Kidd A, Peter, Hell, are you here? Welcome to you? And seeing nothing Yet the movie Podcast where I checked to a movie lover about a classic or loved movie they haven't quite got around to watching until now, and today's guest comedian extraordinary, Ross Noble.
I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that. You want answer?
What the truth?
You can't handle the truth?
This would sharpen you up and thank you ready for a bit of the old ultra violence.
Thank you haven't any right now?
Don't see nothing here.
I first met Ross Noble a touch over twenty years ago when he first toured Australia and we both took part in the inaugural Melbourne International Comedy Festival road show pinballing around regional Victoria with the likes of Will Anderson, Tripod, kring Brand and Matt King. Now to real life, Ross's comedy achievements would well, it'll take way too long and we have a movie to talk about. But there are
a couple of things worth noting. In two thousand and seven, Russ was voted the tenth greatest stand up of all time on Channel four's one hundred Greatest Stand Up Hole in twenty eighteen, he was nominated for the Sir Lawrence Olivier Award for his role in mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein on the West End. For over twenty years, Ross has been a great mate. He's endlessly curious, utterly unique and unsurprisingly as sharp as attack. And I'm bloody stoke to have him hanging with me today.
Hello, my name's Ross Noble and my three favorite films are Raiders of the Lost or.
I Hate Snake Zack, Hi Hail, Come on show a little back more?
Will you back to the future?
Are you telling me that you built a time machine head of a do Warrior?
And gremlins don't ever feed him after midnight?
And up until this week, I had never seen the film Wake in Fright.
Australian masculinity gets put under the marcroscribing Ted Kutcheff s nning seventy one masterpiece Wake in Fright, a film nick tab Old the most terrifying film about Australia ever. John and Gary Bond is an English teacher stationed in a tiny apren looking back down not tim Boonder, but at the end of the school year he leaves his job. Deen and I with his god Bread in the bright
line of simpley beforehand. Now he planned to spend a night in wodn Yeva before heading Cone and in the Yema, things go badly as the aggressively friendly locals invited him to drink again and sending John Brant straight through a big, blood sweat soaked hell Ross and Igul. Did you enjoy your time in the Yema?
I did. I liked it a lot.
I was quite surprised, actually, because it was when I looked down the list that was quite tricky, because I'd pretty much seen every film on the list of you know, possible films, and I came to work and.
Freight and I thought I'd vaguely heard of it, but I thought.
I definitely haven't seen that, and then I just got obviously, I discovered that it had been lost for years. So you know, I'm guessing not a huge amount people have seen it unless they're real sort of ossie cinephiles. And then so yes, so I thought it was gonna be waking fright. There's just the sort of you know, the having fright in the title, Like I love horror films, and I genuinely thought, oh, this is gonna be because it's set, because it's set and filmed in the same
area as like Rais Are Back. I honestly thought it was gonna be I mean, it is a horror film, but it's it's not a horror film in the sense of, you know, it's it's it's a it.
Wasn't psychological thriller with horror elements.
Yes it is very much a horror film, but yes there's not the month, Yes the monster is within, and yes, there you go. So that's so I was pleasantly surprised because I was I was you know, I thought there was gonna be I thought there was gonna be like zombie hands coming up out of the desert. I thought it was gonna be along those lines, and or even even sort of it reminded me a little bit of
it's got a touch of the Wickerman as well. You know, you know, I thought it was going to be an element of maybe, you know, he goes to this community and there's a sort of you know, there's something, there's something sinister where he gets tricked and he ends up in whatever the whatever the Australian version of the Wickerman is.
You know, Yeah, well it's got that sense of a man stuck in a nightmare. It's it's even reminded me in you know, in some weird way in the Truman Show, just somebody who's stuck somewhere and cannot get out. And it also had like, for me, you know, a Kubrick feel about it. And this came out in nineteen seventy one. I think the Clockwork Orange may have come out either in nineteen seventy one or a very similar time, and it kind of feels like a it's kind of similar feel.
Even the shining kind of you know, kind of maybe think of a shining at times as well. And you're right, this film kind of disappeared. Australians did not take to it at all. That he liked seeing themselves represented like
this on screen. And then the print, the original negative was lost and only found in a Pittsburgh kind of vault in I think two thousand and four, and I think there were twenty copies and they're all marked to be destroyed basically, and the editor of the film had like made it his mission to find these, you know, these prints, and then it was it was all digitally kind of remastered and touched up, and yeah, it took two years to do and only kind of reappeared in
my two thousand and six or so, so it was so you're right, a lot of Australians wouldn't have seen this film.
Because also as well, it was probably hard to be destroyed by the Australian tourist board.
I think probably what did you get rid of it?
It strange were you because you say that that's what It's a lot of a lot of sort of like Australian horror films and more traditional horror films. There's something interesting about the fact that, oh, by the way, can I just point out to anyone that's dune the listening to this because they think, oh, that Ross Noble, he's quite funny. I will not be funny at all, because I am going to deconstruct this as if it is full film analysis, and there'll be there'll be no jokes.
I'm only half.
Joking, but yeah, it's it's one of those give me a lot to think about, to be honest, But there's something about he's trapped.
But there's a.
Sort of an irony of the fact that he's trapped in these this sort of this wide open space, you know, And I think and I think a lot of Australian horror, but like Wolf Creaks, a.
Bit like that.
You've got the sort of you've got the endless you know, endless sky, endless amounts of distance, like what what you would deem to be the ultimate freedom, you know, the ultimate just just just expanse of of being free from the world, but actually being trapped because of the because of the you know, the small towns and all that sort of stuff. So there's a there's sort of a there's an interesting thing going on there.
Yeah, I've heard it described as wide wide spaces and narrow minds.
Oh right, yeah, there you go.
I don't say let's come back, because there is so much to talk about Waking Fright. But you have picked three excellent films as your as your top three. So let's have a chat before we return to the gather outside the Yeah, but not the gather, the gathers the crickets going on. There's there's no cricket ever wicket in Freight Rails of the Lost Dark. It has it has come up a couple of times. What a fantastic movie.
Yeah, I mean these three films.
He's not picked these three films it's like, obviously, trying to pick three films is you know, it's almost possible. But I think these three I would classom as my favorites because they're the films that I've watched more than any other films. And also, these were the films that, you know, when I was sort of you know, I don't know, between the ages of sort of five and ten, these were the films that I saw and they just sort of transported me.
You know.
They were the things that made me love cinema. You know, the idea of just worlds, of being able to disappear into. They're all set in worlds which are real, but fantastical things happen within those worlds, and that's like with all sort of with art, that's what I like.
You know, some people might think that I really love.
Just sort of like out and out like surreal stuff, but I don't. The stuff that I really like is you know, like you look at a cereala's painting and go, oh, that's all very well. But when you look get a painting that's that's like fine art, but just the perspective is a bit warped, or the you know, the hand is a the hand is a foot, you know that that's the sort of stuff. And all of these films I think they kind of set you know, set that in motion, and you know, Surrealers of the Lost Ark was.
Kind of.
You know it it felt like it felt like you were watching you're you're watching a real guy in a real world, and and you sort of go, yeah, no, that that could that could absolutely happen. And then it isn't until you get a bit older there you go, oh right, okay, so that's that's not that couldn't actually happen, you know, so yeah, yeah.
I I love Writers of Lost and I love Indiana Jones for some reason. And I must say as I got older, I kind of changes. But for quite a while I had Temple Doom ahead of Writers of the Lost Act and I think I dis liked maybe Shorty Stones being short Shorty Stone. I call him Shorty Stones
short round. It was calling Shorty Stones because I wrote when I was at school, and I did a show based on this called My Guide to Better Books, which was I wrote, you know, these books that I would present to the class, and I wrote what TOO called Indiana Hallia and the Rackers of the Lost Park. Now
Rackers is not even a word. I think I was just you know, overstretching on trying to come up with, you know, a bit of a parody parody title, and that I included all my friends in in the in the class, and my friend Michael Stones became Shorty Stones, That's why, and Shorty Stones. But I loved, I really loved Raising the Lost Star. I love. And that was a bit like Star Wars. I mean, I'll probably have Star Wars perhaps ahead of the Danagytis films, but not
by much. It was just that cinema experience where you were just you know, transported and taken away. And when I think of these films, I think of my being in that cinema, a Greensboro Twin and the smell of the popcorn. Yeah, it was true the true movie experience.
And the thing as well with with Indiana Jones is like I properly like I lived it.
You know.
It was we went to a wedding my aunt. He was getting married, and my sister had a bride bridesmaid's dress made for her and my and I was going all right, so she gets a bridesmaid dress, So do I get something? Because my mom was making the dress and I said, I want to go with Indiana Jones made me a leather jacket. You when you're not going to a wedding as Indiana Jews.
