The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
Fred Schepisi
Australia 1978
122/108 min
This drama is a shocking indictment of the racism inflicted on the indigenous people of Australia.
Jimmie is a half-white, half-aborigine young man raised by a Methodist minister. Feeling outcast among the Aboriginals, Jimmie moves to the city and gets a job working for a white family.
When a white serving girl at the estate becomes pregnant, everyone is convinced that Jimmie is the father; to spare the girl's honor, Jimmie marries her and is allowed to live with her on the estate.
But after the child is born, everyone realizes that the father was a white man, not Jimmie; he is still willing to accept the child and stand beside his wife, but his employers now feel that he married a white girl under false pretenses, and they bar him from the estate.
Forbidden to see his wife and fired without receiving his pay, Jimmie finally explodes in a fury of violent revenge. (Mark Deming, All Movie Guide)
| Cast |
| ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release dates | 1978 - Australia | ||
| Video/DVD Release Date | May 16th, 1994 (** very rare **) | ||
| Awards | Best Actress (Angela Punch McGregor), Best Supporting Actor (Ray Barrett), Best Original Music Score (1978 20th Australian Film Awards) | ||
| Rating | R - objectionable for children | ||
| Language level | not available | ||
| Distributor | New Yorker Films, Hoyts Distribution | ||
| Soundtrack | Bruce Smeaton | ||
| Genre | Drama | ||
| Notes |
|
Where to from here?
- Learn about the Stolen Generations
- Explore the Stolen Generations timeline
- When the Prime Minister said 'sorry'
Go shopping
Find Aboriginal books, CDs, DVDs in our Aboriginal Book Store