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"Where
were you when man first landed on the moon?" For
those of us with long memories it's an easy question to
answer. Even if you weren't around in July 1969 you must
have seen television pictures of Neil Armstrong taking
those first steps on our nearest planet.
So
imagine how different our impressions of that historic
event would be if there were no pictures to look at.
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| Is
that Houston? I'll have a cheeseburger and fries please. |
The
fact that there is is down to a satellite dish in the
middle of a sheep pasture in Australia. And that's what
the Dish is all about.
The
little town of Parkes is the focus of attention. It's
home to the only tracking station in the southern hemisphere
which can follow Apollo 11 and receive beam backed television
pictures from the moon.
| The
Dish serves up a luncheon of laughs. |
| joe
cleugh london town |
The
team charged with making everything run smoothly includes
recently widowed Cliff Buxton (Neill), love-struck Glenn
(Tom Long), chip-on-the-shoulder Mitch (Kevin Harrington)
and NASA representative Al Burnett (Warburton).
Each
are well defined but are just four of a host of loveable
characters which put this movie a class above many others.
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| Come
on it's easy. Just like 2 + 2. |
It's
no exaggeration to say there's a laugh a minute.
As
for tension, this comes in the form of a power cut but
is just as effective as any tense situation involving
guns, knives and explosives.
The
Dish is a gem of a movie emerging from an unusual
storyline.
Not
surprisingly it's been a big hit down under but it deserves
success around the globe.
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| And
if I knock it out of the satellite dish, that scores
6 |
If
there is a weakness it's a touch too long. That could
easily be rectified by editing out the opening and closing
sequences.
These
involve Sam Neill made-up as an ageing visitor to his
former work station. He looks and moves like Robert Donat
circa Goodbye Mr Chips. The scene is obviously
a device to flashback to 1969 but is superfluous.
A
minor quibble. Don't miss this. It's bonza.
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