Australian/New Zealand movies 1979

The final year of the 1970s and the Australian film industry begins to go through a lull that would last a few years until the 10BA tax rule kicks in.

1979

Alison's Birthday

Occult thriller about a teenage girl Alison (Joanne Samuel also of Mad Max - see below) who is summoned to her aunty and uncle's house for her 19th birthday full well knowing that she will be used for an occult ritual on her birthday. She brings along her boyfriend but things are off from the beginning and then the boyfriend is ostracised by the uncle until he discovers that her relatives are not who they seem. Initially a telemovie that was put on the shelf until 1981 for a brief theatrical run and definitely has the feel of a telemovie. Has it's moments but is definitely a minor effort.

There's no nudity in the movie but I made a few videos of Joanne Samuel which you can find along with a synopsis of Alison's Birthday here.

 

 

Dawn!

Biopic of iconic Australian swim champ Dawn Fraser who won gold in 3 consecutive Olympics (1956-1964) in the 100 metres freestyle. Basically an overview of her life as a ballsy teenage girl who was discovered being competitive while mucking around with the boys to winning multiple medals then copping a 10 year ban for stealing an Olympic flag at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. We get a bit of her romantic life but it's all a bit inconsequential and uninteresting though it does hint at she may have had lesbian tendencies. Bronwyn Mackay-Payne won a talent contest to play Dawn and certainly looks the part although is limited in her acting ability. It would be her only ever role.

Some brief side-boob from Bronwyn and a number of bathing suit scenes in the movie but no real nudity as it's all fairly mild. Sadly the videos have interlacing issues, fantastic considering it's from a DVD.

Bronwyn Mackay-Payne in Dawn!

24098kb 1min 26sec 700x540 (one piece bathing suit)

36362kb 2min 12sec 700x540 (various one piece bathing suits, lengthy)

12555kb 44sec 700x540 (one piece bathing suit)

21335kb 1min 16sec 700x540 (bikini)

9454kb 35sec 700x540 (bare back)

12498kb 44sec 700x540 (side-boob, panties)

 

Demolition

I haven't watched this movie as I didn't think I'd find anything to cap and the video below is relatively mild and made for completist reasons only. The IMDB summary for this telemovie is 'The British government experiments with sound tests and discovers that it can completely erase a person's memory' which makes it sound absolutely wild. Another telemovie starring John Waters.

Belinda Giblin in Demolition

8755kb 34sec 700x540 (bare back)

 

 

Dimboola

Adaptation of the hit comedy play about an English journalist (Max Gillies) who witnesses the rituals of the people in the titular small Victorian country town as they prepare for the wedding of Morrie and Maureen (Bruce Spence and Natalie Bate). Things go wrong when Maureen discovers a photo of Morrie playing up with a stripper (Clare Binney) during his buck's party. Incredibly dated movie hampered by the narrative device of seeing the story unfold through the eyes of the journalist which doesn't work at all and strangely doesn't actually happen in the play.

Clare Binney shows her breasts during the stripping scene while Laurel Frank, Sue Ingleton and Claire Dobbin all show their bottoms and hints of their breasts as they run naked in the woods.

You can find a synopsis with collages and videos from Dimboola here. A preview is below.

Clare Binney in Dimboola

   
   

 

Laurel Frank, Sue Ingleton and Claire Dobbin in Dimboola

   

 

 

Just Out of Reach

No idea what this 50 minute movie is about as I haven't seen it but there's a video available from the movie that seems to show all of the (fairly lengthy) nudity shown by Lorna Lesley. Movie also stars Sam Neill in an early Australian role (see My Brilliant Career also released in 1979)

You can find a synopsis with a video from Just Out of Reach here. A preview is below.

Lorna Lesley in Just Out of Reach

   
   
   

 

 

Kostas

Another Paul Cox movie, his third, where a Greek immigrant taxi driver Kostas (Takis Emmanuel) falls for a passenger Carol (Wendy Hughes) who he basically stalks until she decides to go out with him. Things don't quite go to plan and his homeland is calling particularly when his mother dies. One of the more accessible Cox movies but not his most interesting.

