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Woke Peter Weir went broke! - The Cars that ate Paris (1974) ft. Alex Slater
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Anyone who has gone anywhere in Australia has surely come across one of these very towns filled with dust and a long echoed promise of a better future. Welcome to Paris, don't feed the cars!
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Transcript
Spoiler Alert for 'The Cars That Ate Paris'
00:00:00
Speaker
This is your Under Southern Screens spoiler warning. We forgot to do it again. Really, really sorry. um If you haven't seen Peter Weir's 1974 film, The Cars That Ate Paris, watch it right now. It's a fantastic watch. Mitch, me, and a very special guest spend a very lengthy amount of time gushing over it this episode. So we'd highly recommend you watch it before listening to this podcast. But if you have watched it, you're you're a very cool dude. And enjoy this episode of Under Southern Screens.
00:00:32
Speaker
I am the night rain. You're terrible Muriel. Talk to me. You gonna do that bugger pogger? You've been talking to the cop. Today is a brand new day. No, that's it. It's the vibe.
Introduction to 'Under Southern Screens' and Guest Alex Slater
00:00:46
Speaker
G'day fellow Aussie film lovers and welcome to another episode of Under Southern Screens, the most car crash prone Australian cinema podcast. I'm Mitch. And I'm Matthew and that sounds very, very dangerous. I hope that the ah the TAC isn't watching this video. It might be dangerous. Yep.
00:01:05
Speaker
Yes. That was a great bit. Anyway. Sorry, guys. We're a little nervous today because we do have a special guest on. We have someone in the room. I mean, like, to be honest with you Mitch, I'm just tired of two white cis men taking the reins on Facebook. film discussion, mansplaining film. like it's It's just disappointing. like I'm sick of it, which is why we have got a very special guest this week on Under Southern Screens. She is a Melbourne-based director, writer. She used to be in fashion. She's done a lot of cool stuff. She's making moves in the Australian comedy sphere. She is face-palming, as I'm saying this. She is dressed up as a gorilla.
00:01:44
Speaker
It's Alex Slater, ladies and gentlemen. How's it going, Alex? Oh, my gosh. Guys, thank you for having me on this amazing, delightful, fabulous, awesome, needed podcast. I'm so happy to be Thank you for being here. We needed you, Alex. That's actually what we needed. my gosh. The adrenaline hit that this podcast required to keep it going. You're giving us a lift, Alex. yeah Oh, my gosh. That's so nice. I'm excited to mansplain some stuff. Women's playing. Get it all going. Get women in men's fields. literally That's why I'm in film. I'm here to take over. Hell yeah. Yeah, I'm reclaiming the film industry for women only. Take your shoes, man. Honestly, it's about time. I don't want to spoil watching, but this is a ride and it's something that you've picked, Alex. I did. This film is one of my favourite films of all time and it became one of my favourite films the moment I saw it Love it, first watch. Love it first watch at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, a.k.a. ACME. I saw it on the big screen as part of a retrospective they did for this director. And it's insane. It's a crazy movie. I don't know how it got made.
00:02:52
Speaker
Do you to introduce it for us?
Exploring Peter Weir's Style and Themes
00:02:53
Speaker
This week on Under Southern Screens, we are watching Peter Weir's The Cars That Ate Paris oh yeah from 1974. Directorial debut. How?
00:03:03
Speaker
What is going on? It's actually his second. Is it really? No one has ever seen his first feature and I haven't watched it and apparently it's like... It's whatever, but... It's a thing. Well, as a second movie, this one's also insane. Yeah, I think it's just trend that early stage Peter Weir is just off the chain. You've written an intro for this, right, Alex? We can get into it? Yeah, we can get into the intro. I can... Let's straight into it. I'd love hear it.
00:03:27
Speaker
The legacy of colonization lives on through a parking ticket. When you arrive in the small rural country town of Paris, fear only the extreme guilt, brittle authority complex, and a heavy dose of utter human decency and complacency. Of course, I am only telling you this, dear listener, because I have, in the past few minutes, grown quite fond of you. I think you ought to listen a little longer. No, no, don't run away. Come back now.
