Video Down Under:

Australia & New Zealand in VHS

Unless New Zealand is specified, all productions take place in Australia.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Drag queens Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce hit the road in Stephan Elliott's comedy. 1994. 102 min. VH1/ADVE-0006.

After Hours. In this short drama from New Zealander Jane Campion, an office worker files a sexual harassment suit against her former employer. 1984. 26 min. VH2/AFTE-0003.

Amazing Wonders of the World: The Island Continent: Australia. A travel tape by Lorraine Hess-Seymour. 1999. 52 min. VH7/AMAZ-0003.

An Angel at My Table. New Zealander Janet Frame survives electroshock therapy to become a writer in Jane Campion's biographical drama. 1991. 158 min. VH1/ANGE-0004.

Angel Baby. A mentally unbalanced couple (John Lynch, Jacqueline McKenzie) agree to go off their medication and move in together. Michael Rymer scripted and directed this harrowing drama. 1995. 101 min. VH1/ANGE-0007.

Australia: Sydney and Melbourne. Visit these cities with this Travelview International tape. 1990. 57 min. VH7/AUST-0002.

Breaker Morant. Boer War soldiers face an unjust court martial. Bruce Beresford's film stars Edward Woodward and Bryan Brown. 1979. 107 min. VH1/BREA-0001.

Cane Toads: An Unnatural History. Mark Lewis takes a hilarious look at the giant amphibians that are overrunning Australia. 1987. 47 min. VH5/CANE-0001.

Careful, He Might Hear You. Two aunts battle over the custody of their orphaned nephew in Carl Schultz' drama. 1984. 113 min. VH1/CARE-0002.

The Castle. Even though there's an airport practically running through their backyard, the eccentric Kerrigan clan loves their humble home. Rob Sitch directed this comedy. 1997. 84 min. VH1/CAST-0003.

Children of the Revolution. Is Joseph Stalin the father of an Australian girl's baby? Peter Duncan's satire stars Judy Davis, Sam Neill and Geoffrey Rush. 1996. 101 min. VH1/CHIL-0007.

The Coca-Cola Kid. Coca-Cola executive Eric Roberts tangles with an small-town soda czar in Dusan Makevejev's comedy. 1985. 94 min. VH1/COCA-0001.

Country Life. In this Down Under variation on Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, a family is disrupted when an elderly gentleman returns home with his voluptuous new bride. Michael Blakemore's film stars Sam Neill, Greta Scacchi and Kerry Fox. 1994. 107 min. VH1/COUN-0002.

Cracks in the Mask. Ephraim Bani, a Torres Strait Islander, journeys to the great museums of Europe in search of the only remaining turtle shell masks created by his people. A film by Frances Calvert. 1997. 58 min. VH2/CRAC-0001.

Crocodile Dundee. Outdoorsman Paul Hogan travels to New York with reporter Linda Kozlowski in Peter Faiman's comedic adventure. 1986. 98 min. VH1/CROC-0001.

A Cry in the Dark. Fred Schepisi's drama about a couple (Meryl Streep and Sam Neill) whose baby disappears in the Outback. 1988. 122 min. VH1/CRYI-0001.

Dead Calm. Sam Neill and Nicole Kidman's yachting trip is disrupted by psychopath Billy Zane in Philip Noyce's thriller. 1989. 96 min. VH1/DEAD-0004.

The Dish. As Apollo 11 heads toward the Moon, a satellite dish crew in a small Australian town scrambles to track the space ship. Sam Neill and Kevin Harrington star in Rob Sitch's fact-based comedy-drama. 2000. 101 min. VH1/DISH-0002.

Don's Party. Bruce Beresford's comedy follows the drinking, squabbles and flirtations at an election eve party. 1976. 90 min. VH1/DONS-0001.

The Echo of Thunder. The close-knit Ritchie family struggles to maintain their farm on the Outback. Simon Wincer's film stars Judy Davis and Jamey Sheridan. 1998. 108 min. VH1/ECHO-0001.

The Efficiency Expert. Anthony Hopkins plays an uncompromising management consultant in Mark Joffe's comedy. 1992. 97 min. VH1/EFFI-0002.

Films by Jane Campion. Three quirky shorts by the New Zealand director: Peel, Passionless Moments and A Girl's Own Story. 1982-83. 49 min. VH2/FILM-0005.

Forgotten Silver ; Signing Off. Learn about New Zealand's silent film pioneer in Peter Jackson and Costa Botes' mockumentary, Forgotten Silver (1995-53 min.). A disc jockey risks his life in David Sarkies' Signing Off (1996-14 min.). 67 min. VH2/FORG-0001.

