viewed as fresh and creative, possessing a vitality, beauty and love of Australia's natural landscapes. Australian New Wave films embraced the "straight-ahead narrative style" within common themes of racial and class differences in Australian society and a propensity for sudden violence and languorous sexuality.
Australian New Wave drama titles from my collection...
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1. Age of Consent (1969)
R | 98 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A grizzled Australian painter decides to jolt his stale creativity by moving to a remote island on the Great Barrier Reef, where he takes on an alluring, uninhibited young woman as his muse.
Director: Michael Powell | Stars: James Mason, Helen Mirren, Jack MacGowran, Neva Carr-Glynn
Votes: 3,717
2. Walkabout (1971)
GP | 100 min | Adventure, Drama
Two city-bred siblings are stranded in the Australian Outback, where they learn to survive with the aid of an Aboriginal boy on his "walkabout": a ritual separation from his tribe.
Director: Nicolas Roeg | Stars: Jenny Agutter, David Gulpilil, Luc Roeg, John Meillon
Votes: 27,330 | Gross: $0.02M
3. Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)
PG | 115 min | Drama, Mystery
During a rural summer picnic, a few students and a teacher from an Australian girls' school vanish without a trace. Their absence frustrates and haunts the people left behind.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Rachel Roberts, Anne-Louise Lambert, Vivean Gray, Helen Morse
Votes: 41,001 | Gross: $0.23M
4. Sunday Too Far Away (1975)
Not Rated | 94 min | Drama
A hard-drinking but hard-working gun shearer leads a group of Outback sheep herders into striking after wealthy landowners attempt to drive them from their territory.
Director: Ken Hannam | Stars: Jack Thompson, Max Cullen, Robert Bruning, Jerry Thomas
Votes: 947
5. Mad Dog Morgan (1976)
R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The true story of Irish outlaw Daniel Morgan, who is wanted, dead or alive, in Australia during the 1850s.
Director: Philippe Mora | Stars: Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson, David Gulpilil, Frank Thring
Votes: 1,864
6. Caddie (1976)
100 min | Drama, Romance
Sydney, Australia in the mid-1920's. Proud and classy Caddie Marsh is forced to get a job as a barmaid and raise two children on her own after her rich cad husband walks out on her. Despite... See full summary »
Director: Donald Crombie | Stars: Helen Morse, Takis Emmanuel, Jack Thompson, Jacki Weaver
Votes: 244
7. The Devil's Playground (1976)
107 min | Drama
Fred Schepisi's first feature is this lushly photographed period drama detailing a young boy's coming-of-age in a strict Catholic seminary in 1950s Australia.
Director: Fred Schepisi | Stars: Charles McCallum, John Frawley, Arthur Dignam, Nick Tate
Votes: 1,312
8. Storm Boy (1976)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama, Family
Mike is a lonely Australian boy living in a coastal wilderness with his reclusive father. In search of friendship he encounters an Aboriginal native loner and the two form a bond in the care of orphaned pelicans.
Directors: Henri Safran, Ian Goddard | Stars: Greg Rowe, Peter Cummins, David Gulpilil, Judy Dick
Votes: 1,516
9. The Last Wave (1977)
PG | 106 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A Sydney lawyer defends five Aboriginal Persons in a ritualized taboo murder and in the process learns disturbing things about himself and premonitions.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett, David Gulpilil, Frederick Parslow
Votes: 11,022
10. Backroads (1977)
60 min | Crime, Drama
A black and white lowlife duo drives around Australia's Outback in a stolen vehicle and finds trouble after trouble.
Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Bill Hunter, Gary Foley, Zac Martin, Terry Camilleri
Votes: 252
11. Summerfield (1977)
95 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A teacher discovers one of his students has a rare blood disease, and is drawn into a mystery that culminates in a thrilling climax.
Director: Ken Hannam | Stars: Nick Tate, John Waters, Elizabeth Alexander, Michelle Jarman
Votes: 408
12. The Getting of Wisdom (1977)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama
Oscar-nominated director Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy, Tender Mercies) crafts a tender coming-of-age tale that introduces one of Australian literature's most beloved characters to ... See full summary »
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Susannah Fowle, Dorothy Bradley, Patricia Kennedy, Sheila Helpmann
Votes: 558
13. The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978)
108 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
After suffering racist abuse throughout his life - which intensifies following his marriage to a white woman - a half-Aboriginal farmhand finds himself driven to murder.