00:03:54
Speaker
Sit down. Here, have a cup of tea on the Commonwealth. A courtesy for your trouble. Nor, perhaps, a new addition to the icebox. A Coca-Cola. It's cool, it's refreshing, and it will help you forget that.
00:04:06
Speaker
The Cars That Ate Paris, quite literally and in true 70s horror fashion, with a portion of fantastic practical effects, dissects Australia's societal playing dress-up, cultural anxieties and identity crises, all wrapped in material comforts. A mink coat, perhaps. This film is as punk rock as it gets.
00:04:24
Speaker
Peter Weir's sick, twisted, and highly biographical me mechanical town of Paris is the wrong turn you do not want to take late at night. Paris is a town that specializes in theft, cowardice, sagging bosoms, and lobotomies. But boy are the people polite!
00:04:41
Speaker
This is the world we live in. The world of the motor car. The Cars That Ate Paris is Australian director Peter Weir's cracked second feature, released on country 52 years ago on the 10th of October, 1974. The film follows a young, bashful and deeply traumatized gentleman, Arthur Waldo, played by the delightful Terry Camilleri, after he survives a late night car accident that kills his brother George in the fictional small rural town known as Paris. The tragedy leads him to the town's small community where he is welcomed with open arms, even being offered comfortable accommodation with the mayor, Len Kelly, played by Rick Scully, and his assorted, to say the least, family unit. His stay in Paris introduces Arthur to a myriad of crooked characters, including an insane experimental doctor, malevolent local council members, a scummy self-obsessed police officer who unfortunately is swaggy as hell, And a gang of G'd up youths who drive an impressive and creative convoy of smashed converted vehicles like you've never seen before.
00:05:43
Speaker
Soon enough, it is discovered that this town called Paris is not as demure as once presumed. It's caught in the jowls of a big, dirty, greased up secret of psycho murderous proportions.
Cultural Context of 1970s Australia
00:05:54
Speaker
Weir was inspired to write the outline of the film during a trip to London with his wife. He was on a study grant to observe aspects of feature filmmaking.
00:06:02
Speaker
Dope. And describes an incident in London as its main inspiration. In its realisation, The Cars That Ate Paris was filmed on Wiradjuri country in an old gold rush town called Sephala in the Australian state of New South Wales. The film was mostly funded by what was then the Australian Film Development Corporation, which was a government funding body that was established in 1970 under Liberal Prime Minister John Gorton, just two years before the film's release.
00:06:26
Speaker
The AFDC was a cornerstone in the Australian film industry's revival and a huge contributor to what was later recognised as Australia's first new wave film movement. The film was released in the early 70s in Australia, a time described as a shock to the system, as we moved from conservative power into a Labour government under Gough Whitlam that chaperoned many major social and cultural evolutions. Perhaps a teething phase that also brought about generational anxieties and controversies of counterculture, and the recognition of Aboriginal ownership and land rights. Unsurprisingly, and as per usual, the Cars at 8 Paris struggled to find an audience here in Australia upon its initial release. Boo! It did, however, become a cult favorite, and after changing marketing campaigns and distributor, it was released in America in 1976, as the Cars That Eat People, with a shortened runtime and a dubbing of Terry Camilleri's voice. In the US, it was received by audiences as a mere offbeat comedy rather than a major success. Boo times two. Which brings us to today, where the Cars That Ate Paris is now treasured as a part of our national filmography and is quoted internationally as inspiration material across many action thriller and horror
Influence and Commentary on Australian Culture
00:07:36
Speaker
films. The obvious example being George Miller's classic Mad Max. Though nothing beats Peter Weir's Strange Madness, which is why the film is one of my favourites ever of all time.
