Starstruck

Gillian Armstrong established herself with My Brilliant Career (1979) a feminist-inclined historical drama, so this contemporary musical came as a surprise to the critics of the day who were not overly-enthusiastic. Yet for all its low-budget production values and, particularly debilitating for a musical, tin-pot sound it is a film of verve and vernacular charm albeit in a very 1980s way..

Set in Sydney in the shadows of the Harbour Bridge it tells the story of a brother and sister out to win a Battle of the Bands competition and save their family’s pub from repossession by the bank. There are detectable influences from predecessors such as A Hard Day‘s Night (1964) and 1975's The Rocky Horror Picture Show (directed by an Australian,Jim Sharman, and with which this film shared the same production designer, Bruce Thompson) but Starstruck has its own distinctive character.

It has a sharp script by Stephen Maclean, who based it on his own experiences, winningly energetic performances by novice actors Jo Kennedy and Ross O’Donovan and a strong support ensemble, is well-lensed by Russell Boyd who makes excellent use of Sydney’s blue skies, lively choreography by David Atkins and is directed with brio by Armstrong.

Although it is a little rough around the edges and occasionally loses pace in places this is more than made up for by its robust good-heartedness. The songs, largely provided by Phil Judd and performed with his band of the day, The Swingers (who beat out Men At Work and INXS for the gig), are not hugely memorable but have a lively '80s pop feel and surprisingly, even the fashion manages not to look embarrassingly dated.

FYI: The skinny stage wrangler in the climactic concert sequence is Geoffrey Rush in his first film appearance.

DVD Extras: An audio commentary by producer David Elfick; an interview featurette with Elfick, Gillian Armstrong, and Russell Boyd; another with Stephen Maclean; alternate, extended and deleted scenes: Jo & Ned Lander perform Body and Soul on Countdown< and the Australian and American trailers.

Available from: Umbrella Entertainment

 

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