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The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
Fred Schepisi’s Palme d’Or-nominated epic based on the true story of a man of half-Aboriginal ancestry who is pushed to breaking point in the Australian outback in 1900.
Director: Fred Schepisi
Overview
Forty-five years after its release, Fred Schepisi’s Palme d’Or-nominated epic is no less significant nor powerful. Based on the true story of a man driven mad with rage by racism, Tommy Lewis stars in the title role as Jimmie Blacksmith, the child of an Aboriginal mother and a white father. Crushed by relentless humiliations and harassment from his white employers, he finally unleashes his anger through a wave of violence.
Following a deeply complex character, who gains our sympathies only to flip over to horror, this is a compelling and disturbing film set in the unforgiving Australian outback.
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