Metro Australia — January 2018

http://www.metromagazine.com.au | © ATOM | Metro Magazine 195 • 107

THE NFSA’S KODAK/ATLAB

CINEMA COLLECTION

The

Picture

Show

Man

ADRIAN DANKS

3GD/HBSTQD2GNV,@M-RKQ3RZHULV

a leisurely, episodic and picaresque portrait

RIWKHORQJIRUJRWWHQGD\VRIWKHWUDYHOOLQJ

ĺOPH[KLELWRUVZKRWUDYHUVHGWKHEDFNEORFNV

RI$XVWUDOLDLQWKHVDQGHDUO\V,W

follows the activities of one such struggling

operation and its adventures and encounters

ZLWKWLJKWNQLWFRPPXQLWLHVWKHFKDOOHQJHV

RIĻ\E\QLJKWĺOPH[KLELWLRQIHPDOHFRP

panionship, and the competitiveness of

D}EUDVKDQGRSSRUWXQLVWLF$PHULFDQULYDO

7KHĺOPIRFXVHVRQWKHLQWHUDFWLRQVEHWZHHQ

0DXULFHo3RSp3\P-RKQ0HLOORQKLVVRQ/DUU\

(Harold Hopkins) and their newly hired pianist

)UHGGLH-RKQ(ZDUWDVZHOODVWKHYDULRXVFRO

ourful characters they encounter on their journeys

including a pair of eccentric but felonious illusion

ists, Fitzwilliam (Patrick Cargill) and Madame

&DYDOOL-HOHQDnLJRQDVH[XDOO\IUXVWUDWHGZLGRZ

0UV}'XQFDQ-HDQLH'U\QDQDoVTXDWWHUpVGDXJK

WHUp/XF\6DOO\&RQDEHUHDQGDGDQFHLQVWUXFWRU

0LVV/RFNKDUW-XG\0RUULVHQDPRXUHGZLWKWKH

IDPHG,VDGRUD'XQFDQ3GD/HBSTQD2GNV,@M is

RQHRIRQO\DVPDOOQXPEHURI$XVWUDOLDQĺOPVWKDW

GHDOGLUHFWO\ZLWKDVSHFWVRIORFDODQGQDWLRQDOĺOP

history, and which draw extensively on the archival

research undertaken by one of its key creative

SHUVRQQHOZULWHUSURGXFHU-RDQ/RQJ7KHĺOPpV

reputation may have suffered in comparison to

the more audacious, ambitious, technically bril

liant and truly seminal -DVREQNMS3KLOLS1R\FH

a similarly cinema history–focused, but more

ĺOPLFDOO\G\QDPLFRSXVUHOHDVHGWRPXFKIDQIDUH

the following year. 3GD/HBSTQD2GNV,@M does,

KRZHYHUGHVHUYHWREHUHHYDOXDWHGLQUHODWLRQWR

WKHZULWLQJDQGUHZULWLQJRI$XVWUDOLDpVĺOPKLVWRU\

PART

40