The Australian Wars is a documentary film (in three parts) which premiered on Australian television (SBS) in 2022.
This film covers 140 years of Australian history seen from the perspective of the indigenous population (aboriginals).
The topic is the Australian wars against the aboriginals.
The time frame is 1788-1928.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Host, presenter and director: Rachel Perkins
** Writers: Rachel Perkins, Jacob Hickey, and Don Watson
** Production company: Blackfella Films
** Language: English
** Subtitles: English
** Run time: 57 + 58 + 59 minutes = 174 minutes
Several persons are interviewed in this film. The list is quite long. Here are the names of the participants (in alphabetical order):
Matt Anderson – director, the Australian War Memorial
Damein Bell (Gunditjmara nation)
Dr Heather Burke - archaeologist
Len Collard (Noongar nation) – professor, School of Indigenous Studies, University of Western Australia
Libby Connors – assistant professor of history
Ian D. Clark – professor of history
Dr Valerie Cooms (Quandamooka nation)
Dr Raymond Evans - historian
Dr Stephen Gapps - historian
Cliff Harrigan – traditional owner
Grace Karskens – emerita professor of history
Steve Kinnane (Miriwong nation) – writer and researcher
Marcia Langton (Yiman nation) – professor
Tom Lawson – historian
Denise Lovett-Murray (Gunditjmara nation)
Patrick Malone (Western Kangoulu and Jagalingou nations)
Tony McAvoy (Wirdy nation) - barrister
Angus Murray (Wiradjuri nation) – historian
Chris Owen - historian
Henry Reynolds – professor of history
Dr Jonathan Richards - historian
Daryl Rigney (Ngarrindjeri nation) - professor
Daryl Rose (Gunditjmara nation)
Gene Ross – traditional owner
Lyndall Ryan – professor of history
Dr Pam Smith - archaeologist
Peter Stanley – professor of history
Chris Tobin (Dharug nation) – educator
Shayne Williams (Dharawal nation) - educator
As stated above, there are three episodes:
** Episode # 1
focuses on events in Sydney and Parramatta
** Episode # 2
focuses on events in Tasmania
** Episode # 3
focuses on the end of the frontier wars in northern Australia during the beginning of the 20th century
The main purpose of this film is to show that the British colonization of Australia was not conducted with political and diplomatic means. It was a case of violence; a case of brutal force; a case of armed struggle.
The indigenous population did not give up their homeland without a fight. They tried to resist the foreign invasion, but the resistance was crushed and destroyed.
It was war. More precisely it was a series of wars which were fought in different regions of Australia and at different times.
When these wars were fought, they were well-known. Since then, they have, to a large extent, been forgotten. Nowadays, they are not well-known in Australia, and they are even less well-known in the rest of the world outside Australia.
In this film, the history of these wars is told by the people who are interviewed. Some are aboriginals, while others are academic scholars.
When you look at the chart above, you can see that some of them belong in both categories:
** Some aboriginals are
academic scholars
** Some academic scholars are aboriginals
Between the talking heads, there are old drawings and old photographs. Some historical moments have been reconstructed by modern actors.
In this film, we follow the host and presenter Rachel Perkins as she travels to many different locations in Australia.
Whenever she gets to a new location, she meets a person or several persons who have a direct connection with this location.
They explain the significance of this location. How it is connected to the history of the conflict between the white colonizers and the indigenous population. Why it deserves to mentioned in an account of the Australian wars.
Rachel Perkins is not a neutral student of this topic. She has a personal connection with the topic which is studied here.
Her mother was a German woman, while her father was an aboriginal man. One part of the story covered in this film concerns the experience of her ancestors.
Some individuals who played a significant role in the historical conflict are mentioned and briefly presented in this film.
On one hand, we have some representatives of the British colonial system. On the other hand, we have some warriors of different aboriginal tribes.
