The Chant Of Jimmy Blacksmith

Based on an important novel by Thomas Keaneally, who had acted in a small role in director Fred Schepisi’s first feature, The Devil’s Playground (1976), which was about misbehavior in a Catholic boys’ school. It was, at the time it was made, one of the most ambitious, expensive and controversial films of the Australian New Wave. Schepisi’s next film tells the story of Jimmie Blacksmith (Tommy Lewis), an Aborigine brought up by a self-important missionary (Jack Thompson) at the turn of the 20th Century. Determined to better himself, he accepts various jobs from whites but is constantly exploited and cheated until, eventually, he violently turns on his oppressors. Superbly photographed for the wide screen by Ian Baker, The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith remains thought-provoking and gripping.

David Stratton

7th New Horizons IFF Catalogue

Fred Schepisi (b. 1939) – Australian film director and scriptwriter born in Melbourne. His credits include Roxanne (1987), A Cry in the Dark (1988), Six Degrees of Separation (1993). He won a Golden Globe for the television miniseries Empire Falls (2005) and was awarded the Order of Australia for his contribution to the national film industry.