The Fringe Dwellers. An Aboriginal woman moves her family to a white neighborhood in Bruce Beresford's drama. 1986. 96 min. VH1/FRIN-0001.

Gallipoli. Australians Mel Gibson and Mark Lee cross Egypt on their way to the Battle of Gallipoli in Peter Weir's WWI drama. 1981. 111 min. VH1/GALL-0001.

Germaine Greer's Sydney. The author tours the city in John McGreevy's travelogue. 1979. 25 min. VH7/GERM-0001.

The Getting of Wisdom. In turn-of-the-century Melbourne, a talented young pianist (Susannah Fowle) from the Outback encounters snobbery at an exclusive finishing school. Bruce Beresford directed. 1981. 100 min. VH1/GETT-0002.

The Giant Woman and the Lightning Man. Aborigines paint tribal designs on bark and on the desert floor in Philip Haas' film. 1989. 53 min. VH2/GIAN-0001.

Green Dolphin Street. Victor Saville's saga about New Zealand settlers stars Lana Turner, Van Heflin, Donna Reed, Frank Morgan, Edmund Gwenn, and Dame May Whitty. 1947. 141 min. VH1/GREE-0007.

Heavenly Creatures. The intense friendship between two New Zealand schoolgirls leads to murder. Peter Jackson's film is based on a true story. 1994. 99 min. VH1/HEAV-0005.

High Tide. Traveling singer Judy Davis runs into the daughter she abandoned years ago in Gillian Armstrong's heart-wrenching drama. 1987. 102 min. VH1/HIGH-0003.

Holy Smoke! A family hires macho deprogrammer Harvey Keitel to bring cultist Kate Winslet back to her senses. A Jane Campion film. 1999. 114 min. VH1/HOLY-0002.

Iris. Helen Morse stars in Tony Isaac's biography of New Zealand author Iris Wilkinson. 1984. 90 min. VH1/IRIS-0001.

Kangaroo. Edwardians Judy Davis and Colin Friels flee to Australia in Tim Burstall's adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's novel. 1987. 105 min. VH1/KANG-0001.

Lantana. A guilt-ridden police officer (Anthony LaPaglia) investigates a woman's disappearance. Barbara Hershey, Geoffrey Rush and Kerry Armstrong co-star in Ray Lawrence's puzzler. 2001. 120 min. VH1/LANT-0002.

The Last Days of Chez Nous. Lisa Harrow, Bruno Ganz, Kerry Fox, and Miranda Otto star in Gillian Armstrong's family drama. 1993. 96 min. VH1/LAST-0022.

The Last Wave. Lawyer Richard Chamberlain is haunted by prophetic dreams in Peter Weir's apocalyptic chiller. 1977. 104 min. VH1/LAST-0019.

Love and Other Catastrophes. Emma-Kate Croghan's comedy follows the romantic exploits of five college friends. 1996. 79 min. VH1/LOVE-0012.

Love Serenade. Sisters Miranda Otto and Rebecca Frith compete for the affections of reptilian disc jockey George Shevtsov. A film by Shirley Barrett. 1996. 101 min. VH1/LOVE-0015.

Mad Max. Bikers murder Mel Gibson's wife and child in the first of George Miller's kinetic science-fiction series. Sequel: The Road Warrior. 1979. 90 min. VH1/MADM-0001.

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Max (Mel Gibson) clashes with Auntie Entity (Tina Turner) in George Miller and George Oglivie's movie. 1985. 107 min. VH1/MADM-0002.

The Man from Snowy River. George Miller's spectacular western stars Kirk Douglas, Tom Burlinson, Sigrid Thornton, and Jack Thompson. 1982. 104 min. VH1/MANF-0002.

Maori Legends of New Zealand. Animator Nicki Dennis presents seven beautiful myths for viewers of all ages. 1986. 28 min. VH2/MAOR-0001.

Me Myself I. When working woman Rachel Griffiths decides that she has made a mess of her life, she encounters an alternate version of herself, a housewife with three children and a dog. Director Pip Karmel also scripted this fantasy. 1999. 104 min. VH1/MEMY-0001.

Mr. Nice Guy. When an incriminating videotape accidentally falls into his hands, mild mannered celebrity chef Jackie Chan must run for his life. Look for director Sammo Hung as a bicyclist. Filmed in English in Australia. 1998. 87 min. VH1/MRNI-0001.

Muriel's Wedding. Marriage-obsessed ugly duckling Toni Collette leaves her dysfunctional family and moves to Sydney with fast-track friend Rachel Griffiths. P.J. Hogan directed; his wife, Jocelyn Moorhouse (Proof), produced. 1994. 105 min. VH1/MURI-0001.

My Brilliant Career. Judy Davis must choose between beau Sam Neill and her writing career in Gillian Armstrong's film. 1979. 101 min. VH1/MYBR-0001.

