The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
Coming-of-age plots were common in the new Australian cinema of the 1970s and 1980s, including some of the most notable achievements, such as Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975), The Getting of Wisdom (Bruce Beresford, 1978), and The Devil's Playground (Fred Schepisi, 1976). What was less common was to find them informed by a cosmic spirit, which is what distinguishes The Big Steal. It is not that the film doesn't treat its young protagonist's seriously, as good comedy always does, but rather that there is a really engaging lightness of tone, which Jane Freebury recalls and captures in her essay. She also reminds us of the attractively idiosyncratic contribution the creative team of Nadia Tass and David Parker made of a couple of decades of Australian cinema. – Brian McFarlane
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Last amended 12 Feb 2017 16:53:12
