35mm They're A Weird Mob (1966)

The birth of Aussie Larrikin charm on screen.

Based on the beloved, best-selling novel by John O'Grady, THEY'RE A WEIRD MOB tells the tale of innocent Italian immigrant Nino Culotta (Walter Chiari) arriving in Sydney in 1965.

After discovering that his promised sportswriter's job has disappeared along with his sponsor, Nino is forced to take a job as a builder's labourer. He quickly receives a colourful crash course in local customs and is schooled on how to become a 'fair dinkum Aussie'.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Michael Powell (Black Narcissus, Age of Consent), THEY'RE A WEIRD MOB proudly put Aussie larrikin charm on screen, bums on seats and initiated the down-under fish-out-of-water comic tale that was later reworked for The Adventures of Barry McKenzie and Crocodile Dundee.

For more background on the film, read Australian author John Baxter's 2021 retrospective on the film here.

Rating

G

Cast

Walter Chiari, Claire Dunne, Chips Rafferty, Alida Chelli, Ed Devereaux, Slim DeGrey, John Meillon, Charles Little, Anne Haddy

Director

Michael Powell