00:07:49
Speaker
As it should be, man Thank you. And that's the podcast, guys. Did cover all the I'm so glad you mentioned Mad Max because it's just so there, isn't it? Like the DNA of yeah what will become possibly like the most famous Australian film export is like running straight through this. 100%. I was watching this. was kind going, this is kind like if David Lynch directed Mad Max. like That's exactly I'm saying. It's very Lynchian, that's a great read. It is very Lynchian in its sound and aura. It's like the Twin Peaks vibes to it. Totally. And I was like watching, was like, man, it's like, I love a film where the town is just a bunch of creepy little weirdos who, who know something is up and they've got schemes and they're doing creepy crap. And just watching this, I was like, oh yes, come on, give me these creepy little guys. And they're just all being weird and wacky. And this poor gentleman is just trying to like live his best life. And he's just continuously being like creeped out. He gets absorbed into the weirdness. just dragged into He does. It's kind of a noir in a way, the way his character changes. Obviously, Picnic at Hanging Rock is like the next step from that tone. It has a similar eeriness. And I feel like Peter Weir's directing style, he allows a lot of space between moments. And he does that with sound and like parallels and things like that. I think...
00:09:03
Speaker
Picnic Hanging Rock and Cars That 8 Paris are similar in a lot of ways, but I think this film is just excess to the max, whereas something like Picnic Hanging Rock is very airy and it takes time to breathe. It reminded me a lot of Do the Right Thing, for example, where it is that building tension, that brooding. There's different factions who are all running towards a conflict at the very end. Exactly, and it all just lights up at the end with a bunch of blood and osploitation goodness, man. It's just so... Because you know the cars are these proto-Mad Max type things so they're insane as the most insane one which is like all these spikes on it and stuff and it just has that guy who stands in the middle of the road and just gets like mulched by it. It's fantastic. Then you have like the hero moment in quotation mark for Arthur where he finally gets over his fear of cars just to like ram a guy like 17 times. He's like I can drive! Yes it's awesome! He gets out and it's like this horrible moment. And like, cause like any other movie, you know, would get in the, he'd get over this to like do something heroic. But in this, he just like backed into it like a young man, like 17 times crushed. All of us though have got the universal experience of a dad-like figure standing out in front of the car being like, come on boy. All right, back, back, back now, forward, forward, forward. Like as you're learning how to drive. I think the comedy in this movie is, it was meant to be a comedy originally.
Comedic Elements and Parody
00:10:21
Speaker
And then was rewritten into more of a horror film.
00:10:24
Speaker
I reckon it's still hilarious. It's so funny. The start is incredibly funny. The Topic Thunder style, like fake commercial style start. The ideal Australian family. The cold open is awesome. Apparently the intro is a spoof of a very popular Australian, I think it's a cigarette ad. I might need to, that might need be fact checked. But do you guys remember that old YouTube video that's like scary car ad or something? I've seen, yeah. The one where it went with it. And then it jumpscares you at the end. Yeah, I know that one. That's iconic. yeah, you've this fabulous Australian ideal couple of the era, long 70s blonde hair. got their schnauzer. They're getting in the convertible. He's got an incredible moustache. Yes. Lush countryside. They go past a drover with his sheep. Yes. They're herding. It's like idealistic Australian trade. And then all hell breaks loose. Yeah. The axle just like breaks and they crash and die. Yeah.
00:11:21
Speaker
yeah It's phenomenal. They're drinking Coca-Cola. Like it's so phenomenal. It is a microcosm of the themes of the movie as well, because but for all those that haven't seen this, it's essentially a metaphor for Vietnam and the sort of the the tensions between, you know the younger progressive generation and your more conservative stuffy shirt types. Right. And so I think it is that thing of
Commentary on Colonization and Identity
00:11:43
Speaker
emphasizing that this is the ideal modern boomer Australian family lifestyle or whatever. And then it gets cut down by exploitation in the first five minutes. And it immediately cuts to a parallel road trip happening between yes our main character, Arthur, his brother, George. And I swear there's a third guy, but I can't remember what happens to him. They're kind of like schlubby. They're looking for work. Yeah, they're schlubby. They're in a like a f***ing hatchback. They have a trailer where you can assume all their belongings are. They're like essentially homeless and jobless and they're driving on awful roads. They live off the land. There's a bit where they go up to this building that's like the Commonwealth job scheme and get sent away. The guy comes and is like, nah, everyone from this point onwards, fuck her off, sorry. There's a fabulous shot, which is the backdrop to the directed by Peter Weir text, which is a man drinking a Coca-Cola outside a milk bar. And there's all these amazing newspapers behind him, which say just like reading between the lines, currency crisis, colon, Pope praise. Yeah. which the craft of the start of this film in terms of just preparing you for the type of story you're going to hear it like covers the humor it covers the themes covers the setting all very quickly so i feel like alluding to this new idea of australia post-world war ii and to vietnam era like we've had these wars happen it's becoming recognized as a much more multicultural country rather than just a white settlement it's Migration boom, absolutely. Migration boom. And I think, yes, this is one of the anxieties of the era, which the film is discussing as well. Guys, is is Peter Wee a work? Peter Wee is work. This film is work as hell. I know. Oh my gosh. No wonder why it didn't do well. Cause if you go work, you go broke. You know what i'm saying?
