This week I learned that Crocodile Dundee and The Wiggles are not the only entertainment properties we have acquired from the Land Down Under. Nope, Australia has also offered us a very talented filmmaker, though one that most of you have never heard of. And depending on your personal tastes, you might wish you never did. His name is Mark Savage and his independent films have been shocking Australian audiences (and the few cinema elitists here in the U.S.) for over twenty years. For a while it was only possible to see some of Savage's films by way of bootlegs, but thanks to Subversive Cinema three of them are being released in a box set collection. Under the title, "Savage Sinema", the three films are being given the royal treatment, each including full length commentaries (by Savage and the various cast members), 'making of' featurettes and still galleries. Each disc even comes with a small production diary booklet (complete with pictures).

The films, "Marauders", "Defenceless" and "Sensitive New Age Killer" are all, in their own way, provocatively violent films. My own personal tastes are pretty varied, but watching them I could see where they might not appeal to the average movie watcher.

The first film of the set, "Marauders", is the one that put Savage on the cinematic map. It was his first film, and probably the most heavily bootlegged of the bunch. This is the first time it has been commercially available. The story revolves around two thugs, JD (Zero Montana) and Emilio (Colin Savage), who during the course of the day… kill JD's mother, get run over by another thug, try to exact revenge on said thug and a girl he has picked up and taken to a remote cabin, commit robbery and rape a girl. (Just another average day if you ask me.) Unfortunately, there is a group of enraged townsfolk on their tail bent on killing them.

Looking as though it was shot partially on video, "Marauders" does have the look of an amateur film. But where it excels is in the great use of the camera and above average editing (which was done by a jerk of an editor, I understand). The violence is nowhere near as shocking as I was expecting, but the characters and events themselves made the film very watchable. Of course, the first thing I noticed was the interesting 'Flock of Seagulls' hairdo on Colin Savage, which was a but much… but this was the 80's after all.

The DVD offers up a surprisingly clean looking version of the film, considering its age and no budget status. There is also a great 'making of' featurette, which amounts to little more than interviews with the principal cast and crew. But the interviews are quite entertaining, especially in learning about how the Savages started out making films as kids. I was also taken aback seeing Colin Savage as he looks twenty years later. Remember the hairdo I mentioned… he's completely bald now! Additionally, the commentary by both Savages, and cast members Paul Harrington and Richard Wolstencroft is rather fun, in spite of the film's serious nature. They come across as they should… old friends who had a heck of a time making and distributing (or trying to) their first film. There is also a six page production diary, which was quite frank about the horrors of independent filmmaking.

"Sensitive New Age Killer", also known as "SNAK", was made and released in 2000, and takes a giant leap forward in terms of style, grit and effects. One could all it a dark comedy as it involves Paul Morris (Paul Moder), an assassin who has more problems than your average… well, average anybody. He fins himself constantly beaten down, is being blackmailed by a rather sexually twisted female cop (Caroline Bock), has a mentally deranged partner (Kevin Hopkins) who has a 'Mother' fixation on his wife (Helen Hopkins." His one shining light is the man who became his hero when he was child, another assassin who goes by the name, "The Snake" (Frank Brent). But when "The Snake" comes to town to make the same big hit as Paul, he learns the hard way that heroes aren’t always what they're cracked up to be.

After watching "Marauders", I was especially impressed with "SNAK" in that it showed a filmmaker who took his craft seriously, even if the subject matter was still exploitive in nature. There's a lot more blood, sex and action to be had than there was in Savage's first film, and it looks great. The story is very funny, though as I mentioned… a bit dark. American audiences might not get all of the humor, much in the way that some do not 'get' British humor, but if they do, they'll enjoy some good laughs to go along with rather perverse sexual moments.

In many ways, "SNAK" reminded me a little bit of the early work of Quentin Tarantino, in that everything was overdone, not to the point of parody, but just short of it. The way the camera follows the action, or the way characters throw themselves across the room while shooting was also reminiscent of Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi." Again, the DVD offers up the same type of extras as the first disc and they are still every bit as entertaining.

The last film of the set is "Defenceless", which was shot in 2005 and once again shows Savage as a filmmaker who doesn't rest on his laurels. This movie is every bit as exploitive as his other work, but the style is very different. It is referred to as "A Blood Symphony", and for good reason. There is no dialogue for the entirety of its 98 minute run. It is also a lot more artistic in the way the camera is used, and even though the story is told a little out of sequence, I had no problem following it.

