If this movie is any indication,
the inside workings of an Australian Rules football team involves a LOT of
shouting and some extensive gnashing of teeth. The film is based on a play by
renowned Australian playwright David Williamson, and explores the inner
machinations of Collingwood Football Club during the golden years of AFL, or
as it was known back in the day, VFL. The team acquire a new player for an
unprecedented amount of money, which causes a stir among the existing players,
the coach, and the president of the club.
It’s an interesting
behind-the-scenes look at an AFL club, although whether it is an accurate
depiction of the situation is in all honesty a mystery to me. Any high-school
English student can tell you that the essence of any good story is conflict,
and The Club has conflict to spare. It seems that everyone is angry with
everyone else for the whole duration of the story. In fact Jack Thompson
states in one of the extras that the film is pretty much one giant argument,
and that’s more or less the case. However the story is pretty well paced, as
one would expect from director Bruce Beresford, and it’s not too hard to find
yourself being engrossed in the tale.
Given that the movie was made
way back in 1980, the video quality isn’t of the highest calibre. The picture
is quite grainy, and the colours fairly dull, although this may have been the
intention of the director at the time. Audio is quite good, with not a great
deal of the crackle that sometimes plagues older movies on DVD.
There’s a fairly nice collection
of extras included on the disc. An interesting featurette entitled “Meet the
Team” which includes retrospective interviews with cast and crew members, and
a personal look into David Williamson’s playwriting career are probably the
most engaging. Also included is the complete radio adaptation of the original
play, “The Club – Then and Now” (which is merely a collection of shots from
the movie compared with shots of Collingwood’s ground and offices today), a
music video of the classic Aussie Rules anthem “Up There Cazaly” and an audio
recording of Jack Thompson singing the Collingwood club song(!?).
The Club is a fairly enjoyable
movie presented on a decent DVD. It will most probably appeal to AFL
enthusiasts, but anyone who enjoys a bit of good ol’ Aussie drama would be
well advised to check it out.
The Club
Features |
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16x9
widescreen transfer
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“Meet the
Team” – an all new interview featurette with Jack Thompson, Bruce Beresford,
Alan Cassell, Matt Carroll, Rene Kink, Ray Shaw and Tom Hafey
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David
Williamson featurette: “Compulsive Playwright”
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“The Club –
Then and Now” A tour of Collingwood Football Club
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Complete ABC
radio adaptation starring John Howard and John Ewart
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“Up There
Cazaly” music video
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“Hear Jack
Thompson Sing” Jack Thompson sings the Collingwood Football Club song
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Theatrical
Trailer
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Umbrella
propaganda
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