00:13:28
Speaker
You guys get it. One part that immediately stems to mind, I know you mentioned like the colonization angle at the start of it, Alex, like the moment when he's making the rousing speech about having to seize the, Yeah, he calls it he's like constantly talking about pioneers and stuff. yeah It's just like the most hypocritical thing of all time, especially considering he has like an Indigenous person's like as ah as a lawn gnome or so or some sort of ornament out the front of his house. A lawn ornament, yes, which were very popular from the 50s all the way through. So gross. Semi-recently, yeah, so gross. Similar type of decor to the gollywog. Yeah, right. The scene when the cars destroy the mayor's house and they hit the um statue of the Aboriginal person and it breaks in half, the mayor immediately grabs the head and takes it inside, which I think, and leaves the legs. I thought that was a very woke moment from
Thematic Bravery and International Reception
00:14:19
Speaker
Mr. We Are. He calls it my Aboriginal as well, which I think was like like a massive pinpoint of just like, dude, You don't know what the flip you're talking about, man. The police officer even goes like the mayor's Aboriginal or something. like It's so like, yes yeah. For the time that this film came out and like for the fact it kind of predated the Whitlam government as well, makes some extremely challenging points about our relationships to colonisation as white people. Absolutely. And it does it very subtly.
00:14:47
Speaker
So it's kind of hard to read into. And this is something about The Cars That Ate Paris that I'm glad you guys heard about your podcast. There's lots of American podcasts that talk about this film. They don't quite have the historical knowledge or like the contextual knowledge of Australian culture to like read between the lines of a lot of things. They purely view it as like a exploitation horror. Yeah, as a literal just about materialism and i think that's one and part of the film but i also think peter weir is making a plethora of incredibly brave statements for yeah the time that this film came out and it's no wonder it didn't do well at the cinema at the time and um i really wish peter weir would come out of recluse and talk about this film more because it's it's only grows more relevant i liked this movie a lot more than i liked picnic I 100% agree. I think that this has more to say and it's much more imaginative in the way it conveys its narrative. All of the technical aspects I think are superior. like I think the soundtrack is better. I think that the cinematography and action set pieces are um yeah more well constructed. um
00:15:46
Speaker
And even though we lose that sort of mystery, that airiness, I mean, it is there in Cars, but it's not that type of movie and I think it's a much more captivating watch as a result. It's totally captivating. The cinematography is beautiful and actually there's a very interesting montage as well, just speaking on the cinematography. There's only one montage like it in the movie and it's just a bunch of vignettes of the town people. There's a kid sitting in a tire, playing with tools. an old lady on her veranda pulling polishing car parts they're done in this very american photojournalism style like bright sun like very western yeah which thought was very interesting like another theme of the movie that i love it i don't think many australian films at all do this anymore but peter weir's cars edit paris really challenges australia's absolutely blinding allegiance to the usa oh yeah And I think the irony writes itself in the way that this film was received by the US, Australia, and then also how it's been heavily inspiring to other Australian films that got pushed through the Hollywood system and became very Americanized like Mad Max and kind of promoting these views of our culture. I've never seen a film that challenges relationship as much as this film does. Which is so relevant for like today And for all the stuff that was happening in the 70s was just like such a brave statement to make don't know if I'm just reading into it too much nowadays But every time I watch it I'm just like It's incredible that he was just saying this stuff like at that time it's a scathing comment on radicalization i believe like that whole yes totally the spearheading of the mayor's character like so creepy and like wacky this is a good segue i just wanted to touch on that one of that final scenes in the big commotion of it all where arthur is backing into the car under the guidance of the mayor while dressed as a naval officer is probably the most on the nose touch point and like criticism of the military complex and this is a man who's like has been traumatized by killing people and is now happy to kill people and all ends with him hopping out of this car bloodied man behind him and he jumps out and goes I can drive and smiles and walks off and I just think that is it's so genius for the time I was like it's fucking awesome You know, I've made a lot of comparisons to films to compare with Cars That I'd Paris, but I think another great one would be American Graffiti, George Lucas's film.
