Australian Movies

Ranked #14,786 in Entertainment, #180,522 overall

My favourite Australian movies.

I love watching Australian movies. Especially movies that show off the ancient Aboriginal culture as well as the land of Australia.

To me these have always been mysterious and they are nothing like what I grew up with. I love to see pictures of the desert, the outback and aboriginal life.

The Man from Snowy River, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and the Crocodile Dundee movies are particular favourite movies of mine because they show off the land that is Australia!!!

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Storm Boy - 1976

The entire movie has been uploaded to youtube - This is part 1.

Storm Boy is a drama movie about a kid who is raised by his fisherman father (after the mother died) and attempts by the authorities to send the boy to school do not work out. The boy has no friends other than a pelican named Mr Percival and an aboriginal man named Finger Bone Bill.

Where is Greg Rowe now? This video was uploaded in 2008, Greg now lives in Toronto, Canada with his wife and 2 daughters. I believe he is a veterinarian.
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The Man from Snowy River - 1982

This is part 1 of the movie Man from Snowy River made in 1982 and based in a poem of the same name written by Andrew Patterson (better known as Banjo Patterson - an Australian). The rest of the movie has been uploaded to Youtube and can be seen there.

This movie is set in the late 1800s when the wild horses still roamed free in Australia. In Australia these wild horses are called Brumbies. In the USA these horses would be called Mustangs. The movie was filmed in the highlands of the state of Victoria and the scenery is absoutely MAGNIFICENT.

A sequel was made in 1988 - Return to Snowy River. This is the story of Jim Craig's return to the high country to claim his bride, Jessica Harrison. Only to find that Jessica's father wants to marry Jessica off to the local bankers son - because Harrison has several large loans from the bank and is having trouble with the repayments.
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Windrider - 1985

Made in 1985 and starring Tom Burlinson and Nicole Kidman, this is a great action movie. Plenty of windsurfing action and romance. I really enjoyed it.

This is a very early Nicole Kidman movie - several years before she made her breakout movie - Dead Calm. Tom Burlinson was already an established star having made The Man from Snowy River.

This particular movie (part 1) is dubbed in a foreign language - but there is very little speaking in this first part. At the end is a count down as he tries to get to the green light without having to stop. I cannot find any other parts.
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Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome - 1985

I think you can watch all 8 videos here to see the entire movie. The first Mad Max movie was made in 1979 and the second Mad Max movie (Road Warrior) was made in 1981. This is the third movie (made in 1985) and I like it because again it shows the Australian desert and outback.

This movie is set in the distant future - post nuclear holocaust - and it is now the survival of the fittest. Resources such as food and gasoline (fuel or petrol) are scarce and must be protected at all costs.

The writing in the credits is reversed, but that doesnt affect the movie as there is very little reading and writing in this movie.
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Crocodile Dundee Movies

Crocodile Dundee - Trailer (1986)
Crocodile Dundee 2 - Trailer (1988)
Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles - Trailer (2001)
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Strictly Ball Room - 1992

The Trailer
Wrong Steps - Samba (The Beginning)
Finale - PasoDoble (The End)
The Movie - Part 1 - The entire movie has been uploaded to YouTube

This is what happens when you are raised to fulfill your parents (or at least your mothers) dreams, instead of being allowed to find and fulfil your own dreams.
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Priscilla Queen of the Desert - 1994

Trailer

Priscilla refers to the bus. The guys have to get across the Australian desert in time to make a 4 week gig in Alice Springs. The guys may dress in drag, and they may act like they are gay - but only 2 of them are gay,. One of them has a wife and child.

The last line (said in a video shop) - is hilarious - Do you have the Texas Chainsaw Mascara?
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Dating the Enemy - 1996

Dating the Enemy Trailer
Dating the Enemy - Part 1

He and she have just met and are immediately attracted to each other. Then it is one year later and their relationship is breaking down. They have an argument and when one wishes that the other were in their shoes - that is exactly what happens. They wake up in each others body. The ensuing comedy of errors as each tries to cope with daily life and a job with which they are not familiar, makes for one of the funniest comedies I have ever seen.

This is Part 1 and the entire movie has been uploaded to Youtube.
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The Rabbit Proof Fence - 2002

Despite the harsh storyline, I love this movie because it shows the outback of Australia as it really is. This is a hard movie to watch - because it is based on true stories. This movie is set in the first half of the 20th century - around the 1930s. .

While the Australian government did not buy and sell the aboriginals as slaves (like the USA did), they did the next worse thing. They stole the half caste kids (those children who had an aboriginal mother and a white father). and these kids were taken to settlement schools hundreds of miles away from their homes. This was the official policy from 1909 to 1969.

These children are now called the "Stolen Generation" and only recently (2008) has the Australian federal government officially apologised for their actions.

The Rabbit Proof Fence - Trailer
The Rabbt Proof Fence - Part 1
This movie has been uploaded to Youtube in several parts,

For the record - Canada had a similar program between 1960 and 1990 where First Nation and Metis children were fostered out and adopted by European middle class Canadians.
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Resources

Tom Burlinson Official Fan Club
More likely to be an Unofficial Fan club
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert - The Musical
Tickets for sale in London (UK) and New York (USA)
The Stolen Generations
Educational Fact Sheets

You can buy these movies online

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What is your favourite Australian movie?

  • lou16 Aug 15, 2011 @ 5:33 am | delete
    The Castle is an absolute classic, I can't believe it's not on your list! I did enjoy Dating the Enemy - Claudia Karvan is a great Australian actress and Priscilla is another classic that (like you) I also enjoyed.
  • Serenia Aug 15, 2011 @ 10:53 am | delete
    Its just not my kind of movie. Sorry.
    For those of you who do wish to watch it - you can see it all on Youtube in 12 parts
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIEnFl3JUw8&NR=1
    (part 1)

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Serenia

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