UGS 302 — 60575 Dr. B. Berry Movies from Down Under Calhoun 303 Fall 2019, MW 2-3:15 pm Office hrs: [email protected] [Use above address only; NOT Canvas]
Movies from Down Under Course Syllabus
Required Texts: o Jenn’s Copy & Binding Packets, Two Total (available for purchase at 2518 Guadalupe—on the Drag directly across the street from Dean Keeton St.)
Packet 1 includes contextual materials on the films and Australian history that we will read and discuss in class. Packet 2 is an out-of-print Australian novel—Snake, by Kate Jennings. o Tracks (May, 1995), Robyn Davidson. This is a travel and journey narrative by the first woman to travel alone and on foot (with camels and a dog) from Alice Springs, in Australia’s Northern Territory, to the east coast of “Oz” and the shore of the Indian Ocean, in Western Australia—1700 miles.
FILMS:
40,000 Years of Dreaming — (1997, 50 minutes) A visual travelogue through the history of Australian film, narrated by George Miller, the director of Mad Max-es.
Walkabout (May 1971, 100 minutes) A first contact narrative, involving and two English children and an Aboriginal youth. Introduces one of the most famous Aboriginal actors. Visually stunning; analytically challenging—but well worth the attention.
Gallipoli (August 1981, 111 minutes) The innocence of a colonial nation finds tragedy on the international stage. Thousands of Aussie men charged towards their death and died fighting for the British Crown. Mel Gibson—before Mad Max, see below), plays a character, a fast runner before the war, who has to pay an ultimate price for, quite simply, not being able to run fast enough. Harrowing, and unforgettable.
A Cry in the Dark (February 1988, 120 minutes) Based on an actual case, involving the notorious Aussie Lindy Chamberlain, played by Meryl Streep, who lost 9 week-old Azaria while the family was camping by Uluru in the Outback. The child was taken from her tent. “Dingo’s got my baby” became a cult phrase about the case. True or no? If so, it was a dingo that buried neatly folded clothes … ? We’ll probably never know, but Lindy Chamberlain lives as a free and exonerated woman. 2
The Tracker (2002, 133 minutes) 1922. Subtitle shows us “Somewhere in Australia.” When an Aboriginal Australian man is accused of murdering a white woman, three men are given the mission of capturing him with the help of an experienced Australian “tracker.” They start their quest in the outback, not knowing that their inner wrestles against and for racism will be more dangerous than finding the accused.
Muriel’s Wedding (September 1994, 106 minutes) A huge Australian hit, and not your usual rom com. Muriel (Toni Collette, who gained 50 lbs. to play the role) and Rhonda (Rachel Griffiths) play positively terrific characters in this feel-good film. GREAT soundtrack, all music by ABBA (don’t be a music snob)!
Tracks (September 2014, 112 minutes) The film adaptation of Robyn Davidson’s book we read. This will involve an obvious-on-your-part comparison between the text and the film. This might be one that softens or fails the text, but you decide. Either way, it’s an inspiring story of a female role model (for the daring) and the outback setting and cinematography together tell us much about that desolate land.
On the Beach [the film] (December 1959, 134 minutes) The ending of the world as we know it. An American take, with American stars, on Australia in the atomic age. It’s also a love story, and
On the Beach [the TV series] (May 2000, 195 minutes) Absolutely uncanny, tv’s more character driven take on this classic and underrated film. Excellent casting and acting. Try to note the new additions—or exclusions—on this re-do.
Mad Max [the first of the MM film series] (April 1979, 93 minutes) Made Mel Gibson (along with Gallipoli, see above) a real star, and not surprising. It’s an apocalyptic movie: the world has become a waste land, Aussie ex-cop Mad Max has a major grudge, and he’s going to kick butt. The source of power is to have gasoline, because fuel powers whatever kind of ride you might have left or have managed to steal, and means—maybe—you can get at least somewhere. Movement and evasion is all you’ve got going for you in this societal collapse.
Mad Max: Fury Road (May 2015, 120 minutes) The final sequel by director George Miller? Maybe not. Fury Road brings women to the front and fore. Charlize Theron does a pretty good job of acting, as does Tom Hardy, but the star of the film is … umm, the film. The film stunts would convert one not interested in action movies, and the visual moods are quite something. Almost forgotten, already. (I have an excellent pictorial text outlining the beginning to end of the making of this movie.). May not become a classic, but it is just a hair short.
Sweet Country (September 2017, 113 minutes) An Oz western set on the Northern Territory frontier in the 1920s, where justice itself is put on trial when an aged Aboriginal farmhand shoots a white man in self-defense and goes on the run as a posse gathers to hunt him down. A forced sexual relationship by the lout of a landowner that he 3 kills with the Aboriginal’s beloved wife will reveal itself. For you cinematography enthusiasts, beautifully filmed. Haunting.
Two Important Notes: Bring your volume 1 packet to class everyday. Be prepared to take notes in each and every class: a very important course requirement.