Generational Themes and Comparisons
00:18:05
Speaker
It is the polar opposite of that because in American Graffiti, it's talking about the freeness of the American teenager, the cruising car culture. It romanticizes it. It idolizes it. Here, it's coming from the other perspective of... Here's the conservative generation that is stuck in their ways while the world is changing around them. And it's just such a fantastic exploration of how conservatives, they radicalize themselves into having the wool over their eyes. The metaphor in the film runs so strong and also going hand in hand with structures of authority and power that come generationally and still, no matter how soft and gentle and free the youth may be, can still totally become victims of it. Yeah, Arthur's character, he's so bashful and gentle and kind of goes along with everything and is fine. But the end of the day, he gets hollowed out like one of those cars through very manipulative means of love and family and promise of safety. And taking advantage of his trauma. Yeah. It's literally how people get radicalized to join the military. That's obvious. And it's always overlooked when people review this film and talk about You know what else other people also overlook?
00:19:15
Speaker
That he looks a lot like a greasy Sean Penn. That's all I'm going to say. And I'll just leave that there. That's the most cutting comment I've made this episode. do you guys reckon that Bruce Spencer's character is kind of like where Arthur would have ended up if it wasn't for like... I see that. I actually do see that. Because he's like, Bruce Spencer's like a young man. We don't really know a lot about him as a character in this. He actually kind of goes rogue a bit yeah and he just blows the head off the priest as he's driving along. Which is, by the way, really funny, but like in a messed up way. Or the doctor or the mayor describes this character as a experiment gone wrong. I'm wondering if it's like they tried the same thing on Arthur as they did with this guy, but they're like they're refining like
Character Analysis and Critique of Authority
00:19:54
Speaker
what they're doing. yeah But Arthur like luckily gets like kind of kicked out of that experiment through, like as you said, the violent insurrection at the end of the film. like
00:20:01
Speaker
always just felt like I had to bring up Bruce Spence because I would have kicked myself if I didn't bring him up. No, he's ah also a great character in the film. Great character, but also just like important actor in Australia. Yeah, was this one of his first roles, I believe? Yeah, like because he was in Mad Max 2 after this and that was sort of his Hollywood break. And yeah, he's been in pretty much every Australian movie under the sun. He's got such a look.
00:20:21
Speaker
He was in Stork as Graham Stork-Wallace and moving on the same year. So it was like early career for him. Very early career, yeah. he's an Australian legend. I find this movie so fascinating as a directorial debut as well because, I mean, this is a movie where, and I think this is what's lost in modern directorial debuts in cinema. It's a director who has a point to make. That's their own personal view. And he's just gone out and made it his own. And it's like a cultural expository manifesto in its sense. And I think that is such a lost art in modern cinema, just genuinely. Like, Someone has nothing to prove and has just said, here's what I think in movie form. It's just, yeah, good stuff, Peter Weir.
00:21:04
Speaker
Totally. Very well said. We're still kissing America's butt. Yeah, I'm like, the mayor is f***ing red-pilled. Red-pilled as hell. But he has zero aura. as He literally has f***ing no aura. He did an impromptu rap number in the middle of that video. oh my god, I've got that up. It's like a random war cry. And they paused the horrible music they were playing anyway on repeat the whole time. To all come together. jo on p I love that piano music so much.
