Not Quite Hollywood
by Back at a time when the Australian film industry rivalled Iceland’s for inactivity, the first Australian films to hit American and British drive-ins featured some weird plots indeed. Split into three parts, covering sex, slasher and smash and crash, Not Quite Hollywood focuses on Australian exploitation films. It is argued that without these films, Australia might not have a film industry at all. The pure volume of footage cut together from different sources, along with interviews with those involved in production, harsh critics and fans, makes for a fascinating historical artifact. The volume of nudity, violence and gore that went into these films, plenty of which makes it to the documentary, also means it’s both entertaining and titillating. While the cultural creditability of many of these films remains questionable, it was a fascinating time in Australian cinema and this comprehensive, slicked edited documentary does it more than justice. Some scenes simply defy belief — such as that featuring a naked woman strapped to the front of a truck then driven around at high speeds.
Tagged: Australian movies, independent movies
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