The Night We Called It a Day (2003)
PART 1: Film Information
Credits and Cast
Director: Paul Goldman
Writers: Peter Clifton
Michael Thomas
Producers: Peter Clifton
Nik Powell
Emile Sherman
Executive Producers: Jonathan Shteinman
Michael Thomas
Cinematographer: Danny Ruhlmann
Production Companies: The Night We Called It A Day. Ltd. [au]
Icon Entertainment International
Ocean Pictures Pty. Limited [au]
Ocean Pictures [us]
Cast: Dennis Hopper …. Frank Sinatra
Melanie Griffith …. Barbara Marx
Portia de Rossi …. Hilary Hunter
Joel Edgerton …. Rod Blue
Rose Byrne …. Audrey Appleby
David Hemmings …. Mickey Rudin
David Field …. Bob Hawke
Victoria Thaine …. Penny
Stephen O’Rourke …. Jilly Rizzo
Nicholas Hope …. Phil
George Vidalis …. Vinny
Peter Demlakian …. Ruby
Tony Barry …. Ralph Blue
Vincent Ball …. Rex Hooper
Jennifer Hagan …. Doris
Release Dates
France: 16 May 2003 @ Cannes Film Festival
Australia: 14 August 2003
Canada: 3 September 2003 @ Montreal World Film Festival
Germany: 21 September 2003 @ Filmfest Hamburg
Japan: 4 November 2003 @Tokyo International Film Festival
UK: 23 November 2003
Box Office – Australian figures
14th – 17th August 2003 (week 1) - $193,010
21st – 24th August 2003 (week 2) - $379,945
Awards and Nominations
2003-Nominated Australia Film Institute (AFI) Awards
- Best Actress in Supporting Role – Melanie Griffith
- Best Costume Design – Emily Seresin
- Best Production Design – Michael Phillips
2003-Won Film Critics Circle of Australian Awards (FCCA)
- Best Support Actor – David Field
Interviews
1. Michael Michod, editor of IF Magazine, interviewed Paul Goldman on stage after a preview screening of “The Night We Called It A Day” at Valhalla Cinema in Glebe, the night before the film was released in Australia. The interview included some questions and answers of the making of the film, for more details see www.if.com/events/2003/08/07.html
2. Peter Thompson’s Sunday review included an interview with Paul Goldman and Peter Clifton, writer, which can be found athttp://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/film_reviews/article_1357.asp
3. SBS TV interviewed Paul Goldman about the film and also interviewed David Field in his portrayal of his character Bob Hawke in the film. The transcript can be seen at http://sbs.com.au/movieshow/interviews.php3
4. Jim Schembri from The Age conducts a lengthy interview with Paul Goldman an can be seen athttp://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/15/1060588517146.html
5. Rose Byrne was also interviewed by The Age, this interview included Rose’s journey of her acting career, seehttp://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/17/1061059702077.html
6. Joel Edgerton was in lreland when the film was released but agreed to answer the Gold Coast Bulletin’s question by e-mail (Kennedy, 2003)
Reviews
“The Night We Called It A Day” was widely reviewed by many editors of Australian newspapers. There is over 400 article relating to this film on the Factiva database, one particular review by Thornton, the editor of The Advertiser states his final word about the film ‘A hard day’s night’ which sums up this film in a nut shell.
The Factiva database had many reviews, which described the film in basically the same view, as it was a film that didn’t need a genius to work how the plot was going to be resolved. Based on fact and fiction, it was disturbing to read the negative reviews on this film because it was rated at an average of about 3 to 3.5 out of 5 in all reviews that were researched. Reviews that acknowledged the film to be “put on your must see list” and that it generated a “smooth, funny, home grown entertainment” (Lowing, 2004).
Despite the fact that before the film was released, it was talked up by reviews, “it boasts a solid swathe of international names” (Matheison, 2004), however it may have been because of the small budget that it didn’t quite work out as planned, as the editor from The West Australia adds “It probably should have been a much better film, with a cast that included Melanie Griffith, Portia de Rossi, Dennis Hopper and David Hemmings” (Acott, 2004)
The website also had quite a few review, the most interesting though, was the review by Metro Magazine. Whereby it outlined the film’s production, Australian films and much more see http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0PAM/138/110472596/p1/article.jhtml
Online Presence
“The Night We Called It A Day” has its own official website that is available to the audience to view the cast, read the synopsis and view the trailer. This website is only brief, and it was no use to me because other website such as Internet Movie Database was very useful in obtaining some interesting information on the film. However, the on the IMDb, the Australian box office figures were unavailable, so the search began on the World Wide Web, where there was an extensive amount of information, and it was a matter of searching through and selecting the most relevant information.
