ABSTRACT
Australian National Cinema reinterprets André Bazin’s original question-‘What is cinema?’ in terms of Australian cinema. As the title of this book suggests Australian cinema is a type of cinema-a national cinema. It is one among a number of national cinemas: British, Japanese, Dutch, French and Indian. A national cinema is made of the films and film production industry of particular nations. National cinemas involve relations between, on the one hand, the national film texts and the national and international film industries and, on the other hand, their various social, political and cultural contexts. These supply a means of differentiating cinema product in domestic and international circulation: these are the Australian films, directors, actors and these are the French. National cinemas also partake of a broader ‘conversation’ with Hollywood and other national cinemas. They carve a space locally and internationally for themselves in the face of the dominant international cinema, Hollywood. National film-makers indigenize genres, artistic movements and influences. So, for example, Strictly Ballroom (Luhrmann 1992), The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (Elliott 1994) and Star Struck (Armstrong 1982) are not only Australian musicals but each can be seen to Australianize the form. Australian cinema is also a type of national cinema. Like the British and New Zealand cinemas, it is an English language cinema; like the Canadian and Dutch cinemas it is a medium-sized cinema.
