DS: Yes, but I had no intention of staying. My family owned a long-established food company that was founded in England in the early 1800s, and my father had inherited the business from his father, so he wanted me to take over the business. It was one of those nepotism things, and I didn’t think I could do anything else. I mean, I loved movies, but I thought I had to be a grocer, but when the time came, I said, “Wait a minute, I’m going to take a two-year break before I really get into the corporate world.” . ”I had a friend in Sydney who said, “You should come with a 10-pound pom and I’ll sponsor you.” So, during my compulsory stay in Australia for two years, I became involved with the Sydney Film Festival, and something led me to take over as director of the festival.
Fitz: So, you ended up getting into a little bit of trouble with ASIO, right?
DS: Yes, because of censorship. In the UK I was used to seeing films basically uncensored, at least if they were shown at film societies or film festivals, but in Australia they were definitely censored. But I thought, “Well, I’m not going to stay here, so it doesn’t matter, right?” And it turned out that ASIO started building files on me because I was visiting many cities in the Eastern Bloc to cover films, including Moscow, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw, Sofia, Bucharest, etc. .
Fitz: Obviously you were a danger to transportation. ASIO must have said, “This is a remarkable man. This could be Australia’s answer to Kim Philby, the British man in a sleeper cell liaising with the Soviet Union. He is the enemy of us all.” I’m trying to turn it around!”
DS: Well, of course, I didn’t have any secrets like Philby, and all I could tell the Soviet side was about Australian cinema, or the fact that there wasn’t one at that time. But yeah, that must have been their view. But to be honest, I think it was the same in Britain at the time, and MI5 was suspicious of people in the arts, just like ASIO.
Fitz: And you’re in even the most dangerous and influential position of hosting The Movie Show with Margaret Pomerantz and being able to lure the entire Australian public to your raunchy comedies under the guise of ease of viewing. It wasn’t. !
Sophie Lowe in Rachel Ward’s Beautiful Kate. “It’s a great movie,” Stratton said.
DS: (laughs)
Fitz: So let’s take a look at our list of the top 10 lost masterpieces…
DS: Okay, let’s go to the computer. But first, you have to get there. I’ve been using a walker lately. I lost my eyesight. My mobility is gone and so is my hearing. Actually, I’m having a bit of a problem.
Fitz: But isn’t it amazing?
DS: Well, I hope it continues, but you never know. Last Friday night I had the pleasure of traveling to Sydney to accept the amazing award of Cinema Pioneer of the Year and get up on a podium and give a speech that I never thought I would be able to do. I was able to do that. A few weeks ago. But there we are… Anyway, the first movie on my list is the Australian film “Blessed” (Australia, 2009). This movingly beautiful film directed by Ana Kokkinos is divided into two parts: the children’s part and the mother’s part. It’s a story about a mother who is estranged from her children for some reason. Frances O’Connor, Miranda Otto, and Deborah-Lee Furness play the mothers of the three, and they’re great. The whole thing is very moving, beautifully moving, beautifully written and beautifully directed.
Fitz: Fixed at No. 1! Next?
DS: No.2 Take Off (USA, 1971). This bittersweet comedy about parents and children was also Milos Forman’s first American film. Because of flower power, marijuana, and free love, many teenagers have “taken off” and their bewildered parents have no idea what their children are doing and have become completely alienated from them. Ta. The film centers around auditions and features songs by Carly Simon, Kathy Bates, Ike Turner and Tina Turner.
In Judy Garland and Tom Drake’s “See You in St. Louis,” Garland sings “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”
Fitz: Wait a minute, the great Kathy Bates, the wonderful Oscar-winning actress, singing on the same stage as Carly Simon and Ike and Tina Turner?
DS: Yes. A song about horses.
Fitz: Wow. I didn’t know she could sing. What’s next?
DS: No. 3 is Advice and Consent (USA, 1962). A recent article in the Herald about the best movies about American politics surprisingly didn’t include this movie. Otto Preminger’s drama centers on the trials of an ailing president similar to Joe Biden.
Fitz: Confront evil!
DS: …If you don’t mind, Charles Laughton, the right-wing Southern Democratic senator who wants to nominate a left-wing academic played by Henry Fonda for Secretary of State, in his last film appearance. It is a determination that has shown great success. Because he thinks Henry Fonda’s character will sell us out to the communists. It’s a dirty game, a great political thriller, and a cutting edge movie.
Fitz: ASIO and I will be very interested to see if your slip shows up.
DS: (Laughs) Next up is Night of the Hunter (USA, 1955) starring Charles Laughton, who was also not only a great actor. With this film he directed, he proved to be a master behind the camera as well. Robert Mitchum plays a serial killer posing as a preacher during the Great Depression. Shelley Winters plays a wealthy widow who falls for his charms, while silent star Lillian Gish plays a kind woman who nurtures and protects his children. I can’t believe that this movie was once banned in Australia due to blasphemy.