The lead character of the film is a woman (Susanne Hasuschmid) who owns some undeveloped beachfront property. As is the way of the world, there are some unscrupulous land developers who will stop at nothing to get what they want. When she refuses to sign over her property, these bastards sink to violence in order to get it. They killer her husband, and in a fit if despair she attempts to commit suicide. She is found by another woman, with whom she forms a strong bond (yes… THAT kind if bond). Unfortunately, this new relationship is short lived as the men who killed her husband soon find her and the same fate befalls her savior. Then they turn her attention on her, seemingly killing her.

Months later, she returns but is far from herself. She has reverted to somewhat of a childlike state. She is once again found and befriended by someone (though not in the same way), only this time it is a very young girl. After a rather grotesque sequence involving the remains of her former friend, the young girl begins to teach her in little ways. But as if this woman's life (death?) couldn't get any worse, we soon learn that the young girl's stepfather is sickeningly abusive. The young girl's fate sends the woman on a path of vengeance as sick as brutal as those employed by her 'killers.'

"Defenceless" is a very powerful movie, considering its low budget status. The imagery is quite shocking, and though we see tons of blood, Savage does an interesting job of keeping the actual cause for the blood just off screen. You know that people are being stabbed and you'd swear that you’re seeing it, but going back and looking at it, you notice that you never really see a blade penetrate. Still, some of the sequences, especially the one involving the remains of the woman's friend are strongly visceral and hard to get out of you mind.

This last DVD offers just as many special features as the others, and they are no less entertaining and enlightening. Through them, I have gained an appreciation for what Savage and his cast and crew have gone through to make films that they new wouldn't be accepted by most mainstream audiences. Yet because of their exploitive nature, most have gone on to achieve a strong cult following. And in the case of "Sensitive New Age Killer", it holds the title of being the most successful independent release in Australia.

This 'Savage Sinema' box set of films will also include a fourth disc with a controversial TV drama he filmed called "Stained" as well as collection of early super 8 shorts. Sadly, the edition of the box set I received did not include this disc, so I cannot comment on the contents, but would like to see them at some point. Thanks to this new release, I have not only learned of Savage's work, but have become somewhat of a fan of his extremely creative vision. I'm definitely going to have to check out some of his other work.

These movies are not for everyone, so I would only recommend them to those who have an interest in exploitive films that go beyond that of the average style of exploitation cinema.

Marauders -
Directed by: Mark Savage
Starring: Colin Savage, Paul Harrington, Megan Napier, Zero Montana, Richard Wolstencroft
Extras: Commentary by Director/Co-Producer/Writer Mark Savage and Co-Producers/Cast Members Colin Savage, Paul Harrington and Richard Wolstencroft, Making of Featurette, Cast and Crew Bios, Still Gallery
Specifications: Dolby Digital 2.0

Sensitive New Age Killer -
Directed by: Mark Savage
Starring: Paul Moder, Carolyn Bock, Kevin Hopkins, Helen Hopkins, Frank Bren, Colin Savage
Extras: Commentary by Director/Co-Producer/Writer Mark Savage, Cinematographer/Co-Writer David Richardson and Cast Members Kevin Hopkins, Paul Moder, Carolyn Bock, Frank Bren and Helen Hopkins, Making of Featurette, Cast and Crew Bios, Still Gallery, Production Diary Booklet
Specifications: Dolby Digital 2.0

Defenceless -
Directed by: Mark Savage
Starring: Susanne, Hausschmid, George Gladstone, Erin Walsh, Anthony Thomas, Bethany Fisher, Colin Savage, Richard Wolstencroft, Nikita Fisher, Mitchell Turner
Extras: Commentary by Director/Co-Producer/Writer Mark Savage, Lead Actress/Co-Producer Susanne Hausschmid and Cast Members Erin Walsh, George Gladstone, Anthony Thorne and Bethany Fisher, Making of Featurette, Cast and Crew Bios, Still Gallery, Production Diary Booklet
Specifications: Dolby Digital 2.0

Studio: Subversive Cinema
Release Date: 8/29/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: All Unrated
Website

We'll give Savage Sinema a B+.