The Journalist (1979 film)

The Journalist is a 1979 Australian sex comedy about the romantic adventures of a journalist (Jack Thompson). It has the reputation as one of the worst Australian films of all time.[3]

This article is about the Australian film. For the Yugoslav film, see Journalist (1979 film). For the Malayalam film, see Journalist (1993 film).
The Journalist
Directed byMichael Thornhill
Produced byPom Oliver
Written byMichael Thornhill
Edna Wilson
StarringJack Thompson
Sam Neill
CinematographyDon McAlpine
Edited byTim Welburn
Ron Williams
Production
company
FJ Promoters
NSW Film Corporation
Distributed byRoadshow
Release date
  • 22 November 1979 (1979-11-22)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetAU$400,000[1]
Box officeAU $52,000 (Australia)[2]

Plot

Journalist Simon Morris has trouble with his love life. He is separated from his wife Wendy and daughter Suzie and lives with his girlfriend Liz.

Production

Money came from Roadshow, who wanted Jack Thompson to play the lead, and the New South Wales Film Corporation. The shoot started January 1979 and went for four weeks.[3]

Reception

The film was very poorly received critically and commercially. Thornhill:

The Journalist was a misfire completely and I think it was my fault entirely. We should never have had Jack Thompson. He was just miscast. He's not a comedian. He's a serious, solid actor. We should have had Sam Neill in the lead role and you would have had a debonair roue - it was meant to be a debonair roue. It was meant to be a piece of fluff, a piece of effervescent fluff that came out feeling like lard.[4]

Robert Macklin wrote a novelisation of the script for $5,000.[5]

References
  1. Keith Connor, "The Journalist", Australian Film 1978-92, Oxford Uni Press 1993 p34
  2. "Australian Films at the Australian Box Office", Film Victoria accessed 24 October 2012
  3. David Stratton, The Last New Wave, Angus and Robertson, 1979 p 92-95
  4. Interview with Michael Thornhill, Signist, 2 November 1998 accessed 14 October 2012
  5. "Damned if you win, damned if you don't". The Canberra Times. 71 (22, 080). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 30 September 1995. p. 44. Retrieved 3 September 2018 – via National Library of Australia.


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