''The Big Steal'' is a 1990

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 ...

teen Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

set in Melbourne, Australia directed by

Nadia Tass Nadia Tass is an Australian theatre director and film director and producer. She is known for the films ''Malcolm'' (1986) and ''The Big Steal'' (1990), as well as an extensive body of work in the theatre, both in Australia and internationa ...

starring

Ben Mendelsohn Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969) is an Australian actor. He first rose to prominence in Australia for his breakout role in ''The Year My Voice Broke'' (1987) and since then he has had roles in films such as '' Animal Kingdom'' (2010) ...

Claudia Karvan Claudia Karvan (born 19 May 1972) is an Australian actress, producer and scriptwriter. As a child actor, she first appeared in the film, '' Molly'' (1983) and followed with an adolescent role in ''High Tide'' (1987). She portrayed a teacher in ...

and

Steve Bisley Steve Bisley (born 26 December 1951) is an Australian writer, film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Mad Max'' and ''The Great Gatsby''. On TV, some of his better-known roles include Detective Sergeant Jack C ...

. David Parker was the scriptwriter and cinematographer. The film went on to win three

Australian Film Institute The Australian Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry. It is responsib ...

awards.

Plot

Ben Mendelsohn plays 18 year-old Danny Clark, a young man who is looking to increase his cool factor in order to secure the affections of Joanna, played by Claudia Karvan. Danny offers to take Joanna out for a ride in a Jaguar as a way to impress her, but his actual vehicle is a 1963

Nissan Cedric The is a large automobile produced by Nissan since 1960. It was developed to provide upscale transportation, competing with the Prince Skyline and Gloria which were later merged into the Nissan family. In later years, the Nissan Skyline was posi ...

which Danny knows is not 'cool'. In need of a Jaguar in a hurry, Danny decides to trade the Nissan Cedric for a more impressive vehicle. Gordon Farkas, a used car salesman played by Steve Bisley, tricks Danny into buying a 1973 Jaguar XJ6. The Jaguar engine, true to form, blows up. After a confrontation which culminates with Joanna leaving Danny, an investigation of the engine reveals it's been swapped by Gordon Farkas. Danny sets about seeking justice and winning back Joanna's affections.

Cast

as Danny Clark *

as Joanna Johnson *

as Gordon Farkas *

Marshall Napier James Marshall Napier (22 October 1951 – 14 August 2022) was a New Zealand-born character actor, playwright and graphic artist. He is known for a succession of strong supporting roles in Australasian films and television shows. He has also h ...

as Desmond Clark *

Damon Herriman Damon Herriman is an Australian actor. He is known for his film and television work in Australia and the United States. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Dewey Crowe in '' Justified''. In 2019, he portrayed the cult leader and crimina ...

as Mark Jorgensen * Angelo D'Angelo as Vangeli Petrakis *

Tim Robertson Tim Robertson is an Australian actor and writer. He is a graduate of the University of Western Australia] (1965) and taught at Flinders University in Adelaide, where he began adapting and directing plays. He joined the Australian Performing Gro ...

as Desmond Johnson *

Maggie King Margaret Anne King (10 April 1939 – 5 March 2020) was a Welsh born Australian actress, active in stage, television and film roles. She is probably best known for her AFI-nominated role in ''The Big Steal''. King was born in Wales, United Kin ...

as Edith Clark *

Sheryl Munks Sheryl Munks (born 1965) is an Australian actress, best known for her role in television serials and made for television films. A former dancer of classical ballet, jazz ballet and tap, as well as a dance instructor. She is perhaps best known t ...

as Pam Schaeffer * Lise Rodgers as Mrs. Johnson *

Frankie J. Holden Frankie J. Holden (born Peter Brian; 18 December 1952) , also known as Frank Holden, is an Australian singer, actor and TV presenter. In the 1970s, he fronted Ol' 55 (band), Ol' 55, which had a hit with "On the Prowl" from their debut album, ...

as Frank * Mark Hennessy as Jimmy * Roy Edmunds as George

Production

The film was originally known as ''Mark Clark Van Ark''. There were problems raising the money so Tass and Parker mortgaged their house with ANZ Bank, as they did with their first film.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p. 329. The movie was shot from 6 November to 22 December 1989.

Awards

Soundtrack

Music: Chris Gough and

Philip Judd Philip Raymond Judd (born 20 March 1953) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter known for being one of the founders of the bands Split Enz and The Swingers. Split Enz In 1972, Judd and Tim Finn founded the arty folk band Split Enz. In its early da ...

. Includes songs by

and

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowde ...

, the Makers,

Schnell Fenster Schnell Fenster were a New Zealand rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1986 by Noel Crombie on drums and percussion, Nigel Griggs on bass guitar and backing vocals, Phil Judd on lead vocals and guitar, and Eddie Rayner on keyboards and ...

, Boom Crash Opera,

Mental As Anything Mental As Anything are an Australian New wave music, new wave and pop rock musical ensemble, band that formed in Sydney in 1976. Its most popular line-up (which lasted from 1977 to 1999, and recorded all of their charting singles and albums) w ...

, Bang The Drum, the Breaknecks, Big Storm and

the Front Lawn The Front Lawn was a New Zealand musical/theatrical duo founded by Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair in 1985. In 1989 and 1990, they were joined by actor Jennifer Ward-Lealand. The Front Lawn were known for their live performances, and toured ex ...

Box office

''The Big Steal'' grossed $2,351,628 at the box office in Australia.

Home media

''The Big Steal'' was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in October 2003. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as the original theatrical trailer, Umbrella Entertainment trailers, original cast audition tapes, interviews with Nadia Tass, David Parker, Ben Mendelsohn, Claudia Karvan and Steve Bisley as well as audio commentary by Nadia Tass and David Parker. Umbrella Entertainment released ''The Big Steal'' on Blu-ray in September 2021. The Blu-ray is compatible with all region codes, retains the extra features from the DVD release, and includes a new audio commentary by David Parker, moderated by film buff Paul Harris.

Cars Appearing in the Film

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

Jaguar XJ6 The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

* '63

* '74 HJ Monaro GTS coupe * '89

Nissan Pintara The Nissan Pintara is a compact automobile that was manufactured by Nissan Motor Australia from 1986 until 1992. First generation (R31; 1986–1990) The first generation R31 Nissan Pintara is a compact family car which was built by Nissa ...

* '73

Chevrolet Caprice Classic The Chevrolet Caprice is a full-sized automobile produced by Chevrolet in North America for the 1965 to 1996 model years. Full-size Chevrolet sales peaked in 1965 with over a million sold. It was the most popular car in the U.S. in the 1960s ...

* '72

Volvo 144 144 may refer to: * 144 (number), the natural number following 143 and preceding 145 * AD 144, a year of the Julian calendar, in the second century AD * 144 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * ''144'' (film), a 2015 Indian comedy * ''14 ...

References

Bibliography

* Murray, Scott (editor), ''Australian Film, 1978-1994'', Oxford, 1995.

External links

*
The Big Steal at the National Film and Sound Archive

''The Big Steal''
at Oz Movies {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Steal, The 1990 films 1990s teen comedy films Australian teen comedy films Films about automobiles Films directed by Nadia Tass Films shot in Melbourne Films set in Melbourne 1990s English-language films