DIMBOOLA (1979)

Title: DIMBOOLA

Year of Release: 1979

Director: John Duigan

Genre: Comedy

Synopsis: Life in an Australian country town, with preparations for the wedding of two of its townfolk.

Within a film history context: Ocker comedies began to appear on Australian cinema screens from the early 1970s. In general, these spotlighted a male character, the eponymous 'ocker' who indulged in uncouth behaviour ranging from excessive drinking, sexual antics, swearing, and sexist attitudes toward the opposite sex. The first film in this genre was Tim Burstall's STORK (1971). The story of a gangly man and his outré activities, specifically with women, was a box office success of its time, and initiated the ocker genre to cinema. THE ADVENTURES OF BARRY MCKENZIE (1972), directed by Bruce Beresford, was another movie that made money. A man goes to Britan with his aunt to claim an inheritance, and a clash of cultures between Australian, and British sensibilities ensues in this comedy. The movie was so popular that a sequel, BARRY MACKENZIE HOLDS HIS OWN, was released in 1974, also directed by Bruce Beresford. 

A less humorous entry in the cycle was Tim Burstall's PETERSEN (1974). A rough and tumble electrician goes to university to further himself in life, but finds that he is instead drawn to sex escapades and affairs, unable to stay away from the lewder aspects of life. More satirical about its milieu and characters was DON'S PARTY (1976), directed by Bruce Beresford. The activities of characters on election night in 1969 Australia are placed under the microscope, letting everything hang out in their lives in both literal, and figurative senses. One of the final ocker movies of the 1970s, Tom Jeffrey's THE ODD ANGRY SHOT (1979), this time was set during the Vietnam War, following the hijinks of Australian soldiers on their tour of duty. DIMBOOLA was also released in 1979, but was another take on the ocker comedy.

It shared the focus on a male character, and his personal relationships, especially with women, which the other ocker films also highlighted within their individual contexts. In the case of DIMBOOLA, though, Morrie is found in a compromising situation with a stripper before his wedding, which sets in motion the breakup of his engagement. He is shown to not be comfortable placed in this position, unlike the characters of STORK, PETERSEN, and DON'S PARTY, where they were anything but unwilling in this respect. Aside from this, DIMBOOLA also had a multi-character structure, similar to DON'S PARTY, where events are deciphered through the eyes of many diverse protagonists. This allows for multiple viewpoints to be examined by the audience, although DON'S PARTY did a much more effective job due to its sturdier narrative.

Another area where DIMBOOLA diverts is in its setting. STORK, PETERSEN, and DON'S PARTY were in predominant urban/suburban settings, while THE ADVENTURES OF BARRY MCKENZIE, and its sequel, were largely set in England. DIMBOOLA was set in a country town, and afforded a completely different visual background for its characters, and consequently, for the viewer than the other movies. Lush outdoor locations, a country town with its homes, streetscapes, stores, cinema and theatre was the best, most expressive feature of the movie. The visual beauty of DIMBOOLA somewhat balanced its top-heavy storyline which too often strayed into over the top, exaggerated moments. An interesting sojourn into ocker film territory, DIMBOOLA is another perspective on this film genre.

Overview: John Duigan is an Australian director who has made twenty-one films over the course of thirty-seven years. His movies are thoughtful, character-driven narratives, many of these set in past eras, or with rural backgrounds. THE FIRM MAN (1975), marked Mr Duigan's debut. It was the story of a businessman starting work at a new company, his personal life, and friendship with a younger woman which takes things into another direction for him. THE TRESPASSERS (1976), similarly dealt with a male character and his personal troubles, this time following a journalist living with a woman. He has an affair with another woman, and the meeting of both of these women in his life takes a surprising turn. MOUTH TO MOUTH (1978), was the study of four young people battling to survive in the big city, documenting their hardships in detail. Into the 1980s, John Duigan made a number of meaningful films.

WINTER OF OUR DREAMS (1981), was about a man who hears of the suicide of a former girlfriend, and how he tries to discover more about this and becomes involved with her friend, a prostitute. This was John Duigan's first commercially successful movie, with Bryan Brown and Judy Davis in the lead roles. In FAR EAST (1982), a woman, whose journalist husband has been kidnapped, seeks help from a former lover, played by Bryan Brown, to save him from the Filipino military junta. Much more comical in orientation was ONE NIGHT STAND (1984). Four teens are trapped inside the Sydney Opera House, with nuclear war breaking loose worldwide, causing them to behave in a weird way, with Sydney possibly in the midst of an attack. It was back to more meditative fare for Mr Duigan with THE YEAR MY VOICE BROKE (1987). Charting the fractured relationship between a young man and woman in 1960s Australia, it won five Australian Film Institute awards, and made a star of its lead actor Noah Taylor. John Duigan rounded out the decade with ROMERO (1989), his first American film. A biopic of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero during the tumultuous era of a tyrannical regime in El Salvador, it was critically well-received, but a loss maker financially. 

It was back to Australian movies for John Duigan with FLIRTING (1991). In this sequel to THE YEAR MY VOICE BROKE, the character from the first film is now in boarding school, and falls for a young woman in an all-girls boarding school. Their union is threatened by issues of race, as the young woman is Ugandan-Kenyan-English. WIDE SARGASSO SEA (1993) was a period piece set in 1840s England. A young woman inherits land in Jamaica, on the proviso that she marries, but this marriage is filled with nothing but heartache for her, and her husband. SIRENS (1994), was set in 1930s Australia, charting the scandalous activities of artist Norman Lindsay, famed for his portraits of naked women. It was another success for John Duigan, grossing a handsome profit at the box office. 