But the scene in the Oh, here's a Here's a fun thing from you'll probably know this. It's a good bit of trivia.
The club, you know in Temple of Doom, the club at the start where Willie's doing anything goes. Do you know what that clubs called? No, it's actually called Club obi Wan.
There's a little in Enjoy. It's only up there for a second.
And in the in the Temple there's some hieroglyphics, and there's all just different hieroglyphics. And then C three P and R two D two are depicted as gods in the like actually in the temple, so it's like they've put in. There's loads of little things like that, and in.
Fact and through with Ah as well, like Yona appears in like the Halloween, you know.
And e t Is there's three of et species in the in the Senate in.
In Phantom Menace, you know.
I'm for a photo for no confidence in Chancel of Lauren, But was a couple of years ago I had an opening. I had this I filmed this opening for the start of my show, which was it was like a turn off your mobile phones song and dance number, and I had these two women with top hats and sparkly outfits
and it was basically in my head. I went, I wanted to feel a bit like the opening of of Templar Doom, and so we went off to the I sent one of my people off to the wardrobe place in London Angels and they've basically done every film, you know, every film that.
You can only get in if you're doing a professional production.
You can't just go and you know, get stuff for a fancy dress. And I said, I need some and I described the outfit, but I didn't I didn't specifically reference Templar Doom.
Anyway.
He came back and he had two of the original outfits from Temple of Doom, which are still there's a whole.
Rack of them.
There's like there was you know, thirty dancers or whatever. They're just there. They've just been on a rack sitting at the back of back of the warehouse all these years. And in the label it was like Templar doing Templar do it like amazing actually, so every night before I went on stage, I was like, yes, please.
So they were sitting right next to the original print of Waking Fright. It was quite incredible. Back to the Future I remember. I remember the lead up to this movie, like being excited by the lead up, like there's films around this time, like Ghostbusters as well, I remember, but like really buying into the hype of Ghostbusters, and I remember like being totally there for Back to the Future.
I was a massive Family Tires fan, so I was on board the Michael J. Fox Express and I was just ready for it, and it just did not disappoint.
Yeah.
I mean it's funny actually because I think a lot of those movies, like in the eighties were like Ghostbusters is.
An interesting one.
People were trying to work out, you know, why that why that last Ghostbusters movie they did, you know was a flop, and everyone was saying, you know, it's all that controversy because it was art women and the fans turned against women.
It wasn't at all.
It's basically a lot of the films back then, even though they were comedies, and you know, it might just be in the age I was at, they weren't played as comedies. When you went to watch Ghostbusters, you were watching a film about supernatural pest control officers. That's what you were watching, and it just happened to be funny.
I think that's where a lot of sort of the newer versions all like modern modern films in that style, they go in going the this is a comedy, rather than this is a film about busting ghosts, and we're gonna make it funny, you know. And that's sort of back to the Future as well, is you know, that's sort of yeah, it's a it's a it's a it is a genuine.
It sounds so stupid to see it, but it's.
A genuine story about a kid, you know, trying to go back and you know, not just not just sort of get himself back, but you know, getting with the parents.
And all that sort of stuff.
So but it wasn't like it wasn't like you weren't going to that film necessarily going this is all about the time travel, you know, this is you know, and that's yeah, And I think for me, I think Back to the Future as close to a perfect film as you can get, you.
Know that, I completely agree. I was gonna say what you're talk about, right, This is Ryder has one of the great opening act ones I think of all time, and the whole film's pretty perfect as well. I think Back in the Future has the perfect third act. I think the way that film comes home is just incredible. And I think I may have mentioned on this podcast before the one little thing I have and it's not a real gripe, it's just more of a you know.
An observation is when Marty is trying to set the time to go back and save Doc, he has a time machine. How much time does he give him to save his best friend? Fifteen minutes? Yeah, I just think, I just think, if you know, and that's because it's a movie. If it was real world, of course you would go back probably six months beforehand, and every day this remind him don't buy the trolley or uranium of the Libyans, just just don't. Just don't.
But I see what you mean.
But at the same time, you could argue that you could argue that Marty has learned the fact that the tiniest, the tiniest little thing can then affect what happens in the future, So maybe he's he's learned and he's gone, well, I could go back, I could go back the day before, but there's more possibilities of then there being a butterfly effect knocking on you see. Yeah, it's sort of I
say what you're saying. But at the same time, I think Marty's realized, I mean that that analysis doesn't actually work, because then why would he bring the sports almanac back in the second one?
He clearly he forgets. He forgets, he's the lesson he learned, and we've all done that, we've all learned less and then forgotten the lesson.
Movies, Yeah, I would, I would say that. And then but the other thing about that film as well.
It's not just all the little it's not just the way that they've linked everything together. There's all these touches in like like, for example, at the start, when the camera's going across all of the clocks, and one of the clocks is it's like a little clock of Harold Lloyd from the movie Safety Last, you know, and he's he's hanging off the clock and it's ticking and he's
slowly with that classic Harold Lloyd image. One of the clocks is that's that's depicting Harold Lloyd in safety lasts and then the end of it, and that's a direct
nod to the dock on the clock later on. And there's so many of those, which not only is that not only have they put all this stuff in the script, you know, there's also there's there's all these sort of like production design things that they've you know that they've just you know that all this stuff that's happening in the background as well, that you just every time you watch it, Oh yeah, that's that thing, and yeah, I love it.
It is the film that keeps on giving your absolutely right. You can keep watching it and find new new things or things that you may have forgotten about, and it's it is so you're absolutely right. It's so perfect. And it's interesting is that about the dark the opening scene being a you know a bit of a it's for telling what happens at the end, And you know, I think that maybe we're a better discuss and we will
talk about Gremond's before we talk about Waking Front. I think the opening shot of that, which is this beautiful three sixty degree shot, you know, of just showing that there's this you know, the desolate kind of the vastness of the Australian outback, and it just comes back and you know, you starts at the school and it kind of comes back you see the hotel and then you see that the hotel and the school and the train line in the middle, and that kind of foretells the
end of this movie as well, that you know, this guy is doing a three sixty, he's gonna end, He's going to end back exactly where he started. And I love movies that do that with and not with not a heavy hand.
Yeah, definitely, there's a there's an it because there's a in work and freight as well as the there's the exact which we'll come back to that. We'll come back to that come back.
Let's the way Gremlins we quickly before we I really saw a little bit of Gremlins. It was on and I watched, you know, only about twenty minutes of it. Yeah, and I did. I did think. I'm not usually a bit I'm never the one at the front of the line calling for reboots or you know, like let's make let's remake this movie. I do wonder though, if Gremlins could be remade with just based on the fact that we could make the Gremlins. Uh, you know, I think
better now. And it's it's part of it. I watch it, I enjoyed it, and it's you know, part of it is the kitcheness and the fun and the fun of it. Absolutely, But I just wonder if there is a market for those who maybe haven't seen Gremlins to bring a twenty twenty one audience into it.
But your thoughts, Yeah, I mean that what I what I adore about Gremlins, And normally, like I'm in a hotel at the moment, but normally if I was, if I was at torn I have replicas. I have replicas of the original Gremlins that I've purchased, and I have all of the and I've got all of the original
toys as well. That's how that's how Gremlins are. And uh, with the day that I found out that Joe danteer was following me on Twitter, there was that straight away sent him a sent him a message, hello, mister Dante, just to say that, you know, shameously going, this is the most excited I've ever been in.
My entire life.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, very much so. Yeah, it was Yeah, top man, there's a scene in Grammars in the in the Peltzer kitchen when the when the gremlin is one of the Grams is attacking and you can actually see you can see the rod, you can see one of the wires attached to the hat where it's being puppeteered.
I really like that.
Like I mean, obviously you'd have to have watched it a lot to go hang on, there's there's the there's the wire. But there's something about there's something that like, you know, Gualermo del Toro, you know when he does his you know, when he does his monstery stuff.
I love the way that.
He takes I love the way that he takes Rubbert costumes and practical effects and then sort of augment them with.
You know, puts gills on, puts moving eyes. So yeah, you still get that.
So I think if if they were going to read boot Gremlins, I would want to see I would want to see Robert puppets that are that are then enhanced with special effects. If they went full special effects, it would I think you get into that sort of you know, I am legend sort.
Of No, you know, I completely agree. I would not be condoning a c G I reboot of Gremlins, it would be you know, and I think I think J. J. Abrams did it really well with the Star Wars Star Wars films of using practical. I mean, baby, he was one of the great you know, yeah, now become one of the great droids of Star Wars because he's actually there. I've been in the room with BB eight. It's it's amazing.