Course Description: This course views Australia through the lenses of Aussie filmmakers from 1959-2015. Several of the films dramatize important episodes in the history of Oz (no relation to “The Wizard of …”), and readings in our class will provide further background and foundation for the films that we will view. The range of experience runs from bush life and Aboriginal cultures (including a Blanton Museum Exhibit visit—“Ancestral Aboriginal Abstract Art”—to urban Australian life and the fantastical (as in On the Beach and Mad Max. The landscapes and scenery presented in these films will inevitably make you want to go see the magic and beauty of Australia for yourselves.
Core Curriculum: This course will address the following four core objectives established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: communication skills, critical thinking skills, personal responsibility, and social responsibility. Our collective goal regarding all course readings, materials, and films will be to ask ourselves and to answer to the best of each student’s ability and knowledge gained by this course’s study: What do these texts, individually and as a whole, communicate to observant and culturally responsible people about values and choices of different people or different groups of people who live in our own or, to employ a critical term, “Other” social and historical contexts?
Course Materials Required: All texts listed above and packet; note taking materials; a pen for exams (exams and quizzes must be taken in pen, and film questionnaires must be recorded in pen), and a medium sized bluebook (exam book) for an exam.
Policies: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact Students with Disabilities at 471.6259 (voice) or 232-2937 (video phone), or visit http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd
This course dutifully follows the University’s official policies on academic honesty and the University Honor Code.
Grade Percentages: 25% Out-of-Class Writing Assignment (4-5 double-spaced pages, to be assigned in class) 25% Exam 1 10% Screening Commentary Sheets [I will announce deadlines in class] 25% Exam 2 15% Attendance, quizzes, participation, focus, and enthusiasm (i.e., visibly enjoying the class is a great way to automatically do well in this category)
Read these o Assignments and exams must be completed to pass the course. important points: o Plus and minus grades will be given in this course. o You are to have completed your reading or viewing 4 assignments prior to their corresponding date on the syllabus [see below]. *
* The importance of having completed your homework by its deadline cannot be overemphasized. Not having done so will result in significantly less context and comprehension on your part from class lectures and discussions. If your goal is to do splendidly in this class (and we gratefully anticipate it is, you must take this basic course requirement to heart. Check your syllabus in advance.
AUGUST 28 W: Introduction to course and course aims; fill out bio cards. First assignment. See you next Wednesday!
SEPTEMBER 2 M: Labor Day Holiday. 4 W: Watch 40,000 Years of Dreaming in class.
9 M: Finish watching and discuss 40,000 Years. See photos from Blanton Museum’s exhibit of “Aboriginal Abstracts” from Spring 2019. 11 W: Introduction to Walkabout.
16 M: Watch Walkabout in class. Reading assignment for next few classes. 18 W: Discuss Walkabout and discuss. Course packet reading assignment.
23 M: Lecture: The Founding. 25 W: Founding lecture continued.
30 M: Watch The Tracker in class. OCTOBER 2 W: Continue The Tracker.
7 M: Discuss The Tracker. Have seen Gallipoli on your own for next class. 9 W: Discuss Gallipoli. Have seen A Cry in the Dark on your own for next class.
14 M: Discuss A Cry in the Dark. 16 W: Begin watching Muriel’s Wedding in class.
21 M: Muriel’s Wedding. Have watched the film On the Beach on your own for next class. 23 W: Finish Muriel’s Wedding. Reading assignment for Robyn Davidson’s Tracks. EXAM 1 NEXT CLASS.
28 M: EXAM 1. Reading assignment & have seen the film Tracks on your own by next class. 30 W: Tracks. Have seen 1959 film On the Beach on your own for next class.
NOVEMBER 4 M: Discuss film, and watch scenes from On the Beach TV series. 5 6 W: On the Beach. Snake packet assignment, first half.
11 M: On the Beach. Snake packet, second half. Have watched Mad Max on your own before next class. 13 W: Discuss the Mad Max tradition.
18 M: See Mad Max: Fury Road in class. 20 W: Mad Max: Fury Road. Final essay assignment will come somewhere around here (due date to be determined by us as a class).
25 M: Wrap-up discussion of the “Mad Maxes” and begin watching Sweet Country. 27 W: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY. Safe journey; enjoy!
DECEMBER 2 M: Finish watching Sweet Country, discuss, and prepare for Exam 2. 4 W: Last class day. Exam 2! o Attendance rolls will be taken at the beginning of each class. You must attend the majority of the class to be counted present. (I’ll hand out a sign-in roll.) o Please do your best to avoid distracting late entrances or early exits. o All cell phones are to be put away at the beginning of lecture; no sight checking or texting !!! o As with laptops. Our course will be a laptop-free environment.
Teaching Assistant Contact:
Dillon Henry — [email protected] Office location & hours: *tba
—Instructor retains the right to vary films and readings on this syllabus—