And I had such plans… But then my design/publication program and my server decided that they had irreconcilable differences; the upshot being a fortnight spent predominantly on hold. (And if I never have to listen to David Bowie’s “Golden Years” again…)
There are moments when I really think that the Luddites were onto something.
Time was short, and so is my main subject; so short, indeed, that it comes with a supporting feature…
Aka The Long And Winding (Yellow Brick) Road: Part 4. In which we take a brief look at the history of Technicolor, and ponder whether this obscure, independently-produced cartoon is in fact one of the most influential films of all time.
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Six guests gather at an island retreat for a weekend of fun, games, introspection, role-playing, performance art, ridicule, abuse and violence…
A critical step in the early career of Peter Weir, forming a bridge between the early, experimental shorts on which he cut his teeth and the feature-films that followed, Homesdale was also an important factor in the re-birth of Australian film at the beginning of the 1970s.
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#1 by Ed on January 25, 2010 - 11:56 pm
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Cool, an early Peter Weir film. Any chance we could get some more genre fare from your neck of the woods, Liz?
Just out of curiosity. Have you seen the documentary Not Quite Hollywood? It’s a pretty neat piece on the Australian exploitation film. Good stuff.
#2 by professorKettlewell on January 26, 2010 - 4:23 am
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“a society operating under a strict though often mysterious set of rules, with which the newcomer must quickly come to terms – or else.”
So Lyz…..any chance of you taking on “Blood Camp Thatcher” ? Or should I pester mr. Foster?
#3 by supersonic on January 26, 2010 - 2:15 pm
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Now I get why some parts of The Aviator had blue alfalfa fields… they were emulating two-strip technicolor.
#4 by lyzard on January 26, 2010 - 5:05 pm
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That’s exactly right, Supes. It was only done as an afterthought, but I really like that series of shots I added to TWOO: it makes the development of the technology so clear.
And yes, there will probably be more local fare on the menu, but having been harshly taught the futility of plans lately, I don’t think I’ll commit to what or when.
I haven’t actually seen Not Quite Hollywood yet, but I have seen most of the films it covers. 🙂
#5 by The Rev. D.D. on January 26, 2010 - 8:46 pm
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I went back and reread the Oz reviews before this new one. You really made an impressive effort of delving into the history of the films in those reviews–dare I say, near-Beggian in scope. Very fascinating, and I appreciate the obvious work and care you put into those.
#6 by lyzard on January 28, 2010 - 4:44 pm
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Thanks, Rev! This was a subject I knew very little about before I started. It was fun doing the research.
Wow…I am such a geek…
#7 by The Rev. D.D. on January 28, 2010 - 10:07 pm
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Or a scientist. Whichever.
Sadly, I don’t get a choice in which I am…
#8 by supersonic on January 28, 2010 - 10:25 pm
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I was talking to an elderly Australian gentleman… he said when he was young he was desperate to get out of the country, basically (I gather) because he found the whole society stifling to the intellect.
(But that doesn’t explain how he ended up in Thailand.)
Hopefully today’s Oz now qualifies as non-stifling?
#9 by lyzard on January 28, 2010 - 10:54 pm
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Yes, but we’re talking about a completely different world. Depending on how “elderly” your elderly acquaintance is, we’re most likely talking about a time when travelling to America or Europe meant spending three months on a boat. The isolation was tremendous, and things were slow to change here because outside influences were so slow in arriving. Things were very rigid and opportunities were limited. Then we got the sixties upheaval followed by a revolution in means of international travel, plus a change of government that brought sweeping alterations to education and immigration policy. A university education was made available to many more people, with more of a view to education for its own sake; and there was a massive influx of people from other cultures. The outcome was a much richer and more diverse society altogether, and one that offered many more viewpoints and possibilities.
(Not everyone considers this a good thing, of course…)
[Edited to add] Actually, let me tell you a story. In the late sixties, my father was working at an RSL club, where a lot of the kitchen staff were Chinese. They didn’t cook Chinese food for the members, though: they cooked – *shudder* – “Australian”. But after hours, they would get together and cook their own meals; and that’s how my father found out about “Chinese food”; and it was COMPLETELY revolutionary. At that time there were a handful of Chinese restaurants in the city, and a few Italian ones around Leichhardt, and that was it. (This is Sydney. In Melbourne it was essentially the same, but Greek instead of Italian.) The staff were so excited by the thought of a white Australian enjoying their cuisine that they took my father downtown to one of the better restaurants and spent a whole night entertaining him, after which he began bringing takeaway home for us. So circa 1970, my family was absolutely cutting-edge.
#10 by supersonic on January 29, 2010 - 12:46 am
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Wow, sounds like you could make quite a pair of before-and-after pictures.