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1967). But Taylor’s Palmer in3GD /HBSTQD 2GNV ,@Mis also an
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his new motorised transport and sound equipment are submerged
in the local lake, Palmer is all too quick to sell off his interests to
his rivals and look towards new opportunities. Meanwhile, Pym
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distributors who eked out a living and were in it for the long haul.
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‘warily’ and demonstrate ‘an Australian resistance to change and
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which ‘seems to inhere in their gently descriptive and evocative
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2GNV ,@M, Pym and Freddie return to their past triumphs – an
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and the audience asks for a song instead. This scene invokes the
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moment when the movie being screened goes out of sync and
the audience becomes restless is reminiscent of familiar situations
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But3GD /HBSTQD 2GNV ,@Mdeploys an extravagant sleight
of hand to manage this conceit and emphasise its affection for
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1@MFKD 1HUDQ, and its anachronistic appearance here, straight after
a scene that shows a poster promoting3GD )@YY 2HMFDQ(Alan
Crosland, 1927) pasted to the trunk of a tree, reveals a surpris
ing and uncharacteristic lack of care in terms of historical verac
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what was lost with the coming of sound and the failure of many
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and aesthetic change. The irony of this choice is further revealed
when one looks more closely at1@MFKD 1HUDQ’s production history.
Badger was a superannuated American director nearing the end of
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the complex interplay that exists between Australian and interna
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the 1970s revival, one that promotes cultural nationalism yet looks
towards overseas models and markets as key inspirations.
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edited collection and monograph forthcoming exploring the connec-
tions between Australian and international cinemas. m
Select bibliography
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West Melbourne, 1977.
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'DYLG :KLWH o7KH)LOP0DNHUVp,DMR5NFTD, March–April 1977,
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Australian Women’s Weekly 1RYHPEHU $QG\ )RZOHU
o6XSHUVWDU 5RG 7HDPV 8S ZLWK +LV 2OG 0DWH -RKQpThe Daily Mirror,
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'LDPRQG 5RGpTV Times 'HFHPEHU
(^2) David Stratton,The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival$QJXV
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of series such asThe Dismissal,Return to EdenandThe Dirtwater
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atrical feature,Father LV D SRZHUIXO DFFRXQW RI WKHWUDXPDWLF
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Australian Film, 1900–1977 UHY HGQ2[IRUG8QLYHUVLW\3UHVV
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