H231: Australian Cinema
Assignment Two: Film Criticism
Essay Ð Blood Oath
CAST
Captain
Cooper Bryan
Brown
Vice
Admiral Baron Takahashi George
Takai
Major
Beckett Terry
OÕQuinn
Major
Roberts John
Bach
Lieutenant
Tanaka Toshi
Shioya
Sheedy John
Clarke
Sister
Litell Deborah
Unger
Private
Jimmy Fenton John
Polsen
Lieutenant
Corbett Russell
Crowe
Sergeant
Keenan Nicholas
Eadie
Private
Talbert Jason
Donovan
Captain
Ikeuchi Tetsu
Watamabe
Mr.
Matsugae Sokyu
Fujita
President
of the Bench Ray
Barrett
CREDITS
Director Stephen
Wallace
Producers Charles
Waterstreet
Denis
Whitburn
Brian
A. Williams
Co-Producer Annie
Bleakley
Executive
Producers Graham
Burke
Greg
Coote
John
Tarnoff
Screenplay Denis
Whitburn
Brian
A. Williams
Director
of Photography Russell
Boyd ACS
Production
Designer Bernard
Hides
Original
Music David
McHugh
Production
& Distribution The
Australian Film Commission
The
Australian Film Finance Corporation
Village
Roadshow
RELEASE DATES
Premiered
in Australia: 26th
July 1990
Premiered
in Tokyo, Japan: 5th
April 1991
BOX OFFICE
According
to figures on the Australian Film Commissions Website, Blood Oath made a gross of $AU 633
000 in Australian box offices. Little else was able to be found on
international figures.
Blood
Oath had
a budget of $AU 7 million.
INTERVIEWS
Although
there was little available on the web or in printed literature of interviews
with cast and crew, there is an excellent site on the film with an in-depth
synopsis by screenwriter Brian Williams on the circumstances of making the
film, the reception of the film both in Australia and Japan and working with
cast and crew. It is available here:
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Cinema/1501/indexpots.html
Included
on the DVD version of the film is an interview with Ray Martin with Russell
Crowe and Bryan Brown about the film. This was taped on Ray Martin Live soon after Russell won
his Oscar for Best Actor in Gladiator. Also included on the DVD is a
video clip of the song Memorial Day, recorded by RussellÕs band, 30
Odd Foot of Grunts.
WEB AND LITERATURE PRESENCE
Not
very much worthwhile information available in Journals, although the film is
mentioned in a number of books on an Australian film, although this is always
quite brief. Tom OÕReganÕs book Australian National Cinema offers the most
interesting information and critical analysis of the film, but even this is
limited. Again, not much about the film on the web. Most websites looked
briefly at the DVD version of the film, and the extra features of it, but very
little in the way of reviews and critical analysis. The best site found was the
one mentioned above. It goes to show that unless and Australian film does
exceptionally well overseas, there is little information about it, especially
when it is over ten years old.
REVIEWS
Reviews
of the film and its transition to DVD can be found on these websites:
http://www.darkhorizons.com/dvds/d-blood.htm
http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=6022&s=Features
AWARDS
John
Polsen (Private Jimmy Fenton) and Toshi Shioya (Lieutenant Tanaka) were both
nominated for best supporting actor at the 1990 AFI awards.
FACTS
Blood
Oath was
Russell CroweÕs first feature film.
Blood
Oath is
also known as Prisoners of the Sun.
It
was filmed on location in Queensland, Australia. Some exterior shots however,
show the island of Ambon.
Ray
Barrett plays Russell CroweÕs father in Heavens Burning.
In
November 1998, a Tokyo court rejected a demand for compensation by soldiers and
civilians from Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the United States who were
held prisoner by Japanese troops during World War Two.
The
film is not to be confused with the book by the same name, written by John
Vornholt.