| Blackrock |
| Directed by |
Steven Vidler |
| Produced by |
David Elfick
Rick Enright
Melanie Ritchie |
| Written by |
Nick Enright |
| Starring |
Laurence Breuls
Linda Cropper |
| Music by |
Steve Kilbey |
| Cinematography |
Martin McGrath |
| Release date(s) |
 May
1, 1997 |
| Running time |
90 / 103 minutes |
| Country |
Australia |
| Language |
English |
| IMDb profile |
Blackrock is a 1997 Australian movie directed
by Steven Vidler and written by Nick Enright. Internationally it was best remembered as the debut film for actor Heath Ledger.
Origin
Blackrock had its origin in 1992 as A Property of the Clan, a theatre-in-education
piece written by Australian playwright Nick Enright (1950-2003). It was inspired by the
real-life rape and murder of schoolgirl Leigh Leigh in
Stockton near Newcastle,
Australia on November 3, 1989. Enright subsequently developed it into another play, Blackrock (1995), directed by David
Berthold for Sydney Theatre Company, as well as a movie, also called
Blackrock (1997). The movie was premiered at Sundance Film Festival in the USA before being
released across Australia in 1997.
Synopsis
Blackrock was set in a fictional Australian beachside working-class suburb called Blackrock, where surfing was popular among youths like Jared. He had his first serious girlfriend, Rachel, who came from a much
wealthier part of the city. One day Ricko, the local surfing legend (played by Simon
Lyndon), came back after an eleven-month odyssey, and Jared gave him a 'welcome home' party at the local surf club.
Unsupervised and with alcohol freely available, tragedy soon arrived -
Jared witnessed a girl called Tracy (played by Bojana Novakovic) being raped by four
youths, including Toby (Rachel's brother, played by Heath Ledger), and did nothing to stop
the attacks. In the days that follow, Jared learns that Tracy was beaten to death by his friend Ricko.
The incident - and the community - would soon be scrutinized by news bulletins across the nation. The locals reacted
differently: The surfers continued their lives as if nothing had happened; Tracy's grieving best friend Cherie resorted to
violent behaviours; Rachel had to face the news that her brother Toby was one of the accused. Jared was torn between the need to
reveal what he saw for the sake of justice, and the desire to protect Ricko, Toby and the other rapists in the name of
'mateship'. His silence eventually led to the breakdown of his relationships, not only with Rachel, but also with his mother
Diane, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer...
Controversies
Blackrock had attracted considerable controversies when it was screened in 1997, partly because of its fictionalization
of a real-life rape and murder without the consent of the victim's family. Many locals from the town where the actual murder
occurred were also hostile to the film, believing it to have portrayed the community in a slanderous way. Nevertheless,
Blackrock did make an important statement about the Australian 'coastie' culture, particularly regarding the uglier side
of masculinity.
External links
|
Cinema of Australia |
 |
Lists of films: 1896-1919 • 1920s • 1930s •
1940s • 1950s
• 1960s • 1970s • 1980s •
1990s • 2000s
Actors • Animators • Awards •
Directors • Films A-Z • Cinematographers • Composers • Critics •
Editors • Festivals • Producers • Schools • Screenwriters
|
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
