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eBook Category: Sports/Entertainment/Sports/Entertainment
eBook Description: From the world's first feature film in 1906 to the world's first feature documentaries shot between 1895 and 1901, Australia has always done great things in film. Not only did Australia give birth to film but also to some of the biggest stars of the twentieth century. In the 1980s and 1990s we saw the first low budget films that billed; Mel Gibson, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Jackman, Eric Bana and Geoffrey Rush. We pushed the barriers of sexuality in film with naked Elle MacPherson in Sirens and Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge. Documenting the history of Australia and in some cases the world, with startling films known for their realism and simple artistry; war time legends take place in Changi and Kokoda Front Line to name a few. Location films such as They're a Weird Mob and A Town Like Alice showed Australian landscapes to the rest of the world. And in recent times contemporary films such as Pitch Black, Lantana, Chopper and Two Hands have made it internationally. 1970s horror and sci fi did its worst in films like Picnic at Hanging Rock. We explore the horror of Nicole Kidman's first film and the insanity of Russell Crowe's Romper Stomper. The first of its kind as was The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. With directors such as Baz Luhrman and actors such as Geoffrey Rush, Australian cinema has become a whole lot more artistic and risqu. Although often undervalued in a multi-billion dollar international film industry, Australia has led the way in artistry, location films, documentaries, nakedness, coarse language, crime, anti-establishment, sexuality and realism.

eBook Publisher: Pocket Essentials/Pocket Essentials
Fictionwise Release Date: January 2007

A lonely island continent floats in the middle of the Pacific, apparently populated by convicts and a few native tribes.Who would have guessed that they were a colony of revolutionary artistes who had invented the feature film? They made sixteen of the buggers, in fact, before anyone else had cottoned on to the idea. The Story of the Kelly Gang was the first in 1906. It was also first in the world to be censored; banned in Kelly?s home state of Victoria. These grand beginnings have landed the Australia of today with a small but successful industry, which often goes unnoticed in the wider world.Yet is has a history of world firsts; in technology, ideas, innovations, screenplays, and political and social change. It has given birth to many of the world?s film stars, directors and crews, most of whom were and still are being exported to Hollywood. But their beginnings were in Australia and many Aussie battlers have remained at home, continuing to make film after film for their country?s enjoyment. Take note of the greats that have made the industry what it is: during different periods of history the same names recur time and again. The films included here have been selected for their high standards and historical contribution to the canon of Australian Cinema, not only providing great entertainment through the decades but documenting the history of Australia and its people. There?s the Little Aussie Battler; the anti-authority figures; the convict pioneers; the great works of literature; the Australian humour that fights against all odds; solidarity; the innovative spirit; the isolation of the landscape and lack of connection between people; the lessons and crimes of the British colonial past and of early Australians against native Australians, women and the poorer classes of the early colony. Through Australian film we can study the history of the continent along with its torments, ideals, hopes and strengths.