# 1. Members of the British administration
Arthur Philip (1738-1814)
** The first governor of the Colony of New South Wales
** In office 1788-1792
Charles Grant, First Baron Glenelg (1778-1866)
** Secretary of State for War and Colonies
** In office 1835-1839
According to this film, he told the British officials who were stationed in Australia to negotiate a treaty with the indigenous population, but his order was ignored.
George Arthur, First Baronet KCH (1784-1854)
** Lieutenant Governor of Van Diemen’s Land
** (Present-day Tasmania)
** (Appointed 1823)
** In office 1824-1836
As Lieutenant Governor, he was responsible for the brutal repression and persecution of the aboriginal population in the conflict known as the Black War (1826-1832).
# 2. Aboriginal warriors
(Some dates listed here are not certain)
Bennelong
(1764-1813)
Pemulwuy
(1750-1802)
Tongerlongeter
(1790-1837)
Musquito
(1780-1825)
Yagan
(1795-1833)
Mannalarga
(1770-1835)
In this film, the history of the Australian wars is told in great detail. The historical account presented here is supported by solid and credible evidence.
While the early aboriginal leaders did not leave many written reports of their experiences, the British colonial administration and their local supporters produced a huge amount of evidence, much of which has been preserved until our time.
Local officials and their supporters were proud of their efforts to bring civilization and progress to Australia.
They wanted their contemporaries to know exactly what they had done. They wanted to leave something for posterity.
They were not trying to hide anything. On the contrary. They composed their reports, as they did, because they believed they deserved to be praised for their actions.
When such documents are read today, they look more like confessions of serious crimes. Several such documents are presented and quoted in this film.
Gross violations of human rights are documented by the persons who were responsible for these violations. This is known as irrefutable evidence.
What do reviewers say about this film?
On IMDb it has a rating of 85 percent.
There are two user reviews on IMDb.
Here are the headlines and the ratings offered:
100 percent
Horrific, should be shown in all Australian schools
100 percent
Harrowing, informative and beautifully made
In one section of the Wikipedia entry about this film, several reviews are mentioned and quoted. Some are positive, while others are negative.
(A) Positive reviews
Anne Maree Payne and Heidi Norman
The Conversation
21 September 2022
Ethan Floyd
Honi Soit
17 October 2022
Beejay Silcox
The Guardian
22 January 2023
(B) Negative reviews
Chris Battle
Quadrant Online
26 September 2022
Peter O’Brien
The Spectator Australia
11 October 2022
I understand the numerous positive reviews and agree with them. I cannot agree with the negative reviews.
The topic is important. The history of the Australian wars deserves to be told, and in this film, it is done very well.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
REFERENCES
# 1. Books
The Other Side of the Frontier: Aboriginal Resistance to the European Invasion of Australia
By Henry Reynolds
(1981)
An Indelible Stain?
The Question of Genocide in Australia’s History
By Henry Reynolds
(2001)
The Australian Frontier Wars, 1788-1838
By John Connor
(2002)
First Australians
Edited by Rachel Perkins and Marcia Langton
(This companion book to the film was published in 2010, two years after the film was released)
A History of Tasmania
By Henry Reynolds
(2011)
Forgotten War
By Henry Reynolds
(2013)
Conspiracy of Silence:
Queensland’s Frontier Killing Times
By Timothy Bottoms
(2013)
The Black War
By Nicholas Clements
(2014)
The Sydney Wars:
Conflict in the Early Colony, 1788-1817
By Stephen Gapps
(2018)
Tongerlongeter:
First Nations Leader & Tasmanian War Hero
By Henry Reynolds & Nicholas Clements
(2021)
# 2. Film and video
Rabbit-Proof Fence
A historical drama
Run time = 94 minutes
(2002)
First Australians
A documentary film
Director = Rachel Perkins
Seven episodes
Run time = 7 x 52 minutes = 364 minutes
(2008)
Mabo
A historical drama
Director = Rachel Perkins
Run time = 103 minutes
(2012)
Servant or Slave
A documentary film
Run time = 58 minutes
(2016)
We Are Still Here
A film about the first nations of Australia and New Zealand
Run time = 90 minutes
(2022)
*****
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