00:21:29
Speaker
yeah yeah That music is so funny. And then like the old lady gets up from the piano and then it's like, now the kids going to bust it. Literally, they're like, all right, lock Woomera, woomera, babalook boomerang.
00:21:40
Speaker
Babadook. It's Woomera, Woomera, Babalook, Boomerang, Crocodile, Kookaburra, Wombat, Orangutan, Weeho, Weeho, Terra, Mungamine, Kwondong, Billabong, Gundablui, Pine, Platypus, Emu, Wallaby, Roo, Ibis, Brolgala, and White Cockatoo, Maramah, Cowra, Colomon, Banco, Bogabri, Naromine, Nevitay, Yanko. Yes. Slay. Apparently Yanko is an agricultural school where all the boys, I was looking it up, all the boys wear cowboy hats there. have not moved on at all as a country. What is orangutan? What does that have to with the street? I have no idea why orangutan's in there. Mate, sometimes it's for the rhyme. Sometimes it's for the rhyme. It kind of sounds like when you're saying it, I feel like an Esche speaking in like pig Latin. It feels like, yeah oh, I wanted to talk about Eshes in regards this film because I feel like Eshes are our modern equivalent of what this car gang was in the film. Yeah, know. Where they're like hella swag. They've got swag in their own unique subculture. They're dripped out. Which is weaponised by people of more prestige and they're laughed out they're a cultural icon. As soon as they can't be controlled by the upper class, they become weapons in themselves. Yeah. Should we be nicer to them? Should we be nicer to the Cowboys? I think we should all befriend an Eshe. Everybody go befriend an Eshe before the end of the That's your homework. That's that's your homework. You better do it or else we're ending the podcast. Send a picture UndersetheScreensPod. Send a photo with an Eshe at a local train station. We'd love to see it. yeah Do be careful, though. If they're in a roving gang, you may get stabbed. yeah Stay careful out there, guys. And don't talk to the one that says they own Frankston because that one, he's the Don't look him in the eye either. That's a sign disrespect.
00:23:17
Speaker
There's many rule. Yeah, the way the town of Paris operates economically is kind of fascinating as well, where obviously they're causing car accidents.
Satirical Socio-economic Dynamics
00:23:28
Speaker
Everyone in the town participates in tearing apart these cars to sell for parts or they trade it for basic goods like beans and clothing and medications. Because it's such an insane economy. Of course, something was insane was going to crash it eventually. it very much felt like a vignette. And in that way, it kind of feels realistic. I was like, yeah this this could have happened. like very At the very least, the mayor, who kind of you can kind of assume represents the ideals that all the townspeople hold, he's... You parodied this in your intro. He's like, this place is like beautiful and excellent and who would want to leave here? And and all of this little town of Paris, isn't it great? you know like He gasses it up so much and yet it just is this... I've been to 17 towns like Paris. I've like you driven straight through them. It is the sassafras of New South Wales. yeah
00:24:18
Speaker
Were the pictures that they were showing at the start, you know, where he's doing like that test and it's like all these things. psych test. So that's one of my favorite jokes of the whole film when he shows all these pictures that he goes, I really should have been a photographer or something. Like he reveals that he took all these really f***ed up photos. Yeah, it's so good. It's so funny. Is that picture of the car crash, is that his brother? I don't know, but I took a photo of it. Why'd you take a photo of it, Alex? Because it's so crazy. I don't think it's his brother. He's got curly hair. In saying that that's the only color picture in the whole thing that he shows. He's doing this image-based psychiatry test on Arthur, who's very traumatized and is afraid of cars. Basic images, a tree, a house, a family, and then he put, yes, a very graphic color image of a car crash. And Arthur goes smash.
00:25:05
Speaker
Which is funny by today's standards. The doctor corrects him and goes, accident. And then Arthur is like a slap on the hand. And then every time he keeps showing Arthur these car accident images. He knows what to say. Yes, he does. It's very early on. They're brainwashed in that poor fellow. It ties into that part around the middle where Bruce Spence shoots the priest. It was a shooting accident. Shooting accident. That's right. Yeah. They love the accident. It's insane that this movie is rated like only M or something like that.
