The Journalist (1979 film)
| The Journalist | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Thornhill |
| Written by | Michael Thornhill Edna Wilson |
| Produced by | Pom Oliver |
| Starring | Jack Thompson Sam Neill |
| Cinematography | Donald McAlpine |
| Edited by | Tim Welburn Ron Williams |
Production companies | FJ Promoters NSW Film Corporation |
| Distributed by | Roadshow |
Release date |
|
Running time | 83 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | AU$400,000[1] |
| Box office | AU $52,000 (Australia)[2] |
The Journalist is a 1979 Australian sex comedy about the romantic adventures of a journalist (Jack Thompson). It has the reputation as one of the worst Australian films of all time.[3]
Plot
[edit]Journalist Simon Morris has trouble with his love life. He is separated from his wife Wendy and daughter Suzie and lives with his girlfriend Liz.
Cast
[edit]- Jack Thompson as Simon Morris
- Sam Neill as Rex
- Elizabeth Alexander as Liz Corbett
- Carol Raye as Maggie
- Bud Tingwell as Sid Mitchell
- Penne Hackforth-Jones as Gillie Griffiths
- Frank Wilson as Vic Parson
- Dennis Miller as Junior Interviewer
- Chard Hayward as Barry
- Martyn Sanderson as Bert
- Jane Harders as Wendy Morris
Production
[edit]Money came from Roadshow, who wanted Jack Thompson to play the lead, and the New South Wales Film Corporation. The shoot started January 1979 and went for four weeks.[3]
Reception
[edit]The film was very poorly received critically and commercially. Thornhill:
The Journalist was a misfire completely and I think it was my fault entirely. We should never have had Jack Thompson. He was just miscast. He's not a comedian. He's a serious, solid actor. We should have had Sam Neill in the lead role and you would have had a debonair roue - it was meant to be a debonair roue. It was meant to be a piece of fluff, a piece of effervescent fluff that came out feeling like lard.[4]
Robert Macklin wrote a novelisation of the script for $5,000.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Keith Connor, "The Journalist", Australian Film 1978-92, Oxford Uni Press 1993 p34
- ^ "Australian Films at the Australian Box Office", Film Victoria Archived 9 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 October 2012
- ^ a b David Stratton, The Last New Wave, Angus and Robertson, 1979 p 92-95
- ^ Interview with Michael Thornhill, Signist, 2 November 1998. Retrieved 14 October 2012
- ^ "Damned if you win, damned if you don't". The Canberra Times. Vol. 71, no. 22, 080. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 30 September 1995. p. 44. Retrieved 3 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
External links
[edit]- The Journalist is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- The Journalist at Oz Movies
- The Journalist at IMDb
- The Journalist at National Film and Sound Archive
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