John Duigan made his next American film, THE JOURNEY OF AUGUST, in 1995. The tale of a farmer in North Carolina of 1815, and his friendship with a female slave, it was an ambitious project which received miniscule box office. THE LEADING MAN (1996), was another letdown financially. A playwright initiates a complex chain of events to continue his affair with his actress-lover, trying to save his wife by seeking a lover for her, but things do not go the way he initially intended. LAWN DOGS (1997), was about a young pre-teen girl in a new gated community, and how her friendship with a gardener raises many questions about the nature of this relationship. In contrast, MOLLY (1999), was a comedy. A bachelor businessman takes on the care of his autistic sister, and she has surgery to improve her health, but things do not go to plan for Molly, or her brother. Into the 2000s and beyond, John Duigan made several more movies.

There was a foray into thrillers for Mr Duigan with PARANOID (2000). A young fashion model attends a party where she is left on her own, and undergoes many painful and humiliating experiences. It was back to comedy with THE PAROLE OFFICER (2001). A parole officer is set up for a murder charge, and finds that his former clients are the only ones who can help him out of this scrape. HEAD IN THE CLOUDS (2004), was another of John Duigan's period pieces. In this film, spanning from the 1920s, until the late 1930s in Europe, the lives of several young people are intertwined by love, and the flaming political atmosphere of the time. Unfortunately, it was another box office failure for the director, receiving acidic reviews. John Duigan's last picture to date, CARELESS LOVE (2012), centered upon a university student who works as a prostitute on the side, and becomes involved with one of her clients. Her life takes a turn for the worse after she falls for a fellow student, both of these relationships tested to the nth degree. As John Duigan's fourth movie, DIMBOOLA was one of his least successful projects.

In the case of DIMBOOLA, regrettably, the director has made an uneven motion picture. Set in the small real-life Australian town of the same name, it is based upon a 1969 play by John Hibberd. It follows the exploits of the town's residents, particularly focusing upon preparations for a wedding. DIMBOOLA also has a subplot about a British journalist who is in town to cover the wedding, and his involvements with the various citizens. While the director is adept at showing local colour, which is one of the movie's best qualities, the story is haphazard and overdone. There are too many characters in the picture, and it is difficult to keep up with all their adventures. In attempting to give as many characters as possible a chance to be seen in the film, it ends up being overloaded. DIMBOOLA did not require as many players as it had, and should have concentrated upon one main story thread. Morrie and Maureen's backwards and forwards engagement, complete with complications, is largely relegated to the back burner with the movie's avalanche of people, and their wacky ways, taking up space in the narrative. These consume valuable time that could have been better served with less people everywhere. Aside from this, there are some other tendencies which do not work in favor of the movie.

One would believe that having a British journalist covering the wedding would be beneficial to DIMBOOLA, giving it a sense of place, and perspective akin to a Greek chorus, but it never quite comes off as it should. Vivian Worcester-Jones, instead, seems to breeze into the movie, and out of it in the end. His only purpose is to comment lightly upon the happenings in the town, but the usefulness of the character is negligible. If he never appeared in the film, he would not have been missed. In addition, the movie likes to present cameos which is a positive thing, but having a host of characters pass through renders it top-heavy. The effect is that one does not have time to get to know these people, which points to something else in DIMBOOLA. The lack of real emotion felt for the characters, and what they go through, makes DIMBOOLA a dispiriting experience. The periodic vulgarity, and broad humor, results in many characters feeling more as caricatures than real people. Morrie's paternity should have been a stronger point in the film, but it is handled so flippantly one wishes things had been otherwise. DIMBOOLA seems to have been assembled just to see how outrageous one could be in the film, but without the spirit of real passion. One of John Duigan's most disappointing movies, DIMBOOLA makes one yearn for what could have been if it had firmer direction.

Acting: There are several performances which stand out in DIMBOOLA. As Morrie McAdam, Bruce Spence is in one of his best roles. A unique actor with a likeable presence, he does excellent work as the often-confused, put-upon Morrie. Morrie's other half, Maureen, is nicely played by Natalie Bate. With her forthright, well-spoken outlook, Miss Bate is a great foil for Morrie, and his lost-for-words persona. Unfortunately, Max Gillies, as Vivian Worcester-Jones, is not in one of his best parts. One of Australia's foremost comedians and impressionists tries hard to bring whimsy to his role, but is let down by the writing of the character. On the other hand, Bill Garner, as the ultra-masculine Dangles, Morrie's friend, is delightful. Seeing Dangles' masculinity satirized is one of DIMBOOLA's best moments, but Mr Garner ensures that Dangles has some vulnerable edges which make him real. 

Soundtrack: DIMBOOLA's use of sound is one of the things which works in its favor. Orchestral music is utilized both at the film's beginning, and end. In the first instance, it is diegetic, with the band playing in the town streets. The second time the piece is played is during the closing credits in a non-diegetic sense. The film otherwise has isolated instances of music, some diegetic, such as the band playing at the wedding, with non-diegetic music in scenes such as the evening after the buck's party, with Morrie laying on the ground, face covered in mud.

Mise-en-scene: One of DIMBOOLA's best aspects is its attention to detail in the visual experience for viewers. Tom Cowan's carefully composed cinematography is beautiful, making the locales in the country town lush to the eyes. His work on the interiors, such as Morrie and Maureen's wedding party, is likewise astute, evoking memories of Twentieth Century Fox studios' Technicolor extravaganzas with their appealing use of color. Production design by Laurence Eastwood, and Anni Browning's set decoration, are also pluses, creating a story world, and a country town which is vivid to witness, despite the film's wayward story. 

Notable Acting Performances: Bruce Spence, Natalie Bate, Bill Garner.

Suitability for young viewers: No. Infrequent coarse language, male nudity, female nudity, adult themes.

Overall Grade: D

Link: IMDB Page