SWINGING SAFARI
Australia, 2018, 96 minutes, Colour.
Guy Pearce, Julian Mc Mahon, Radha Mitchell, Kylie Minogue, Asher Keddie, Jeremy Sims, Jack Thompson, Atticus Robb, Darcy Wilson,
Directed by Stephan Elliot.
The Americans can certainly make raucous, ultra-raucous comedies. So can writer-director, Stephan Elliott. He is best remembered for Priscilla but he also made A Few Best Men and Welcome to Woop Woop.
The success of this film and audience response will depend on moods. For those wanting a laugh, they will enjoy it very much. For those who don’t do raucous comedy very well, it will seem very irritating and very silly. And the rest will probably be somewhere in between – and depending on those moods. How much laughing with or laughing at?
This is the 1970s, 1975 to be particular, with the success of Jaws. The film was made on the Gold Coast. The song, Swinging Safari, become something of a theme song, but in the background are many of the Australian hit songs of the time.
In the foreground, in the tradition of Dame Edna and her mocking the products of the past and their advertising, there are all kinds of visual icons of what was popular in those days in the shops, in homes, fashions and accessories, food and gadgets. Also in the foreground are the fashions and clothes of the time, Tony Abbott -like budgies, long hair, that is for the men, and stylised hairdos for the women. And, a variety of clothes.
It is summer. Three families are at the beach. We are introduced to each of them, the role of the father, the presence of the mother, the number of children. They are all friends – but, an experiment of permissiveness of the times, sexual, keys in a bowl and changing partners, leads to some excess but also to regrets and clashes.
The story is told from the point of view of a young photographer who gets his friends to be involved in making short films, small plots, eccentric characters, and one friend geared up to do all the stunts, including being set alight and having to jump into the swimming pool (with the other kids pouring in chlorine). The young man is Jeff Marsh, ably played by Atticus Rob, rather more serious than the other kids and sympathetic to Melly (Darcy Wilson) who is introverted, critical, on the way to serious lamia.
The other main theme is a beached whale. Everyone is fascinated, the Mayor, Jack Thompson, encouraging tourists – but, after it is impossible to get the whale back into the water after it dies, explosives are planted with an enormous explosion and bits of blubber, huge and small, descending on all the characters, something like an apocalyptic judgement.
The film has attracted strong character actors for the parents. Guy Pearce and Radha Mitchell almost and recognisably raucous) are the Halls. Julian Mc Mahon and Kylie Minogue (playing rather morose) are the Joneses. Jeremy Sims on Asher Keddie are the Marshes.
Priscilla worked well and led to stage productions. Welcome to Woop Woop seems rather stupid. And, somewhere in between, depending on your vantage points of good or bad, lies Swinging Safari.
1. A look at Australia in the 1970s? Laughing with the characters and the situations, laughing at them…?
2. The re-creation of the period, the town, homes, interiors of the homes, the streets, cars and traffic? The beach? The beached whale?
3. The title, the song, its being played, the overtones? The range of songs from the 1970s? From Australia?
4. The director and his work, his style? The touch of autobiography? 1975? The teenager making films? The influence of Jaws, his action films, creating plots, the special effects? His camera, using Jerome and the others? The glimpses of the films? Action, stunts, fire, the swimming pool?
5. The tone, comic, raucous? The post-hippy era? Experimental morals? The humorous retrospect on clothes, hairstyles, fashions? Issues of parents, discipline or not for their children? Sexual experimentation, keys and the bowl?
6. Jeff Marsh as the focus, his story, his place in the family, his parents, his father’s job, his sister and her sexual behaviour? His friendship with Melly, her being quiet and reserved, the bond between them, each encouraging the other, their sharing, the decision to run away, the fire, finally escaping from the town?
7. Introduction to the families, the Hall family, work, the number of children, the genial father, the ambitious wife? The range of kids? The Marsh family, work, the practical father, the adventurous mother? The promiscuous daughter and the lineup of young men? The Jones family, the father and his being surly, his wife and her being morose? The effect on the children?
8. The range of kids, at home, the activities, meals and separate table, Melly not eating, Jeff eating so that they could all leave the table, the older children getting together, sex preoccupation, the younger boys and girls and their activities?
9. The sex episode, the parents and the times, daring, the plan, the keys and the bowl, hesitations, the behaviour, sexual partners? Jeff and Melly watching?
10. The shared interests of the families, meals, at the beach? The experience of the sex partners and the souring of relationship? The clashes? The children’s behaviour? The arguments? An eventual reconciliation?
11. Importance of the beached whale? The families and their looking, Melly and her compassion? Jeff filming? The role of the Mayor? Tourism? The blow to tourism when it stayed beached? The plan to explode the whale? The comedy and the moral touch of everybody being pelted with the whale blubber?
12. The use of the various icons of the period, in the shops, products, advertisements?
13. The brashness of the times, dismissing of some skin cancer, racial slurs, prejudices, condemnation of proctors, blacks…? 21st-century audiences and the response?
Laughing at the past and prejudice?
14. The blend of the raucous, the silly, comic touches, remembering? Comparisons with today?