Wendy Hughes briefly shows her breasts before getting into bed.

You can find a synopsis with videos from Kostas here. A preview is below.

Wendy Hughes in Kostas

 

 

Mad Max

Beginning of the archetypal series of movies following Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) who starts off as a policeman at the beginning of the end of the world and is driven to revenge when a murderous gang lead by Toecutter (Hugh Keays-Byrne) kill his wife (Joanne Samuel) and sprog. The first 10 minutes of this movie is probably the best section in the whole series. Basically the movie that reinvented the action genre which happened once again with the 1981 sequel.

There's only some brief nudity from an unknown woman as she and a bloke run away after they are shot at while having sex. The bloke is well known saxophonist Wilbur Wilde. I also made other videos from the movie.

You can find a synopsis with collages and HD videos from Mad Max here. A preview is below.

Unknown in Mad Max

   

 

 

Middle Age Spread (NZ)

Drama about an out-of-shape vice principal (Grant Tilly) who is unhappy in his own marriage to his nagging wife so he begins to take an interest in a fellow teacher (Donna Akersten) who is in an open marriage and seems very much up for it and he's encouraged to have an affair by his randy professor friend (Australian actor Peter Sumner). They eventually get together but that causes a whole new set of problems for the vice principal. Mildly funny movie about a man having a mid-life crisis where Grant Tilly plays another character with a nagging wife (see also Skin Deep). Peter Sumner basically steals the movie as an obnoxious lefty professor who's very much a fraud.

A fair bit of nudity from Donna Akersten in a couple of scenes, far better than her scene in Sleeping Dogs. Wiki Oman also shows her breasts and bottom briefly as she gets dressed.

You can find a synopsis with collages and HD videos from Middle Age Spread here. A preview is below.

Donna Akersten in Middle Age Spread

   
   
   

 

Wiki Oman in Middle Age Spread

   

 

 

Money Movers

Hectic and ultra-violent armoured car heist thriller that is far better than it has any right to be possibly helped by the direction of Bruce Beresford. Basically after a heist of one of their vans ends in murder, a company is sent a note that they are about to be hit again. The higher-ups try to work out who it is and all indicators point to 'trendy' newcomer Leo (Tony Bonner) but it is actually brothers Eric (Terrence Donovan) and Brian (Bryan Brown) who have put together an ingenious plan involving a fake van. But this secret plan becomes the worst kept secret and everyone wants their skim.

Some brief nudity from Candy Raymond and Kathy Dior.

You can find a synopsis with collages and HD videos from Money Movers here. A preview is below.

Candy Raymond in Money Movers

   

 

Kathy Dior in Money Movers

   
   

 

 

The Odd Angry Shot

A 'comedy' about Australian soldiers during the Vietnam War who are trying to survive the danger and the boredom. Feels a bit like M*A*S*H and has quite a few laughs throughout particularly at the expense of John Hargreaves character who seems to cop everything.

Some brief nudity from Sharon Higgins and we see Sarah Lee's nipples in the holes in her bra. She has far better nudity in a fairly full-on sauna scene in Felicity.

You can find a synopsis with videos from The Odd Angry Shot here. A preview is below.

Sharon Higgins in The Odd Angry Shot

   
   

 

Sarah Lee in The Odd Angry Shot

   

 

 

Palm Beach

Experimental drama that follows a bunch people who become connected when a man charged with a drug crime looks for a patsy to get less time for his crime. Meanwhile a woman has gone missing and a private detective (John Flaus) goes looking for her. Also a desperate young man (Bryan Brown) resorts to robbing a bank which goes wrong when he shoots dead a cop (in a fairly well shot scene). Meanders along for most of it's running time without much interest and feels incredibly experimental but there are a few moments of interest.

Julie McGregor shows brief full frontal nudity and her bottom while she joins Bryan Brown in the shower.

You can find a synopsis with videos from Palm Beach here. A preview is below.

