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Dark Age (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Dark Age' is a 1987 Australian horror adventure filmEd. Scott Murray, 'Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p34 directed by Arch Nicholson, produced by Antony I. Ginnane and starring John Jarratt.
Plot
Steve Harris (John Jarratt) is a ranger who has been assigned to deal with a massive saltwater crocodile that's been attacking and killing people in the Northern Territory. He finds himself at odds with the local Aboriginal community, who believe the crocodile should be preserved since it contains the spirit of their past. Steve must develop a plan to respect the wishes of the Aborigines and also protect the residents threatened by the crocodile.
Cast
*John Jarratt as Steve Harris
*Nikki Coghill as Cathy Pope
*Max Phipps as John Besser
*Burnam Burnam as Oondabund
*David Gulpilil as Adjaral
*Ray Meagher as Rex Garret
*Jeff Ashby as Mac Wilson
*Paul Bertram as Jackson
Production
The film was part of a two-picture deal between executive producer Antony I. Ginnane and Hollywood studio RKO which also included 'The Lighthorsemen'. Shooting took place five weeks in Cairns and one week in Alice Springs, starting 22 April 1986.
The plot shares many similarities to 'Jaws' and contains homage shots such as the shot involving a shooting star.
Release
The movie was never seen in Australia theatrically and took a long time to be seen on DVD.David Stratton, 'The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p302-303
Reception
Dennis Schwartz of 'Ozus' World Movie Reviews' gave a positive review, calling the film "well-produced and acted, and an intelligent environmental adventure film results."
Quentin Tarantino spoke enthusiastically of the film in the documentary 'Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!', commenting "You could re-release 'Dark Age' in 2,000 screenings and people would go see it." In 2009, Tarantino hosted a screening for it in Sydney.[http://www.popcorntaxi.com.au/2009/07/events/dark-age-qa-hosted-by-quentin-tarantino/ "Dark Age Q & A" 'Popcorn Taxi 2009'] accessed 1 November 2012
'Filmink' later said "The phenomenal box office success of 'Jaws' meant producers inevitably looked towards Australias deadly fauna as a source of inspiration... In hindsight, its actually weird that more films about killer animals werent made in the 10BA era."
See also
* List of killer crocodile films
References
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