''Incident at Raven's Gate'' (also released as ''Encounter at Raven's Gate'') is a 1988 science fiction arthouse feature film directed by prominent

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n director

Rolf de Heer Rolf de Heer (born 4 May 1951) is a Dutch Australian film director. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in the Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old.

. The cast of ''Incident at Raven's Gate'' includes long-term Australian stage and screen actor Max Cullen as a policeman and Terry Camilleri as an astrophysicist attached to

Special Branch Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security and Intelligence (information gathering), intelligence in Policing in the United Kingdom, British, Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, ...

, investigating unexplained radar signals in a remote

South Australian South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

country town.

Plot

At Raven's Gate, a farming property, enthusiastic hydroponicist Richard Cleary (

Ritchie Singer Ritchie Singer is an Australian actor. Singer portrayed executive producer Richard Shapiro in the fictionalized 2005 American television movie/docudrama '' Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure'', based on the creation and behind the scenes ...

) is trying innovative farming practices. He is also trying to accommodate his brother Eddie ( Steven Vidler), newly out of jail and more interested in Richard's wife Rachel (Celine Griffin) than in working on the property. Strange events on the property and a minor crime in the town attract policeman Taylor ( Max Cullen) and Special Branch investigator Cummings ( Terry Camilleri). Eddie has the misfortune to also cross local cop Skinner (

Vincent Gil Vincent Gil (1939 – 21 August 2022), also credited as Vince Gil, was an Australian film and television actor best known for his portrayal of the character ''Nightrider'' in the 1979 film ''Mad Max'', and ''Stone''. Gil had also starred in m ...

), by dating the target of his affections, barmaid Annie (

Saturday Rosenberg Saturday Llewellyn Rosenberg born Llewellyn Saturday Jobbins, also known as Saturday Brander (13 July 1952 – 13 August 1998) was an Australian comedian, writer and actress. Family Rosenberg was born in Eltham, Victoria, Eltham near Melbourne ...

). Tensions in personal relationships and mysterious events (bird kills, disappearing water supplies) build. Raven's Gate is assaulted by an alien force, and a number of deaths occur amongst the protagonists. The film closes with the stunned survivors Eddie and Rachel standing outside Raven's Gate homestead, newly restored by Special Branch, and the soundtrack playing the Easybeats song '' Friday on My Mind''.

Filming

''Incident at Raven's Gate'' is a genre-crossing film: part thriller, part science fiction, and part psychological drama. It was shot on location and made in South Australia, with

South Australian Film Corporation South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) is a South Australian Government statutory corporation established in 1972 to engage in film production and promote the film industry, located in Adelaide, South Australia. The Adelaide Studios are managed ...

support, for a budget of (although the filmmakers say only $1.1 million was spent on the actual film, and the rest were fees for executive producers, writers and producers). It was co-produced by de Heer and Marc Rosenberg, who wrote the script from a screenplay by James Michael Vernon. It was filmed in South Australia's Riverland and Murraylands, and Carrington, New South Wales.

Critical reception

The movie achieved only limited release and did not receive the critical acclaim of many other de Heer films. It nevertheless managed three nominations at the 1988

Australian Film Institute Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...

. ;Other reviews *Hutak, M. (1989). 'Incident at Raven's Gate', ''Film News'', April, no. 3. *Stratton, D. (1988). 'Incident at Raven's Gate', ''Variety'', August.

Notes

References

External links