Methodology
Firstly, in researching this film, I decided to hire out the DVD and watch it intensely, although I had already viewed the film and knew what it entailed, I believe it is very important to re-watch it in case of my memory letting me down.
The next step was researching the Internet to see what the critics has said about the film, what sort of rating it had obtained and the overall report of the film. There was so much information on the Internet, that it took some time sorting out the good and the bad information.
When researching for the interviews carried out with the cast, the SBS, the NineNetwork and the Find Articles website was very useful as there were many to choose from. Also Factiva.com enabled the finding of the email interview with Joel Edgerton.
PART 2: Critical Review
Plot Summary
The main theme in the film is Frank Sinatra’s musical tour to Australia in 1974. The film set in this era and part of Australian history, which similarly resembles the true story of when Frank Sinatra personally toured Australia, combined with additional plots created by the writers Peter Clifton and Michael Thomas and director, Peter Goldman resulted in the factual and fictional issue that made this movie.
‘The Night We Called It A Day’ centers around the events of Rod Blue (Joel Edgerton), a music promoter based in Sydney, who travels to Los Angeles to convince the legendary Frank Sinatra (Dennis Hopper) that he would be a big hit in the Australian market. Frank was thoroughly convinced by Rod’s encouraging spiel and hopped on the next plane out to Australia. At this point Rob believes that this act will turn his life and business around, and in actual fact it does, in many eventful ways. It is Frank Sinatra’s offensive nature that turns Rod’s dreams upside down, with the first situation of the reporter Hilary Hunter (Portia De Rossi) being spat on by Sinatra’s bodyguards. The press has a field day with this, and then Frank gives them more to talk about when he calls them all fags and hookers and specifically calls Hilary Hunter a two dollar whore whilst at his first Australian performance.
It is with the assistance of Rod’s most recent employee, Audrey Appleby (Rose Byrne) that keeps his dreams alive and they both team up together to work out a plan to solve their crisis with the media as the newspapers are covered with appalling headlines about Frank Sinatra’s performance. To add to their problem, 114 unions had decided to go on strike until Frank Sinatra apologises to the Australians for his offensive behaviour. Bob Hawke (David Field) led the unions on their strike and forced Sinatra and his associates to become hostages in their penthouse. They had no water, no phone lines, and no food until he apologises. Rod confronts Frank and advises him to apologise, although Rod soon finds out that there are two things Frank Sinatra never does; he never yawns in the presence of the woman he loves, and he never says he’s sorry.
Due to the friendship that were built between Franks girlfriend Barbara Marx (Melanie Griffith) and Rod and also with Audrey, he decides to do another performance whereby he publicly apologises to all Australians. Rod’s financial situation at this point begun to look a lot brighter, as he sold the tapes of Frank Sinatra’s second performance to Channel 9 for $60,000. Although, Frank was one step ahead of him, he went behind Rod’s back and told Mickey Rudin (David Hemmings) to take all the tapes that would be produced from his performance. Rod doesn’t end up with money in his pockets; but he does end up with the girl.
Main Character Traits
The plot is based on the well known historical event of when Frank Sinatra disastrously toured Australia; he realized that Australians were soft hearted unlike the Americans of which he so commonly knew of. Dennis Hopper, a true American icon, brilliantly played Sinatra and from the other end of the scale is Joel Edgerton, the character of Rod Blue, the music promoter from Australia who just couldn’t get it right. In reviewing this film, it is could be viewed that it is the different cultural backgrounds which made it difficult for Sinatra and Rod to understand each other’s attitude toward life. Sinatra had the “up yours” attitude to people who annoyed him, and Rod was the mellow, easy going type of guy, which I guess could be defined as the Australian way of life.
The stubbornness of Frank Sinatra was a conflicting issue, why he couldn’t realize what he had done was offensive is beyond comprehension from the viewers point of view. And yet when he said he would make an apology at his second performance, he still made an offensive comment toward the Australian public. The comment somehow goes unnoticed because Sinatra carries on singing and the crowd seems happy.
Genre
From the plot summary, it would obviously be noted that this film is of the drama category, as each event tends be dramatized. However, there are many sub-genres, for example, the romance between Rod and Audrey, was very much predictable in their first scene together, and slowly developed throughout the film.