Director: Fred Schepisi | Stars: Tommy Lewis, Freddy Reynolds, Angela Punch McGregor, Ray Barrett
Votes: 2,527
14. Long Weekend (1978)
Not Rated | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
When a suburban couple go camping for the weekend at a remote beach, they discover that nature isn't in an accommodating mood.
Director: Colin Eggleston | Stars: John Hargreaves, Briony Behets, Mike McEwen, Roy Day
Votes: 6,116
15. Newsfront (1978)
PG | 110 min | Drama, History
In post-war Australia the men and women of Cinetone struggle to produce the weekly news reels for the movie-going public.
Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Bill Hunter, Gerard Kennedy, Wendy Hughes, Chris Haywood
Votes: 902
16. My Brilliant Career (1979)
G | 100 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
A proud young woman in early 20th century Australia must choose between marriage and independence.
Director: Gillian Armstrong | Stars: Judy Davis, Sam Neill, Wendy Hughes, Robert Grubb
Votes: 4,799
17. The Odd Angry Shot (1979)
Unrated | 92 min | Action, Comedy, War
In between drinking cans of Fosters beer, Australian soldiers tread on a few landmines, and generally experience the war in Vietnam.
Director: Tom Jeffrey | Stars: Graham Kennedy, John Hargreaves, John Jarratt, Bryan Brown
Votes: 1,334
18. The Plumber (1979 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 76 min | Horror, Thriller
A young couple, living in a campus apartment complex, are repeatedly harassed by an eccentric plumber, who subjects them to a series of bizarre mind games while making unnecessary repairs to their bathroom.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Judy Morris, Ivar Kants, Robert Coleby, Candy Raymond
Votes: 2,580
19. Breaker Morant (1980)
PG | 107 min | Drama, History, War
Three Australian lieutenants are court martialed for executing prisoners as a way of deflecting attention from war crimes committed by their superior officers.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, John Waters, Bryan Brown
Votes: 14,418 | Gross: $7.14M
20. The Club (1980)
PG | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Boardroom and dressing-room intrigues spill on to the field at the Australian Rules football club.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Jack Thompson, Graham Kennedy, Frank Wilson, Harold Hopkins
Votes: 1,121
21. Puberty Blues (1981)
R | 87 min | Comedy, Drama
The mating rituals of two teenage surf chicks from the southern suburbs of Sydney.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Nell Schofield, Jad Capelja, Jeffrey Rhoe, Tony Hughes
Votes: 1,663 | Gross: $0.24M
22. Heatwave (1982)
R | 91 min | Drama
A planned housing development in the mid 70's designed for an upstart Cockney immigrant developer, becomes the centre of controversy as tenants and squatters in the older houses refuse to move.
Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Judy Davis, Richard Moir, Chris Haywood, Bill Hunter
Votes: 417
23. The Man from Snowy River (1982)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
In 1880s Australia, after young Jim Craig's father dies, he takes a job at the Harrison cattle ranch, where he is forced to become a man.
Director: George Miller | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Tom Burlinson, Terence Donovan, Tommy Dysart
Votes: 10,022 | Gross: $20.66M
24. Monkey Grip (1982)
99 min | Drama
A frank portrayal of a year in the life of a divorced mother living in Melbourne, trying to cope with her daughter and her own relationship with a drug addict while trying to get into the music business.
Director: Ken Cameron | Stars: Noni Hazlehurst, Colin Friels, Alice Garner, Harold Hopkins
Votes: 304
25. Next of Kin (1982)
Not Rated | 89 min | Horror, Mystery
In a rest home for elderly people, a daughter reads her mother's diary. Soon events that are mentioned in the mother's diary begin to happen to the daughter.
Director: Tony Williams | Stars: Jacki Kerin, John Jarratt, Alex Scott, Gerda Nicolson
Votes: 4,233
26. We of the Never Never (1982)
G | 134 min | Biography, Drama
Jeannie Gunn faced being the only civilised woman in an uncivilised land. A story of personal triumph about one woman who reached out in a hard, hostile, prejudiced world and managed to find love.
