Great Movies
From Dallas Sherringham, Terrigal NSW:
I am a part aboriginal Australian. I noted in your film reviews that you have certain views on my people generated by movies such as "Rabbit Proof Fence" and "Australia." These are films made by white Australians which give a certain point of view about my people. While they are historically accurate, they depict a view of Australian aborigines from long ago. Most modern Australian aborignes are determined to get on with life while embracing our heritage. We can't live in a kind of timeless dreamtime depicted in white movies. We have to get on with our lives, build our careers and feed our families. Movies like these, if made in America, would depict American indians as still living by the campfire, hunting buffaloes.
The Australian government in recent years has been very good to us and there is no excuse for any Aborigine not to embrace life and get on with living in the 21st century. Yet many of our people are terrible alcoholics and women and child abusers. I for one would hate to live in one of the many communities still dominated by violence, alcohol and abuse. This will never be shown in a film, because it is politically incorrect. Yet this is a problem caused by my people, nobody else.
Succesful Aborignies such as myself who apporeciate what is being done for us, are rarely ever depicted in the media...who wants to read good news stories about Aborigines?
I just thought I'd let you know that what you are being fed by white films and white media is but a small part of Aboriginal life in Australia.
Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.