National Geographic: Australia's Kangaroos. A program by Mark Strickson. 1998. 54 min. VH5/NATI-0056.

Nature of Australia: A Portrait of the Island Continent. A 6-part series by in John Vandenbeld. 1988. 6 hrs. VH5/NATU-0001 through -0003.

The Navigator. Seeking a cure for the plague, medieval travelers tunnel through the earth. Directed by New Zealander Vincent Ward. 1989. 92 min. VH1/NAVI-0001.

On the Beach. Stanley Kramer's movie about survivors of a nuclear holocaust was filmed on location in Australia. Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Anthony Perkins and Fred Astaire star. 1959. 135 min. VH1/ONTH-0003.

Once Were Warriors. A New Zealand Maori (Rena Owen) struggles to keep her family together despite the beatings she receives from her husband (Temuera Morrison). Lee Tamahori directed. 1995. 102 min. VH1/ONCE-0004.

Oscar and Lucinda. Minister Ralph Fiennes and businesswoman Cate Blanchett share a love of gambling and a scheme to transport an iron-and-glass church across the Outback. Laura Jones adapted Peter Carey's novel for director Gillian Armstrong. 1997. 130 min. VH1/OSCA-0001.

The Piano. Mute pianist Holly Hunter marries gentleman farmer Sam Neill but falls in love with caretaker Harvey Keitel in this New Zealand production from writer/director Jane Campion. 1993. 121 min. VH1/PIAN-0001 or -0002.

Picnic at Hanging Rock. Peter Weir puzzles over the mysterious disappearance of three schoolgirls and their teacher during a picnic in the Outback. 1975. 107 min. VH1/PICN-0001.

Pitch Black. A spaceship crash-lands on a planet where, when the three suns set, flocks of deadly monsters take to the air. Vin Diesel and Radha Mitchell star in David Twohy's movie. 1999. 109 min. VH1/PITC-0001.

A Portrait of Katherine Mansfield. Sue Kedgley and Julienne Stretton profile the New Zealand author. 1988. 54 min. VH2/PORT-0006.

Proof. A blind photographer makes his love-sick housekeeper jealous in a film by Jocelyn Moorhouse. 1992. 90 min. VH1/PROO-0001.

The Quiet Earth. Bruno Lawrence plays the last man on earth in New Zealander Geoff Murphy's sci-fi film. 1985. 91 min. VH1/QUIE-0002.

The Rescuers Down Under. Two mice fly to the Outback in Hendel Butoy and Mike Gabriel's Disney cartoon. 1990. 77 min. JFEAT Rescuers

Return to Snowy River. Brian Dennehy joins Tom Burlinson and Sigrid Thornton in Geoff Burrowes' sequel. 1988. 99 min. VH1/RETU-0006.

The Road Warrior. Mel Gibson returns to protect a community from petrol bandits in George Miller's explosive sequel to Mad Max. 1981. 94 min. VH1/ROAD-0007. The letterboxed version, VH1/ROAD-0010, includes a 16-minute documentary.

Romper Stomper. Melbourne skinheads lash out at Asian immigrants. Russell Crowe stars in this hard-hitting drama from writer/director Geoffrey Wright. 1992. 88 min. VH1/ROMP-0001.

Shine. Concert pianist David Helfgott (played by Noah Taylor as a lad and Geoffrey Rush as an adult) struggles to return from a nervous breakdown. Scott Hicks directed this biographical drama. 1996. 105 min. VH1/SHIN-0002.

Sirens. Minister Hugh Grant tries to tame the wicked ways of artist Sam Neill in John Duigan's erotic comedy. 1994. 94 min. VH1/SIRE-0001.

Starstruck. A young woman (Jo Kennedy) tries to become a singing star in this comedy from director Gillian Armstrong. 1982. 95 min. VH1/STAR-0016.

Strictly Ballroom. Hot-blooded dancer Paul Mercurio chooses ugly duckling Tara Morice as his partner in Baz Lurhrmann's romantic comedy. 1993. 94 min. VH1/STRI-0002.

The Sum of Us. Boisterous widower Jack Thompson decides that it's time for his gay son, Russell Crowe, to find true love. Kevin Dowling and Geoff Burton directed. 1994. 99 min. VH1/SUMO-0001.

The Sundowners. Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum drive twelve hundred sheep across the Outback. Fred Zinnemann directed. 1960. 133 min. VH1/SUND-0005.

Sweetie. Jane Campion looks at the twisted relationship between a repressed woman and her libidinous sister. 1989. 90 min. VH1/SWEE-0003.

Sydney. A Lonely Planet tape by Nick Cory-Wright, hosted by Justiine Shapiro. 1999. 49 min. VH7/SYDN-0001.

