October 13 - The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith

Today’s movie is a drama with a scene set on October 13. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH           

Jimmie Blacksmith, a young half –aborigine boy is spanked by the Rev. Neville after he skips school to under go an Aboriginal initiation rite. Jimmie soon leaves the school and gets a job with Mr. Healey installing a fence. His brother Mort comes to help him. Jimmie sees the death of a white man, Mr. Fisher in a Aborigine squatter’s camp that he visits. Later Jimmie goes to work for Mr. Farrell in a police stable.  The police start looking for the killers of Mr. Fisher. Jimmie helps the police arrest the aborigine Harry Edwards, who killed Fisher. While drunk Farrell kills Edwards in his cell, but Farrell tries to make it look like a suicide.   Jimmie quits his job and goes to work at a sheep station belonging to Mr. Newby. After she gets pregnant Jimmie marries Gilda Marshall, a white girl. However, after the baby is born, it is clear Jimmie is not the father. Then his uncle  Tabidgi and brother Mort come to see him. Mr. Newby had been advancing groceries to the Blacksmiths, but he stops after Jimmie’s relatives move in with him. Petra Graf, who is getting married offers Gilda a job on her future husband’s station, so she can leave Jimmie.  When Jimmie tells Newby he’s upset about this, Newby fires Jimmie. Jimmie wants to scare the Newby women, but when Mrs. Newby takes real fright at Tabidgi and starts to shoot him, Jimmie attacks her with an axe.  He and Tabidgi then kill the other three women there. Jimmie and his family flee. Jimmie finally sends Gilda and the baby away, as massive police hunt is launched for them. Finally Jimmie and Mort travel on alone to the Healey station, where Jimmie kills Mrs. Healey and her baby, which upsets even Mort.  When Mr. Healy returns Jimmie kills him also. A schoolteacher, Mr. McCready talks them out of killing his family, but the brothers take him along as a hostage. Tabidgi has been arrested and is convicted of accessory to murder. The schoolteacher convinces them to head for a scared Aboriginal site, but they find graffiti written all over it. The teacher tries to restore it. Jimmie goes off on his own and Mort takes McCready back to civilization, but is killed. On October 13, 1900 [1:42:14 to  1:43:19], while trying to cross a river Jimmie is shot in the mouth. He sneaks into  a convent and is arrested.                           

An unusual real story. Jimmie was discriminated against, but he was not justified in what he did. An excellent introduction to the problems of the Aborigines.

Producer - Fred Schepisi                           

Director - Fred Schepisi                                             

Screenplay - Fred Schepisi                                        

Runtime 2 hours                                                         

Released – June 21, 1978       

                                    

Starring –

Tom E. Lewis as Jimmie Blacksmith

Freddy Reynolds as Mort Blacksmith

Ray Barrett as Farrell

Jack Thompson as Rev. Neville

Angela McGregor as Gilda Marshall

Steve Dodd as Tabidgi

Peter Carroll as McCready

Ruth Cracknell as Heather Newby

Don Crosby as Newby

Elizabeth Alexander as Petra Graf

Peter Sumner as Dowie Steed

Tim Robertson as Healey

Ray Meagher as Dud Edmonds

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.