You know, it's incredible, you know, so yeah, practical and most of it should be probably you know, eighty percent practical, and it's that twenty percent week like you say with Del Toro, it's his eyes or gills or something that kind of brings it brings it to life.
All right, Okay, we're going to take have a quick word from our sponsor and then we're going to come back and find out what Ross Noble thought about the nineteen seventy one classic based on the book from Kenneth Cook. It's waking fright, you know, the yeah play am one.
Just to know, oh, child like it.
I want to see a bit more than other than that.
Do you think it's worth seeing?
It's the best.
Place in Australia. Everybody likes the ever ply p howby worried who you are or where you come from. You're a good black.
You're all right, you know what I mean? Okay, all right, Ross, We're already spoke a little bitt the start. We know you liked it. I was. I was really interested because for those who don't know you live, you know you live in Australia, if you've been touring in Australia for many years. We first met in the twenty years ago for the very first Melbourny International Festival road show.
Where we went to we were that was the first time I've been a Broken Hill.
I forgot to put that together. Yes, we've wad this film shot and kind of inspired by Broken Hill.
And I think at the time, did you come with me or because certainly I got very excited. I know, I know a lot of I know a lot of you was He's weren't quite as excited as me. But I took a trip out to the pub in Silverton because I wanted to see because that, you know, because they'd shot so many Australian films out in Silverton.
So I went out there just.
Stood in the I just stood at this sort of out in the deserty bit and just went, wow, it's.
All happened here. And then I'm sure did you come with me for that? Yeah?
Much, I'm sure I would have remembered that. I don't think I was probably hungover. I do remember, I do remember Broken Hill funny enough. And this is so because we're speaking about waking fright. So at the end of each show, we would all stay on stage and say, you know, do do you where should we go tonight? And sometimes it was you know, you know, sometimes some
of us felt like going out. Sometimes we didn't. But I remember on that night we had a really good show and we were like that, we're all going out tonight. Where are we going? In the audience with yell suggestions and somebody yelled at something maybe called up the Black Opal or something like that, right, and somebody else a black Opal, come to the Black Opal. And then somebody else stood up and said it's close, and then somebody else further back yelled out, I'm the owner, I'll open up.
And then so then we went backstage. We all have your color beers backstage, not yourself, of course, you're a non drinker. But then we all went to the Black Opal or something something like that, and they opened up. The place was full and they it was like a movie. We all walked in and the cheers and they they parted ways and we went at a bar and it was totally it was like a much nicer version of Waking Front. It was like Waking Joy I forgot.
Yeah, we walked in the that's right.
So, as what's your what are some of the Australian films you've either enjoyed or or like, what's your impression of Australian cinema. Obviously went out to silver and so you've seen you've seen some yeah, yeah.
So obviously like the I mean it's tricky because you know, you've got you've got your sort of you got your wolf creeks, you know, and it's difficult because I love those films, but I'm also aware of the fact that, like, there are a lot of those films that play into the stereotypes that not just people from overseas have, but I think people who live in the cities here who don't who haven't necessarily traveled, you know, out you know,
into the back of beyond there. So you know, but I really love you know, your sort of your rogues, you know, your sort of obviously raise a back, you know.
I like those. I like all those big.
You know, people getting people getting hunted down by crocodiles.
I unashamedly love all of that, you know.
And again you know, like like I say, a wolf creek, you know, like you know, madman picking off backpackers. I love all that, but I do I am aware. And this is what I found with Waking Fight. It was it was tricky because it's one of those things where when you go out there, the people are so friendly and so nice that you kind of go, that's a shame that it's it's it's so cinematic. Why wouldn't you have, you know, a madman with a gun hunting down backpackers.
But at the same time, it sort of feels like a bit of a guilty pleasure, you know.
Yeah. Yeah, so you you're you're a non drinker. Yeah, there's this kind of and obviously this is some hardcore drinking going on. Yeah, this is can you can you see the Australian kind of drinking experience reflected in this film, Like did you kind of did a ring? True to you?
Yeah? Yeah, I mean there was sort of it's it's interesting.
I find it quite hard to connect with that, with the sort of main character in it, for exactly that reason. You're the fact that, like, you know, the whole film is about the sort of yeah, like see it, that sort of aggressive hospitality, you know, go out, may have a drink, have a drink, and then you know, but I because I don't drink, I've spent a lot of my life kind of I've got used to people getting like shitty with me for not having a drink. Have a be a dough on one, I'll have a lemona
what's wrong with you? Come on, come on.
Have a drink.
And I'm so used to just going now it's fine, and then and then getting past people's you know, just getting past almost like that sort you know that's at peer pressure thing, and then getting past that and then just going out finding oh we can all you know, we can all still have a good time even though I'm not drinking. And I think that's where, you know, that's that was the there.
Was part of me was going he was but you know, here's a guy. He's not used to that.
You know, he's a he's an academic, he's been isolated apart from his mate at the pub. In the small time that he town that he's been. You know, it's quite a sort of you know, he's been a bit isolated and and sort of I think he's you know, but he seems he comes across as you know, he's a handsome guy, and he seems like he's he's confident. But yeah, just that thing of feeling feeling threatened. That's why it's so disturbing, you know, feeling so threatened by
that kind of by these men. But at the same time, it's it's all about them being on the surface, it's about them being friendly, you know. So that's that's the that's what's so disconcerting about it.
Yeah, new to the Yabber, new to the Yabba.
Like your old place?
No, and he's bloody awful.
You don't like the yabber?
Okay, yah.
Yah?
Will you have a drink? No?
I'm doing with this one's things.
I'll drink it down, not buy another.
Look, I'm flat broken a color fort to drink.
What's that going to do with that? Man? I said, I'll buy you a drink, you don't have to buy me one.
Now, I drink it down.
Too many skey, don't forget the tomato juice.
I am Jim Holmes, John Groan. Yeah, I mean I completely connect with that idea of feeling like you are like disappointing somebody for not drinking. Like the idea of like if you go to somebody's, if somebody's having birthday drinks at the bar or even in their own backyard, and you go there and you are not drinking, that
you are somehow letting them down. Like it's like, it's it's it's a it's a it's an affront almost to kind of you know, decide not to drink on your birthday, but your birthday doesn't warrant my time and and and indulgence. And it's only really recently that I've really gotten past out of kind of going no, if I don't want
to drink, you just don't drink. Just go and you know, and when people, if people do it to me, I kind of see as Wow, it's an even bigger compliment that you've come here, you know, because you know, I think a lot of people will be like, if I'm not drinking, I'm not going. But there's a lot of there's a big that's a big attitude in Australia as far as if you're a drinker, if if you're not going to go out and drink on a Saturday night, there, what's the point of going out?
You know?
Yeah, And and I think what this film does is really tap into that. Like we like we've said a couple of times like that kind of hostile you know, slapping you know that really slapping people hard on the back. It's it's like it's other words are friendly, but the only thing the friendly are the words. The the the body language and the inference is all really quite aggressive and violent.
Yeah, there's there's a there's a fascinating and there's a there's a brilliant line at one point where he ends up he ends up going back to this guy's house and a couple of these these hunters come over and they're you know, and they're really drinking, and so he goes off with the daughter and one of the hunters actually says the line, he says, what sort of guy is he? So something paraphrase, He's what sort of man is he? He'd rather go off with a woman than
have a drink? And that's such a you know, that's one of those things where you know, there's these guys you get you know, these sort of you know groups of guys, you know, you know, maybe it's like sports team or whatever, and they would rather be they feel like they're more manly because they're all drinking and they're all kind of all boys together than sitting in the
corner talking to women. And you know what I mean, they would sort of they would sort of go, oh, he's not as much of a block because he's talking to those women rather than hanging around with us, you know. And I've always found that and you know, a real sort of one.
I could never get my head round, you know, because.
I certainly had friends and who are still friends, and yeah, we've all evolved and grown, but there were some friends who were exactly like that were really affronted when one of us would break away from the from the pack and you know, talk to a girl or you know, you set up a conversation, and to the point where sometimes they would like deliberately come over sabotage it, so we would just come back with their tails between our legs to continue the drinking.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's it's so messed up.
And the point where it turns.
In the film, though, which is interesting is the fact that like, so he's got he's got a girlfriend that is back in Sydney.
Now, now, I wasn't I wasn't sure whether or not. I wasn't sure whether or.
Not that girlfriend was. He says that he's going back to see her, and he says that he's.
You know, but there's a sort of dream sequence where he's kind of.