Julie McGregor in Palm Beach

   
   

 

 

The Plumber

Peter Weir-directed telemovie about a couple who move into a new apartment that has a significant problem with the plumbing so they call in an over-attentive plumber (Ivar Kants) who takes an eternity to fix it much to the chagrin of Jill (Judy Morris) who is creeped out by him. Except everyone including her husband thinks he's a nice guy. Incredibly tense thriller with two great performances by Morris and Kants. Possibly Weir's most underrated movie.

A couple of scenes where Judy Morris shows her breasts from the side.

You can find a synopsis with collages and HD videos from The Plumber here. A preview is below.

Judy Morris in The Plumber

   
   

 

 

Snapshot
aka The Day After Halloween, One More Minute

Wacky stalker thriller about a young woman (Sigrid Thornton) who has her first modelling job where she poses nude for a magazine ad and it sets off every creep in the area who all want a piece of her. So who's after her: the man in the ice-cream truck, numerous hobbyists, friends, her mother or possibly all of the above. Ridiculous movie with a strange obsession with Sigrid and almost as many titles as villains.

A great nude modelling scene from Sigrid Thornton plus some side-boob action and also a see-through bra scene.

You can find a synopsis with collages and HD videos from Snapshot here. A preview is below.

Sigrid Thornton in Snapshot

   
   
   
   
   
   

 

 

Sons for the Return Home (NZ)

Romantic drama about a Samoan man Sione (Uelese Petaia) who falls for a white woman Sarah (Fiona Lindsay) which causes a lot of consternation in their lives particularly from his mother. Things then become complicated when Sarah falls pregnant. Fairly decent movie.

Full frontal and rear nudity from Fiona as she swims in a river.

You can find a synopsis with HD videos from Sons for the Return Home here. A preview is below.

Fiona Lindsay in Sons for the Return Home

   
   

 

 

Thirst

Vampire movie where the descendant of Elizabeth Bathory (Chantal Contouri) has vivid dreams that make her believe that she is a vampire. A weird group of psychiatrists take her in but she's discovers that they are actually vampires who are harvesting human blood. Unusual but interesting take on the done-to-death vampire genre.

Chantal Contouri shows her left breast during a shower scene.

You can find a synopsis with collages and HD videos from Thirst here. A preview is below.

Chantal Contouri in Thirst

   
   

 

 

Tim

Romantic drama about a developmentally disabled man Tim (Mel Gibson) who does odd jobs around the town and then he meets and falls for a much older American woman Mary (Piper Laurie) who reciprocates his interest. This sets off the people around town who thinks she is taking advantage of him but both will not be denied. Based on the book by popular author Colleen McCullough this is an OK romance movie.

No nudity in the movie but there's some sexy stuff from Piper in the below video.

Piper Laurie in Tim

202184kb 3min 59sec 1920x1040 (one piece bathing suit, plenty of cleavage in see-through nightie, 'nude' under covers, extremely lengthy)

 

There is a few movies that had nothing to cap including the excellent Judy Davis led drama My Brilliant Career, another Hexagon movie The Last of the Knucklemen about tough-as-nails miners in the middle of nowhere, the kidnap drama Cathy's Child, the terribly misjudged comedy The Journalist while The Little Convict is an animated movie. I wasn't able to get a copy of the movie Apostasy.

So with the 70s done we see that a lot of the same names crop up doing nude scenes, so I've decided to do a quick scoreboard of how many movies/telemovies actresses have been nude in.

5 Jacki Weaver
4 Abigail, Kris McQuade
3 Briony Behets, Elke Neidhart, Nell Campbell, Belinda Giblin, Rebecca Gilling, Victoria Anoux, Judy Morris, Candy Raymond

This doesn't include TV shows and short films as Victoria Anoux would have 2 more. Also Nell Campbell has nudity in 70s international movies Lisztomania and Jubilee plus some nip slips in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Bring on the 1980s. This could take a while...

 

Tags: Bronwyn Mackay-Payne, Belinda Giblin, Piper Laurie