Dark Age (film)

Last updated

Dark Age
Darkage1987poster.jpg
Theatrical film poster
Directed by Arch Nicholson
Screenplay by Sonia Borg
Based onNumunwari
by Grahame Webb
Produced byBasil Appleby
Starring
Cinematography Andrew Lesnie
Edited byAdrian Carr
Music byDanny Beckerman
Production
companies
Distributed by Embassy Home Entertainment
Release date
  • July 10, 1987 (1987-07-10)
Running time
91 minutes
Countries
  • Australia
  • United States
Language English
BudgetA$4.8 million [1]

Dark Age is a 1987 Australian horror adventure film [2] directed by Arch Nicholson, produced by Antony I. Ginnane and starring John Jarratt. [3]

Contents

Plot

During a massive rainstorm, a trio of poachers head out into a local river in the Northern Territory to hunt crocodiles. Upon finding a massive saltwater crocodile, the poachers attempt to capture it. However, the crocodile tips their boat over and attacks, leaving only one survivor - John Besser (Max Phipps).

The next day, ranger and herpetologist Steve Harris (John Jarratt), Oondabund (Burnum Burnum), the leader of a local Aboriginal community, and his second-in-command Adjaral (David Gulpilil) head out to check on the poachers and rescue Besser. Besser however vows revenge against the crocodile.

The crocodile subsequently attacks and murders an Aboriginal child. Harris is assigned by his boss Rex Garret (Ray Meagher) to kill the crocodile. However, Oondabund refuses to allow this, revealing to Harris that the crocodile - named Namunwari - is believed to be a mystical repository of the community's souls.

Namunwari subsequently kills a thug at a local harbor. Harris leads a search for it, only to turn up nothing. Harris convinces Oondabund to help him hunt Namunwari, in exchange for capturing the crocodile and releasing it downriver away from people in its original home. A reluctant Garret agrees.

Harris, Oondabund, and Adjaral set out hunting Namunwari along the river. Besser and one of his friends also set out to hunt Namunwari by trapping it in a net, intending to kill it. However, Namunwari is able to drag Besser into the water and bites off his arm.

Harris, Oondabund, and Adjaral are able to successfully capture Namunwari and bring it in to the mainland. The trio set to transporting Namunwari via truck, unknowingly pursued by Besser and his friends and Harris's girlfriend Cathy Pope (Nikki Coghill) who intends to warn the trio. They manage to arrive at the crocodile's home, only for Besser and company to arrive immediately after.

Besser attacks the crocodile with an axe as it flees into the river, while his friends engage Harris, Oondabund, Pope, and Adjaral in a gunfight. Oondabund is fatally wounded by one of Besser's men, but the others are able to fend them off. Besser loses track of Nanunwari in the river and is ambushed by the crocodile and dragged underwater to his death. Sometime later, Adjaral feeds Oondabund's remains to the crocodile in accordance with their religion.

Cast

Production

The film was part of a two-picture deal between executive producer Antony I. Ginnane and Hollywood studio RKO which also included The Lighthorsemen . Shooting took place five weeks in Cairns and one week in Alice Springs, starting 22 April 1986. [4] [5]

The plot shares many similarities to Jaws and contains homage shots such as the shot involving a shooting star.

Release

The movie was never seen in Australia theatrically and took a long time to be seen on DVD. [4]

Reception

Dennis Schwartz of Ozus' World Movie Reviews gave a positive review, calling the film "well-produced and acted, and an intelligent environmental adventure film results."[ citation needed ]

Quentin Tarantino spoke enthusiastically of the film in the documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! , commenting "You could re-release Dark Age in 2,000 screenings and people would go see it." In 2009, Tarantino hosted a screening for it in Sydney. [6]

Filmink later said "The phenomenal box office success of Jaws meant producers inevitably looked towards Australia’s deadly fauna as a source of inspiration... In hindsight, it’s actually weird that more films about killer animals weren’t made in the 10BA era." [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quentin Tarantino</span> American filmmaker (born 1963)

Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue including a pervasive use of profanity, and references to popular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crocodile</span> Family of large reptilian carnivores

Crocodiles or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia, which includes the alligators and caimans, the gharial and false gharial among other extinct taxa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Australia</span> Film and television industry in Australia

The cinema of Australia began with the 1906 production of The Story of the Kelly Gang, arguably the world's first feature film. Since then, Australian crews have produced many films, a number of which have received international recognition. Many actors and filmmakers with international reputations started their careers in Australian films, and many of these have established lucrative careers in larger film-producing centres such as the United States.

<i>The Rescuers Down Under</i> 1990 American animated adventure film

The Rescuers Down Under is a 1990 American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the sequel to Disney's 1977 animated feature film The Rescuers, which was based on the novels by Margery Sharp. In The Rescuers Down Under, Bernard and Bianca travel to the Australian Outback to save a young boy named Cody from a villainous poacher who wants to capture an endangered golden eagle for money. Directed by Hendel Butoy and Mike Gabriel from a screenplay by Jim Cox, Karey Kirkpatrick, Byron Simpson, and Joe Ranft, the film features the voices of Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, John Candy, and George C. Scott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Gulpilil</span> Aboriginal Australian actor and dancer

David Dhalatnghu Gulpilil was an Australian actor and dancer. He was known for his roles in the films Walkabout (1971), Storm Boy (1976), The Last Wave (1977), Crocodile Dundee (1986), Rabbit-Proof Fence, The Tracker and Australia (2008).

