The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978)

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
Directed by Fred Schepisi
Written by Fred Schepisi from a novel by Thomas Keneally
1978/Australia
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

McCready: You can’t say we haven’t given you anything. We’ve introduced you to alcohol, religion.
Jimmie Blacksmith: Religion.
McCready: Influenza, measles, syphilis. School.
Jimmie Blacksmith: School.
McCready: A whole host of improvements.

This violent historical drama was not for me.

The story takes place in early 20th Century in rural Australia. Jimmie (Tommy Lewis) is a half-caste aborigine being raised in a missionary orphanage. The very racist Reverend (Jack Thompson) and his wife has high hopes for Jimmie’s future. They figure he can marry a white woman and that future generations will be more and more white.

But Jimmie is an aborigine in his heart and sneaks off to participate in the rituals of his culture. He knows how to talk a very smooth line though and has an easy enough time finding work. He also gets a white wife. But Jimmie is subjected to more and more abuse and finally goes on a rampage of vengeance.

The Australian countryside looks very beautiful in this film. I thought the cinematography and music were the best part though all the acting was quite good. The second-half of the movie features brutal violence and cruelty from all sides and was difficult for me to watch.