The Life of Harry Dare

1995 Australian film
  • 1995 (1995)
Running time
90 minCountryAustraliaLanguageEnglish

The Life of Harry Dare is a 1995 Australian film about an aboriginal detective.[1] Directed by Aleksi Vellis it stars John Moore as the titular Harry Dare who is searching for his missing Kombi Van.[2]

Cast

  • John Moore as Harry Dare
  • Nicholas Hope as Kevin
  • Tom E. Lewis as Harry's Father
  • Ullie Birvé as Gina
  • Don Barker as Sergeant
  • Aaron Wilton as Jim
  • Tony Briggs as Dan
  • Justin Braine as Max

Production

The Life of Harry Dare was filmed in Adelaide.[3] It was first screened in 1995 in the leadup to that years AFI awards but at the time did not have a set commercial release.[2] In July 1997 it was released into a single theatre[4] before getting a further run in Sydney.[3]

Reception

In the leadup to the 1995 AFI awards the Age's Jim Schembri called it "an exceptionally funny film about an aboriginal man's obsession with a Kombi van."[5] After its 1997 release he gave it 3 stars saying "By skillfully fusing several race-related elements into a light comedy without making light of them, Harry Dare shows that being entertaining does not necessarily mean being vacuous."[6] Robert Drewe of the Sydney Morning Herald says it is "pretty hard to classify. At times it seems like a tough urban drama, at others more a bitter-sweet comedy."[7] David Stratton commenting on The Movie Show gave it 3 stars and says the film "doesn`t in the end make the most of some intriguing ideas, but nevertheless it`s engaging entertainment."[8] Adrian Martin gave it 2 stars finishing "Neither a full-blooded social satire nor a cute Aussie version of Ghost Dad (1990), The Life of Harry Dare dwells in that frustrating middle-ground where so many Australian films go to die."[4]

Awards

References

  1. ^ Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p101
  2. ^ a b Cook, Margaret (2 October 1995), "Quirky look at a traditionally sensitive issue", The Age
  3. ^ a b Hessey, Ruth (22 August 1997), "Who Dares wins", The Sydney Morning Herald
  4. ^ a b Martin, Adrian (July 1997), "The Life of Harry Dare", Film Critic: Adrian Martin
  5. ^ a b Schembri, Jim (10 November 1995), "Angel Baby thrives amid barren crop", The Age
  6. ^ Schembri, Jim (25 July 1995), "The importance of being Ernest", The Age
  7. ^ Drewe, Robert (21 August 1997), "Who dares doesn't always win", The Sydney Morning Herald
  8. ^ Stratton, David (6 September 1995), "Life of Harry Dare, The", The Movie Show, SBS

External links

  • The Life of Harry Dare at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • The Life of Harry Dare at Creative Spirits
  • Review at SBS
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Films and television series about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
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