THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH

Australia, 1978, 122 minutes, Colour.
Tommy Lewis, Freddie Reynolds, Ray Barrett, Jack Thompson, Angela Punch, Arthur Dignam, Peter Carroll, Robin Nevin, Don Crosby, Elizabeth Alexander, Ruth Cracknell, Peter Sumner.
Directed by Fred Schepisi.

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith is Fred Schepisi’s second film feature. He had directed the episode, The Priest, in Libido. This screenplay was written by Thomas Keneally. Schepisi's autobiographical The Devil's Playground won acclaim at the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes in 1976. The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith was chosen for presentation within the competition at Cannes in 1978. Visually the film is extraordinarily beautiful and Ian Baker's photography is excellent. The performances are also excellent, especially the very natural performances by Tommy Lewis as Jimmie and Freddie Reynolds as Mort. A fine gallery of Australian character actors and actresses take supporting roles.

Thomas Keneally's novel is followed fairly closely. One of the difficulties with the film is that while the themes are important and have great impact in Australia in the 1970s, the portrayal of Jimmie at the beginning is of a gentle kind of person. Although the audience can feel the exploitation and injustice, the sudden eruption of vengeance in Jimmie does not seem to square with what has been presented of his character and his reactions. In some ways his rage seems to be presupposed. This does seem to lessen the impact of the film. However, the film would probably have far more impact on second viewing when audiences understand the direction of the plot and have confronted the themes for the first time.

1 How well did the film live up to its reputation and advertising? Audience expectations from the film-makers, the novel, themes and treatment?

2. The significance of the title? The emphasis on the chant? The change of name to "Blacksmith" from the real name of "Governor"? (The change in status of names?)

3. The quality of the Panavision photography, the emphasis on scenic beauty, on the flora and fauna - as symbols of the aboriginal way of life? The close-ups of insects etc. and their insertion at dramatic points of the film? The contribution of the music? The importance of the editing for so many brief sequences and their cumulative effect for character, issues and themes?

4. The violent aspects of the film and their visual presentation? Appropriate for the theme and for audience response? For audience sympathies for white, for black? The language? The explicitness of the sexual scenes? The stylised aspects of the film and its editing compared with the realism of the plot? An appropriate blending of style and realism?

5. The portrait of Australia at 1900? The effects of the 19th century on Australian culture and civilization? The place of the aborigines and their lacking rights? The build-up to Federation and its implications for white and black? The discussion of the Boer war and Australians being killed there? The relevance of the social and political issues to the major themes of the film?

6. The formulation of the White Australia Policy at the time? The presuppositions of white supremacy and the repercussions for the whites themselves, their assumptions for the treatment of the aboriginals? The presentation of these issues in the perspective of 1978? Audience response to these issues in 1978? The portrait of the aborigines as dispossessed? Their questions as to what they have done to deserve this? The memories of the past? McReady's facts and figures as he talked to Jimmie at the sacred shrine? (How appropriate was the preaching tone of McReady's speech?) The visual presentation of the aborigines in their rituals, in the outskirts of the towns, drinking? Degradation, swearing and drinking, imprisonment? The humiliation in the ordinary way of speaking and acting of the whites? The film's criticism and pleading for the status of aborigines?

8. The visual presentation of the shanties, the drinking, the families depending on aborigines with money and the whites considering them as 'hangers on"? The status of money? moral standards? Adapted from ancient traditions and civilizations? Contaminated or affected by Christian and white civilization?

9. The effectiveness and significance of the opening sequences? The visual portrayal of the initiation and its implications? The contrast with Mr Neville and the Christian implications of Jimmie's upbringing? The highlighting of his being a half-caste throughout the film? The religious significance? The nature religion and its use later, eg. his dance at the birth of his child, the shrine and clearing it of stones and rubbish, his later rejection of it? The contrast with Methodist religion, Mr. Neville's teaching and style, the racist tones of Christianity, the quoting of the Bible, especially in the final jail sequence? His final hiding in a convent and being arrested in a convent?

10. The theme of the whites not understanding Jimmie throughout the film? His answer at the beginning about the possums? The evasiveness of the aborigine and white questions? The importance of the dinner sequence and the tracking style when Mr. Neville was explaining the situation, especially about his children and a white wife? Mrs. Neville's racist attitudes? The contrast in portraying Jimmie well dressed and educated at the white man's table compared with his aboriginal background?

11. Jimmie's character? His strengths and his weaknesses, as understood within his background, with Mr Neville’s training? How much did he absorb white attitudes? The episodic build-up of his character and the influences on his life: his being sent off by the Nevilles full of hopes, his attempts at fencing and his ability with his work, his being cheated and humiliated, being refused a lift etc., his work with the police and his sharing in white brutality, the reaction to Farrell and to the aborigine's hanging himself? His burning his police uniform? The effect of all this injustice and exploitation and humiliation on the audience? Was it strong enough to communicate the sense of injustice within Jimmy? The Newbys and his experience there as the final straw? Thematically strong, dramatically?

