The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978)
Movie Info
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Cast
as Jimmie Blacksmith
as Mort Blacksmith
as Constable Farrell
as Rev. Neville
as McCready
as Petra Graf
as Peter Newby
as Claude Lewis
as Mullett
as Shearer
as Mrs. Heather Newby
as Mr. Newby
as Martha Neville
as Man in Butcher Shop
as Tabidgi
as Mrs. Healy
as Cook
as Dud Edmonds
as Mrs. McCready
as Gilda Marshall
as Healy
as Dowie Stead
as Hyberry
Critic Reviews for The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
All Critics (10) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (0)
There's a lot to feast on here, and not least a ferociously resonant and emotionally potent epic set under the blazing Aussie sun.
Featuring a moving and underrated performance from the underappreciated Tommy Lewis, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith hits on a variety of troubling social injustices.
A richly rewarding film, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith is a not-to-be-missed treasure.
When the moment of violence arrives, abruptly, at the half-way point, it does so in flurry of handheld camerawork, striking sound design and stark symbolism.
The movie is gorgeous pure filmmaking even when we wince at the violence - and we do, because Schepisi doesn't present it as cathartic or exciting.
A powerful unsettling film about racism in Australia in 1900.
Audience Reviews for The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
I've only seen this movie once, getting on for 25 years ago, late one night on BBC2, back when dedicated movie channels were in their infancy and the BBC still cared about its film programming. One of the regrettable byproducts of avid film viewing is a certain desensitisation to violence; we'll unflinchingly watch the most harrowing of scenes without being put off our popcorn. The brain-searing power of Fred Schepisi's second feature, however, has never left me, and I don't imagine it ever will. The story concerns a young Aboriginal boy, so dehumanised by white colonialism that he lashes out, commits an act of brutal savagery and goes on the run. While Schepisi certainly sympathises with his central character, I don't remember him seeking to excuse Jimmie's actions, and nobody could accuse him of pulling his punches in depicting the crime itself. A superb film. See it if you get the chance.
Super Reviewer
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