In the New Yorker, Stephen Schiff has described Fred Schepisi (b. 1939) as “probably the least-known great director working in the mainstream American cinema—a master storyteller with a serenely muscular style that can make more flamboyant moviemakers look coarse and overweening.” Schepisi’s launch in Australia during the country’s film renaissance of the 1970s and his ongoing international work have rightfully earned him a reputation as an actors’ director. But he has also become a skillful stylist, forging his own way as he works alongside a talented team of collaborators. This volume includes twenty interviews with Schepisi and two with longtime collaborators, cinematographer Ian Baker and composer Paul Grabowsky. The interviews trace the filmmaker’s career from his beginnings in advertising, through his two early Australian features—The Devil's Playground and The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith—to his subsequent work in the United States and beyond on films as various as Plenty, Roxanne, A Cry in the Dark, The Russia House, Six Degrees of Separation, Empire Falls, Last Orders, and Eye of the Storm. Schepisi’s films are diverse thematically and visually. In what is effectively a master class on film direction, Schepisi discusses his creative choices and his work with actors and collaborators behind the scenes. In the process, he provides a goldmine of insights into his films, his filmmaking style, and what makes him tick as an artist.

Fred Schepisi is one of the crucial names associated with the revival of the Australian film industry in the 1970s. The Films of Fred Schepisi traces the lead-up to his critical successes in feature filmmaking, via his earlier award-winning success as a producer in advertising commercials in the 1960s and the setting up of his own company. Unlike some directors, he derived from this experience a sure sense of the commercial aspects of filmmaking, as well as its aesthetic considerations. The volume also considers stories of his early education in a Catholic seminary, which he drew on in his semiautobiographical film, The Devil’s Playground, the success of which launched him as an exciting new feature director. The volume expands on Schepisi’s success story to chart his development as a director in demand in other countries, notably in the US and the UK, as well as continuing to make major films in Australia. Brian McFarlane argues that Schepisi’s career is symptomatic of Australian directors who have made their presences felt on the international stage. Whereas other key directors of the Australian film revival, such as Peter Weir and Bruce Beresford, have been the subject of book-length critical studies, Schepisi’s career has not to-date been so explored. McFarlane takes a critical account of Schepisi’s film output—including such standouts as The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Plenty, Roxanne, Six Degrees of Separation, Mr. Baseball, and Last Orders—and he augments analysis with interviews with the director. By discussing the production histories and both critical and popular receptions, McFarlane’s study shines a new light on Schepisi’s work and his rise to prominence in the global film industry.

Contains entries, many with descriptive annotations, on books, book chapters, periodical articles, government reports, academic theses, films, videos, and audio recordings published in Australia and elsewhere from 1988 to the early and mid 1990s. Works cited embrace all aspects of Australian film considered as art, industry, and sociological phenomenon, except extremely technical aspects of filmmaking. Categories include film archives and libraries, production, super-8mm film, government and film, history and criticism, ethnographic film, biographies, and film criticism and reviews. Includes author, book title, and film title indices. Distributed by Books International. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Vol. for 1963 includes section Current Australian serials; a subject list.

From Crocodile Dundee to Strictly Ballroom , from Breaker Morant to Mad Max , Australian film has delighted and moved audiences the world over. Now in a new edition, Australian Film makes available all the essential statistics on over 340 beloved feature films from leading film writers of the last seventeen years, including Jane Campion, Jocelyn Moorhouse, Keith Connolly, Philippa Hawker, and Adrian Martin. This comprehensive and meticulously edited volume includes at least one superb still for each film covered, revealing a surprising number of local and international movie stars including Mel Gibson, Rachel Ward, Meryl Streep, Anthony Hopkins, Mia Farrow, Bryan Brown, Judy Davis, Sam Neill, Greta Scacchi, and Paul Hogan. The most in-depth look available at this important era in film-making, Australian Film is accessibly arranged with one film to a page. Each entry gives technical and cast credits which correct many factual errors and offers a succinct article covering the film's content and significance. For this second edition Scott Murray and his contributors assess the forty-two Australian films released in 1993 and 1994, detailing such international successes as Pricilla, Queen of the Desert , Sirens , and Muriel's Wedding . Also examined are films such as Mel Gibson's first and little-known movie Tim , box office hits The Year of Living Dangerously , Green Card , and the Mad Max movies, and critically acclaimed films such as Strictly Ballroom , The Black Robe , My Brilliant Career , Breaker Morant , Gallipoli , The Man from Snowy River , The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith , and An Angel at My Table . The most comprehensive reference to the films of the past two decades, Australian Film will both delight and edify all serious movie-goers and film buffs.

Lists "must-see" movies in a chronological arrangement, providing information on director, producer, screenplay writer, music, cast members, and awards, along with a detailed review of each.