Fitz: That’s exactly right!
DS: (laughs) Next up is Beautiful Kate (Australia, 2009). This is an Australian film directed by Rachel Ward, her first directorial feature, that depicts the lasting impact that a tragic event that occurred many years ago has had on a rural family. Ben Mendelsohn is effortless as the son who returns to his father’s backwoods estate after hearing that he (Brian Brown) is seriously ill. This visit brings back memories of summers past and the charming presence of the Prodigal Son’s sister Kate (Sophie Lowe). A gorgeous cast including Rachel Griffiths and Maeve Dermody gather together.
Fitz: If I may stop you there, David. You are a great authority and you say this movie is great, but we know that they are all great actors, so we can take your word for it. But why is a film like this, with such a great cast, so unknown and so unacclaimed?
DS: Well (spoiler alert), it’s actually about incest between a brother and a sister…
Fitz: Oh! On behalf of the readers, I say, “Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
DS: That was mentioned in your colleague Garry Maddox’s review. I can understand why audiences turned away from it, but it’s still a great movie.
Fitz: I love Gary Maddox and I’m with him. I still say, LOL.
DS: So number six, The President’s Analyst (USA, 1967). Political comedies are pretty rare, and this very clever comedy did very poorly at the box office at the time, so it’s no wonder it didn’t start the genre. James Coburn plays a Washington psychiatrist who dabbles in hypnosis. One of his patients is the president himself. What happens if, under hypnosis, the commander-in-chief reveals state secrets? Both the CIA and the Russian KGB are interested in the presidential analyst.
“The Lion Returns” writer and director Serhat Karadi (left) and actors Danny Elach and Maha Wilson (2020). Credit: Rhett Wyman
Fitz: Again, ASIO and I will watch.
DS: Lion Returns (Australia, 2019). Turkish-born writer and director Selhat Karadi’s fascinating film deals with a different kind of family reunion. Families who immigrated from the Middle East are gathering on the outskirts of Australia’s capital. The reason for the gathering is that the old woman is seriously ill, but everyone is surprised when one of the old woman’s sons, who had gone to a strange place, suddenly returns. Was he radicalized by IS? Truly political Australian films are rare. It’s charming, beautifully made, and the cast is all Arab-Australian, so it’s a cast that no one has ever heard of.
Fitz: That’s great. Got a great Christmas movie on your list? It’s that time of year again, David.
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DS: Meet Me in St. Louis (USA, 1944) is not really a Christmas movie, as it tells the story of a St. Louis family over a full 12 months. But I love the scene where the enchanting Judy Garland sings the immortal “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to her sister (Margaret O’Brien). When I was taken to see this movie in 1945 when I was 6 years old, I cried during this scene. I still cry every time I watch this wonderful Vincente Minnelli movie again, maybe once a year.
Fitz: Okay, please continue…
DS: The Meyerowitz Stories (US, 2017) had a brief theatrical release before streaming on Netflix. This is a delicious story of a dysfunctional family reuniting just as the patriarch, an artist played in a superlative performance by Dustin Hoffman, is about to be crowned. Emma Thompson plays the artist’s wife, and Ben Stiller plays one of two very different and successful sons living in Los Angeles. The other is struggling and living in New York and is played by Adam Sandler.
Fitz: Adam Sandler dreams of making great movies, but isn’t his only goal to make really bad movies?
DS: He’s good. Everyone is very good. Witty, smart and original, this is a family film like no other. Anyway, next up is Supernova (UK, 2020). A deeply moving drama about a gay couple, Sam played by Colin Firth and Tasker played by Stanley Tucci, who have been happily together for a long time. However, Mr Tasker’s dementia is progressing, and Sam, a concert pianist, decides to take his partner on one last road trip to say goodbye to family and friends. This is a tear-jerking story about 10 handkerchiefs, but it’s also a story of great acting about a couple facing a difficult future. A great film directed by Harry McQueen.
Fitz: So I remember years ago when you and Margaret Pomerantz started challenging each other. Over the years of doing the show, is there a standout moment that you vehemently disagreed with?
DS: There are so many that I can’t remember, but the first one was The Castle (Australia, 1997). Because this was the first film made by a team that had worked in television. It looked like a TV movie to me, but I’m really into it. Visual aspects of the film. I also felt that the humor was a bit patronizing. However, having watched it several times since then, clearly I was completely misunderstood, but now I find it very funny.
Fitz: To that, I, along with ASIO, would like to say this. “Welcome to Australia, Agent Stratton!” It took me a long time to get home in the cold, but I’m so glad you came. I put my luggage down and my work here is over. ”And good luck with your new book, Australia at the Movies, The Ultimate Guide to Modern Australian Cinema.