There are also a lot of times where the audience has a little chuckle, I have to agree with Clint Morris who reviewed this film, it’s not as laugh out aloud funny, but it’s the mysterious cast and interesting story which makes it a great Australian film. There was also a low tone of violence that surrounded Joel Edgerton’s character; he seemed to have a black eye in quite a few scenes, which portrayed him as the not so bright music promoter.
This social problem film forms another type of sub-genre because of the factual content of the film that is carried out through the film. This social problem is portrayed through Sinatras inability to understand Australian culture, which lead to a national crisis.
Critical Uptake
Reviews of “The Night We Called It A Day” have mostly been positive, James Anthony from Web Wombat said that it is ‘much better than you would think and is well worth an evening’s viewing’. An opposing view by Adrian Danks reveals the let down of the film “the most disappointing aspect of this desperately ingratiating film is that by trying to avoid alienating any potential audience, it ends up satisfying no-one”. Which is sadly true according to the box office figures.
This film was trying to recapture the historical moment of when Sinatra toured Australia, however for the fans of Frank Sinatra it seems to avoid and ignore much in the way of on-going historical processes and event and in turn fails to provide a sufficient understanding of what makes Sinatra fascinating. Dennis Hopper plays an intriguing portrait of Sinatra and with the music sung by Tom Burlinson it made the film very interesting but the audience gets the sense that Sinatra had no idea of the Australian people which is confusing and unlikely. This issue supports my view of the conflicting issue of Sinatra’s stubbornness to say sorry.
This film may also be criticised because there was many more events that occurred when Sinatra toured Australia and it wouldn’t have been possible to include all these situations in a single feature film. The film captures the main event of the tour, which some may believe that this could have been a weakness of the film because the underdeveloped aspect of portraying Australia in the 70’s as a “youthful society unwilling to kow-tow to the cultural and social imperialism of the United States” (Danks, 2003). Alternatively, Goldman’s successfully cinematography, style and costumes have made this film successful in many ways.
Prior to the release of the film, it was describe as the film not to be missed due to it being heavily promoted, however, when it was released, they didn’t get the box office figures they were expecting. Adam Morton from the Geelong Advertiser explains the situation of the films and others that were releases around the same time “Heavily promoter flops Take Away, The Night We Called It A Day, The Nugget and The Wannabes, barely registered financially and receiving a hammering from critics despite boasting big names”.
‘The Night We Called It A Day’ was the biggest flop of them all at the time “It had positive reviews but netted just $190,000 on 177 screens in its first weekend”
American Influence
In addition to the fact that Frank Sinatra held different values and beliefs than Rod Blue as they were from different backgrounds, the writers of the film included a scene that was used in the film the Godfather Part 1. The character of Bob Hawke fell asleep at Sinatra’s penthouse in Sydney while trying to come up with a speech for Frank Sinatra and his associates, he begun dreaming about lying at home in bed and then waking up with a dead kangaroo at the end of his bed under the sheets. This scene taken from the Godfather, with a kangaroo instead of a horse head was used as part of the comedy in the film, although the viewer would have had to watch to Godfather to have understood this shot.
Prior work of the cast/crew
Paul Goldman’s also directed the feature film Australian Rules, one of the films of the international year, it attracted some controversy within the media, it was a dark, interracial drama, but it was his first film and of course it was very traumatic on and off screen. Although, Goldman put together a great cast for the film ‘The Night We Called It A Day’, taking on the Australian and American actors who had been successful in their earlier roles. Joel Edgerton is well know for his role on the series ‘Secret Life Of Us’ and the feature film ‘Ned Kelly’. Rose Byrne who appeared in concurrent releases TakeAway and The Rage in Placid Lake, and is simply an excellent female supporting/love actress.
What makes it an Australian film?
This film explores the concept of Australia’s history and the culture that remains embedded in our minds, that Australians are the easy going kind of people. This film set in Sydney and outlines Australia’s national identity through Rod Blue, your typical bloke in the 70’s trying to make some money and get by in life. Rod’s friendly and happy go lucky attitude doesn’t always do him good, but when times were tough, he sold up everything he had for the one act that he thought would make him a lot of money.
This film portraying a factual event in Australian history that led to a national crisis in 1974, details Australia’s culture as it was then. However, it could be predicted that the people (namely the press) of Australia today, would react the same way, if not worse, if they were treated like that. And I would also be that the unions would join in as they did some 20 years ago.
