Slim Dusty was an institution in Australia (he passed in 2003)- a much loved entertainer without equal and an almanac of Australian folk law. He continuously toured and recorded for over sixty years (all with the same company EMI - a world record in it'self. He received numerous awards and honours during his career... at the end of it all he was granted a State funeral... a truly amazing life.. So- how do you make a ninety minute movie and ever hope to tell it all? Kent Chadwick thought he could achieve it, and, up to a point, he did. Using an around Australia tour with Slim interlaced with flashbacks. Unfortunately the story at times comes across a little fragmented and somewhat contrived. Even the glorious scenery could not save the choppy and, at times, clichéd script.(Some beautiful scenes 'though, particularly those shot in the outback) At the end of it all you tend to feel a bit jaded, as if you only been told some of the truth...which, of course, you have. It would have made more sense to make this film as a two or three hour documentary rather than a miss mash melodrama. Given these ups and downs, you might think I hated this movie... you'd be wrong to perceive that.... I loved this great entertainer just as much as any true blue Aussie... and any footage of this man in concert is OK by me.
Review of The Slim Dusty Movie
