Page 13 - Metro

In Sweet Country’s grim irony, the same white settlers who cheer for Ned Kelly’s
violent stand against the police become a Greek chorus of sorts, baying for
Sam Kelly’s blood when he faces his day in court for the killing of Harry March.

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– two thematic precursors to 2VDDS "NTMSQX. 1HYHUWKHOHVV WKH HQG FUHGLWV SOD\ RXW WR -RKQQ\ &DVKpV
,Q KLV YLVXDO UHIHUHQFH SRLQWV 7KRUQWRQ ORRNV EDFN IXUWKHU ‘Peace in the Valley’, a sardonic rejoinder to the blood
Working once again as his own cinematographer, Thornton shed that has preceded it, implying that the only peace the
this time eschews 2@LRNM #DKHK@GpV FORVH PRELOH VKRW characters will know in this land is in the sleep of death.
scale. Instead, 2VDDS "NTMSQX’s restrained camera move 2VDDS "NTMSQXpV WLWOH KDV QR GRXEW WDNHQ RQ JUHDWHU VLJQLĺ
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scapes evoke the epic sweep and grandeur of classic $XVWUDOLD 'D\ $PLG GHEDWH DV WR ZKHWKHU RU QRW WKLV
westerns like 3GD ,@M EQNL +@Q@LHD (Anthony Mann, commemorative date should be moved, or the holiday abol
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cranked outdoor screening of 3GD 2SNQX NE SGD *DKKX &@MF Nicholas Godfrey is a lecturer in Screen and Media at Flinders
(Charles Tait, 1906). This intertextual reference connects University in South Australia, and the author of The Limits
2VDDS "NTMSQX WR D ĺOPLF OLQHDJH WKDW H[WHQGV IURP WKH of Auteurism: Case Studies in the Critically Constructed
origins of cinema in this country through to the portrayals New Hollywood. He is a regular contributor to Metro and
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+HDWK /HGJHU -DC *DKKX *UHJRU -RUGDQ HDFK SHU Endnotes
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an outlaw hero in the mainstream national consciousness. Standard $XJXVW KWWS WURYH QOD JRY DX QHZVSDSHU
In a similar way, Thornton’s 6D #NM S -DDC @ ,@O surveys DUWLFOH ! DFFHVVHG 1RYHPEHU 1RWH
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WKH &URQXOOD 5LRWV DQG WKH $XVWUDOLD )LUVW 3DUW\ ,Q Sweet VHH o'LUHFWRUpV 6WDWHPHQWp LQ 7UDQVPLVVLRQ )LOPV Sweet
"NTMSQX’s grim irony, the same white settlers who cheer Country SUHVV NLW S } ,W LV WKLV ODVW VSHOOLQJ WKDW KDV
IRU 1HG .HOO\pV YLROHQW VWDQG DJDLQVW WKH SROLFH EHFRPH D been used here.
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he faces his day in court for the killing of Harry March. $GHODLGH )LOP )HVWLYDO }2FWREHU
/LNH 3GD '@SDETK $HFGS 4XHQWLQ 7DUDQWLQR Sweet 3 ibid.
"NTMSQX employs western archetypes to level an uncomfort 4 ibid.
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VLRQV ERWK ĺOPV XOWLPDWHO\ VXJJHVW WKH LPSRVVLELOLW\ RI 6 Thornton, Sweet Country SRVW VFUHHQLQJ 4 $ RS FLW
UDFLDO KDUPRQ\ DOWKRXJK WKH DPELJXRXV ĺQDO LPDJH RI WKH ibid.

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