Conclusion
Australian films have a relatively small budget compared to American films, in addition to this “Aussie” comedy/drama/romance film; it seemed to lack substance, which is possibly the reason why it didn’t connect with the audiences on its cinema release. The overall rating for this film was good; it captures the moment of Australia’s history with the huge supporting cast, Joel Edgerton steal the show as the true star. Since Australian films often make speed for a suitable niche market, there is room to expand.
References
Acott, K (2004). DVD’s, The West Australian, 4 February 2004. Accessed via Factiva.com, 25 April 2004.
Anthony J (Critic) URL – www.webwombat.com.au/entertainment/dvds/nightcall.htm Accessed 25 April 2004.
Danks, A (2003) Nice ‘n’ Easy: Speaking Frankly about The Night We Called It A Day,www.sensesofcinema.com/content/03/28/night_we_called_day.html Accessed 25 April 2004
Internet Movie Database – URL – www.imdb.com. Accessed 25 April 2004.
Kennedy, D (2003). Edgerton calls it a day, Gold Coast Bulletin, 20 August 2003. Accessed via Factiva.com, 25 April 2004.
Lowing, R (2004). Video & DVD, The Sun-Herald, 15 February 2004. Accessed via Factiva.com, 25 April 2004.
Matheison, C (2004). DVD’s: ‘The Night We Called It A Day’, The Bulletin, 17 February 2004. Accessed via Factiva.com, 25 April 2004.
Morris C (Critic) URL – www.webwombat.com.au/entertainment/movies/niteday.htm. Accessed 25 April 2004.
Morton, A (2003) AFI films fail to fire critics, Geelong Advertiser, 21 November 2003. Accessed via Factiva.com, 25 April 2004.
Roach, V (2003) Audience give Aussie films the thumbs down, Sunday Mail, 24 August 2003. Accessed via Factiva.com, 25 April 2004.
Thornton, P (2004). Screen Time: The Night We Called It A Day, The Advertiser, 10 February 2004. Accessed via Factiva.com, 25 April 2004.
URL – www.moviemarshal.com/boxaus2003. Accessed 25 April 2004.
URL – http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/film_reviews/article_1357.asp Accessed 25 April 2004.
URL – http://sbs.com.au/movieshow/interviews.php3 Accessed 25 April 2004.
URL – http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/15/1060588517146.html Accessed 25 April 2004.
URL – http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/17/1061059702077.html Accessed 25 April 2004.
URL – www.if.com/events/2003/08/07.html Accessed 25 April 2004.
2001- Mullet
2000- Vertical Limit
2000- Sample People
1998- Amy
1997- True Love and Chaos
1996- Idiot Box (directed by David Caesar)
1996- Cosi
1994- Sirens
1994- Metal Skin, Won Best Supporting Actor, Australian Film Critics Circle
1993- Say a Little Prayer
1992- Map of the Human Heart
1991- The Efficiency Expert
1990- Return Home
1990- Quigley Down Under
1990- Nirvana Street Murder
1989- The Big Steal, 1st Leading Role
1989- Lover Boy
1987- The Year My Voice Broke, 1st Feature Film, Won Best Supporting Actor AFI Awards
David Caesar on Ben Mendelsohn: "I just like Ben. I like working with him and I like him as an actor."
Susie Porter Filmography
2003- State of Play (mini)
2002- Sway
2002- Teesh and Trude
2002- Star Wars: Episode II
2001- Mullet
2000- Bootmen
2000- The Monkey's Mask
2000- Better Than Sex
1999- Feeling Sexy
1999- Two Hands
1998- Aftershocks (TV)
1998- Amy
1997- Welcome to Woop Woop
1997- Paradise Road
1996- Mr. Reliable
1996- Idiot Box (Directed by David Caesar)
David Caesar on Susie Porter: "Susie embodies a lot of the things I like about real Australian women. . . a tough no nonsense about her that I wanted for the character of Tully."
Andrew S. Gilbert Filmography
2004- Ned Kelly
2002- Rabbit Proof Fence
2002- Dirty Deeds
2001- The Dish
2001- Mullet
1999- In a Savage Land
1999- Paperback Hero
1997- Kiss or Kill
1996- Idiot Box (Directed by David Caesar)
1990- Mortgage
David Caesar on Andrew S. Gilbert: "Andrew's whole life is in his face . . .there's a degree of honesty about him you can really feel."
