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脚光を浴びる豪映画
今年のアカデミー賞では、『シャイン』を含む4本のオーストラリア映画が9部門にノミネートされ、『シャイン』は主演男優賞を受賞しました。世界進出がめざましいオーストラリア映画産業ですが、ハリウッド映画と比べて自国内での評判はどうでしょうか?
Local film takes the international stage
By Chelsea McLean
The Academy Awards ceremony was broadcast March 24 to an estimated audience of one billion people, making it the
biggest celebration of movie-making in the world. This year the stakes for the Australian film industry were higher than
ever with nine Academy Award (or Oscar) nominations for four films. Seven of those,
including a best film nomination, were for the movie
"Shine."
"Shine" is a charming and positive
small-budget, independent film which tells the true life story of
musical genius David Helfgott. He is a lovable and eccentric character who develops a mental illness during adolescence. Australian Geoffrey Rush took out the prestigious best actor award for his portrayal of Helfgott, leaving famous American actors Tom Cruise and Woody
Harrelson in his shadow.
"Shine"'s success symbolized a large step forward for the Australian film
industry and for the international recognition of
small-budget, independent films. With a budget of only A$6 million (¥600 million),
"Shine" enjoyed big box-office success in Australian
cinemas and across the United States.
Five years ago international film companies spent
around A$10 million (¥1 billion) in Australia. Now, according to the industry
organization Ausfilm, overseas investors will spend
over A$200 million (¥20 billion) this year alone.
One of the most popular Australian film
studios for production of Aussie and overseas films is the Warner Roadshow Movie World
Studios on the Gold Coast. Over the past eight years films such as "The Phantom,"
"Delinquents," "Fortress," "Streetfighter" and a host of telemovies and TV series have been shot there.
Australian filmmakers have to compete with big-budget Hollywood films by creating innovative story lines, that attract Australian
audiences. The problem is most film investors don't want to put money into "cultural"
films believing they don't attract as many people as films with big action scenes and predictable endings.
The author of one of my university
textbooks summed this up perfectly by asking: "Is film an industry, as investors would have it, a machine for cranking out crowd-pleasing and audience-pulling product? Or is it part of culture
― a vehicle for the expression of
the sensibility of an individual artist or of the
`social imaginary' of a culture or a community?" Films should have a cultural focus but
this concern is often ignored by investors who want a big
return on their money.
The Australian government has
been struggling for decades to turn film into a profitable industry and a medium for the expression of
cultural identity. Government-run organizations like the Australian Film
Commission encourage development by providing funding forproduction. One of the chief
goals of the AFC is to boost Australian content by
encouraging Australian investment in films with Aussie scripts, locations and subject
matter.
The number of films released in Australia each year is
dominated by American material. AFC figures show that between 1984 and 1990 more European films were released in Australia than Australian films. A large number of
Asian movies are also released in Australia, but these are
outnumbered by Australian releases.
Australian films, like the U.S.
box-office hit "Babe," must be pre-sold overseas
because the Australian market is too small to generate a profitable return on
large-budget films. This means Australian films have to be produced for international
audiences. "Babe" is a film about a lovable talking piglet who lives on an Australian farm and struggles for
acceptance from his animal peers. It managed to
appeal to an international audience and retain its
Australian identity. It is one of the most successful Australian films to date, along with "Crocodile Dundee," "Strictly Ballroom," "Mad Max" and "The Man From Snowy River."
Last year "Babe" scored seven Oscar nominations and took the award for
best visual effects. Other Australian films to be
nominated for Oscars were "Breaker Mordant,"
"Crocodile Dundee" and "The Adventures of Priscilla,"
which won an Oscar for best costume design in 1994.
Australians are really beginning
to make their mark in the international film arena. If Australian filmmakers can continue
to identify Aussie stories that appeal to
international audiences then it may not be long before Australian films catch up with Hollywood at the box office.
The Academy Awards ceremony was broadcast March 24 to an estimated audience of one billion people, making it the
biggest celebration of movie-making in the world. This year the stakes for the Australian film industry were higher than
ever with nine Academy Award (or Oscar) nominations for four films. Seven of those,
including a best film nomination, were for the movie
"Shine."
"Shine" is a charming and positive
small-budget, independent film which tells the true life story of
musical genius David Helfgott. He is a lovable and eccentric character who develops a mental illness during adolescence. Australian Geoffrey Rush took out the prestigious best actor award for his portrayal of Helfgott, leaving famous American actors Tom Cruise and Woody
Harrelson in his shadow.
"Shine"'s success symbolized a large step forward for the Australian film
industry and for the international recognition of
small-budget, independent films. With a budget of only A$6 million (¥600 million),
"Shine" enjoyed big box-office success in Australian
cinemas and across the United States.