He's you know, where he's imagined he's on the beach. You know, he's on the beach with her, And I wasn't sure whether or not that was. He's got a picture of her, but I wasn't sure whether or not. Are they still together? And you know, and he is genuinely going back to see her or is that a previous you know, has that relationship broken down? But he's just holding onto that because the whole thing, like you say, it's this sort of it's this sort of it's a day,
it's a dream. The whole things is fever dream.
Is it a dream?
And it's sort of this descent into a nightmare. Is the reality of him having that girlfriend? Is she actually real? Or is that or is that just his way of coping with the fact that he's stuck in this you know, stuck in this little town.
You know, so I thought that was quite interesting.
There's no effort to call this girl, this girlfriend. You know, it's only nineteen seventy one. I know, you know, you would have had the backup a track of coins into the phone to the call, but you know, phones existed obviously, even in the out back in nineteen seventy one. Yeah, there's no efforts to call or that really outside of that dream sequence. And then we know that he's going home to you know, we suspect he's going home to see her, whether together her or not, but there's no
efforts to kind of try to connect. But you know, those two characters really outside of that, Yeah, you know, you're right.
And then and then also like the point where you know, it's so he apparently so apparently teachers have to pay one thousand dollars. So the reason he's teaching in that place is you have to put up one thousand dollars deposit when you become a teacher, and then they can send you anywhere, and he has to stay there and work off his contract. Until that seems to be the conceit of which I'm not sure if that was was that true in the seventies like it?
I mean, maybe you say you're a slave. What do you mean by then?
You wouldn't know how our educational authorities get teachers for the outback.
Wouldn't never clue.
Mate.
Now our new teacher has to post a bond for a thousand dollars. That thousand guarantees you'll serve out your contract wherever they send you.
Oh okay, I suppose they know what they're doing. Yeah, clever Black never liked to stop.
In the ones. But long do you?
Depends on the place.
Yeah, that's right.
Well, never mind, Jack, you can always come to the yap of your holidays.
Good luck.
Yeah, it's something to look forward to.
I don't know, but I suspect that some truth, you know, because it's not it's not really a no, it's not a big deal, but you know that make a big deal of it. We just know that he he is in this dead end job that he's trying to get out of. He wants to raise I think at a thousand or two thousand dollars cash and he sees that to be enough to get him out of out of teaching.
Not just that job, I think out of teaching. So and what's I think really fascinating about this film is that, yes, he's broke, which kind of makes him stuck in it, but he makes choices along the way that you know that he's got agency in his downfall, I think because he is he is you know, he goes back to the room and he's got his money and he you know,
that could be the end of it. He could be going to Sydney, you know, in the morning with you know, with a thousand backs or however much he had, but he goes back to try to win, to try to win more.
Yeah. Yeah, I mean that's the thing.
He's sort of he does all of the all of the things that all of the problems that before him are, which I suppose that's what makes a great film rather than just a film where stuff happens to the to the protagonist, like everything that happens to him happens to him.
It's his fault. He makes a decision to put himself, you know, to put it because because he could have done that thing of like he was supposed to be flying to Sydney, and then you realize that he could have actually he could have just hitchhiked, like he goes to the labor exchange, and like the point later on in the film where he is trying to hitchhike back
to Sydney, he could have done that. Instead of going to the labor exchange to go right, I'm gonna try and find get my money back to get a flight, he could have started hitchhiking, which leads me again to think, like, I don't know what how good that relationship is with his with this fancy you know that girl, because again there's a point where there's a point where he goes off with the daughter and it's like she goes right, come with me, and he does go, oh yeah, It's
it's like you can't you can't resist her. He's like, yeah, go on, I'll have it, you know, I'll have a little dalliance with it. So he's obviously not in love with the girl that he's going back too.
So yeah, I think I think it's I think it's a really I think the picts really well, the the pull sometimes of alcohol and gambling.
I really felt that, you know, I've been in that situation, not those exact situations before, but I can really know we are. We are, Like I've said, now I'm not going to have a drink, and then you're just thinking vinced, I have one, and then you're having two, and then you've had four, and then you've had six. And you know, certainly been situations where you know, I mean, no way
a problem gambled. But I do have, you know, a gambling app on my phone, and you know, and I do sometimes find myself having a quick bet on a game where I'm not even going to be in front of it, you know, I'm not going to be watching it like usually, And that's that's where it all started for me, with having a bet on a game that I was watching, you know, usually involving a team that I support, right, and I have not And I had to really check in with myself a few times, going
to go, why are you having a bet on a game that you're not watching? Now? You know, why are you doing that? And yeah, I'll delete that for a while, but I'll come back to it, so I said, And I'm talking literally literally five dollar bets, you know, you know, every few weeks or so. But I it was more than I was doing, you know, a couple of years ago and I can kind of see the pool of the two up game had for John.
Yeah, yeah, I mean that's sort of I think that's the point where he that's the point where he gets seduced by the.
Thing that I find.
I mean that we should probably talk about the the hunting scene, which is but there's a there's an interesting thing that he sort of you know before you know, like if you look at the like, if you look at his journey, that's what I really liked.
I really like the fact if you look at his.
Journey over the you know, over the course of the film, at the start, at the start of the film, he's he's got this attitude that he's better than all of these people. You know, he's got that thing of you know, he's out there, he doesn't want to be out there. He's he's got this sort of he's got this he very much looks down.
On these people like you know, you know, like like he's above it.
And then and then that's that's the interesting and again we'll let's not jump ahead, but I'll be interested.
To see what you what you think his journey.
Was, like what he becomes at the end, because I still can't quite make up my mind.
But yeah, we'll get back to that.
We'll come back to that. Let's talk about some of the performances. It was a film debut of Jack Thompson, who you referred to earlier. He was the one who talks about the Yeah that him and these he plays Dick. It's Dick and Joe are the two guys who kind of come over and they're like always fighting and wrestling. This is Jack Thompson's who is who for those who don't know, is one of the all time great acting
legends in Australian cinema. First first one, first film and Chips rapid his last and it was almost the Changing of the Guard. And Chips rapidly died not long after this. And famously he told the director, we'll get to the director in the second story. I'm sure, and I'm sure you know what I'm going to point out about the director. But the Chips rafferty was he was given that the pints that started drinking and he realized that, hang on,
this don't taste like the regular beers. And they've given him non alcoholic beer and he said, no, I need to drink real beer. And so the director, you know, come of you know, back in those days, agreed and the director instead of you handled the directing, I'll handle the drinking. And I reckon he was drinking thirty pints a day, you know when when I when acting, and and maybe unsurprisingly he had a heart attack only months
later and passed away. So I think I think if Waking Fright was made in twenty twenty one, there might be a lawsuit coming potentially. But yeah, so that was Chips Raffanti's last film. Yeah, John melliam In there by Charlie at the start of the film that he he's the bat and they're in the small town, listeners will recognize him from a crocodile dundee.
He was, yeah.
Yeah, he's he's great And was that and.
Wasn't the big the big guy?
It wasn't the the guy the bartender didn't wasn't he dounk?
Did he play dunk in?
I think it might be I think it might be right. It's Peter.
I wasn't sure. I wasn't sure where.
You might be right? Actually, I well, Peter, middle was Joe, But I'm not sure. It's weird that you say that. I think last night with that really clocking it too much. I kind of thought of dunk, So that might have been.
It could another It could just be that there you know big guys in pubs that.
The guy in working just going I should have got the dunk gig.
Well, Dundee would have been only fourteen or so years later. I think that was only five.
Yeah.
You also had a quick appearance from the receptionist at the one of the pubsy in the hotel days that which.
Is that's almost like David Lynch type because.
When he comes back, she's got her she's dipping her hand in.
Yeah, she's got a the front of her and she's dipping out and just sort of putting it on her face. And there's something quite you know that it comes across as being sort of quite a sensual, a little bit sexual. But then as soon as he as soon as he says i'd like a room, she doesn't.
She doesn't continue.
Going well you'd like to, you know, oh, I'll find you. She's just like going up the hole on the left like whatever. And then she goes back to just be like rubbing water on herself.
So it's yeah, but.
He doesn't he doesn't take that as being you know any sort of you know, seduction or anything. It's it's quite an unusual. I couldn't quite figure that out, to be honest.
No, it was. It was just kind of quiet. But I think it sets up perhaps that this town is full of weird characters, you know, like this is one of the first people we kind of meet, and that we are going to this town is a little different. And that was She was played by Maggie Dance. Now longtime Neighbors fans with no Maggie Dance played Dorothy Burke, almost the successor to Missus Mangle if you like, as the neighborhood, you know, busybody.
Ah, there you go. I didn't know that there's a lot.
Of English actors in this a lot of English actors. Gary Bond, who's the lead, He English actor, died in ninety five, ah fifty five. And Sylvia Kay was Jeannette, So she's the woman married to Ted Kutchef, the director. She's English. El Thomas played Tim Hines and he was born in Scotland. And of course pleasant Donald Pleasance. I played Doc and I got to say his accent was really good. It wasn't perfect. That came out at times.