David Caesar History and Filmography
Caesar produced his first film, a 16mm, entitled No More Heroes, before attending the Australian Film, Television in Radio School. After graduating, he worked on productions for ABC, SBS, Channel 9, and BBC. His documentaries include Living Room, Bodywork, Fences, and Car Crash. Caesar has also directed several television series including the recent 2004's "Fireflies," 2003's "Crashburn," and 2002's "Bad Cop, Bad Cop." He wrote and directed his first feature film entitled Greenkeeping and went on to write and direct Idiot Box in 1996, which also stars Ben Mendelsohn, Susie Porter, and Andrew S. Gilbert. Mullet, written over an eight-year period, was finally finished in 2000 and released in 2001. His most recent work includes the feature film Dirty Deeds from 2002.
Release Dates:
Australia: June 28, 2001
UK: July 6, 2002 (Commonwealth Film Festival)
Philippines: September 20, 2003 (Australian Film Festival)
Box Office:
Opening figures: $120, 280
Total $AUD: $1,157,161
Production Companies:
Australian Film Company
New South Wales Film and Television Office www.fto.nws.gov.au
Porchlight Films www.porchlightfilms.com.au
Premium Movie Partnership
SBS Independent www.sbs.com.au/sbsi
Showtime Australia www.showtimeaustralia.com.au
(Distributers)
Dendy Globe www.dendy.com.au/home.html
The Globe Film Company
Interviews:
Interview with Ben Mendelsohn:
www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=4394&s=VisionStream
Interview with David Caesar:
www.urbancinefile.com/au/home/view.asp?a=4976&s=Reviews
Interview with Robert Humphreys (cinematographer):
http://www.realtimearts.net/rt50/humphreys.html
Interview with Caesar and Sheehan:
http://www.mullet.net.au/mullet_about_product.html
Interview with Sheehan:
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/01/15/sheehan.html
Reviews:
www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/01/14/mullet.html
www.r4.com.au/reviews/mullet.htm
www.sbs.com.au/movieshow/reviews.php3?id=718
www.abc.net.au/triplej/review/film/s326317.htm
www.girlplusboy.com/mullet.asp
www.film.guardian.co.uk/Film_Page/0,4061,667383,00.html
www.bbc.co.uk/films2002/03/12/mullet_2002_review.shtml
www.iofilm.co.uk/fm/m/mullet_2000.shtml
www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk/swmullet.htm
for various other links to reviews: www.mrqe.com/lookup?^Mullet+(2001)
Awards and Recognition:
Official Selection Shanghai International Film Festival 2002
Winner Best Direction Shanghai International Film Festival 2002
Nominated for 5 AFI Awards
Winner Best Script Australian Writers Guild Awards 2001
Film Critics Circle of Australia 2002
Nominated: Best Film
Nominated: Best Actor, Ben Mendelsohn
Nominated: Best Director, David Caesar
Won: Best Supporting Actor, Andrew S. Gilbert
Won: Best Screenplay, David Caesar
Australian Film Institute Awards 2001
Nominated: Best Actor, Ben Mendelsohn
Nominated: Best Supporting Actor, Andrew S. Gilbert
Nominated: Best Supporting Actress, Belinda McClory
Nominated: Best Achievement in Direction, David Caesar
Nominated: Best Original Screenplay, David Caesar
Online Presence:
www.afc.gov.au/australianfilmsandawards
http://www.time.com/time/pacific/magazine/20010716/cinema-m.html
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/01/14/mullet.html
(also included are the links to the reviews, interviews, and production company websites previously listed)
Method of Research:
As a more recent film, the most suitable method of research was found via the Internet. Reviews of the film, Mullet, were easily located through the database of imdb.com as well as through search engines such as Google and Yahoo. Interviews were much more difficult to find, however I managed to locate one with lead actor Ben Mendelsohn and director David Caesar through the Urbancinefile website (a subscription is required to view the entire interview, which also made the process more difficult). Information pertaining to the production of the film as well as the cast and crew was readily available from several Internet sites.
Critical Review:
Plot/Synopsis:
On the eastern coast of Australia lies the small fishing town of Coolawarra, a community seemingly peaceful and undisturbed - that is until Eddie Maloney, also known as Mullet, decides to return to what once was his home. In the very first scene of the movie, it is obvious that Eddie, or Mullet, is an undesirable person. This scene captures people fishing and catching a mullet, in which they say are "no good for anything." Before the movie begins, the viewer has already been exposed to an underlying theme of the film.
