Long Weekend (1978)
By: Michelle R. on October 9, 2006.
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| Umbrella Entertainment (Australia). Region All Regions, PAL. 2.35:1 (16:9 enhanced). English DD 2.0. 92 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Colin Eggleston Starring: John Hargreaves, Briony Behets
Screenplay: Everett De Roche Music: Michael Carlos
Tagline: Their crime was against nature... Nature found them guilty.
Country: Australia |
In a last-ditch attempt to patch up their differences,
estranged married couple Peter (John Hargreaves)
and Marcia (Briony Behets) set off on a camping
trip to a remote, deserted beach locale. Tension
and bickering is constant between the two and only
worsens as they reach their destination. The unlikable
couple are both arrogant, selfish types with a blatant
disregard for the environment around them - consumed
with their own problems, they carelessly scatter
their rubbish, run over kangaroos and destroy birds'
eggs. Doltish macho posturer Peter runs amok pointlessly
chopping down trees and shooting wildlife. However,
the pair will soon pay dearly for their ignorance
when nature strikes back and formerly docile animals
become aggressive…
Long Weekend is a strikingly
filmed, capably acted and intelligent horror entry
from Colin Eggleston (a change in pace for the
director, who had previously filmed the softcore Fantasm Comes Again). Much of
the disquieting, almost dreamlike atmosphere is
provided by the locations and cinematography rather
than cheap scares (though there a few minimal,
dated effects). As time passes for the destructive
protagonists, the sunny, picturesque beach setting,
flourishing with flora and fauna, gradually becomes
darker, moodier and more threatening.
Neither critically or commercially acclaimed
upon its brief national theatrical release in
1978, Long Weekend achieved much
greater success abroad, winning a plethora of
awards at the Paris, Sitges and Auoriaz horror
film festivals. |
| Video |
| Long Weekend is presented in
a 16x9 widescreen transfer (the film was originally
shot in anamorphic widescreen format, a rarity for
pictures of this kind at the time). Shooting in
this format enabled the filmmakers to capture some
truly stunning landscape and wildlife photography
on a limited ($270,000) budget. There is some slight
grain and fading of the print in places, however
this is minor and does not distract from the picture's
overall decent quality. |
| Audio |
| Audio is available in a Dolby 2.0 track in which
sound and music are at appropriate levels. The dialogue
volume is slightly low at the beginning of the movie,
but picks up later on. Special mention should be
given to Michael Carlos' haunting soundtrack,
which adds to the images and brooding atmosphere
greatly. |
| Extra Features |
An audio commentary featuring executive producer
Richard Brennan and cinematographer Vincent Monton
provides an excellent and entertaining insight
into the making of this movie. Both men have vivid
memories of the production and offer many amusing
anecdotes of the cast and crew (the late John
Hargreaves was buried with the Sitges acting award
he received for his work in the film at his request!),
as well as noting the various technical triumphs
and mishaps during filming (Monton obtained a
Panaglide camera – the world's first
and only prototype of the Stedicam – from
overseas for use for some of the more complex
shots…and ended up accidentally breaking
it!) They also assure us that no animals were
actually harmed during filmmaking.
Other extras are the original theatrical trailer
and an extensive stills gallery, which is accompanied
by an 1995 audio interview of actor Hargreaves
discussing acting for the screen, as well as the
making of Long Weekend. |
| The Verdict |
| Long Weekend is a wonderfully
offbeat and unsettling example of 1970s Australian
horror, with an eerie, low-key atmosphere which
slowly creeps up on the viewer as the movie progresses
and Nature gears up for revenge. The relatively
basic plot manages to send home its not-so-subtle
underlying message clearly and serves up an ironically
grim twist. A highly recommended and underrated
homegrown genre offering. |
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