5 All-time Best Australian Movies

Friday, February 12, 2010 at 2:31 pm

If you’re looking for something to watch and Australian DVD movies take your fancy, these 5 all-time best Australian movies may be a good place to start.

Hollywood typically receives credit for producing the most innovative and highest quality films. While it’s true that many great movies are created in Hollywood, there are dozens of wonderful movies produced around the world that do not receive enough attention or accolades. One such region that has been under-represented for years is Australia. Several of the world’s greatest films are Australian movies. The five movies described below are merely a sampling of some of these esteemed films.

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The Interview – Famous Australian actor Hugo Weaving stars alongside Tony Martin in this exciting thriller. The 1998 film won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film. In addition, Hugo Weaving captured the 1998 award for Best Actor. The movie revolves around a petty criminal (Hugo Weaving) who is suspected of committing a more serious crime, and he’s questioned thoroughly by a top investigator (Tony Martin). Plot twists keep the audience constantly guessing as to what, exactly, Hugo Weaving’s character is guilty of.

The Year My Voice Broke – This movie has often been hailed as the best Australian film in the last 25 years. The 1987 Australian Film Institute’s choice for Best Film stars Noah Taylor and Loene Carmen, and was based on director John Duigan’s childhood. The film revolves around a teenage boy named Danny (Noah Taylor) growing up in the 1960s. Danny experiences unrequited love when he falls for Freya (Loene Carmen), a beautiful girl who is already in love with a petty criminal named Trevor. After Freya reveals to Danny that she is carrying Trevor’s child, their strained relationship threatens to break apart.

Romper Stomper – This 1992 film starred several big names, including Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock, Jacqueline McKenzie and Tony Lee. The plot centers on a Skinhead gang from Footscray, Victoria, and the violent confrontations they have with a group of Vietnamese men living nearby. It explores racial tensions, Nazi concepts of “genetic purity”, life on the fringe, kinship and friendship against a backdrop of violence, fear and pressure to conform.

Strictly Ballroom – Few romantic comedies from Australia have received the notoriety of Strictly Ballroom. The brainchild of director Baz Lurhmann and based on a 1986 stage play, this film is about an Australian ballroom dancer named Scott (played by Paul Mercurio). Scott’s family has an extensive ballroom history, and, as such, are angered when Scott attempts to use his own style of dance that is not “strictly ballroom.” Similarly, the ballroom community resists Scott’s attempts to innovate and his passion for self-expression alienates him from his long term partner and leads to personal crisis. The dancing is a joy to watch both for ballroom insiders and voyeurs.

Harvie Krumpet – Although only 23 minutes long, the Harvie Krumpet movie is considered one of the best animations of all time. The claymation movie won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film in 2003, along with many other prestigious awards. It tells the story of Harvek Milos Krumpetzki, a World War II refugee who escapes to Australia and shortens his name to just Harvie Krumpet. The movie demonstrates the importance of optimism, despite seemingly awful circumstances.

Australian films may not be as well known as more famous movies from America (with huge marketing budgets behind them), but so many of them are nevertheless worth seeing. These five great Australian films represent merely the tip of the large iceberg that is the output of the Australian film industry.

(Thanks to our pals at Big Pond Movies for providing this guest post about the 5 All-time Best Australian Movies.)

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 2:31 pm and is filed under Good Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “5 All-time Best Australian Movies”

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February 14, 2010

Rick

A very nice list of movies and i also want to tell here that i have recently uploaded these movies in my site thanks
source:http://onlinemoviepoint.com/

February 15, 2010

Shane

Thanks for the info, Rick. That’s the only free plug you’ll be getting this year.

January 24, 2011

Martin

I would respectively submit an alternative top five:
* Gallipoli
* Picnic at Hanging Rock
* Muriel’s Wedding
* Proof
* Chopper

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