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The PackageThe
late seventies-early eighties period was something of a golden age for Aussie-sploitation,
with THIRST appearing in 1979 alongside the likes of PATRICK (‘78), LONG
WEEKEND (’78), MAD MAX (’79), ROADGAMES (’81), STRANGE BEHAVIOR (’81)
and ESCAPE 2000 (a.k.a. TURKEY SHOOT; ’81).
THIRST’S producer Anthony I. Ginnane actually performed the same chore
on at least two of the other films listed above, as executive producer William
Feyman did on three of them while composer Brian May scored five.
Conclusion: the Australian film industry was and continues to be an
extremely insular landscape (while we’re at it we might as well mention
director Richard Franklin and screenwriter Everett De Roche, who are among th!
e other names that tend to recur among the films listed above, though not on
this one), which makes it all the more impressive when something as defiantly
unique as THIRST appears. It
unfortunately marks the only screen credit of scripter John Pinkney, a former
journalist whose audacity and imagination shine through even when the
filmmaking leaves something to be desired. |
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The StoryKate Davis, a pretty young woman, finds herself in the sights of a mysterious organization whose members inexplicably have her kidnapped. She’s taken to a tiny village nestled in a remote forest, a rigidly controlled environment that’s run like a small corporation. Hordes of zombie-like people wander the grounds whose sole purpose is to have their blood sucked and then packaged in milk containers for consumption by members of the Hyma Brotherhood, a group of people with an insatiable thirst for blood (and who dislike the term Vampire). Kate, it seems, is a descendant of Elizabeth Bathory, the notorious real life “Bloody Countess” (whose nefarious deeds were deta! iled in films like COUNTESS DRACULA, IMMORAL TALES and DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS, as well as Andrei Codrescue’s novel THE BLOOD COUNTESS); the Brotherhood is looking to unite Kate’s bloodline with its own in an effort to ensure their immortality.
But
first Kate will have to be forcibly brought around to the Brotherhood’s way
of thinking. She escapes but is
quickly recaptured and subjected to a series of psychological tests designed to
break down resistance to her inner vampire.
The process appears to work in the Brotherhood’s favor, but it’s all
an act on Kate’s part. With the
help of the sympathetic Dr. Fraser, Kate manages to escape via helicopter, but
in fact the good doctor isn’t nearly as upstanding as he appears… |
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The DirectionDirector
Rod Hardy’s career has been largely confined to the television arena, so
it’s no surprise that THIRST, his first feature (George Miller, of THE MAN
FROM SNOWY RIVER fame, was originally set to direct), looks and feels like it
belongs on TV. That’s despite
the widescreen photography, which does little to enhance Hardy’s staid and
uninspiring visual compositions. Yes,
there are a few effective bits, but much of the film simply falls flat.
This is particularly evident in the druggy third act, which aims for a
hallucinatory ambiance in the mold of Hardy’s fellow countryman Peter Weir
but feels tacky and forced. B!
rian May’s obnoxiously over-insistent score is another liability, while the
lead performance by Chantel Contouri sorely lacks the devilish charisma and
seductiveness the role requires. Once
again, it’s the script by John Pinkey that makes THIRST what it is, a good
film that could have been far better. |
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Vital StatisticsTHIRST F.G.
Film Productions Producer:
Anthony I. Ginnane Screenplay:
John Pinkney Cinematography:
Vincent Monton Editor:
Philip Reid Cast:
Chantel Contouri, Shirley Cameron, Max Phipps, Henry Silva, Rod Mullinar,
Amanda Muggleton, Robert Thompson, Rosie Sturgess, David Hemmings, Walter Pym,
Lulu Pinkus, Chris Milne, Jacqui Gordon, Val Christensen, Glenys O’Brien, Ben
Nightingale, Stephen Clark, David Vella
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