Trailer—The Adventures of Barry McKenzie

The Adventures of Barry McKenzie(480P)

source: The Adventures of Barry McKenzie

I had read the cartoon strip in Private Eye. I don't think I had seen Edina Everagre before this. Subseqiently I went to all the London shows including the last panto at the Wimbledon Theatre. In the film Everagre is very much a subsidiary character. The film is rather rough and ready at the edges but still is quite funny. Sad to see Dennis Price near the end of his career looking much the worse for wear.

Dunny be a dingo-draped drongo, point your mutton arrow down under at outlandish Ozsploitation comedy classic 'Barry McKenzie' and you'll soon be waltzing your mirthsome Matilda into mirth-town as lanky McKenzie's rawer than outback prawn, cooler than a bathtub of Fosters, slicker than a hungry one-eyed trouser snake and brighter than a technicolor chunder into the pacific! So put another Roo steak on the barbie, loosen ya' strides and take a gander at the fair dinkum, Non-PC Aussie classic from that bawdy filmmaking bloke Bruce Beresford. Don't be a long-faced Pom, crack open another ice-cold tinny and drown yourself dizzy with Barry Mackenzie's boozily busy adventures in Pommyland! His mate's call him Baz, but to most of us pale-faced Poms he's just a glorious schpazz, tougher than a Wolf Creek Crock, barmier than a sun-busted boomerang, he's bonza Barry McKenzie the world's first down under exposing antipodean star! No worries, mate!

This film was a stylistic, cultural and commercial breakthrough, the first hugely profitable Australian film in decades, and the start of the revival of the Australian film industry. The humour was utterly non-PC and outrageously crude for its day. At last the hideous ocker in England was portrayed on film in all his drunken ribald glory. However time has not been kind to it. Some of the individual jokes are still hysterically funny, such as Spike Milligan's introduction to the hotel, the Indian aphrodisiacs, and Delamphrey's attempts at psychoanalysis. Other jokes have worn thin though having been adopted by the culture at large (e.g. the largely invented Australian slang) or use of similar jokes by other comedians. Much of the humour doesn't go beyond simply using the crude invented slang in conversation. Today it isn't particularly outrageous or funny. The purportedly stereotypical depictions of English snobbery and Australian crudity are too extreme and grotesque even for a comedy, and further detract from the effectiveness of the comedy. Another major flaw is structural. "The Adventures of Barry Mackenzie" and its main character is based on a series of self-contained comic strips. A movie on the other hand is built around scenes of protracted dialogue, development within a scene, and development of the narrative across scenes. Indeed Humphries himself has stated he didn't believe his comic strips could be adapted for film for this very reason. As a result the film is highly episodic, with some very tendentious, unfunny and laboured links written to string the episodes together. This isn't helped by the fact that Humphries is essentially a solo performer whose stock-in-trade is the self-contained one-liner. He usually has a relatively brief setup (if any) leading to his jokes in stage performances. In consequence the dialogue is often stilted and unnatural, clumsily and unfunnily targetted towards the recitation of slang expressions or the delivery of some other self-contained comic idea. I don't normally criticise comedies for flaws in structure or logic because they are essentially vehicles for jokes, but in this case these flaws are distractingly obvious and jarring, and the jokes aren't funny enough to prevent the viewer noticing. Still, the funniest of the jokes are classics, and overall it remains enjoyable. The sequel is funnier though, perhaps because it resolves (but only partially) some of the original's flaws. On a historical note, the opening shot shows the Hegarty's private mini-ferry approaching the Luna Park pontoon wharf, which many Sydneysiders would fondly remember but neither of which now exist.

One of the toughest film genres a local film industry attempts to sell to a foreign country is the comedy. That's because every country has its own sense of humor, and can find things funny that another country will not find funny. I think that's the case for "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie", a movie that seems geared for Australians alone. I will admit that even as a non-Australian I did find the occasional moment in the movie to be somewhat amusing, but for the most part I was kind of mystified as to why I should find the movie hilarious. Though I didn't laugh that much, I will admit that I didn't find the movie too much of a chore to sit through. The movie moves from one vignette to another (there really isn't much of a plot) at a quick pace, so things don't get boring. Also, I will admit that Barry Crocker as the title figure gives a very appealing performance despite his character's crude tone and beer-swilling. If you are curious about seeing a foreign country's idea of humor and are prepared not to laugh that much, you could do worse than this movie.

The story centers around Barry McKenzie who must go to England if he wishes to claim his inheritance. Being about the grossest Aussie shearer ever to set foot outside this great Nation of ours there is something of a culture clash and much fun and games ensue. The songs of Barry McKenzie(Barry Crocker) are highlights.

Yes, an authentic portrait of early 70's London; utterly sexist, racist, drunk, antisemitic, corrupt, paranoid, dirty, dilapidated and everyone's on the make. From the days when even cheap comic strips had a film option. It's clear from this how Dudley Moore became a bankable Hollywood star, while his comedy partner Peter Cook never really had a movie career. Peter Cook, however lovable, couldn't act if his life depended on it. He did write this excellent gag though: "The number of leprosy victims in London can be counted on the finger of two hands". The climax is that old standby, "chaos on the live TV show", an ending that '60's UK comedians from Norman Wisdom to Tony Hancock were reduced to at times. And yet: It's nice to be reminded how gorgeous Joan Bakewell was in her pomp. And Spike Milligan was a very funny man, given the right script. A few glorious moments - the two Barries (Crocker and Humphries) have a lot of chemistry, the authentic Oz attitude remains untarnished, and shots of 'Alternative London' might be the only movie record of those days when hippies had become complete cynics. The London landscape depicted here has gone forever. But the parts that seem to have been made up in the editing room - not so much dubbing as flubbing - and some atrocious non-acting, not just Peter Cook, hole this movie below the waterline; it's a struggle to stay with. Nostalgia in a tube.

Yes, this is a movie, I would think, that only Australians can fully understand and probably only Australians that have been to England. But even Australians might not fully appreciate the depths of Humphrey's genius that is on display here. To make off with the idea that it is just a coarse movie about a drunken Australian virgin, albeit with some considerable charm, armed with a bookcase full of Australianisms to stick it up the Poms is to miss the gold that is really on offer. Look deeply enough and you can see what Barry Humphries was really thinking about Australia and England at the time, as well as a lot of other matters such as the entertainment industry, the police and Asian immigrants. It is very dated now, so people not born til the 80s will be struggling to understand the subtle references. Look past the obvious if you can. This is a rare gem, made for the few. Enjoy!