Issue Details: First known date: 2009... 2009 Excess in Oz : The Crazy Russian and the Quiet Australian
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.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'How are Russians portrayed in Australian cinema? In contrast to their proportionally small population and minor, non -cohesive multicultural grouping, there hove been numerous representations of Russians in Australian Films and television serials. These are exoticized images that use Russians as catalysts of narrative conflict and cultural excess. Russia occupies on ambivalent space in the Australian cinematic imagination: romantic, mysterious, dangerous, emotional and dramatic. It is imagery informed by literary classics, especially the psychological lavishness of Leo To!stay and the spiritual inordinateness of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. While there is a long history of Russian migration, there is a relatively recent record of the representation of Russians on Australian screens. Russians are not cast as villains in the same way that we come to expect from American cinema during the Cold War, nor are Russians portrayed as 'normal', assimilated members of a brood multi -ethnic nation. They are more often cast as exotic, passionate and radical, dangerous and excessive.' (Publication abstract)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Diasporas of Australian Cinema Catherine Simpson (editor), Renata Murawska (editor), Anthony Lambert (editor), Bristol : Intellect , 2009 Z1762587 2009 anthology criticism (taught in 1 units) 'Diasporas of Australian Cinema is the first volume of essays to focus on diasporic hybridity and cultural diversity in Australian film-making over the past century. Topics include, post-war documentaries and migration, Asian-Australian subjectivity, cross-cultural romance, 'wogsploitation' comedy, and post-ethnic cinema. This collection also provides a comprehensive filmography making it a useful reference text for scholars of Australian film and cultural studies. The book is a vital contribution to the burgeoning international body of critical work on diasporic cinemas.' (Publisher's blurb) Bristol : Intellect , 2009 pg. 83-92
Last amended 13 Jan 2017 09:29:01
83-92 Excess in Oz : The Crazy Russian and the Quiet Australiansmall AustLit logo
X