Five years ago international film companies spent
around A$10 million (¥1 billion) in Australia. Now, according to the industry
organization Ausfilm, overseas investors will spend
over A$200 million (¥20 billion) this year alone.
One of the most popular Australian film
studios for production of Aussie and overseas films is the Warner Roadshow Movie World
Studios on the Gold Coast. Over the past eight years films such as "The Phantom,"
"Delinquents," "Fortress," "Streetfighter" and a host of telemovies and TV series have been shot there.
Australian filmmakers have to compete with big-budget Hollywood films by creating innovative story lines, that attract Australian
audiences. The problem is most film investors don't want to put money into "cultural"
films believing they don't attract as many people as films with big action scenes and predictable endings.
The author of one of my university
textbooks summed this up perfectly by asking: "Is film an industry, as investors would have it, a machine for cranking out crowd-pleasing and audience-pulling product? Or is it part of culture
― a vehicle for the expression of
the sensibility of an individual artist or of the
`social imaginary' of a culture or a community?" Films should have a cultural focus but
this concern is often ignored by investors who want a big
return on their money.
The Australian government has
been struggling for decades to turn film into a profitable industry and a medium for the expression of
cultural identity. Government-run organizations like the Australian Film
Commission encourage development by providing funding forproduction. One of the chief
goals of the AFC is to boost Australian content by
encouraging Australian investment in films with Aussie scripts, locations and subject
matter.
The number of films released in Australia each year is
dominated by American material. AFC figures show that between 1984 and 1990 more European films were released in Australia than Australian films. A large number of
Asian movies are also released in Australia, but these are
outnumbered by Australian releases.
Australian films, like the U.S.
box-office hit "Babe," must be pre-sold overseas
because the Australian market is too small to generate a profitable return on
large-budget films. This means Australian films have to be produced for international
audiences. "Babe" is a film about a lovable talking piglet who lives on an Australian farm and struggles for
acceptance from his animal peers. It managed to
appeal to an international audience and retain its
Australian identity. It is one of the most successful Australian films to date, along with "Crocodile Dundee," "Strictly Ballroom," "Mad Max" and "The Man From Snowy River."
Last year "Babe" scored seven Oscar nominations and took the award for
best visual effects. Other Australian films to be
nominated for Oscars were "Breaker Mordant,"
"Crocodile Dundee" and "The Adventures of Priscilla,"
which won an Oscar for best costume design in 1994.
Australians are really beginning
to make their mark in the international film arena. If Australian filmmakers can continue
to identify Aussie stories that appeal to
international audiences then it may not be long before Australian films catch up with Hollywood at the box office.
Shukan ST: May 9, 1997
(C) All rights reserved
- take the international stage
- 国際的に注目される
- estimated audience of one billion people
- 推定10億の視聴者
- stakes for 〜
- 〜 に寄せられた期待
- best film nonimation
- 最優秀作品賞ノミネート
- positive small-budget
- 徹底した低予算の
- independent film
- メジャーでない映画会社による映画
- genius
- 天才
- eccentric character
- 変わった人物
- mental illness
- 精神病
- adolescence
- 思春期
- took out
- 勝ち取った
- prestigious
- 権威ある
- portrayal
- 演技
- leaving 〜 in his shadow
- 〜 を彼の栄光の陰に残して
- symbolized
- 象徴した
- recognition
- 認知
- big box-office success
- 大当り
- overseas investors
- 海外の投資家
- "Fortress"
- 『未来警察からの脱出』
- a host of 〜
- 多くの 〜
- have been shot
- 撮影された
- compete with 〜
- 〜 と競う
- innovative story lines
- 革新的な話の展開
- predictable endings
- 予測のつく結末
- summed 〜 up
- 〜 をまとめた
- cranking out
- 機械的に作る
- crowd-pleasing
- 大衆受けのする
- audience-pulling
- 視聴者を引きつける
- vehicle
- 媒体
- sensibility
- 感受性
- big return
- 大きな見返り
- has been struggling (to 〜 )
- 〜 するのに四苦八苦してきた
- decades
- 何十年
- profitable
- もうけの出る
- cultural identity
- 文化の独自性
- Government-run
- 国営の
- boost
- 押し上げる
- is dominated by 〜
-
〜 に支配されている
- are outnubmered by 〜
- 〜 に数で負けている
- be pre-sold
- 前もって公開される
- piglet
- 子豚
- peers
- 仲間
- retain
- 持ち続ける
- to date
- これまでに
- "Strictly Ballroom"
- 『ダンシング・ヒーロー』
- "The Man From Snowy River"
- 『スノーリバー/輝く大地の果てに』
- scored
- 記録した
- visual effects
- 視覚効果
- "Breaker Mordant"
- 『英雄モラント/傷だらけの戦士』
- "The Adventures of Priscilla"
- 『プリシラ』
- identify 〜
- 〜 が何であるかをつかむ
- catch up with 〜
- 〜
に追いつく