Deadly Unna and Australian rules comparative essay
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How is sport used by the author/director to explore important themes or issues?
Deadly Unna? a novel by Philip Gwynne and Australian Rules, a film adaptation of the novel, directed by Paul Goldman are both set in an Australian town, focusing on two different locations – the Port, inhabited by white people, and the Point where the Aboriginal people live. Both texts follow the progress of a hopeless football team coming together to play in the grand final. The novel explores the enlightenment of the protagonist, fifteen-year old Gary Black, or commonly known as Blacky, and his realisation and recognition of the world around him. Everyone assumes that the three main ‘Australian rules’ are that all Australians are equal, Australians believe…show more content… The author specifically chose these two characters, which have different race because the idea of friendship is more emphasized in comparison if Blacky was friends with a person of the same race. An example in the film showing the power of the bond of friendship was when Blacky was selected to be the ‘ruck’ for the team and Dumby was the only person in the football team that supported Blacky: “You’ll be all right Blacky, good on ya.” This shows the strong bond of the friendship between Dumby and Blacky as Dumby encourages Blacky even though his task as being the ‘first ruck’ in the football team seems almost impossible. An example in the film showing the bond of friendship is through the romantic relationship between Blacky and Clarence. Due to Dumby’s passion for football, sport has allowed Dumby’s sister Clarence and Blacky to meet, and build up their relationship despite their different race. Their deep romantic relationship can be shown in the close–up scene where Clarence and Blacky were under the jetty. The director intentionally placed the light at the side of their faces when Clarence and Blacky stared at each other. This emphasizes their facial expressions and their eyes to reinforce romantic atmosphere. However, this love would not have existed if Blacky had not thought rationally and changed some of the Australian rules.
The importance of independence and personal courage is also shown through sport in both the novel and the film.