Eddie Maloney, or Mullet, once a former football hero and local larrakin, finds himself returning to his home after disappearing for three years without contacting his family, friends, or anyone else. Mullet is not particularly welcomed in his unexpected return to Coolawarra, especially by his brother, Peter, and his brother's wife (and Mullet's ex-girlfriend), Tully. While Peter seems to fear Mullet's return as a sort of threat on his wife, Tully is still angered by his unspoken departure three years prior.
Family and relationship tension does not end there for Mullet. While his sister, Robbie, seems excited about his sudden return and Kay, the bar waitress also greets him with enthusiasm, his parents still seem bitter about his detachment and disappearing act.
After being in Coolawarra for a few days, Mullet is realizing the after-effects of his decision to leave the community three years before. His old girlfriend, who he still is in love with, is now married to his only brother. His return is bringing up problems in Peter and Tully's marriage, with Peter unable to express his feelings to his wife and Tully finding herself confused with her old feelings for Mullet. Even Kay, his friend and local bartender, tells him "nobody wants your fish anyway," in short, expressing that nobody wanted Eddie to return.
Feeling as though the world is against him, Mullet struggles to discover who he is and what it feels like to be alone and alienated. His sister Robbie even becomes disgusted with him after he insults her boyfriend, James, about his race.
His relationship with Tully, even as a friend is shaky, after she refuses to talk with him and punches him. Mullet finally gets the nerve to apologize to the woman he still loves, causing confusion in Tully as to why he even bothered coming back. He states to her, "Because this is where I come from."
Although there is apparent family discord among the Maloneys concerning Mullet's return back to Coolawarra, an attempt is made to happily reunite and pretend as though nothing is wrong through a family barbeque. The barbeque proves to be a disaster, as Mullet grows frustrated with his parents not speaking to each other and their seemingly un-normal relationship. On top of this, Tully locks herself into the bathroom, miserably upset about her situation, and Peter tools with the idea of killing his own brother after his wife screams at him through the bathroom door. Peter hears his family discussing being normal, grows extremely frustrated and steps outside to the barbeque to yell aggressively: "being nice isn't normal." Finally his feelings about his brother are honestly revealed and the two brothers begin to physically fight. Tully, hearing this from inside, leaves the bathroom, sees Peter's gun on the table, and takes it outside. She shoots the gun into the air in utter frustration with her husband, telling him she wants to be with him and that she is pregnant.
While the movie seems to end unfinished, with the family relationships still hostile and unsettled and with Mullet still unsure of who is he and what he wants in life, there are still many themes that are carried out and illustrated by such an awkward ending. Viewers are able to relate to the un-normalness of the Maloney family and see that life is not always perfect, but according to Col, Mullet's father, you have to "make do with what you got."
Commentary:
After first watching this film, I found myself feeling frustrated by its slow start and then unsettled and somewhat disturbed by the atypical, not-so-happy ending. However, after thinking about the themes of the film, I realized how well this film depicts a reality that many people can relate to. Mullet illustrates the difficulties everyone faces in relationships with friends, significant others, and mostly, with family. It also addresses significantly the difficulties one faces within his or herself. The main character of Mullet is forced to deal with alienation from his own family, those who are supposed to unconditionally love him. His personal struggle with this is demonstrated through the symbolism in his nickname, Mullet: a fish no one wants because they are no good for anything. The source of his happiness, therefore, rests within him coming to terms with who he really is.
As a viewer, I was able to relate to the character of Mullet as well as other characters in the film. David Caesar's ability to create such realistic characters in his script is one of his strongest points, which compel viewers to understand and relate to the film. The film emphasizes something everyone deals with some point in life: family and love. Mullet literally illustrates his confusion with this subject to his father, a subject everyone questions at some time. He says, "I don't get it - family, love." Mullet's father replies a simply statement, one that the movie is all about: "It's about taking the good with the bad."
While many viewers may be quick to judge Mullet as a slow moving, anti-climatic and maybe even boring film, one must realize the similarities this film has to everyday life. David Caesar's incredible talent to portray such a typical situation with so many relevant themes to the mass population is where Mullet's success stems from. This is a film that forces viewers to think, not only about Eddie Maloney's situation, but also about their own lives and their own relationships with family and friends. Once I was able to sidestep the slow moving nature of the film and truly enjoy it for its themes and messages, I discovered how intriguing and even attention grabbing it could be.
