They're a Weird Mob

What a sweet surprise this film was. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but had read a few of the Nino Culotta books by John O’Grady as a kid and had enjoyed them, but hadn’t got into this one. And that’s kinda weird in itself, being as it’s the first one in the series. Anyway...

The ‘fish out of water’ theme is certainly not a new one and being a film from 1966 it wasn’t new then either. However, I don’t believe anyone had tried it in Australia back then and it seems to have worked marvelously, creating a charming and affectionate look at us as Australians. It gets a little over the top at times, cram-packed with those fictional Aussies who use terms like ‘cobber’ and ‘drongo’, but perhaps people really did back then. I dunno, I wasn’t here yet.

"Give me a hand with this drongo! "

They’re A Weird Mob details the story of Italian immigrant Nino Culotta as he enters Australia to start work on an Italian/Australian magazine his cousin owns. Upon arrival he finds the mag and his cousin packed up and gone, leaving a string of creditors chasing money. Now he has to find a quick job and starts as a brickie’s labourer, working his arse off in the Australian sun. Proving himself with these builder fellas, he starts to repay his cousin’s debt and attracts the eye of his cousin’s landlord, Kay.

What ensues is such an affectionate look at Australia and what home means to both those born here and those new Australians who choose to belong that I couldn’t help but love the film. The issues it raises regarding racism and immigration are just as pertinent today and ring as true now as they ever could have. The delivery of this film is sterling, winning us over with its portrayal of hapless Nino struggling to find his place in the burgeoning Australia of the '60s. Shot in and around Sydney when Sydney was still growing, there are places in this film that just aren’t there anymore, making a perfect setting for the story. Australia is depicted as a blossoming country full of promise and youthful energy with the classic laughter-loving Aussie running free in every street. Whilst this may not necessarily be accurate today, it looks like a fun place to live in the '60s and created a faint yearning within me for a place I wish I could have seen first hand. However, should my time machine not work when I finally try it, this film is probably one of the best ways to visit this lost era. Several sweeping shots of younger Syd-a-ney with an Opera House in mid-construction are incredible and contribute to the countless scenes, sayings and customs that commit this film forevermore to the '60s.

Being made in 1966, time has been unkind to the print used for transfer. Multiple film artefacts abound and there is some film burn occuring at various times (this is where overexposed film goes orangey and washed out). Fleshtones also suffer from going a bit orangey and off kilter on occasion too. This is only occasionally, but mostly with Nino. Being Italian he has slightly darker skin than most of the whiteys in this film, and this does appear more obvious at times due to this ‘off-kilterness’. There are also instances of blacks that go a bit greenish at times, but the few night shots aren’t bad in this regard.

The 16:9 transfer has come across utilising the 1.85:1 aspect ratio to its full cinematic appeal, and this is best used in the wide pans of younger Sydney. There are instances of some very clunky camerawork, but shall we put those down to youthful Aussie exuberance? I think so.

The sound isn’t great I gotta say. Delivered in Dolby Digital 2.0, the music comes across as quite tinny for the most part, but curiously seems to fit in with the running theme and the time portrayed. Be that as it may, a little restoration wouldn’t have hurt. Dialogue suffers from running together at times, making some of the Italian and even the Australian difficult to understand. There is a horrible one-line echo at 1:09:21-22 that I’m thinking was added to the original soundtrack from another recording because it does stand out quite noticeably from the surrounding sound.

Sound effects throughout are happily not really evident, short of recorded action sound. There aren’t stupid clown noises for the sillier shots or for a cheap laugh either, and for that I am very grateful. The comic style of the script certainly could have called for it, but the director has chosen to play it straight and that works in the film’s favour.

There's not a great deal here, but what lives in this section is absolutely priceless. Naturally we have a Trailer from the original film which is yet another angle on the story that adds to its quaintness. There’s the crummy Dolby Trailer (Egypt) which I describe more as a warning than counting as an extra, as well as a ‘hidden’ Roadshow Titles Trailer.

Some mild animation on the menus is cute, using old caricatures of Aussies from the original film advertising and there’s a 15-shot Gallery of stills with info plus the original daybill poster art. Then the big one, A 54 minute Making of Documentary which must have been unheard of back then. Made for television of course, it screens in black and white and is hosted by Ed Devereaux (the dad from the original Skippy) who also plays a significant role in the film itself. Anyhow, this is a very informative and fun look at the creation of the movie and features interviews and a ‘day in the life’ of some of the actors. Chips Rafferty gives a memorable quote that I’d like to pass on here, "For the first time I think that the film industry might have a chance here." And I think that’s been well and truly proven by now.

The other interesting item of note regarding this doco is that it has been restored from the Screensound Australia archives, who do such a great job of storing and saving classic Australian film of all types. The transfer to DVD isn’t quite so good with a few computer artefacts within, but they aren’t really too disruptive to the piece as a whole and are easily overlooked when watching the uniqueness of this footage. Without a doubt this is easily the highlight of the extras.

This will remain a classic Australian film for decades yet to come. It’s a pity it couldn’t have been restored a little better, but I’m led to believe funds aren’t great for that sort of thing down Screensound way. However, the originality of the story and character acting makes up for the inadequacies of the transfer and you may well find, as I did, that the jitters and shudders and jerky camerawork and film artefacts add a delightful charm to the entirety of the film.

Anne Haddy (Helen Daniels from Neighbours) and Jeanie Drynan, (Muriel’s mum from Muriel’s Wedding), make appearances in their sexy youth as well, which is pretty cool. All up this is a very sweet and charming film that will find you laughing more as it progresses, particularly once Nino has slotted himself into our culture a little. Whilst time has been unkind to the filmstock, it hasn’t made a mark on the relevance of the storyline, nor on the effect it can still have on all of us who call Australia home.