12. The portrait of the whites in the film: the Nevilles and their attitudes and behaviour, Mr. Healy and his wife, the other farmers, Farrell and his bashing and his drunkenness, the Newbys at the picnic and Miss Graf and her superior attitudes? Which scenes illustrated this best? The attitudes of arrogance, the fact that whites expected the aborigines to be bad? Their wanting the aborigines to be bad?

13. The portrait of Gilda and the cook? The cook and his comments on the English, the Boer War and the Australians? The men in the cookhouse? Jimmie's glimpse of the cook and Gilda? The irony with the birth of the child? His courting of Gilda and the scene of intercourse? The importance of his building a house, the help with the horse by Mr. Newby? Gilda and her devotion to Jimmie, her travelling with him, the house and her reaction, the build-up to the birth? The vividness of the birth sequences and Mrs. Newby's reaction? Jilmirde’s reaction with the dance, the knowledge that it was white? The cynicism of the atmosphere and the effect on Jitwy?

14. The film's presentation of the Newbys as ambiguous? The humour of the picnic and yet Miss Graves sarcasm? The help with the birth, with the horse? And yet the condemnation of the relations as 'hangers on'? Mr. Newby's harsh attitudes, the snobbery of his children? Allowing the aboriginals to go hungry and standing his ground?

15. was there sufficient build-up to the massacre? The sudden eruption? How much violence really was within Jimmie7, The visualising of the massacre and its effect? By suggestion? were Jimmie’s motives clear? Did they have to be? Did his uncle join in the violence his later fear, explanation in the court? Mort's involvement? Gilda’s involvement and her decision to go with Jimmie? Why did the massacre continue?

16. The focus on Jimmie’s uncle and the pursuit, the scenes of his fear, his being left behind, his appearance in the court and his speech? Themes for aboriginal guilt, responsibility, victimisation by the whites, retribution?

17. Mr. Newby and his grief and public sympathy? How well did the audience share this grief? The reaction of Mrs. Newby in her dying, the picture of the dead children? The build-up to the trial? The importance of Miss Graf's fiance and his attitude of vengeance? (And his later admission that he was glad that he did not have to marry her?)

18. The posse atmosphere and the pursuit? The atmosphere of violence within the men? Their violence in killing Mort? Their jabbing and punching Jimmy? Their pride in posing for the photos?

19. The significance of the hangman and the scenes in the butcher's shop? The visitor and his questions and comments? The effect of a chorus? (The use of meat and its recurrence as a symbol throughout the film?) The M.B.E., the political discussion? The ambiguity of the attitude towards the hangman? The hangman himself and his sense of duty? His reaction to the visitor? How did the visitor's questions reflect Australian attitudes and prurient curiosity?

20. The patterns in the film as the chase began? The portrayal of the bush in all its majesty and harshness? Jimmie and Mort and their having to survive? The picturing of their surviving, their hardships? Their covering their tracks? The significance of Australian landscapes and the bush?

21. The presence of Mort? His cheerful disposition, full-blood aboriginals? His character and his bond with Jimmie in the early sequences, and after his arrival at Newbys? His being fully within the aboriginal tradition and his recurring to these in times of stress? The importance of his conscience and his questioning Jimmie? The episode in the camp and the sex relationship with the aboriginal woman and their escape? His reaction to the teacher and Jimmie clearing up the desecrated shrine? His decision to remain behind? His help with the teacher? The submissiveness and humiliation of his death? An image and symbol of the treatment of the aborigines by white Australians?

22. The chase and the taste of blood and Jimmie’s indiscriminate killing, especially the woman and her baby? (The visualising of this through Mort's facial reactions?) The contrast with Mort only wounding? The decisions about killing and not killing any more women? The contrast with the white glee at deaths, especially Mort's?

23. The dramatic significance of the encounter with Mc Ready and his wife? The significance of looking at the bullet and the cartoons? Mc Ready as a hostage? As a teacher, as an ill white man? His being forced to submit to the aboriginals and the irony of this? Adapting to the bush? The visualising of the sacred shrine with all the graffiti and the crude vulgarity? His helping them clear it? His facts and figures about aboriginal history and the preaching tone? His being brought back?

24. How sympathetic was the audience by the time Jimmie was alone? His being shot and wounded in the river? The fact that he was waging war? The sequence under the tree and the whirling world around him? The rest in the convent and the irony of his capture?

25. The effect of the prison sequence, the guard and the peephole and his disregard of Jimmie? Mr. Neville and his sympathy, assuaging his conscience and blaming himself?

26. The suddenness of the ending, its dramatic form? Leading to execution?

27. Comment on the values of the Australian production and the technical skills?

28. Themes of Australia; the land and its harshness? The particular study of Australian people and the universal message? Racial themes, education, violence and cruelty, conscience? The political overtones and Federation? The significance of this story for the present? The significance of the final flight of birds after the prison sequence?