Death In Brunswick – John Clarke Special
The death of John Clarke last April left a gaping hole in Australian satire. Since then, many have revisited Clarke’s witty sketches and pointed comedy.
The Deckchair Cinema grants us another opportunity to enjoy the man and his work with a tribute screening of the 1991 film Death In Brunswick. It will leave you in no doubt of just how funny Clarke was.
“Sometimes when someone who’s a standout figure in Australia dies we like to pay tribute to them,” says Deckchair Cinema’s Alice Body. “He’s a bit of a household name. The program committee had a think about what we could play and Death in Brunswick is really funny. It represents him and remembers his humour.”
Set in the working-class Melbourne suburb of Brunswick, Sam Neill stars as a grimy but honest cook called Carl, who accidentally kills his drug-dealing workmate Mustafa. Enter John Clarke as his gravedigger mate Dave, whose body-disposal techniques lead to the best-known scene in film.
Filmed on location in the suburban streets, restaurants and alleyways of a multicultural neighbourhood, the black comedy was widely praised for Neill and Clarke’s performances, as well as Zoe Carides, who plays Neill’s Greek-Australian love interest.
Enjoy this gem for its dry, crackling Clarkian humour and for a trip down the memory lane of Australian film.
