Hollywood audiences must think we never eat

Wednesday, 25th February 2009

Jill Dupleix wonders why there are no films celebrating Australian food

Why is there so little food in Australian films? There is always plenty of booze, but not much tucker. We all know that food in film is a metaphor for more complex issues, such as family, religion, race, gender and group identity. Italian films would be lifeless and Jewish films mute without their pivotal scenes of the family at table. But when it comes to food on our big screens, I can only quote Tourism Australia’s previous advertising campaign: ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’

In Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, for example, everybody drinks beer or rum between meals — but there are no actual meals. Nobody eats. Australia is yet another victim of the visual anorexia afflicting Australian cinema. I vaguely recall a tense barbecue scene in Ray Lawrence’s Jindabyne and a campfire tea in Crocodile Dundee, but nobody seemed to eat in Priscilla (still the most ‘Australian’ film ever made), Babe, Strictly Ballroom or Rabbit Proof Fence. Australian films survive on very little sustenance; a delicious irony considering the famously generous catering usually found on set. Clearly, we would rather eat it than shoot it.

And now that the country is being flogged to the world in Luhrmann’s very own bigscreen, big-budget television ads for Tourism Australia, the entire world will think we value our waterholes and walkabouts over our sweetcorn fritters and ricotta hotcakes. The ads may be gorgeous, but there is not a word about dinner, thank you very much. Not a Neil Perry tea-smoked duck and sea scallop salad, nor a Luke Mangan slow-cooked jewfish with crabmeat and fragrant chilli dressing to be seen. Not even an Australian wine, and God knows the industry could do with a bit of help.

1 | 2 | 3 Next page

More articles from: Jill Dupleix | this section

Print this article | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (1)

Post this entry to: del.icio.us | Digg | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit

Post comment

Butters

February 26th, 2009 6:22pm Report this comment

"Don’t tell me that our food culture is not strong enough to inspire Australian filmmakers, novelists and artists."

It isn't strong enough. There, I just told you.

Or do you think that there are no Euro with Asian fusion foods in the NE or SW USA. Now if you are talking about kangaroo steaks, or some other native game meats, of course we are unique, but so is just about everywhere else.

Post comment