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Long Weekend (1978 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Long Weekend' is an Australian psychological thriller film shot in 1977 and first shown in 1978. The film was directed by Colin Eggleston and stars John Hargreaves and Briony Behets.
Plot
The story concerns a couple, Peter (Hargreaves) and Marcia (Behets), who, along with their dog, Cricket, go for a weekend camping trip near the beach. It is plain that there is great tension between the couple although it is unclear what is the source of this tension. Marcia, for her part, is not particularly keen on the idea of taking this trip but does so to please Peter. On the way, Peter throws a cigarette butt out the window, accidentally kills a kangaroo, and appears to trespass private property on his approach to a beach that the locals do not seem to know anything about. Once they arrive and set up camp, the couple engages in environmentally destructive actions including the theft and destruction of an eagle's egg, the killing of a dugong, what appears to be the killing of a throng of birds, and the needless partial chopping of trees. Over time, we learn that the source of this rift is an abortion that Marcia had, presumably in secret, because of its being the result of an affair with another man. As tensions between the couple escalate, nature is not pleased with their environmental wrongdoing and starts to strike back, first by an eagle and possum attacking Peter, and then through more insidious means. The film culminates as Marcia reaches her last straw and steals Peter's car, leaving him stranded at the beach. Both of them are left alone for a night to survive the elements. Peter arms himself with a spear-gun that is shot at some point during his troubled night. The next morning, Peter finds Marcia's body, impaled by his spear, and his car abandoned in what appears to be a mesh of spider webs, which he eventually ditches after getting it stuck in mud. Peter finally finds the main road after hours of searching and steps on to the road to wave down a truck, however, a bird attacks the truck driver before seeing Peter, causing him to lose control, hitting and killing Peter.
Cast
* John Hargreaves Peter
* Briony Behets Marcia
* Mike McEwen Truck Driver
* Roy Day Old Man
* Michael Aitkens Bartender
* Sue Kiss von Soly City girl
Production
The script was the first feature script written by Everett De Roche, an experienced Australian TV writer. He was inspired by a trip he took on an Easter weekend to an isolated beach in New South Wales:
I started LW as a way to avoid the TV-cop-show doldrums while still convincing myself I was "working". LW was a unique project because I began with no outline, no notes or research, very little idea as to where the story was going, and absolutely zero knowledge of screenplays. I simply started at page 1, scene 1, and made it up as I went. I had only a vague plan to write a kind of environmental horror story. My premise was that Mother Earth has her own auto-immune system, so when humans start behaving like cancer cells, She attacks. I also wanted to avoid a JAWS-like critter film. I wanted the LW beasties to all be benign-looking and not overtly aggressive.[http://www.spectacularoptical.ca/2012/06/an-interview-with-everett-de-roche/ An Interview with Everett de Roche, 'Spectacular Optical', 1 June 2012] accessed 19 October 2012
De Roche wrote the script in ten days.[http://sensesofcinema.com/2008/48/dossier-on-australian-exploitation/everett-de-roche/ Paul Davies, "Everett De Roche", 'Senses of Cinema', 12 July 2008] accessed 26 October 2012 He showed it to Colin Eggleston, who had worked with him at Crawfords, and Eggleston decided to make the movie. Funds were obtained from Film Victoria and the Australian Film Commission.
Shooting took place in MarchApril 1977 in Melbourne and near Bega in south-east New South Wales. The ending was originally different according to De Roche:
I wrote an enormously complicated sequence for near the end where the animals give Peter a second chance. They want him to wise up, and he is at the point of doing so when he hears a truck in the distance. He dashes off to the highway, and the animals decide there is no hope. Poetically, they leave it to another man to kill him.
However his scene was too difficult to shoot because it involved animals and was cut.
Release
The film premiered at the Sitges Film Festival in October 1978.
The film tied with 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' to win the Antennae II Award at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival, won the Special Jury Award at 1978's Paris Film Festival and won Best Film, Prize of the International Critics' Jury for director Eggleston and Best Actor for Hargreaves.[https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt0079482/awards IMDB Awards]
It was not released theatrically in Australia until 1979, and was a commercial disappointment.
Critical reception
AllMovie wrote, "'Long Weekend' is little more than an extended cautionary tale about the karmic foolishness of disrespecting nature. DVD Times praised the film, and also commented on its obscurity: "when an obviously well made and executed little thriller comes along, an exercise in controlled dread and eerie atmosphere that's really effective, you have to ponder the reasons why the vast majority passed on it. Early Australian cinema seems cursed in this category."
De Roche later expressed some dissatisfaction with the film:
Unfortunately, the bush comes across as a threat too early; it should have emerged as a threat only after the audience had sympathized with the animals. And I dont think that sympathy is there. 'Long Weekend' would have been much better if the audience had been told at the beginning that Peter and Marcia were going to die. This way, it wouldnt have had to sympathize with them, and could have concerned itself solely with when this was going to happen. Such is the essence of suspense.
Remake
In 2008, Australian director Jamie Blanks shot a remake of the film (alternately titled 'Nature's Grave'). The film starred James Caviezel and Claudia Karvan.
See also
*Cinema of Australia
References
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