Film's Rating, Humor, and Cultural Uniqueness
00:25:31
Speaker
There is brain matter in that photo that they show at the end. Yes, insane levels of gore and implied incest later on in the movie, which is another scene I really want to talk about because it's so funny. What an insane thing to say, Alex. Why not now? Incest is not funny, but this scene is just like, the dialogue is so funny. We've got to get the incest in. Yes, I've got to get the incest in. Putting so much pressure us. No, no.
00:25:58
Speaker
Well, as a child of incest myself. No, I'm just kidding. You heard it here first. It's my one red flag. Sorry, love my mum and dad. That's not true. Shout out to Alex's mum and dad. Yes, fabulous people. And not siblings.
00:26:10
Speaker
actually so arthur's trying to run away after church the mayor catches up with him in the bush and basically seduces him back into paris asking arthur very sincerely if he would like to become his son this is after it's been revealed that the mayor's two daughters are adopted as victims of car accidents as well which is why they obviously caused and then in a very manly way emphasizes to arthur that he thinks he may have a connection with his wife in a romantic sense like just mental and then arthur goes yeah sure like what else are you gonna do in that situation though yeah exactly you've already gone down so many levels it's like oh well like how old is arthur is he he's like in his 30s or something he's like mid thirty s imagine being adopted as a 30 year old It's so twisted. It's so funny. It's a flabbergasting scene in a long line of flabbergasting scenes. I loved this. This was great.
00:27:09
Speaker
Awesome movie. Probably my favorite movie I've seen on this podcast so far. Oh my God. That's so flattering. Alex has set the bar this week. Yeah. It's like, you know. Yeah. For the moment I saw this movie and I'm so grateful the first time I saw it was in a cinema. I watched it on my computer and I feel like I've done a disservice by doing that. Yes, this film really changed me. I think it radicalized me to just think more brashly about our culture here in Australia and to not be afraid of making something f***ed.
00:27:36
Speaker
I want to remake it, but if someone else wants to, that's fine too. I don't think it would ever get funded nowadays, but a remake of this movie could be amazing. It's a bankable IP, you know what mean? It is and it's just so relevant. We could Trojan horse a remake of this. You can Matrix Resurrections this. Just make it a commentary. We lie to Screen Australia. I mean, maybe we shouldn't put this part into the podcast in case they were listening. We might have just incriminated ourselves live on tape. We're going to Trojan horse a new The Cars That Ate Paris again. The Cars That Ate Paris colon second helping. Two cars, two Paris. Yeah. I think we're going to make it in this business. Anyway. We've got this. Should wrap it up there? Alex, I need to ask you question that we ask every one of our guests on this podcast.
Distinctly Australian Elements
00:28:23
Speaker
Yes. We've only had one guest, so going ask you, what is the most Australian thing about The Cars That Ate Paris?
00:28:32
Speaker
The most Australian thing about The Cars That Ate Paris is absolutely how debaucherous it is. Like it's such a f***ed up film, but I don't know any other film that, like Australia is just such a, it's such a f***ed up place. Like it's wrong. Everything's wrong and backwards and everyone's just fighting for their lives to understand what's going on. Australia is so what the hell sure. And Cars That Ate Paris is so what the hell sure. Like that's all I can say about it. It's dusty. It's bloody. It's It's awesome. It's so awesome. What more do you want? Is that even a good answer? No, I love it. No, yeah, it's awesome. It doesn't hold back and I literally don't think at the rate our industry is at and the way our funding works in this country, a film like this will ever, ever be made again. If David Walsh, if you're listening, if you want to fund us to remake The Cars That Ate Paris, because I think you're the only person in Australia that could do that and would do that. Give us money. Let me know because we're just like dancing around the fact that our shit is chopped. Yeah, we are chopped country. We're chopped country. And through that choppedness and terrible, terrible history, we can build something new and beautiful and scary and amazing and intimidating.
00:29:45
Speaker
And like in my intro, I deliberately said the first new wave movement because I feel like we have an even more fucked new wave coming. Actually, yes.