Other commentaries and reviews can be located through web links given earlier in the first section. Most of these commentaries and reviews were given shortly after its release and provide a look at the critical uptake of the film during this time and at subsequent times also.
Production Circumstances:
Mullet began as a two-page short story written by David Caesar eight years before being finished as an Australian feature film. Caesar had just ended a seven-year relationship only to find out that his ex-girlfriend is now getting married. This situation brought doubts to Caesar's mind about life, his career, while stirring up thoughts of going home. Mullet can be referred to as a somewhat autobiographical look into Caesar's personal situation with relationships, love, family, and life.
In 1995, Vincent Sheehan heard about Caesar's idea for the film and took interest in its production. The themes of love, relationships, alienation, and belonging were relatable to Sheehan and the two set out to create a dialogue around these themes. Sheehan desired to create a distinctively Australian story while Caesar wanted to illustrate the dilemmas of being a male in Australia.
The film was finished in 2000 and made for just over $1 million, which compared to other feature films, was a relatively inexpensive budget. While the film only took eight weeks to shoot, it took more than eight years for Caesar to complete Mullet and show the world what it means to be a "bloke" in Australian society.
For more on Production Circumstances, see Interview with Caesar and Sheehan at:
http://www.mullet.net.au/mullet_about_product.html
Film in Relation to Crew's other work:
Cinematographer Robert Humphreys: Robert Humphreys' two best known films include Mullet and Walking on Water and he has also found much of his work in the television industry as well. Humphreys commented on Mullet being a type of Western, as David Caesar put it, Eddie Maloney was like a lone gunslinger coming back to his hometown. This factored into Humphreys cinematography, as there was little camera movement and a classical composition. In Walking on Water, Humphreys worked with director Tony Ayres, and used a different sort of cinematography, with more jerky movements and long lenses that isolated the actors in their environments.
Humphreys first worked as a still photographer and then photographed nineteen television documentaries and series. He has also photographed twenty short films, and Mulletwas his first feature film in cinematography.
Producer Vincent Sheehan: Sheehan began his work in the film industry at the University of Technology Sydney and Metro Screen, a community production place. He met Caesar while working there and they began to discuss production of Mullet. This was also his first feature film in production.
Director David Caesar: Caesar produced his first film Greenkeeping in 1992, and his second was Idiot Box in 1996, which also starred Mullet actors Mendelsohn, Porter, and Gilbert. Since the making of Mullet, Caesar has written and directed Dirty Deeds. However, it seems like Mullet, considering the length of time it took to actually write and produce (8 years), is Caesar's biggest personal accomplishment. Because of this accomplishment, Caesar was able to direct Dirty Deeds (2002), a film that has also received much praise as an Australian feature film.
Position in Australian Cinema/Genre:
There has been debate over what genre of film Mullet can be placed in Australian cinema. As noted previously in its statistical information, Mullet has been placed under the comedy/drama genre; however, this is a generalization for the film. As noted before also, Caesar has even called his film a western because of the emphasis on Eddie Maloney being a lone ranger returning to his hometown. Mullet can also be placed under the genre of melodrama, specifically family melodrama. While the movie is almost anti-melodramatic, its underlying tone throughout the film still seems to create this feeling in the viewer, and of course, through the dramatic ending, it is apparent this film is, indeed, melodramatic.
Mullet is a film the Australian cinema industry should be proud of. Besides being able to earn over $1 million in the box office, this film truly captures an Australian way of life and culture. Caesar even captures this in his quote about the film, "I think that stories of a culture are a lot more important" (Time Pacific Magazine). Another website summarizes the importance of this film in relation to Australian cinema: "Mullet is the Australian screen's most perceptive depiction of our 'old' culture (ie, our old whiteculture) which was dominant until the 1960s but is now in remission everywhere and moribund in our big towns" (Senses of Cinema).
In my own experience with Australian Cinema, I feel that Mullet provides a contemporary look into Australian culture, as well as allows international viewers of different cultures to relate to the film's themes. The theme of family and relationship problems is a universal theme throughout many cultures, which is why Caesar's film was so successful in Australia and accepted by international audiences. As stated before, even though Mullet has universal themes, its Australianness, found through the setting of the small fishing town of Coolawarra, is still easily noticeable (from the footy games to the "barbies") and is what makes the film a true Australian feature film.