I was greatly entranced by this little film.
It chronicles the misadventures of a likable outback boy, Smiley, who has his heart set upon a bike. He undertakes to do chores for various townspeople - the publican, the reverend, and the obliging policeman - to raise money, but is constantly set back (he has to pay for a damaged bike, and broken windows). I must disagree with the other reviewer, however, and say that apart, from Smiley, his mates, and the laconic Chips Raffetry, I did not find the Australian accent pronounced at all. Indeed, the film featured many adults attempting to bring across that pseudo-English accent that characterized the cultural cringe before the New Wave of Australian cinema in the 1970s.
I was surprised that this was a 20th Century Fox co-production, but maybe that accounts for why SMILEY looks like it was made for a generic international children's market - why there is a map of America in the classroom of an outback school, why a laconic Smiley calls 'yabbys' crayfish, and why opium is the choice of smuggled goods in the outback etc It is indeed a simple story, but offers lovely scenery and a generally capturing performance of the title role in particular. It is politically incorrect if not downright patronizing to Aboriginals and seems to push religious devotion somewhat quite constantly (quoting scripture, praying etc), but it is generally a product of its time.
It chronicles the misadventures of a likable outback boy, Smiley, who has his heart set upon a bike. He undertakes to do chores for various townspeople - the publican, the reverend, and the obliging policeman - to raise money, but is constantly set back (he has to pay for a damaged bike, and broken windows). I must disagree with the other reviewer, however, and say that apart, from Smiley, his mates, and the laconic Chips Raffetry, I did not find the Australian accent pronounced at all. Indeed, the film featured many adults attempting to bring across that pseudo-English accent that characterized the cultural cringe before the New Wave of Australian cinema in the 1970s.
I was surprised that this was a 20th Century Fox co-production, but maybe that accounts for why SMILEY looks like it was made for a generic international children's market - why there is a map of America in the classroom of an outback school, why a laconic Smiley calls 'yabbys' crayfish, and why opium is the choice of smuggled goods in the outback etc It is indeed a simple story, but offers lovely scenery and a generally capturing performance of the title role in particular. It is politically incorrect if not downright patronizing to Aboriginals and seems to push religious devotion somewhat quite constantly (quoting scripture, praying etc), but it is generally a product of its time.