Documentary - The Outback Real and Imagined

Story

This offering from Film Australia and the ABC comprises a selection of some of the best of archived material, presented as 14 different films ranging in length from 3 to 15 minutes. The films, the earlier of which are in black and white, were made over a period spanning 74 years and cover a wide range of outback activities and cultural, social and historical issues.

The Heart of Australia;1928: Takes us to Alice Springs, Palm Valley and Glen Helen Gorge in the days before there were any made roads in the area. As a recent visitor to these areas I found the film an eye opener.

School in the Mailbox; 1946: Looks at the correspondence school network “where the desks are 100 miles apart” and which preceded the present day “School of the Air”.

Journey of a Nation; 1947: The early days of the railway in Australia at a time when there were 6 different gauges, imposing severe limitations on the movement of people and freight, particularly fresh produce, around the country.

Outback Patrol; 1952: A few “days in the life” of an outback Northern Territory policeman who patrols with a team of pack horses and two aboriginal trackers. Insightful.

Thylungra- Sports Day in the Outback; 1960: The simple pleasures of outback life, a relaxed and fun bush sports meeting to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor. Probably give the “politically correct” apoplexy when they see the ladies in the “tossing the straw broom” competition.

Desert People; 1966: A most informative and fascinating look at one of the very last nomadic families living in the western desert.

Where Dead Men Lie; 1972: A film play written by Henry Lawson and shot to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death. This is a simple but powerful little drama dealing with drought and reminds us that the terrible 2002 drought is but part of a natural continuum.

Living Way Out; 1876: Social documentary examining the various aspects of life in the newly established Pilbara mining town of Shay Gap, a “company ” town.

Outback Supply; 1977: A truckie from Tibooburra and his 4 year old son deliver a range of goods to the remote surrounds. This film has good human interest with the 4 year old most definitely the star.

Saturday; 1979: Just like it says. A typical Saturday, the “special day” in the lives of the people of Lake Cargelligo.

The Land of the Lightning Brothers; 1987: Aboriginal rock art and culture.

The last Great Cattle Drive; 1988: The NT cattle drive to commemorate the Bi- Centenary.

The Story of Rosy Dock; 1995: Unusual and clever animated look at an important environmental issue.

The Bush Mechanics; 2001: An edited version of the last episode of this popular ABC series.

Extras

Academy ward winning cameraman Dean Semler gives an introduction and overview of outback film making. There are a number of short extras such as interviews with the film makers and “on location” stories which are attached to the individual films. This is good material and adds to the historical interest and an understanding of what motivated the film makers. The making of “Where Dead Men Lie” shows the difficulties of working in the harsh outback environment to produce drama. The interview with the animator of Rosy Dock is also well worth a look. There are numerous biographies (in text form) and access to on line Film Australia resources and study material as well as a collection of on location stills.

Overall

This is a valuable collection of archive material. For older folk there is the nostalgic aspect and for the younger an easily viewed look at Australia’ outback, and documentary cinema history. The material is accessed through a menu system which I found a little bit cumbersome but still effective. Reproduction of video and audio is good but as you would expect with the older material the sound is nothing special but nevertheless quite adequate. The surround feature is used for several of the later works. With more Australians preferring to see Australia first this is excellent research/background material and will add interest and meaning to future travel.