But he also idles near a common character trope of the “Magical Negro” - trademarked by a character of color who exists to depart some sort of mystical or “native” knowledge onto the white protagonists and then spookily disappears into the mist, something Fingerbone literally does several times throughout the movie.įingerbone Bill is a Ngarrindjeri man. As the only main character of color, he does play an important part, representing the indigenous Australia that colonizers want to destroy. It would be irresponsible of me to not mention Fingerbone Bill. And the effects with the pelicans are (mostly) awe-inspiring, although a couple of scenes still feel scraped together. Besides Finn Little’s amazing child acting, his ruggedly handsome, emotionally damaged dad is basically a supermodel who deserves more screen time. In fact, the ending feels more like the budget ran out after a random, unexplained helicopter scene that doesn’t tie the story together.ĭespite all of this, I still love the flashback scenes. In fact, the whole movie feels unfinished, from the clunky beginning to the underwhelming ending. Dizzying transitions, meant to show Michael’s degrading memory, instead come off as a muddled mess desperately in need of better editing. However, the remake was not as well received as Safran’s 1976 adaption, which is proving to be a film for ages.I would have loved this movie if I didn’t have to hear about how Michael is apparently losing his mind as an old man and how his son-in-law hates nature in a particularly lazy bout of villainy. Storm Boy was remade in 2019, filmed in the same place and starred Jai Courtney, Finn Little, Trevor Jamieson and Geoffrey Rush. The film also gave David Gulpilil one of his earliest roles, helping him become one of the most recognisable Aboriginal faces, and names today. The result was an Australian classic that, inflation considered, out-matches the box office performance of 2021’s second highest film to date (The Dry). But it is Safran’s ability to give the characters such breath of life and not only the human ones (looking at you Mr. The film is well helmed by Safran, while the film is nearly 50 years old, how could it not look great having been filmed in the Coorong, on Ngarrindjeri country. They all come to appreciate one another through the raising of the pelicans, and their respect for the environment. But it is not only one relationship that builds, it the relationship between Tom and his son Storm Boy, The relation between Tom and Fingerbone Bill, and of course between Storm Boy and Fingerbone Bill. The relationship begins to build when Storm Boy finds three baby pelicans that need to be raised, as their parent was killed by hunters. But it is not a feature of the film.įingerbone Bill is just a bloke, an outsider, and when Storm Boy and his father need help, Fingerbone is there to help. Nothing is made of his Aboriginality aside from a few yarns about why he is on the outside. The character is not really written in a stereotypical way, but rather paints Fingerbone Bill as just another outsider, but a friend to Hideaway Tom and Storm Boy. Where this film fits within reconciliation is its portrayal of its Aboriginal character, Fingerbone Bill portrayed by the incredible David Gulpilil. A child on the outside, the themes of teaching, learning and understanding are shining through strongly. Thiele’s perceived life is seen within the film. Storm Boy (1976) was a great achievement. The Dry’s performance has been celebrated country-wide within the film industry. That translates to just under $17,000,000 today – just slightly more than what the 2021 Australian film The Dry earned at the Australian box office. The film was also an Australian box office hit, earning $2,645,000 at the time in cinemas. In 1976 long time TV director Henri Safran released what appears to be his first feature film in Storm Boy which went on to become a classic having won four awards, including ‘Best Film’ at that year’s AFI awards (now AACTA Awards) and nominated for a further six. The story of Hideaway Tom, Fingerbone Bill, Mike the Storm Boy and three pelicans. So, when Colin Thiele released his novel Storm Boy in 1964, in which the three lead characters were all outsiders, it seems logical to think that Thiele used personal experiences to tell such a fantastic story.
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