Yet another Australian director who would go on to Hollywood success with films including, appropriately enough, Meryl Streep-starrer A Cry In The Dark (1988), Fred Schepisi’s The Chant Of Jimmie Blacksmith is based on the true story of Jimmy Governor, an Indigenous Australian who murdered a number of white people in 1900. Jimmie (Tommy Lewis), born of an Aboriginal mother and white father, is determined to better his lowly situation, but faces systemic racism and humiliation at every turn, often denied even basic civility. His white wife cuckolds him, employers cheat him, and ultimately Jimmie explodes, declaring war on his oppressors. The film marked an important chapter in Australian film for its representation of Indigenous Australians and their abominable treatment.

Notes by Kevin Coyne.

Screening as part of the Australian Dreams season.