Peter Weir: Two Ozploitation Gems

The films of Peter Weir are remarkably chameleonic in content yet consistent in quality.

From his early career in Australia to his international breakthrough, the filmmaker fluidly transitioned from idiosyncratic tales of Australian life to all-American stories, and from independent shoots to commercially and creatively accomplished Hollywood productions. 

The most recognisable successes of Weir’s early career – the Australian New Wave masterpiece Picnic at Hanging Rock and national cinema touchstone Gallipoli – tend to position the filmmaker as a reputable, arthouse counterpoint to the scuzzy, controversial Ozploitation movement that was also emerging in the 1970s and 1980s. This, however, does not paint the full picture.

This short season highlights the unique role Weir’s early work played in bridging the gap between high art films and low brow thrills in Australian cinema at the time. Pulpily-titled and unsparing in their examination of Australia’s dark underbelly, The Cars That Ate Paris and The Plumber demonstrate Peter Weir’s Ozploitation leanings, while highlighting that the filmmaker’s creative range might be even broader than first imagined.