But I think for nineteen seventy one he was. He was great and one of the first classic movies I watched was The Greatest Guy. You know. So I love Donald Pleasant.
Over there on the floor. Yeah, it's great.
He's so he's so good in this He's so watchable Donald Pleasance.
Yeah, and also quite you know the scene to you know, when he when they go back to to his shack and he sort of and he explains about being he explains about being a doctor, and you know that the parallels between you know, the teacher and the doctor, and you know, this is what you know, this is what you could This is you know, this is what you could end up becoming if.
You hang around. You know, that was that was interesting.
And and then also as well, I think that like, you know, the relationship between him and the daughter, and and then also the fact that you know something there was something.
Going on there of him going.
You know, did I do something I shouldn't have done by going off on the walk with the daughter? Is this is this how it started?
You know?
Is this how it started with him as well? You know, and and and then obviously you know, I don't want to give anything away but at the end there's something incredibly incredibly sinister happens.
Well, if you haven't watched the film, you need to watch the film. There will be spoilers. Yeah, but that so that's saying where he's telling the doctor, informing John that he you know, also has had daily answers with them. Jeannette, it's it's it's it's you know, it's a little bit of a I mean on you know, the almost such
shaming in a way. It's you know, he's talking about you know, people judge her, and then you know, and then it's like when when you first see donn Plans, the last thing you think he is is a sexual being. You know, yeah, it totally is, you know, and and to a you know, it turns really dark, that kind of that that that nature. You know. But yeah, it's an incredible performance by dumb pleasants.
Yeah, no, one hundred percent. It's just because at first you sort of at first, he sort of feels at first you can't quite figure him out, but then you realize, oh no, hang on, this is just he is exactly the same. He's exactly the same as this teacher, and he's he's gone down that path and this is this is his future, you know.
And I would really like to know if he was actually really doing handstands and drinking beer at the same time.
Was incredible. I mean that was just I mean I did still went like that's one of those things where I looked at it and just went did he say, oh, by the way, I can do a handstand? And they went, or was that in the original novel? You know, like it was just but the fact that he was doing the handstand and drinking upside down and explaining why medically that that it worked, and then you're sort of going, oh, yeah, because he's a doctor and but he's doing a handstand.
But yeah, good on him, Good on him.
Now the director, let's talk at the director is such a such a you know, maybe the you know, Angry the greatest Australian film ever made. There's a lot of international talent, including the English actors I've just mentioned, but the director, Ted Kotchev, is a Canadian director. I think this is second film, an incredible second film. But then because it wasn't a hit, he doesn't necessarily go on and make these others. You know, it doesn't get the office to make all these even though it went to
Khanna's Australia's entry at the Khan Film Festival. Scorsese he was sitting, you know, it had only made one film, and it hadn't it was a flop, was sitting behind at the Khan and this like was like saying all through the movie, like this director is amazing. He's gonna, he's going for it. He's gonna. He's really gone for it. And then you know, and you know, the the some of the scenes later on when they fully full on,
he's like, well, he really went for it. And Ko found out his name, and they've had like a relationship, and Scores had a relationship with his film. He's helped kind of remaster it and all that. But he then he ended making this same director ends up making Weekend up.
Amazing.
I saw, you know, I always wondered for some reason I hadn't. We looked at what other films he had made, and then I saw that he made First Blood. Yeah, the very first Rainbow film, and I thought that kind of rings a bell. Maybe this I've seen that enough times that the name might have rang a bell. But when I saw Weak in the Bernie's I actually thought, as somebody like Wikipedia this, you know, like and this and this and this is an I m B D.
I was surely this cannot be the case. But yeah, he made week in Bernie in eighty nine.
I mean you can see first Blood.
You can see why because because you know, the thing about Fridays it is an incredible like there's no getting away from it, is an incredible film, and it's beautifully shocked, and it's you know, even the stuff that's you know, even the stuff that's just shot, you know, just in the bar and the two up game and all that
sort of stuff. You know, there's sort of the close ups on the you know, on the the sort of laughing faces, even the even the sort of dream sequence where he's sort of he's coming in and out of he's blacked out, and all that stuff is you know, the realistic stuff is shot beautifully, and then all of the dream like descent into madness stuff is also incredible. So this guy is like, you know, he's he's a proper he's like a proper filmmaker. You know, that's not
that's not a fluke. And but then the thing about Weekend at Bernie's, which we should say is even though it's it's very much a punchline, and the Weekend at Bernie's is actually for a knock about eighties comedy. It's incredibly dark. You know, you can sort of you can sort of see like first Blood, fair enough, small town, you know, guy in a small town, you know, with a with a menace of the police are also the police in the army are also the baddies, but they're
the good guys. You can sort of see parallels there. But but actually Weekend at Bernie's is, you know, it's about them covering up the fact that they've got a corpse. So it could be like Weekend at Bernie's could have been one of those films that that sort of just disappeared without trace, but it's still referenced because it's actually it's a it's a it's a fun film. I love well.
I saw Bernie in the cinema and laughed a lot, And I wonder if I think maybe when they made the sequel, it was like, okay, you may be you know, gilding the lily a little bit now, like, you know, how long can you keep a corpse alive?
Well, let's not forget that in Weekend at Bernie's too. The corpse came back to life because do you remember how the Calypso music.
It was, It was like.
It would it would sort of be reanimated, So yeah, maybe that's uh, yeah, they find is like finding out that Mannequin was directed by the same person that did cass or.
Something like that.
But yeah, let's talk about the the rather horrific and it really took me. You know, I'm writing like notes when I was watching the Rust shooting this going you know, uh, you know, either I wrote, either they're actually shooting kangaroos or they've got the greatest animal train acting coach in
the world. It's really full on. Well when you were watching it, and obviously there's a disclaimer at the end of the movie, which we'll get to, but when you were watching it, what were you what you're thinking?
The first The first thing that struck me was that they're driving around in that you know, they're driving around in that car.
Which is not The Ghostbusters inherited a very ghost spiel to it.
Yeah, it's not a good suspense, but it's not it's not a modern fall back for by any child. And he stretched it was what what I found interesting about that was was the real his reaction to being involved in that. He was he was like laughing and caught up in clearly the the sort of the adrenaline of this car being driven incredibly quickly flying around. They've all got guns, they're shooting out of the you know that in the in the daytime. He was like, he was
genuinely excited about that. And that's what I looked at. It went all right, no, he's this isn't him just.
This isn't anymore.
No, No, he's.
He's enjoying the excitement of this. He's enjoying this sort of being on this ride, and he's now he's become one of them. And then obviously then when he goes on to to stab the kangaroo like with a knife close like close quarters, the point where you know you sort of see.
Donald pleasant is sort of like, you know, he's.
He's still I think that's part of him that still holds onto the idea that he hasn't that he hasn't become a savage. But then when he kills him that even he smiles as if to go like, is that smile, is that smile saying he's become one of us, or is that smile saying, oh, like, thank god he was able to do it, because it makes my life easier because we don't then have to deal with these two guys. You know, I think the smile might be saying, this
is good. He's now one of us and I can get him really drunk, and you know this is Yeah.
That's that's what I took from that. He's one of us, and like in his quieter moments, he may feel like a failure for for being seduced by this town. And then he's still here and still there, but he's maybe he sees a little bit of himself in John that he came to this town mild mannered and you know, a bit of a gentleman, and now look what you know, Like if we can get him, we can get anyone.
And that's that's a big part of this film. I think of this being wanting to be part of a of a gang in a way, you know, like like these guys. Sometimes when you meet people who you know, you may be actually intimidated by it. Even though I'm not sure if if I think you're right. Earlier said
that John feels like he's better than these people. But then when he kind of starts seeing them drinking the way they do, and and and and gamble the way they do, and and you know, there's there's almost to an extent, like a family involved here because it's the
local pub and that's where all the town go. Like he gets seduced into feeling like, actually, I think I want to be I want to be a part of this, so it becomes less about him being trapped, and like you says, he's completely embracing now all the little devils are proud of Hell?
Who do you mean you don't think the Yabba is the greatest little place on earth?
It could be worse. How supply beer could run out? Why did you say that?
Say?
What what about them being proud of hell?
Discontent is the luxury of the well to do. You got to live here, you might as well like it. Why aren't you like.
Paulper Job.
At touch of his hairy hands, Benjamin.
I move forward of the aggressive hosspitality, the arrogance of stupid people insistitu should be a stupid as they are.
When your death or farming up, it's worse than death in the mind. Do you want them to sing opera as well, and what do you do, I'm.