<i>Wolf Creek</i> (film) 2005 Australian horror film by Greg McLean

Wolf Creek is a 2005 Australian horror film written, co-produced and directed by Greg McLean and starring John Jarratt, Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath and Kestie Morassi. Its plot concerns three backpackers who find themselves taken captive and subsequently hunted by Mick Taylor, a sadistic, psychopathic, xenophobic serial killer, in the Australian outback. The film was ambiguously marketed as being "based on true events", while its plot bore elements reminiscent of the real-life murders of backpackers by Ivan Milat in the 1990s and Bradley Murdoch in 2001, both of which McLean used as inspiration for the screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Jarratt</span> Australian actor and director

John Jarratt is an Australian television film actor, producer and director and TV presenter who rose to fame through his work in the Australian New Wave. He has appeared in a number of film roles including Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Summer City (1977), The Odd Angry Shot (1979), We of the Never Never (1982), Next of Kin (1982), and Dark Age (1987). He portrayed the antagonist Mick Taylor in the Wolf Creek franchise. He voiced the protagonist's father, Jack Hunter, in an audio drama adaptation of The Phoenix Files. He is also known for his recurring role in the drama series McLeod's Daughters.

Burnum Burnum was an Aboriginal Australian sportsman, activist, actor, and author. He was a Woiworrung and Yorta Yorta man at Wallaga Lake in southern New South Wales. He was originally christened Harry Penrith but in 1976, he changed his name to Burnum Burnum after his grandfather both to honour him and acknowledge his Aboriginal identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crocodile attack</span> Crocodile attacks on humans

Crocodile attacks on humans are common in places where large crocodilians are native and human populations live. It has been estimated that about 1,000 people are killed by crocodilians each year.

<i>Rogue</i> (2007 film) Australian horror film by Greg McLean

Rogue is a 2007 Australian independent horror film written, produced and directed by Greg McLean, about a group of tourists in Australia who fall prey to a giant, 25 ft (7.6 m) man-eating saltwater crocodile. It stars Michael Vartan, Sam Worthington and Radha Mitchell.

<i>Dark of the Sun</i> 1968 British adventure war film by Jack Cardiff

Dark of the Sun is a 1968 British adventure war film starring Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux, Jim Brown, and Peter Carsten. The film, which was directed by Jack Cardiff, is based on Wilbur Smith's 1965 novel, The Dark of the Sun. The story about a band of mercenaries sent on a dangerous mission during the Congo Crisis was adapted into a screenplay by Ranald MacDougall. Critics condemned the film on its original release for its graphic scenes of violence and torture.

Boney is an Australian television series produced by Fauna Productions during 1971 and 1972, featuring James Laurenson in the title role of Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte. Two series, each of thirteen episodes, were filmed.

<i>Turkey Shoot</i> (1982 film) 1982 Australian film

Turkey Shoot is a 1982 Australian dystopian action film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith. Its ensemble cast — an eclectic mix of international stars, Australian soap opera veterans and character actors — is led by Steve Railsback, Olivia Hussey, Michael Craig, Noel Ferrier, Carmen Duncan, Roger Ward and Lynda Stoner. The film marks the first of three directorial collaborations between Trenchard-Smith and producer Antony I. Ginnane — the others being The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989) and Arctic Blast (2010) — although the director had previously made promotional reels and trailers for Ginnane's earlier films.

<i>Sky Pirates</i> 1986 Australian film

Sky Pirates is a 1986 Australian adventure film written and produced by John D. Lamond, and directed by Colin Eggleston. The film was inspired by Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), as well as borrowing liberally from The Philadelphia Experiment (1984), The Deer Hunter (1978), Dirty Harry (1971) and Mad Max (1979).

Antony I. Ginnane is an Australian film producer best known for his work in the exploitation field. He was head of the Screen Producers Association of Australia from 2008 to 2011.

<i>The Time Guardian</i> 1987 Australian film

The Time Guardian is a 1987 Australian science fiction film directed by Brian Hannant, co-written by John Baxter and Hannant, and starring Tom Burlinson, Nikki Coghill, Dean Stockwell, and Carrie Fisher.

<i>Wolf Creek 2</i> 2013 Australian film

Wolf Creek 2 is a 2013 Australian horror film co-written and directed by Greg McLean. The film is a sequel to the 2005 film Wolf Creek and stars John Jarratt, reprising his role as Mick Taylor. It was released on 30 August 2013 at the Venice Film Festival, then released in Australia on 20 February 2014.

Turning Point is a 1960 Australian television play.

The Slaughter of St. Teresa's Day was a 1960 Australian TV play based on the stage play of the same name by Peter Kenna.

References

  1. "Australian Productions Top $175 million", Cinema Papers, March 1986 p64
  2. Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p34
  3. "Memories of Arch Nicholson". Filmnews . New South Wales, Australia. 1 March 1990. p. 5. Retrieved 16 May 2020 via Trove.
  4. 1 2 David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p302-303
  5. Mallinder, Terry (12 January 2015). "Queensland's horror filled history". Sunshine Coast Daily . Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  6. "Dark Age Q & A" Popcorn Taxi 2009 Archived 22 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine accessed 1 November 2012
  7. Vagg, Stephen (29 February 2020). "Top Ten 10BA Knock Offs". Filmink.