| Title |
They're a Weird Mob |
| Copyright Title |
They're a Weird Mob |
| Released |
1966 |
| Production Year |
1966 |
| Director |
Michael Powell
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| Comments |
The budget for "They're A Weird Mob" came from the Rank Organisation, Britain's National Film Finance Corporation and the remainder from J.C. Williamson Ltd. The film was publicised as a "re-birth" of Australian cinema, and indeed, it enjoyed much commercial success; sustaining an unbeaten record at Sydney's State Theatre and grossing $3 million from Australian screenings in under one year.
However, because of the distribution-exhibition agreement arranged by Williamson-Powell, the producers only received one-sixth of this amount by 1967 and would not recoup production costs until 1974. Because these frustrations eventuated in spite of the film's large box-office success, "They're a Weird Mob" became a major player in alerting everyone to the Australian film industry's need for government support. |
| Synopsis |
Adapted from the 1957 novel by John O'Grady (writing under the pseudonym Nino Culotta), "They're A Weird Mob" is about Italian immigrant Nino, his arrival in Sydney and his endeavours to adapt to the Australian traditions of mateship, learn the local lingo and win the heart of Kay Kelly - the daughter of a building contractor. The portrayal of Australians in the film is widely caricatured (the process of stereotyping is reversed to include Anglo-Australians) and Walter Chiari's performance is admirable as Nino.
Nevertheless, the film misses the subtle quirkiness of the characters that is present in the book and the displacement and alienation of a new Italian immigrant in a foreign country is never adequately explored. |
tags: comedy
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References ( click to view )
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| chapter - An Australian Film Reader : Strategies for an Industry - Government Intervention . 00-00-1968. pp.166-170 |
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Michael Thornhill
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| Thornhill's essay is in full support of Government intervention and he has condemned Ken Hall, claiming he has denied Australian films the chance to fairly c...[full record]
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| chapter - An Australian Film Reader : Strategies for an Industry - Television and Co-Production . 00-00-1985. pp.158-165 |
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Ken Hall
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| Written in 1968, several years before tax concessions for film makers were available, Hall makes his case for co-production to become the model for future fi...[full record]
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| journal - Contexts in which to place They're a Weird Mob and into which you might never have placed it before Metro. . p.174 |
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Quentin Turnour
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| [full record]
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| journal - Film & its near neighbour: the Australian film & television interface The Converging of Film and Television. 00-00-1989. pp.15-24 |
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Tom O'Regan
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| The article discusses the film and television industry from the 1960s-1980's, and the changes that occurred over three decades. The essay reveals that becaus...[full record]
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| journal - Men In Recent Oz Films Filmnews 1 V10. p.9 |
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Glen Lewis
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| A look at the portrayal/depiction of Australian men in films.
[full record]
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| newspaper - Still as weird as ever Independent (WA). 27-01-1985. p.40 |
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Denise Shaw
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| This article is a review come nostalgic look at the film They're A Weird Mob leading up to it's screening on television on the Australia day holiday.
[full record]
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| journal - Sydney - Italian Style Film Digest 7. p.3 |
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Michael Thornhill,
Ken Quinnell
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| This is an interview with Michael Powell, the director/producer of the
film, done on set during the shooting. It is about how Powell became interested in the...[full record]
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| newspaper - That's not a film - this is a film. Science and art come to the rescue of Australian cinema classics. The Age. 17-12-2005. p.12 |
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Steven Down
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| The article 'That's not a film - this is a film. Science and art come to the rescue of Australian cinema classics.' provides an insight into the Kodak / Atla...[full record]
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| chapter - The cinema of Australia and New Zealand : They're a Weird Mob . 00-00-2007. pp.91-99 |
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Adrian Danks,
Rolando Caputo
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| Overview of the film 'They're a Weird Mob',[full record]
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| journal - They're A Weird Mob Monthly Film Bulletin 394 V33. p.172 |
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Author Unknown
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| This is a review of the film They're A Weird Mob. It runs through the basics of the story, but reviews it as a 'routine women's magazine romance', so rather ...[full record]
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Close References
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