The Tale of Ruby Rose. A fur trapper's sensitive wife (Melita Jurisic) leaves the frosty Tasmanian Highlands to seek her grandmother (Sheila Florance) in the Valley. Written and directed by Roger Scholes. 1987. 101 min. VH1/TALE-0002.

The Thorn Birds. Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, and Jean Simmons star in Daryl Duke's miniseries about passion in the Outback. 1983. 8 hr. VH2/THOR-0001 through -0004.

Three Perfect Days: Sydney. Lauren Hutton and Mary Dilts host Peter Sellers' travel tape. 1999. 23 min. VH7/THRE-0010.

Touring Australia. Visit Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and more with Eddie Moses' tape. 1993. 57 min. VH7/TOUR-0011.

Touring New Zealand. Sam Gardiner's travelogue includes Auckland, Wellington, Rotorua, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hawks Bay, and Mt. Cook. 1990. 70 min. VH7/TOUR-0007.

A Town Like Alice. Helen Morse, Bryan Brown, Gordon Jackson and Dorothy Alison star in David Stevens's miniseries adaptation of Nevil Shute's novel. 1980. 301 min. VH2/TOWN-0001 or -0002.

Travelling North. Irascible old Leo McKern falls in love with divorcee Julia Blake in Carl Schultz' movie. 1988. 97 min. VH1/TRAV-0001.

2 Friends. In reverse chronological order, writer Helen Garner and director Jane Campion chronicle the friendship between two schoolgirls. 1986. 76 min. VH1/TWOF-0003.

Until the End of the World. A troupe of globe-trotters (Sam Neill, Solveig Dommartin, William Hurt) land in the Outback in Wim Wender's film. 1991. 158 min. VH1/UNTI-0001.

Utu. In 1870s New Zealand, a Maori tribesman goes on a bloody rampage to avenge the massacre of his village by British colonists. This is the director's cut of Geoff Murphy's film. 1988. 128 min. VH1/UTU*-0001.

Video Visits: Australia, Secrets of the Land Down Under. Chip Duncan tours Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and the Great Barrier Reef. 1988. 45 min. VH7/VIDE-0009.

Walkabout. Aborigine David Gumpilil rescues teenaged Jenny Agutter and little brother Lucien John in the Outback. Nicolas Roeg's poetic masterpiece is based on a book by James Vance Marshall. 1971. 100 min. VH1/WALK-0002.

War Stories (a.k.a. War Stories Our Mothers Never Told Us). Seven New Zealand women of different classes and races speak about the ways in which World War II affected their lives. A film by Gaylene Preston. 1995. 90 min. VH3/WARS-0001.

What Is a Jew to You? Documentarian Aviva Zeigler explores what it means to be Jewish today. 1985. 50 min. VH6/WHAT-0002.

Where the Green Ants Dream. Werner Herzog depicts a confrontation between a mining company and Aborigines seeking to protect their sacred ground. 1984. 99 min. VH1/WHER-0004.

A Woman's Tale. Dying of cancer, 78-year-old Sheila Florance determines to live her last days with dignity. Directed by Paul Cox. 1991. VH1/WOMA-0011.

The Wonderful Kangaroo. Peter Ustinov narrates Des and Jen Bartlett's documentary about the playful marsupials. 1977. 60 min. VH5/WOND-0001.

The Wonderful World of Dogs. Canines run wild in Mark Lewis' humorous documentary. 1991. 52 min. VH5/WOND-0002.

World Religions: Worlds of Faith: Program 9: Animism: Living in the Dreamtime. Two Aboriginal brothers write and perform songs that celebrate their culture and environment. Stephen Bottomore directed. 1996. 15 min. VH6/WORL-0026.

To learn about "down under" cinema, read Jane Campion's screenplay for The Piano (791.437 C), Marek Haltof's Peter Weir: When Cultures Collide (791.4302 Weir H), Jane Campion: Interviews (edited by Virginia Wright Wexman) (791.4302 Campion), Harriet Margolis' Jane Campion's The Piano (791.4372 J), Scott Murray's Australian Film 1978-1994: A Survey of Theatrical Features (791.4375 A), Dana Polan's Jane Campion (791.4302 Campion P), Graham Shirley and Brian Adams' Australian Cinema: The First Eighty Years (791.43099 S), Judy Stone's Eye on the World: Conversations with International Filmmakers (including Gillian Armstrong, Bruce Beresford, Paul Cox, Philip Noyce, Fred Schepisi, and Peter Weir) (791.4302 S), and David White and Debi Enker's Australian Movies to the World (OV 791.43099 W).

List compiled by Jonathan Guildroy, October 2002