Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
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** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal A ...
silent
sci-fi
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universe ...
/
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
written and directed by Rolf de Heer. It premiered in Australia at the
2007 Adelaide Film Festival
The 3rd Adelaide Film Festival took place in Adelaide, South Australia, from 22 February to 4 March 2007.National Film and Sound Archive's new cinema, Arc, in August 2007. Its public cinema release was on 30 August 2007.
The film, set primarily in 1907, has been described as "a time-travelling satire". The Adelaide Film Festival program described it as "a black and white, silent comedy shot with a hand-cranked camera and brimming with romance, action and especially, slapstick comedy". Its score was composed by Graham Tardif. It is also notable for a cameo appearance by the South Australian Premier,
Mike Rann
Michael David Rann, , (born 5 January 1953) is an Australian former politician who was the 44th premier of South Australia from 2002 to 2011. He was later Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2014, and Australian am ...
, playing the 2007 Prime Minister.
Plot
The story focuses on Dr Plonk, a scientist and inventor who, in 1907, determines that the world will end in 101 years. However, he is ridiculed for his beliefs and so invents a time machine in order to collect evidence from the future to prove his case. But each visit he makes to 2007 only causes him more problems, and he eventually becomes a wanted man...
Cast
* Nigel Lunghi as Dr. Plonk
* Magda Szubanski as Mrs Plonk
* Paul Blackwell as Dr Plonk's assistant, Paulus
* Reg the dog as Tiberius the dog
Production
De Heer was inspired to make the film after discovering old raw film stock, which prompted him to make a silent movie.
Release
''Dr. Plonk'' was distributed in Australia by Palace Films.
Reception
Box office
''Dr. Plonk'' grossed $83,450 at the box office in Australia.
Critical response
Urban Cinefile Critics gave a positive review; "Beyond its novelty value, ''Dr Plonk'' is fresh and funny, wacky and outlandish as it combines slapstick, situation comedy and an audacious premise."
Accolades
Judd Overton won an award from the
Australian Cinematographers Society
The Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1958 for the purpose of providing a forum for Australian cinematographers to further develop their skills through mutual co-operation.
Location
Its Nati ...
as ''SA & WA Silver Award for Best Cinematography''.
Additionally, Graham Tardif was nominated for a FCCA Award for ''Best Music Score''.