Drink And also the parallels between the two of them wrestling and fighting and then you know, ultimately him passing out in the in the room and those two Hunter guys,
you know, wrestling with each other. You know, there's a bit of a parallel going on there, but there's a but you know, what I thought was really interesting though, is the point where there's a point a bit later on where he's walking through the he's walking through the street, you know, and he's he's kind of he's got the gun and he's you know, he's got blood on him
and all the rest of it. And what I thought was interesting for the first time, you see you see like people out and about shopping, you know, on a Saturday afternoon, and there's a you know, there's a nice little boutique to you know, like another like a little sort of clothes shop, and people are going about their every day and they're sort of looking like, what is this character. I think we can both agree that The Ruhunt is probably one of the most disturbing things in any film ever filmed.
I mean, it's I mean.
The fact that at the time, like you say, you're sort of looking at it going, God, yeah, I wonder how they did this, and then you find out at the end, and this is the thing that I found particularly disturbing is the fact that they said this this footage was shot by professional license hunters, as if like, oh, yeah, okay, that's oh well, as long as they're license hunters actually
killing kangaroos like on camera. And then they sort of said that thing of due to the fact that kangaroos are in dangered that we feel that it was we shouldn't we put this footage in like uncut. So I think they're trying to after cake and eat it there. I think it was basically like it's a very powerful bit of cinema, but you are basically watching the actors, you know, torturing animals. That's that's you can't get away from that fact.
So yeah, so basically they the way they shot it, there was a you know, kangaroos do get cowld and and and and there went as being cowded to this situation. This was actually hunters collecting kangaroos, killing kangaroos for pet food in for the United States, So this was getting They're being sent as PetFood to the USA. So because this was already happening, the filmmakers decided, well, this is going to happen anyway if we send our cameras to them and yeah, it will go out with them and shoot.
And apparently they were saying the hunters were saying, how do you want me to shoot the kangaroos? The Ted Kotcheff and he's going to saying, what do you mean? He goes, well, if I shouldn't in the heart, they take like three steps and then they die. If I should have in the in the kidney, they kind of they do this, so I should have in the brain. They were like leap up into the air and like and he said this, do not do anything for me. Just just do what you can need to do and
we will find it with the cameras. It's a similar situation I think to Apocalypse Now and the killing of the cow or the oxen, and that was shot in a way where it was it was the local tribe was carrying out their ceremonial, you know, ceremony and there's the slaughtering of of of the the animal, and France for a couple of you know this decided that if this is going to happen, let's capture it on and
use it for our purposes. So it's a it's quite a vexed issue in the end, whether you know it's filming something that's already going to happen, you know the right thing to do, or or you should we just not have these scenes like it is? It is. It is a really gut wrenching, hard to watch piece of cinema. It's you know, it's it's so full on. I am confused. So what I haven't heard the director to kind of respond to is anybody ask him, is there's there's a
shooting is one thing? You can see how they've shot that. They're they're in the same shot, and there's you know, yeah, they've they've paid you cut and pasted it together. They've shot it separately. But then you have actors the other fighting the kangaroo scenes.
That's they did it.
There was no doubt that that when he's holding the tale, when he's holding the tale, and even you know in the first actor, is that happened?
That definitely that that wasn't.
Those kangaroos were moving around while that was like it was, I mean, it's one of those things where I think, you know, it was a different time. I think that they they justified it because you know, it's not it's a film that's you know, I think if it was in a that you know the fact that it's a it's a film that's based on a novel and it is a genuine Yeah, I think Apocalypse Now is quite a good I think that is quite a good comparison, because you know, it's it's a film that's trying to
say something. So at least it's I suppose you can sort of justify it's very much. The whole thing is very much of a time. So and it is powerful. You can't you can't get away from you know, you can't get away from that. But yeah, it's it's it's very it's very confronting.
Yeah. The filmmakers say they consult with the RISPCA, who said they encouraged them to go hard and show not that necessarily they said, apparently reportedly by the filmmaker, go as hard, show the worst stuff. He said, I'm not showing the worst stuff here, reckons, he went about, you know, which makes you think Jesus. As far as the what they shut from the actual hunt and because they said they want they wanted people to know what actually kind
of goes on. So they thought as a way of getting the word out as to how cruel this actually is.
So maybe we could be we I think now might be on reflection, look about it. It might be weekend at Bernie's. Might be some kind of deep dive psychological.
Sort of piece of cinema.
That he is trying to He's trying to come to terms with his inner demons. You know, he you know, he forced the you know, these animals were killed on camera and he went, how can I try and how can I try and lift my the darkness that's in my heart? Well, Bernie represents those kangaroos.
And have you have you? Have you?
I'm sure I have asked you over the years, have you have you drunk? It?
All? You?
If he's always been a non drink exert, So did this film give you? Because I must say, and I watched this. I mentioned this before we start recording. I watched this a little bit hangover, which I think he's either the best or best or worst way to watch
this movie. I don't know for sure, maybe the worst, but I must say I feel like if I'd never drank before, this film gives a pretty good, uh depiction of the feeling of what it's like to be drunken, a little bit out of control, swinging kind of lights and the kind of like this, the disorientation and also
everything that happens. But just the way it's presented on screen, I feel it's when you have the like a really kind of a messy kind of drunkenness, you know, like that this feels like that that the losing of control, I think is is really well depicted in this in this movie.
Right, interesting because from from somebody who's never drunk, it really I thought it was a brilliant depiction of just how you know, when I was a teenager, and especially when I was doing gigs in like you know, I do gigs in Essex. I remember and Down and Ken I did a gig used to do this sort of it.
Was a kaffe.
It was like a sort of caffe attached to a night club. It was a bar, and then they use the nightclub used to split into they used to sort so the comedy.
Would be going on.
But then in the main nightclub they used to have like male strippers and all the women would go in and they'd have the male strippers on, and then they would have they would have female strippers for the blokes in the in the sort of smaller bar area of the of the club, and I remember that that was very much.
There was a real sort of sense of like.
People being a bit out of control and just all these kind of feral men who were sort of it was just.
A really even though there was no.
Even though everyone is they're just drinking and watching strippers or whatever, it had, there was a there was a sort of a it felt like something sinister was going on, you know, And I think that kind of you know, I don't mind, like I enjoy it when other people are drinking, but you know, when you're in that situation, that bar, that first bar that he goes into, and it's all like, hey, we're all having a good time.
I remember when I was a teenager being in situations where you're where you're just looking at it going there's there's a that there's something I think when you're looking at with the clarity, everyone else in the place doesn't doesn't feel the hostility, doesn't doesn't realize that you're right on the edge of violence. Because everyone's just having a drink.
And I think for me, I that really resonated with me because when I was a teenager, there would be there would be times where drinking would be happening and then all of a sudden, you know, there was blood everywhere and there's somebody getting the head smashed against the wall, and and to everyone else is like, oh, what's going on, whereas you know, for me, it was like, oh, yeah, well I could feel that coming for the last twenty minutes, you know, so yeah.
Sure, like you've been in the situation post gigs, you know, where somebody will come up to you and they will just give you like a must put you in a bear hug or slight your back or grab the back of your neck and come.
Yeah.
It was that was Monny, great mate. And and it's like that what you have said is really interesting that the idea that we have, no idea that we are all the precipice of violence right now, because because most of us, you know, there might be a room full of you know, and and and and six don't know exactly a losing control basically.
Yeah, yeah, and just how quickly that can turn, you know, I think it happens weirdly, and you know, there's not there's not that there's not as many women in this, but I think women who are drinking turn so much quicker, like you know, if if a woman, if a woman's really drunk and she comes and she put her on around you, or like the one I get is like drunk women to wanting to touch my hair all the time, you know, and if I go, don't whoa, don't talk?
What are you doing? Get off me?
They turn like that, And I think that's sort of yeah, it's but but you know, you know what's brilliant about this film is the fact which I really loved is, like I say, I was expecting to watch a film.
That was gonna be.
You know, like some mad kangaroo hunter popping up and then shooting everyone in the town, or it was going to be something along those lines, Oh my god, someone's trapped in the town and all of the you know, almost like those hammer horror ones where you know, he even had a touch of the you know, the slaughtered lamb, you know, the sort of the local in the In fact, have you seen that film Get Duked?
Have you seen that film? It's just it's fairly new. It's about these kids. It's a very funny.
Film, actually a lot funnier than like you probably read the premise of it and think it's not going to be sort of a bit like The in Between Us Meets. It's got a touch of the League of Gentlemen about it.
It's it's about these kids going on the Duke of Edinburgh as award scheme and then they start getting hunted by this posh this posh duke guy turns up and it's not the actual Duke of Edinburgh, but it's that sort of I thought it was going to be along those lines a Deliverance, That's what I thought it was going to be.
