An interesting article by Simmons (2003) notes that:
“National identity is fluid, not fixed. From the unashamed rural archetypes of many early Australian films, such as The Sentimental Bloke (1919) and The Squatter’s Daughter (1933) and Jedda (1955) (both dealing with Indigenous issues in the language of assimilation), to the Ocker genre, to the costumed nationalism of the ‘period’ films of the seventies, to the filmic subversion of the bush myth in the eighties and nineties, Australian film has increasingly embraced discourses which tell us about the instability and indeterminacy of national aspirations, ethos and experience”. (p.58.)
The article does a thematic review of different periods in Australian film. It documents the shift away from more traditional bush themes as it notes:
“more recently these rural myths have been challenged and subverted by a new focus on urban life, a response to new stories that have taken root in a more pluralist, eclectic society” (p.59). (Simmons, 2003).
It is noteworthy that as far as the Australian film literature is concerned, the use of "bush themes" is a little past its used by date. Of the examples chosen in this project, the bush theme was only really present in "The Koala Brothers" which is produced in the UK. This show and its themes may therefore reflect more of an 'outsiders' view of Australia, (with an emphasis on the more stereotypical "Australian" themes like the bush and bush animals).
However, as also noted by Simmons (2003), the bush theme is not quite dead. Although its more recent incarnations tend to represent a more "chic rural female character", with examples such as McLeod's Daughters . It is possible that a character like 'dirtgirl' stems from this more modern interpretation of the bush life (or farm life), where a competant female character is running things.
It is noteworthy that as far as the Australian film literature is concerned, the use of "bush themes" is a little past its used by date. Of the examples chosen in this project, the bush theme was only really present in "The Koala Brothers" which is produced in the UK. This show and its themes may therefore reflect more of an 'outsiders' view of Australia, (with an emphasis on the more stereotypical "Australian" themes like the bush and bush animals).
However, as also noted by Simmons (2003), the bush theme is not quite dead. Although its more recent incarnations tend to represent a more "chic rural female character", with examples such as McLeod's Daughters . It is possible that a character like 'dirtgirl' stems from this more modern interpretation of the bush life (or farm life), where a competant female character is running things.
A scene from McLeod's Daughters - Source: http://mcleodsdaughters.ninemsn.com.au/slideshow_index.aspx
Another interesting issue to arise from reading some Australian film literature, in particular the article by Rekhari (2008) is the exclusion, marginalisation or reinforcement of stereotypes in the depiction of Indigenous Australians in Australian film. It is not possible to address all of the complexities of this article in this project, but it is worth noting that apart from some didgeridoo type music in the opening song of "The Koala Brothers", there is very little representation of Indigenous Australians in the Australian children's television shows explored within this project. The one general exception possibly being "Play school" (which was not included as a case study in this project). As noted in Mackinlay, E., & Barney, K.(2008) "Play school" does make an attempt to include Indigenous Australians as presenters in the show. However, the article also noted that previously, the show had (in earlier days) only featured Indigenous Australians as 'exotic others' - by depicting them only in scenes such as traditional dances, rather than featuring Indigenous Australians taking part in every day Australian life.
No comments:
Post a Comment