Australian New Wave
8 Episodes
It came from a land down under . . . From the early seventies through the mideighties, a resurgence of government funding for national film production gave birth to a generation of brave, unconventional new voices who made Australia the home to a brief but bright-burning cinematic renaissance. Among the filmmakers who emerged from this artistic flowering were pivotal figures like Peter Weir, George Miller, Gillian Armstrong, Bruce Beresford, Fred Schepisi, and Phillip Noyce, many of whom went on to successful international careers. Encompassing subversive visions of Australian history (PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, MY BRILLIANT CAREER), a dystopian science-fiction cult classic (THE CARS THAT ATE PARIS), and beyond, these formally bold, thematically provocative films delved into the intricacies of Australian society and identity with newfound fearlessness. Among their most urgent concerns was for the country’s relationship to and mistreatment of its Indigenous people, as seen in works like WALKABOUT and THE LAST WAVE, both of which star legendary Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil, who stands as one of the movement’s most enduring faces.
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12:10Episode 1Voices of the Australian New Wave
Episode 1
This short documentary contains archival interviews with David Gulpilil, Peter Weir, Gillian Armstrong, Bruce Beresford and more.
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Walkabout
Episode 2
Directed by Nicolas Roeg • 1971 • Australia
A young sister (Jenny Agutter) and brother (Luc Roeg) are abandoned in the harsh Australian outback and must learn to cope in the natural world, without their usual comforts, in this hypnotic masterpiece from Nicolas Roeg. Along the way, they meet a yo...
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1:28:02Episode 3The Cars That Ate Paris
Episode 3
Directed by Peter Weir • 1974 • Australia
Starring Terry Camilleri, John Meillon, Kevin MilesThe debut feature from Australian New Wave legend Peter Weir is a brilliantly original blend of cracked comedy and macabre horror that Stanley Kubrick selected as one his all-time favorite films. Woe be...
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1:48:19Episode 4Picnic at Hanging Rock
Episode 4
Directed by Peter Weir • 1975 • Australia
Starring Rachel Roberts, Vivean Gray, Helen MorseThis sensual and striking chronicle of a disappearance and its aftermath put director Peter Weir on the map and helped usher in a new era of Australian cinema. Based on an acclaimed 1967 novel by Joan Lin...
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1:45:46Episode 5The Last Wave
Episode 5
Directed by Peter Weir • 1977 • Australia
Starring Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett, GulpililRichard Chamberlain stars as Australian lawyer David Burton, who takes on the defense of a group of aborigines accused of killing one of their own. He suspects the victim has been killed for violatin...
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1:17:38Episode 6The Plumber
Episode 6
Directed by Peter Weir • 1979 • Australia
A mysterious tradesman (Ivar Kants) shows up unbidden at the home of an academic couple (Judy Morris, Robert Colby) and proceeds over the next few days to disassemble their bathroom and related fixtures. The wife seems particularly disturbed by the man's...
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1:40:15Episode 7My Brilliant Career
Episode 7
Directed by Gillian Armstrong • 1979 • Australia
Starring Judy Davis, Sam NeillFor her award-winning breakthrough film, director Gillian Armstrong drew on teenage author Miles Franklin’s novel, a celebrated turn-of-the-twentieth-century Australian coming-of-age story, to brashly upend the co...
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1:47:25Episode 8Breaker Morant
Episode 8
Directed by Bruce Beresford • 1980 • Australia
Starring Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, John WatersAt the turn of the twentieth century, three Australian army lieutenants are court-martialed for alleged war crimes committed while fighting in South Africa. With no time to prepare, an Australian ...