That's I think Deliverance.
Is probably the film that this is closest to. And because I thought it was going to be like that, and the fact that the fact that the I thought it was going to be a bit of entertainment and there'd be a bit of horror in the outback, I wasn't prepared for just how powerful and how deeply affecting this it's I would say, there's not many films that will that will move you quite as emotionally as this film, because there's so much going on and it's so immersive
that yeah, it's it's uh, it definitely will trigger. It will trigger all sorts of emotions, which I was surprised because I thought it was just going to be a bit of a bit of a rockter of the.
Out Back.
Razorback meets Kangaroo Jack exactly exactly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
One of the one of the surprising bits of I think the casting was so fantastic. We spoke about a little bit earlier, but one of them I thought was quite interesting was the truck driver who, like towards the back of the film, he's the guy who thinks John thinks he's going to Sydney, but he's actually kind of he just goes back to the Yabba and and Jack drivers.
It's just it's not he's completely different type than the rest of he's quite like it almost it's got feminine kind of ye you know feel to the to him. He could be you know, he could be in choice of An's band, right, you know, he's like he's like a soft kind of it's quite skinny and small, and it's a really interesting, you know, piece of piece of casting.
And also the fact that everybody like everybody that he encounters up until that point has basically been it feels like they're going have a drink, come and join us, coming, you know, and there's that that's what's going on. Whereas he's the first person that's just like he goes, can he get me out of you? And he's like, what's in it for me?
He?
You know, he sort of in a way he represents the he sort of represents the outside world, you know. And then the fact that he takes them back to the to the start is.
Yeah, no, I got fun that, Yeah.
And the idea of the beer is the tonic that kind of traps people there. Like if this was made now and maybe in Edgar Wright made that the beer would actually have something in it that he's actually like imprisoning you, Like it would have a serum or something and that kind of you know that that would be maybe more conspiratorial perhaps, but a bit like that.
Sorry, I was just going to say it a bit like you know that drug in a dread, you know, the film, Like it would be more along those lanes, wouldn't It'd be more you know, like a sort of a crack crack like substance wouldn't it.
Yeah, absolutely, I think that's a great, great comparison. I must say I didn't see that the John and Doc kind of I was sure what to think of it when he woke up in the morning, whether they had consensual sex. I had heard it was referred to as a rape, but I must say watching it, I was I wasn't sure what had happened. I assume that that sex had been had, but I wasn't sure what was it.
There's an interesting because I think that's that's where it gets really interested, because something's happened there. But I think when he's when he has those flashbacks later on, and I think what they were saying there is is that they had had sex, but he'd woken up and you know he he hadn't. I don't think you could say that he'd consented to I think that was the I think what they were trying to say was is that.
He was so out of it that he.
Couldn't have possibly concerned even if he wanted to sleep with him.
I don't think he could. You could, You couldn't.
Possibly say that he in any way could have consented to it, because he was so out of it that that the doc must have known that there was. There's just there's no way like anyone that says, oh no, he consented to it. He saw the state he was in.
He couldn't.
He couldn't possibly even like even if he was bisexual, even if like he had the woman in Sydney, you know, maybe even if he was gay, even if the idea of the you know, like him not sleeping with the daughter and the vomiting and all that sort of stuff, he wasn't. He was too drunk to be able to consent. So it was definitely so the doc definitely raped him.
In my opinion, I just think that's not even I don't think that's even up for discussion, you know, like, so so whatever the filmmakers are saying, oh well no, maybe they maybe it's a well no, that's not that's just.
That's not what the filmmakers have referred to it as as as right, okay, sorry, yes, but when when I was watching it and then the way he said it is perfectly correct, that is yeah, that's and that's really I think it's another strong message from from the film.
So so so then so then I think what the way I read it is that he was definitely raped. So therefore when he when he thinks back to now, fair enough, the daughter wasn't she wasn't taking part in all the drinking and stuff. But I think what happens is is that he realizes what's I think he realizes what happened to him, and then he thinks back to the way that the doctor was talking about her and saying, you know, you know this is you know, people judge
her and you know, all that thing about slutching. But I don't think that's what I don't think that's necessarily what it is. I think they're basically they At that moment, he realizes that the doc you know, oh, she's you know, she's loose with her favor as an all the estimate, and he got, nah, they're doing to her exactly the
same thing that's happened to him. They're getting her drunk and taking advantage of her, and she's clearly you know, it's the same way that when when she goes I'm going for a walk with him, nobody but an eyelid. They're all like, you know, And the fact the fact that one of the hunter guys at the start is quite sexually aggressive towards her, like getting in a way, and she.
Just sort of puts up with it.
And I think that that's the point where when he has all those flashbacks of like what happened to him and he's thinking about her and the doc, I think that's the moment where he realizes that basically she's been you know, she's been assaulted by him and all these other brooks while they've been drunk, but that's just become you know, she just kind of accepts it the same way that he says, like why don't you leave? Is
it because of your father? And you know, it's that thing of she's trapped, and I think that's part of her being trapped as well, you know, And I think that's why that's the thing that I think that's the thing that makes him go back.
With the gun.
I think it's not necessarily about this has happened to me, because I think he looks at it and goes I think he realizes that all of the things that have happened to him have been because of his own have partly been by his own hand, where she she's just been born into this and there's nothing she can do. And I think when he goes back to kill him. I think it's more about avenging what's happened to her
than about getting revenge for himself. And then when he walks in, he puts the gun to his own head.
You know. I think maybe.
That's the moment where he maybe that's that's them saying that actually, the only way is going to solve his problems is too is to kill himself rather than kill him, you know, because he's still going to be trapped there.
But then the other thing that I found was strange was the fact that then when he comes out of the hospital and the doc picks him up, and the doc's wearing a suit, and he's back in the suit, and it's almost like, you know, and and the cop just goes, this is the statement of what's happened, you know, I've I've you know, which it is all fudged.
I think that's the.
Point where he goes, oh, well, the docs picked me up, we're still friends. I you know, I'm not going to bring up the fact that he raped me, and I'm not gonna And equally, the doc isn't gonna isn't gonna try and get him up on charges for attempted murder because he changed his mind and shot himself at the end, and it's almost like this, none of this happened, you know, it was. It was. It's sort of like the policeman is officially saying, I think we can all agree none
of this happened. We can just go back to the way things were. And that's what and that's for me what brings up the interesting question. At the end of when they're on the train, this was the thing that didn't want to jump ahead to. So he's on the train and it's an exact mirror image of the initial scene when he's leaving and the guy goes and initially the guy's gonna have a drink, have a drink, and he says no, because all the way through he never
actually accepts. He just he's constantly refusing the hospitality, like all the way through. But then at the end, the guy goes, have a drink, have a drink, and he goes, oh, thanks, mat, and he takes a drink and he opens it. He just drinks it and he has no problem and there's no hostility from those guys.
That's oh, he's all right.
And he doesn't even talk to them, you know, it's just like, thanks, here's And so the question for me is has he And then he goes back to the school, presumably never gets to see never gets to see the girlfriend.
Like, so the question for.
Me at the end is has he has he by accepting, by just accepting the drink, has he accepted he's become one of these people.
And he's like, He's like, yeah, accept your drink.
He no longer thinks he's above them.
He's dropped to the depth.
Or is it? Or is or are they saying the way to deal with rather than deal with the fact that he's raped and Nelly murdered a man? Is Is it saying, you know what, it's easier just to have a drink and not rock the boat.
Is that what they're trying to say. It's it's like, what do you think?
Because it's I think his life now is in a loop and he's stuck in a loop. And we spoke about this almost being a nightmare or a dream, and when he basically literally wakes up in hospital and he has chips rapidly telling him none of this happened. This basically,
this didn't happen. The the nightmare or the dream is over, but so he thinks and then he and then he heads back to his his town to to I was gonna say it was yeah yeah, tim boone, yeah, And and then he's he's in this loop now where I think it's just gonna And that's why I think that opening shot, which I come refreger for its three sixty years you come back to the same place, and I think that kind of foretells the end of this. And I think that's what he's you know, his life might
be now. He may never escape this town. He's one of them. That's that's that's what I took because the first thing he does, of course, is going to you know, go to the pub and meets up with John Mellian and you know, and he's there again.
Yeah yeah, yeah.
So it's just a constant Yeah, You're just it's going to repeat itself.
And and that's what makes it really grim, kind of grim viewing in a way, because you know, and I'm a fan. I've said this before. I said a couple of weeks ago that I do love a little bit of hope at the end of my movies. You know, this give us a little bit of hope. There's none of that here there is no there is.