Future of Australian Films
00:29:52
Speaker
In the future. When the tide goes out, it just comes back in. Yes. it does and we love to surf so we're gonna hit that barrel and just shock it dude this episode's so dense put on your quicksilver put on your billabong and catch screw you international audiences yeah this one's for us bro this one's for the aussies it's just fantastic i could talk about this film forever sorry guys And we want to hear you talk
Closing and Social Media Plug
00:30:17
Speaker
about it more. But yeah so but where can the audience hear more of you, Alex? You can hear more of me. I'm pretty silent these days online, but you can follow me on Instagram.
00:30:27
Speaker
It's at Captain Girl. Captain's spelt normally, but girl's spelt G-R-L because I'm cool like that. cool like that i'm trying to work on my presence as a filmmaker online but i'm not very good at it it's hard it's tough you can get in contact with us on the southern screens at tiktok instagram and threads at on the southern screens pod or you can email us at on the sun screens pod at gmail.com Still waiting for that photo with an Esche. You got to do it, guys. Whoever's listening. Yeah, you got to hit us with that photo. Esche photo is necessary. And Peter Weir, if you're listening, you should go take a photo with an Esche. Yeah, do that, Peter. You aren't doing much else these days, mate. Yeah. I'll pay you everything I have. It's not a lot. It's like three bucks. If Peter Weir comes on this podcast, guys, I got it.
00:31:11
Speaker
I don't have to guess on it, but I will. Can I listen to the live recording? Just be in the room. So I can look at him. I would honestly like try and make it that we do this podcast in person. If we get Peter Weir like on this, I would, I want to meet this man at hanging rock. Oh my gosh. At hanging rock. He's slowly becoming my favorite director of all time. That would screw with our recording because outside sucks to record him, but we would make the effort. The pan flute would be there too. Like that would be Alex in the background. Yes, I do a live pan flute intro to Peter Weir. You heard it here first, Peter. We're planning around you. Just tell us when and where. We will drop everything to do it. The ball's in your court.
00:31:51
Speaker
Yeah, you won't. We dare you. Alex, I just want to say you've been an absolute joy this week, Alex. like Thank you so much for coming on. It is beautiful to have you on. Thank you so much for having me, guys. ah That was so much fun. I love to talk about that movie, obviously, and nice to catch up with you guys too. What the heck? Yeah, it's so cool. Yeah, that's it. Do you want to see our little sign-off? I don't think she listens to the podcast like that, brother.
00:32:16
Speaker
I will now. Bro, acting like we were like an established podcast. Say the catchphrase, Alex. Say the bit. I'm like, if you wanted to like do it, it's like, um. Okay, what is it? I'll do it. But first, let's say what we're watching next week before we sign that's good point. We're watching 10 Canoes, which is our first indigenous film for
Teaser for Indigenous Film Feature
00:32:34
Speaker
under sunscreens. I'm so excited. I've never actually seen it before. It also marks our 10th episode. Yeah, so it's on brand. We're calculated like that, me and Mitch. 10 for 10. You know what I'm saying? I'm amazed we made it this far. Thank you so much for watching and listening, whatever you do. See you next week, y'all. Bye. And keep an eye on those southern screens.
00:32:55
Speaker
Hell yeah. Keep a southern eye on those screens. Under. Under. Under. We nailed it. See you next week, guys. Bye. Thanks for listening to another episode of Under Southern Screens. We'll be back next week to talk more films down under.
00:33:10
Speaker
We just want to attribute that our opening title is Heavy Duty by Zoo and our closing title is Heavy Weight by Fell Creek. Thanks so much for listening and Mitch and I will see you in the next episode.
00:33:21
Speaker
See you next time.
00:33:25
Speaker
Under Southern Screens would like to acknowledge the stolen lands on which this podcast is recorded and produced and pay tribute to the Wurundjeri and Woiwurrung people of the Kulin Nation and Kamaragal people of the Eora Nation.
00:33:38
Speaker
Sovereignty was never ceded and we pay respect to all Indigenous Elders past, present and emerging. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.