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aka - High Rolling In A Hot Corvette
Australia 1977
Directed by
Igor Auzins
83 minutes
Rated R

Reviewed by
Bernard Hemingway
2 stars

High Rolling

Emanating from the Tim Burstall-Village Roadshow production company, Hexagon, which specialized in crowd-pleasing romps this buddy movie aspires to no more than to give its audience a good time, at least such as it was conceived of the 1970s - which was essentially sex, drugs and rock n'roll (the latter provided by the Sherbert soundtrack). In these terms the film is well-enough made although Auzins, whose prior experience was in television and is here making his first feature, does not achieve any distinctiveness in his helming. In addition the casting of young hunk US actor, Joseph Bottoms, in the lead role skews the film out of the local vernacular which was such a Hexagon trademark but was here set aside following the financially unrewarding Burstall-directed period piece, Eliza Fraser, the film being intentionally made to appeal to the US market where it was released as High Rolling In A Hot Corvette.

Bottoms plays an American working at a carnival in Queensland who teams up with Alby (Grigor Taylor), a boxer at the same carnival. They hitchhike to Surfer’s Paradise on the Gold Coast and get a ride from Arnold (John Clayton). However, Arnold makes advances on Alby who beats him up and he and Tex run off with his suitcase and car. But the case is full of money and the car full of dope, so Arnold and his friends are soon after them.

Today the film's main legacy is in providing a 22 year old Judy Davis with her first feature appearance (although an inauspicious one at that) and the rather gruesome sight of Wendy Hughes and Sandy McGregor as exotic dancers. 70s buffs will appreciate the awful fashion statements and some may find the representation of male sexual identity and behaviour intriguing.

DVD Features: 2004 interviews with Auzins and DOP Robin Copping, Stills gallery; Theatrical trailer and a bonus film The Love Epidemic by Brian Trenchard-Smith.

Available from: Umbrella Entertainment

 

 

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