Director: Igor Auzins | Stars: Angela Punch McGregor, Arthur Dignam, Martin Vaughan, Lewis Fitz-Gerald
Votes: 470
27. Lonely Hearts (1982)
R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In this offbeat comedy, an unlikely romance develops between a flamboyant, middle-aged piano tuner and an extremely timid office worker.
Director: Paul Cox | Stars: Wendy Hughes, Norman Kaye, Jon Finlayson, Julia Blake
Votes: 383 | Gross: $0.78M
28. The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
PG | 115 min | Drama, Romance, War
A young Australian reporter tries to navigate the political turmoil of Indonesia during the rule of President Sukarno with the help of a diminutive photographer.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt, Bembol Roco
Votes: 22,862 | Gross: $10.28M
29. Careful, He Might Hear You (1983)
PG | 110 min | Drama
His mother dead, PS lives in Sydney with working-class Aunt Lila and Uncle George. When he's six or eight, his posh Aunt Vanessa descends from England. Named a co-guardian by PS's feckless,... See full summary »
Director: Carl Schultz | Stars: Wendy Hughes, Robyn Nevin, Nicholas Gledhill, John Hargreaves
Votes: 864
30. Phar Lap (1983)
PG | 107 min | Biography, Drama, Family
The true story of a New Zealand racehorse that became a champion, with the help of a local stable-boy.
Director: Simon Wincer | Stars: Tom Burlinson, Judy Morris, Martin Vaughan, Celia De Burgh
Votes: 1,967
31. A Test of Love (1984)
PG | 96 min | Drama
Due to an ignorant misdiagnosis, a three-year-old disabled girl was institutionalized and subsequently spent her entire childhood in a hospital for the severely retarded. A caring therapist helped her to prove her intellectual capability.
Director: Gil Brealey | Stars: Angela Punch McGregor, Drew Forsythe, Liddy Clark, Monica Maughan
Votes: 184
32. My First Wife (1984)
PG | 96 min | Drama
The film follows the dissolution of John and Helen's marriage and the aftermath.
Director: Paul Cox | Stars: John Hargreaves, Wendy Hughes, Lucy Angwin, David Cameron
Votes: 171
33. Burke & Wills (1985)
PG-13 | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, History
A story based on true events about two explorers on a doomed journey trying to cross Australia on foot in the 19 century.
Director: Graeme Clifford | Stars: Jack Thompson, Nigel Havers, Greta Scacchi, Matthew Fargher
Votes: 282
34. Jack and Jill: A Postscript (1970)
67 min
Jack, a working class biker, meets Gillian, a middle-class kindergarten teacher from the other side of the Maribyrnong Creek, and they start to go out together, despite their different interests.
Directors: Phillip Adams, Brian Robinson | Stars: Anthony Ward, Judy Leech, Lindsay Howatt, Stanley Randall
Votes: 16
35. The Set (1970)
102 min | Drama
Paul Lawrence is a working class man who dates Cara, sells shirts at a Sydney department store, and dreams of attending art school.
Director: Frank Brittain | Stars: Hazel Phillips, Sean Myers, Rod Mullinar, Denis Doonan
Votes: 131
36. Bonjour Balwyn (1971)
70 min | Comedy
Director: Nigel Buesst | Stars: John Duigan, Peter Cummins, John Romeril, Patricia Condon
Votes: 14
37. Dead Easy (1970)
53 min
Director: Nigel Buesst | Stars: Peter Carmody, Kurt Beimel, Anna Raknes, Peter Cummins
38. Two Thousand Weeks (1969)
90 min | Drama
A subjective view of a crisis in the life of a writer who calculates he has 2,000 weeks left in his life to fulfill himself.
Director: Tim Burstall | Stars: Mark McManus, Jeanie Drynan, Eileen Chapman, David Turnbull
Votes: 18
39. Wake in Fright (1971)
R | 109 min | Drama, Thriller
After a bad gambling bet, a schoolteacher is marooned in a town full of crazy, drunk, violent men who threaten to make him just as crazy, drunk, and violent.
Director: Ted Kotcheff | Stars: Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond, Chips Rafferty, Sylvia Kay
Votes: 13,947 | Gross: $0.05M
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