STACK #139 May 2016

DVD & BD FEATURE

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If you're an adventurous viewer who's eager to leave the comfort zone of generic Hollywood blockbusters, let Scott Hocking point you towards strange and exciting new frontiers in cinema, and explain what you need to know prior to taking the plunge. [Note: Some titles discussed may not be available on DVD and Blu-ray, so please check the JB Hi-Fi website.] BEGINNER’S GUIDE

#2 - OZPLOITATION WHAT IS OZPLOITATION? Simply put, Australian-made exploitation movies. The term was popularised by the 2008 documentary feature on the subject, Not Quite Hollywood . Australian genre movies have enjoyed a resurgence in the last 10 years, spearheaded by the success of Wolf Creek . And while recent films like Wyrmwood and The Loved Ones fit the term, Ozploitation primarily encompasses the sex comedies, action films and horror shockers made during the local film industry's boom period from the early '70s to mid-'80s, when the introduction of the R-rating, relaxed censorship and government tax shelter deals incited a frenzy of filmmaking.

standards, but you'll still be impressed by what they were getting away with back in the seventies. Not surprisingly, Tim Burstall's trailblazer was a smash hit and held the record as the most successful Australian film until 1977. Proceed from the

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sexy to the scary with Patrick (1978), an antipodean sibling of Carrie . The first screenplay by Ozploitation stalwart Everett De Roche is the story of a comatose patient (played by a bug-eyed Robert Thompson) with telekinetic powers, and like the aforementioned Brian De Palma film, Patrick features one hell of a jump-scare at the end. It's also the breakthrough film for director Richard Franklin, a Hitchcock potégé who would go on to helm another Ozploitation classic, Road Games (1981), and Psycho II (1983) Follow Patrick with another Everett De Roche- penned gem, LongWeekend (1978), in which a bickering married couple (John Hargreaves and Briony Behets) on a beach getaway pay a deadly price for environmental neglect. "Their crime was against nature... nature found them guilty"

WHAT TO EXPECT Blood, boobs and bums. They don't call 'em B-movies for nothing! The R-rating's introduction in 1971 coupled with the popularity of drive- ins created a huge demand for homegrown exploitation flicks; sex comedies, horror and action suddenly became a lucrative investment. Don't expect to see the period drama, indigenous issues or rites of passage themes that were being explored in more highbrow Aussie fare of that era, like Picnic at Hanging Rock and My Brilliant Career . But do expect to see rising stars like Jacki Weaver and Wendy Hughes in the buff, Nicole Kidman riding a BMX, martial arts mayhem on the slopes of Uluru, and fearless stuntmen like the legendary Grant Page risking life and limb. Ozploitation films satisfied our desire to see fair dinkum movies made in Australia for Australians and featuring Australians, although you will spot a number of imported stars – like Jamie Lee Curtis, Gregory Harrison and Robert Powell – alongside local talent. International stars helped sell our wares to overseas markets. Early Ozploitation films were sex romps

( Alvin Purple , 1973) and faux documentaries that masqueraded as sex education films ( The ABC of Love of Sex , 1978) or exposés of the strange and bizarre ( Australia After Dark , 1975). Their commercial success not only kickstarted a wave of genre filmmaking, but Australia's film industry as a whole. Without Alvin Purple and Barry McKenzie, there would be no Picnic at Hanging Rock and Mad Max . The, er, bottom line is that Ozploitation films are audacious, outrageous, loud, rude and crude – much like Australians themselves, which makes them culturally relevant. They're also an important and amusing time capsule of a bygone era: Ozploitation movies may be enjoying a renaissance, but ultimately they don't make them like they used to. WHERE TO START Start with the 1970s – the golden era of Ozploitation. Or more specifically, Alvin Purple , Australia's first R-rated film. This bawdy comedy about an ordinary bloke with an extraordinary sex life may not seem risqué by today's

Patrick

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