I think that's why I might have liked it so much, because I quite like I think that there's so many movies are so formulaic in terms of them finishing, you know.
With with that hope.
But what I quite like is I quite like that like a slight like for example, have you ever seen The Mist?
Have you seen?
Yeah?
Yeah?
And the fact that, like, you know, they kill themselves in the car and then the mist clears and they were like a meter away from being being rescued, you know, all the.
Tanks are there and stuff and like.
And then I remember when I was a kid that one of the films that sort of affected me the most was and I was really young when I saw it The Italian Job, and the fact that The Italian Job was the first film because I've probably only been watching sort of kids probably I was really young when I saw it, and my dad showed me when I
was the best cart yest you'll ever see. And then you know, that film ends with the with the coach balanced on the edge of a cliff and they're all at one end and the gold that they've robbed at the other end, and Michael Kine takes a step forward and just that way is enough for the you know, for the coach to start, you know, and he steps back and they all look at each other and he goes, right, lads, I've got an idea, and that to me and then you just and it just just it just tracks back
like that, and.
The things just on the cliff.
And I remember as a kid just thinking that is the best, because I was like, what, he can't end like that?
And I said to my dad does he get off the cliff? Do they not get off the cliff?
And he's like, well, that's the And so I I quite like the fact he's got his job and he's you know, he's having a drink and he's not you know, he didn't kill himself, but you're not quite sure up.
But I like that. I really like films that you just go, oh, here we go, here we go again.
You know.
Yeah. Yeah. And then and this film, I mean, and I love this film like I I had seen it a fork about, you know, fifteen or so years ago, not long after I guess they rediscovered it, and it effect it'd been more watching it last night than I did, I think fifteen years ago I think. I think even though I was what thirty fifteen years ago, it didn't quite I didn't quite understand what they were saying, and I thought might have been a bit over the time.
I enjoyed it, but I thought maybe it was a bit a bit able to top look at Australian masculinity and drinking culture. But I you know that fifteen years since, and you know the way the world has changed, even the last five years, it spoke to me a lot more and I was able to identify more things and more experiences that I've had even through through this film. And this film doesn't It's not a film that I don't think needs that ray of hope at the end, because why would you put a little bit of hope
at the end of this film. It doesn't need it because it's not what it's trying to sell you. It's trying to make the message of this toxic kind of drinking culture and what it can do to someone. And if you are going to engage in that behavior, these activities, then there's no there's no progression, there's no you are not going to get where you want if you if you conduct yourself. You know, I like this So that's
why I mean, that's I thought. This was the point I was I guess I was making is I generally love that little bit of hope at the end of movies, but this is one where it's a really good case for not needing it, because it's not what the filmmaker wants you to think. At the end of the last thing he wants you to think is I have a maybe we should organize that cricket trip.
We've all had weekends like that. How can I how can I make a weekend worse than that? What if a guy's boss dies? So I would say my only criticism and I here to do this because it's one of those things where you know, you know, if you know what it's like, you get a five star review, there's always one line, perhaps your face.
My only my only problem.
That I had with this film was the fact that it that not everybody that lives in those remote towns. There's a lot of really smart people out there who don't have drinking problems, and you know, there's another there's another side. There's another side to those small towns, in the mining towns and the you know, the out back places which you know that's a very brutal portrayal of and it, you know, And I think probably I wasn't,
you know, I didn't. I didn't come to this country till to ninety nine, so that might have been, you know, that that might have been the norm at that point. But I think now, I think it would be quite nice. It would be quite nice to see those places depicted where people aren't going through the worst of the worst, you know.
And with that said, there's a doco that I actually watch, funnily enough, on New Year's Eve, my wife and I we tend us to stay home and you have a few drinks and not venture out on year z E. But we watched a doco that was done a couple of years ago called Hotel called Gardi, and it's based on a small town in Australia, not dissimilar to the Yabba, and it's about two finished backpackers who go and take
up a job bartending at this hotel. And it's got a lot of the Waking Front kind of vibe about it, and it's like it's quite a lot of the things they're saying, you're Waking Front, that they're making the same points here, and but With that said, it's also it's also quite touching in yeah, because there's there's probably a more of a breadth of the type of men that you might get and characters. It's not just the ultra
aggressive you know much I do. It's it's it's like the you know this guy who you don't, the invisible guy at the end, he's quite sweet, you know, at the bar and it's it's Hotel cal guard. I think it's on stand. It's worth checking it's it's worth checking out. But mate, thank you so much.
Well, I wasn't. That wasn't funny at all. I did see. I did, I did, I did see an advance.
Once you start getting me talking about films, there's no there's nod.
I'm the same way. And I don't necessarily see this podcast as necessarily, you know, a comedy podcast, hopefully, And we have had some laughs throughout it, and it often depends on the film waiting for you know, we got weekending Bernie's there, Thank god that Ted Kotcher directed week In the Bernie's we got were able to muse a bit on that, but no, thank you mate, it's a it's this podcast country homework and I love it.
I love it.
I do appreciate it. And are you playing the Yabba anytime soon? He's the rough table tour going through the EBB.
Well, you know what, it's funny because you know a friend of ours, Deve O'Neill, the comedian. I literally, yeah, god, yeah, yeah, he's probably like that, yeah, the honorary.
Mayor or something. I literally I I thought of an idea.
We were talking about sitcoms, and I thought of an idea which is pretty much which is pretty much the flip side, like if you took Wake and Fright and just completely flipped it on its head. I pitched him and I said, I reckon, you should do a sitcom about this, and then told him this idea, and then, having watched Wake in Fright, I'm now going no, that's a really good idea. I'm slightly annoyed. I gave it.
Anyway, Well, thank you so much, and we will catch up again there very soon and go the yeba.
All right, do you want to drink?
What's the matter with your people?
Sponge on?
You burn your house down, murdy, your wife, freak your child, that's all right.
Don't have a tripper, you don't have.
A flaming bloody tripper.
You have a criminal offense at the end of the bloody world in there, you're.
That well, that was a whole bunch of fun and just fascinating chatting with Ross about that particular film. It may be the greatest Australian film of all time. I've always had a sut spot for Breaking Morant, and I've often said that was my favorite Strain film of all time, but I think Waking Fright with each viewing, creeps a little bit closer to the great Breaking Morant. So it
was fascinating to get Ross's take on it. And as Ross said, Ross and me, when we get together, we often get together and have lunch and we talk about movies just a lot, and we often deep dive and the jokes of go out the window and we just become passionate cinephiles, I guess, And it was great to get his take on this Ossie classic. I'm not sure I mentioned in this, but France was one country in one market that really took to wake Hi from perhaps
the only one. It was ignored or rejected by Australian audiences upon release, but it played for nine months in cinemas in Paris, which is kind of extraordinary. It was also the final theatrical film of Gary Bond, who played John Grant. He continued working in TV, but for some
reason never made another film. The director Ted Kotchef is not only has he made Weekend, The Bernie's and First Blood, but he also made another film called The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Festival Film Festival, and he's considered one of the great
Canadian films of all time. So an extraordinary career Ted Kotchef making, you know, a couple of what you might call independent art house films and absolute classics, and then you have First Blood and Weekend Bernie is saddled up next to it. So make of that what you will. But I really loved watching this film again and I yeah appreciate Ross for the insight that he brought to
that conversation. I want to thank Derek Mas, my podcast manager at Castwaystudios dot com dot au, for your podcast needs. This was recorded online because Ross was touring at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, so this was done online, not in our usual usually comfortable studios at Castways Studios. Yes, new podcast at gmail dot com is where you can send us your emails. Were being loving all the emails again, people are still writing to be telling me about.
That.
And net increase was of course and that's Funa Cello. So thank you for everyone who is continuing to catch onto that episode. I think that episode has done particularly well, so thank you for that and this keep them coming. Kathy and Edmonson got in touch with me and she's loving the podcast and she wants me to find somebody who has not seen Gallipoli and also The Intouchable, so one of the great French film and we've remade in America with Brian Kranston and Kevin Hart for a memory.
So thanks Kathy for that email, and yes, keep them coming, keep them coming. Next week on the show, We've only got a couple more for this series, and I'm going to take a short break finished filming How to Stay Married, which we're doing at the moment, and then I'll load up with some more some more guests, so a couple more to go. Next week on the show, we have myth Warhurst who will be watching Cheering Capodi's Classic and the of course Loudrey Hepburn Classic Breakfast at Tiffany's. That
will be next week. I cannot wait to sit down with Myth and have that conversation. Till then, keep watching movies, take care of yourselves. Goodbye for now, and so we
Leave old Pete, save man Salt, and to our friends of the radio audience, we've been a pleasant good night.