Actor Mel Gibson (1956)

Directed by Gillian Armstrong, Mrs. Soffel (1984) is an American drama film featuring Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson. The movie is based on the true story of the Biddle brothers, who were sentenced to prison and later escaped with the help of Kate Soffel, the wife of a Pittsburgh warden in 1901. Despite being a devoted mother to their four children, Kate had been bedridden for months without explanation until she suddenly regained her strength. Desiring to spread comfort and hope to inmates, she begins reading Bible scripture ...

The British epic historical drama film, The Bounty (1984), directed by Roger Donaldson, portrays the story of Commanding Lieutenant William Bligh and the loss of HMS Bounty to mutineers led by his friend Fletcher Christian. Admiral Hood presides over the court of inquiry as flashbacks take viewers on a journey from Portsmouth, England on 23 December 1787 to an expedition in Tahiti to gather breadfruit pods for transplantation in the Caribbean. Despite harsh weather making it impossible to round Cape Horn after 31 days, Bligh persists and chooses to sail the ship west instead. Along the way, he replaces Fryer with ...

The romantic drama film, The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), was both directed and co-written by Peter Weir alongside David Williamson. Based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Christopher Koch, it tells the story of Guy Hamilton, a novice foreign correspondent sent to Jakarta by his Australian TV network. In Jakarta, he is welcomed into a tight-knit community of fellow correspondents from various countries, as well as diplomatic personnel and Billy Kwan, a highly intelligent Chinese Australian man with dwarfism and a ...

Attack Force Z (1981) is an Australian-Taiwanese film directed by Tim Burstall. Loosely based on real events, it was shot in Taiwan in 1979. In the Straits of Sembaleng, a team is sent by submarine to rescue survivors of a downed plane on an occupied island. Led by Paul Kelly, an inexperienced commando officer, they stealthily land and conceal their kayaks before heading inland. During the journey, Ted ‘Kingo’ King is struck by fire from a hidden machine gun post. The team swiftly eliminates the enemy and returns to King’s side. Unfortunately, he has been badly wounded and must not be captured by the ...

Gallipoli (1981) is an Australian war drama film directed by Peter Weir and produced by Patricia Lovell and Robert Stigwood. Set in Western Australia during May 1915, the story follows Archy Hamilton, an 18-year-old stockman and aspiring sprinter who yearns to join the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Under the guidance of his uncle Jack, Archy trains hard and looks up to world champion Harry Lasalles. During an important race against the farmhand Les McCann, Archy runs barefoot while Les rides his horse without a saddle. ...

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) is an Australian post-apocalyptic dystopian action film directed by George Miller. Following a global war that resulted in oil shortages and ecocide, society crumbled and gave way to chaos. Now, Max Rockatansky, a former policeman haunted by the loss of his family, navigates the desert of Australia in his supercharged black V-8 Pursuit Special with his faithful Australian Cattle Dog. He cleverly outmaneuvers a group of marauders led by the deranged biker Wez using his driving skills and a sawed-off shotgun. In need of fuel, he takes some from the wrecked vehicles of one of his ...

Tim (1979), a romantic drama, marks the directorial debut of Michael Pate. It tells the story of Mary Horton, a wealthy and well-educated American woman living independently, and Tim Melville, a charming 24-year-old who is developmentally impaired and works as a builder’s labourer under her employ. Tim resides with his parents Ron and Emily, as well as his older sister Dawnie. When Dawnie marries her boyfriend Mick Harrington, they do not shy away from expressing their disapproval of Mary and her relationship with Tim. Despite this opposition, Tim ultimately marries Mary.

The dystopian action film, Mad Max (1979), was directed by George Miller and produced by Byron Kennedy. Set in a near-future Australia facing a breakdown of civil order, caused by widespread oil shortages and ecocide, the film follows the story of Max Rockatansky. As a member of the poorly-funded Main Force Patrol (MFP), Max witnesses the death of a rookie officer at the hands of berserk motorbike gang member Crawford ‘Nightrider’ Montazano. Nightrider escapes with his girlfriend in the dead officer’s Pursuit Special, successfully eluding the MFP until ...