Reel Crimes

Reel Crimes is the first book to critically examine
the films and life of Australian independent
filmmaker Rupert Kathner who, from 1934 to 1951,
defied powerful Hollywood-controlled cinema
monopolies, a corrupt police commissioner, Sydney
gangsters and oppressive censorship laws in his
passionate quest to make truly Australian films.
Often on the run from creditors and police, this
forgotten pioneer managed to produce startling
non-fiction films that broke new ground by covering
controversial topics such as cocaine smuggling,
illegal gambling, child exploitation, poverty, slum
housing, even murder. This study also includes an
examination of crime and social issues in Australian
and world cinema during the first half of the
twentieth century. The second part contains the
screenplay 'Hunt Angels', based on Kathner's life
story, now a multi-award winning feature film. This
book addresses issues that have important resonances
for contemporary film scholars. It is ideal for
classroom use at undergraduate and graduate levels
for those studying film history, censorship,
Hollywood versus national cinemas, and writing for
the screen.

Autorentext
Alec Morgan MA: film historian and lecturer in screen production at Macquarie University, Sydney. Screenwriter and director of over twenty film and television productions.

Klappentext
Reel Crimes is the first book to critically examine the films and life of Australian independent filmmaker Rupert Kathner who, from 1934 to 1951, defied powerful Hollywood-controlled cinema monopolies, a corrupt police commissioner, Sydney gangsters and oppressive censorship laws in his passionate quest to make truly Australian films. Often on the run from creditors and police, this forgotten pioneer managed to produce startling non-fiction films that broke new ground by covering controversial topics such as cocaine smuggling, illegal gambling, child exploitation, poverty, slum housing, even murder. This study also includes an examination of crime and social issues in Australian and world cinema during the first half of the twentieth century. The second part contains the screenplay 'Hunt Angels', based on Kathner's life story, now a multi-award winning feature film. This book addresses issues that have important resonances for contemporary film scholars. It is ideal for classroom use at undergraduate and graduate levels for those studying film history, censorship, Hollywood versus national cinemas, and writing for the screen.