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form y separately published work icon Lousy Little Sixpence single work   film/TV  
Issue Details: First known date: 1983... 1983 Lousy Little Sixpence
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

A documentary that uses historical footage and interviews with people who were part of the generation of Indigenous Australians forced into unpaid servitude by the Australian government. The title refers to the amount of pocket money the indentured workers were supposed to be given, but never received, while their wages were managed by their 'employers' on behalf of the Aborigines Protection Board.

Exhibitions

7217346
8931289
15517821
15517639

Production Details

  • Narrator: Chicka Dixon

    Cast: Geraldine Briggs, Flo Caldwell, Bill Reid, Violet Shaw, and Margaret Tucker

    Lousy Little Sixpence took three years to research and produce

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

A Historical Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Storytelling, Resistance, Reclamation and Education through Film Emma Gavin , 2023 single work criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues , December vol. 26 no. 3-4 2023;
The Aboriginal Voice in Baz Luhrmann's Left-Leaning Australia (2008) Bruno Starrs , 2012 single work criticism
— Appears in: Continuum : Journal of Media & Cultural Studies , vol. 26 no. 4 2012; (p. 625-636)
'Arguing that Baz Luhrmann's Australia (2008) is a big-budget, non-independent film espousing a left-leaning political ideology in its non-racist representations of Aborigines on film, this paper suggests the addition of a 'fourth formation' to the 1984 Moore and Muecke model is warranted. According to their theorizing, racist 'first formation' films promote policies of assimilation whereas 'second formation' films avoid overt political statements in favour of more acceptable multicultural liberalism. Moore and Muecke's seemingly ultimate 'third formation films', however, blatantly foreground the director's leftist political dogma in a necessarily low budget, independent production. Australia, on the other hand, is an advance on the third formation because its left-leaning feminized Aboriginal voice is safely backed by a colossal production budget and indicates a transformation in public perceptions of Aboriginal issues. Furthermore, this paper argues that the use of low-cost post-production techniques such as voice-over narration by racially appropriate individuals and the use of diegetic song in Australia work to ensure the positive reception of the left-leaning message regarding the Stolen Generations. With these devices Luhrmann effectively counters the claims of right-wing denialists such as Andrew Bolt and Keith Windschuttle.' (Author's abstract, 625)
The Making of Lousy Little Sixpence Alec Morgan , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Making Film and Television Histories : Australia and New Zealand 2011; (p. 11-16)
25 Years On, Classic Film Still Shocks Margaret Smith , 2008 single work column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 22 October no. 437 2008; (p. 34)
'The classic Aboriginal film Lousy Little Sixpence has just turned 25-years-old, but it still shocks viewers with its stories of stolen children, stolen wages and systemic discrimination.' (Koori Mail 22/10/2008)
The Black Communist: The Contested Memory of Margaret Tucker Jennifer Jones , 2000 single work criticism
— Appears in: Hecate , vol. 26 no. 2 2000; (p. 135-145)
The Black Communist: The Contested Memory of Margaret Tucker Jennifer Jones , 2000 single work criticism
— Appears in: Hecate , vol. 26 no. 2 2000; (p. 135-145)
25 Years On, Classic Film Still Shocks Margaret Smith , 2008 single work column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 22 October no. 437 2008; (p. 34)
'The classic Aboriginal film Lousy Little Sixpence has just turned 25-years-old, but it still shocks viewers with its stories of stolen children, stolen wages and systemic discrimination.' (Koori Mail 22/10/2008)
The Aboriginal Voice in Baz Luhrmann's Left-Leaning Australia (2008) Bruno Starrs , 2012 single work criticism
— Appears in: Continuum : Journal of Media & Cultural Studies , vol. 26 no. 4 2012; (p. 625-636)
'Arguing that Baz Luhrmann's Australia (2008) is a big-budget, non-independent film espousing a left-leaning political ideology in its non-racist representations of Aborigines on film, this paper suggests the addition of a 'fourth formation' to the 1984 Moore and Muecke model is warranted. According to their theorizing, racist 'first formation' films promote policies of assimilation whereas 'second formation' films avoid overt political statements in favour of more acceptable multicultural liberalism. Moore and Muecke's seemingly ultimate 'third formation films', however, blatantly foreground the director's leftist political dogma in a necessarily low budget, independent production. Australia, on the other hand, is an advance on the third formation because its left-leaning feminized Aboriginal voice is safely backed by a colossal production budget and indicates a transformation in public perceptions of Aboriginal issues. Furthermore, this paper argues that the use of low-cost post-production techniques such as voice-over narration by racially appropriate individuals and the use of diegetic song in Australia work to ensure the positive reception of the left-leaning message regarding the Stolen Generations. With these devices Luhrmann effectively counters the claims of right-wing denialists such as Andrew Bolt and Keith Windschuttle.' (Author's abstract, 625)
The Making of Lousy Little Sixpence Alec Morgan , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Making Film and Television Histories : Australia and New Zealand 2011; (p. 11-16)
A Historical Review of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Storytelling, Resistance, Reclamation and Education through Film Emma Gavin , 2023 single work criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues , December vol. 26 no. 3-4 2023;
Last amended 19 Oct 2015 13:06:29
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