Some time ago, I watched this film, “The Saddest Music in the World”, from the rummage pile. It takes place in Canada, in the depths of the Depression. A beer heiress announces over radio, the medium of the day (‘dat’s right, Biden!), to the farthest reaches of the world, that they are holding a contest to find the saddest music in the world. People come from all over and compete, but it turns out the whole thing is not a fair contest. Even the heiress, who thinks she’s in on the gag, turns out to be deceived.
After mulling this one over way too much, I can only say it’s so avant-garde and “trying to be quirky”, that I can’t recommend it, really. So I won’t list who’s in it, I am not out to bash anyone’s career here. I don’t expect to find all winners with this blog, it’s the chance of the thing and the hopes of finding some hidden gems.
In other news, it is holiday movie season out there, and there’s a lot to choose from here in the States. I saw that the epic “Australia” is out, the costuming and the cast are high-profile and gorgeous. (Sidenote: Sometimes historic movies are kind of funny–everyone is so clean and dentally perfect to seem like ‘real people’ from way back when. I don’t know how things went for the Australians, but people didn’t bathe regularly here in the States until after WWII. And there was no assumption that average people could make it to a dentist regularly back then, either.)
“Australia” ’s release made me think of an older film I caught on Masterpiece Theatre as a young child in the early 1980s, “A Town Like Alice” (1981). Alice as in “Alice Springs”. I mean to pick it up or find it online, and rediscover it as an older person. I will be sure to share it here. Australian Bryan Brown is in it, and from what I understand, a lot of his other early projects were also about his homeland. I also have another Aussie film on my to-watch list from the bin: “The Good Wife, ” and he is in it too.
If you wonder what a good Australia story is, whether you see this new one out in theaters or not, I suggest looking at Bryan Brown’s body of work.
PS-The less well-known people (to Americans) have pretty cool projects, whether they garnered Oscars, BAFTAs, Cesars, etc. or not…
Related trivia: Australia Day is January 26. The constellation graphically represented on the Australian flag is the Southern Cross. And it really is possible to eat something called a vegemite sandwich.
