It's such a pity that, looking at the number of votes as well as the message board, it seems barely anyone's watched this movie. Apart from Australia, I wonder how many people in other countries have seen this. It's really a hidden gem of a movie. Really funny and nutty, this deserves more exposure.
shareG'day Cobbers,
seems the best way to start this post...
I'm 40 y's old & one of the first "Grown -Up" books i read was Weird Mob, i was about 10/11 ,spotted the hardcover in me dear old Dad's bookcase, was drawn to Wep's unique cartoon style,read it & loved it to bits,Over the years i guess i've re-read this book at least 20+ times, as well as All the rest, Gone Fishing is another personal biggy.
I grew up in Darlinghurst NSW & easily recognize most of the places portrayed.this has helped lead to a life long love of all-things O'Grady, have collected pretty much all of his works.
I guess that at that time Aussie flicks were really only Aussie viewed but i love the way it captures not only the lighthearted,happy-go-lucky side us, but also the not so nice side. IE- racism, sexism & our cultural ignorance, yet it shines through with the true Aussie credo, if you come here, from Anywhere & give us a fair go, you'll only get that back,
but sadly it reflects back to a much simpler age, we appear to have become so ...American-ised..????????, sad to see the young fellas more concerned with hair gel & fashion than being a decent bloke.
May i suggest when the naturalization ceremonies hand out the certificates , the small jar of Vegemite& the native tree, perhaps a copy this movie would be a great introduction to our new mates??
Cheers
Daryl
I saw this movie in Hamilton N.Z. when it first came out. I was 12yrs old at the time, am now 54yrs old. A movie that stuck in my mind after all those years. I recently obtained a DVD of the movie. Good stuff.
shareI saw this as a kid in New Zealand and remembered really enjoying it, so I jumped at the chance to buy the DVD when I found it. On a second and much later viewing it hasn't lost any of its charm. It also brought back treasured memories of Sydney in the 1960s when I was a kid visiting relatives with family.
shareWe're watching this in Year 10 History.
It's quite boring.
Films that you're made to watch at school often seem boring
Steve
Haha, one of these days I'm going to have to see "My Brilliant Career" again to check this theory. It's certainly true that "Sunday Too Far Away" is much better when you're not sitting in a school uniform.
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I suppose on a clear day you can see the class struggle from here.
Have you seen The Mango Tree (1977) with Robert Helpmann, Geraldine Fitzgerald & Christopher Pate?
That's another good Australian film about what it's like to be Australian
Steve
Ah yes! I did see The Mango Tree. Although it's been a while and it seemingly left little impression. I faintly recall it being a very (perhaps overly?) 'polite' film. Oddly enough, it was just released on DVD in the past month, so I may have to refresh my memory of that one as well.
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I suppose on a clear day you can see the class struggle from here.
The people in The Mango Tree are overly polite - but people were back then. However Robert Helpmann has a good rant at them in one great scene and puts them straight.
As for They're a Weird Mob, to bring this back on topic. It's just been released on DVD in France in a set of 4 separate Michael Powell films. Three of his early films, and TaWM. They are quite reasonable quality on the films themselves but are otherwise quite basic. They have fixed (not optional) French subtitles, no extras, not even a scene index, just a Start link from a simple introductory screen. There are a few words (en français naturellement)on the box and they correctly say "Langue: Anglais / Sous-titres: Français"
But it's nice to see them all available in yet another country
Steve
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B002IWF18E/papas011-21 The Fire Raisers (1934)
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B002IWF18O/papas011-21 Red Ensign (1934)
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B002IWF184/papas011-21 The Phantom Light (1935)
http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B002IWF17U/papas011-21 They're a Weird Mob (1966)
I read the book in serialised form in the Daily Telegraph and listened to the serialisation on the radio when I was about 11.
The movie was made too late. The whole premise was outdated by then.
Yeah I know. I'm putting it up on veoh as we speak.
Somebody here has been drinking and I'm sad to say it ain't me - Allan Francis Doyleshare
I'm Dutch and 48 years old, and being a huge Powell & Pressburger fan I caught this one (like so many other "old" movies) a few years ago on the BBC. Recently I got it as part of the 11-disc Powell & Pressburger DVD box set. It's great, but in Holland it's certainly not regarded as any kind of a classic (supposing anybody here knew of its existence at all). And the few English-language movie guides do not mention it at all... A shame.
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