Cinema
The Adventures of Barry McKenzie
Bruce Beresford · 1972
Synopsis
Barry McKenzie, known as Bazza, sets off for England with his aunt, Edna Everage, to round off his education; according to Australian Screen, he has just inherited a small sum. He settles in Earls Court, at the home of his friend Curly, among London's Australian colony. He gets drunk, is swindled and insulted by pretentious Englishmen, then exploited by record producers, religious charlatans and a BBC television producer.
Context
The film adapts a comic strip by Barry Humphries that appeared in the satirical magazine Private Eye and was drawn by Nicholas Garland; Humphries co-wrote the screenplay with the director, for whom it was a first feature film, and plays several roles in it, including that of Aunt Edna, opposite Barry Crocker. Financed by the Australian Film Development Corporation, it cost 250,000 dollars and was released on 12 October 1972. It pleased audiences in Australia and in Britain alike and recouped its budget within a few months; it was the first Australian film to exceed a million dollars at the box office in the country. A sequel appeared in 1974.
Who it is for
A comedy in English from Australia, crude and disjointed, full of slang; the BnF lists it only under its original title.
Prizes and reception
Snubbed by critics, adored by the public; Australian Screen praises above all Barry Crocker's performance.
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