Matilda has been described online as “the worst sports movie ever made.” Kindly, as it turns out. Matilda was a dreadful, alleged comedy about a boxing kangaroo that challenges for the world heavyweight champion title.
The movie was made in 1978, when Muhammad Ali was probably at his most widely popular (and the reigning world champion), and starred Elliot Gould, who was then still not too far off the peak of a career that continues going strong today.
Co-starring was another A-lister, Robert Mitchum, so it’s hard to argue that the cast and circumstances surrounding the movie didn’t pack a punch.
Unfortunately, the kangaroo featured in the film was clearly a bloke in a costume. With demonic eyes.
On top of that, the Australian involvement in the movie was non-existent outside of the kangaroo’s origins. And, as anybody who’s ever heard an American attempt an Australian accent or been to an Outback Steakhouse can attest, Americans don’t really put a lot of weight into authenticity when it comes to Down Under. Matilda was based on a novel by Paul Gallico, whose research into Australia and kangaroos was so extensive he gave the male marsupial protagonist of his work a female name.
Perhaps Gallico had a portend of the movie’s fate, though, as he was most famous for The Poseidon Adventure, which would be adapted by Hollywood for another disaster movie of a different kind.
Directing Matilda was Daniel Mann, who made some impressive movies over his career.
For 考えRoom.com, though, with its interest in Australia and Japan, perhaps his most interesting movie was The Teahouse of the August Moon, which starred Marlon Brando in yellowface.
All in all, Matilda was a critical and commercial disaster. On the upside, though, it did get some decent movie posters from all over the world, as well as some other decent images, many of which can be viewed in the gallery.
Australia beef is the most visibly successful Australian export to Japan, leaving considerable distance to its closest rivals, which these days are probably Tim Tams, Miranda Kerr and hordes of drunken ocker snow bunnies in country towns like Niseko and Hakuba.
To be honest, Oz doesn’t really enter the consciousness of most Japanese, except for Aussie Beef, which is probably the first thing that comes to mind for many Nihonjin when asked about Oz.
And this year, Meat & Livestock Australia Ltd (MLA) is going all-out to try and convert Japanese consumers to worshiping the barbie in much the same manner that many Aussies do.
MLA is conducting a huge Let’s Barbie campaign to encourage people to use the summer months to enjoy munching away on some good old tucker.
The Let’s Barbie pop-up store in Tokyo’s trendy Aoyama district
And they’re using Strine to do it, too, with part of the campaign involving a pop-up shop placed smack-bang in the middle of Aoyama, one of Tokyo’s trendiest districts, and a huge sign urging passers-by to “barbie!”
The pop-up shop is offering demonstrations of cooking, Strayan-style, and serves up three different kinds of steak and salad “meat parfaits.” There’s Beauty, with lime and ginger, Genki, flavored by chili pepper and garlic, and Let’s Barbie, with lime and mint. All are delicious and served in a cup with salad and mashed spuds.
Part of the campaign is teaching the Japanese about how Aussies barbie. Here’s what the official Let’s Barbie campaign website says about the Barbie…
About the Barbie
What’s a Barbie? Barbecue Superpower Australia calls barbecues “barbies” and 3-4 times a week, (Aussies) enjoying tucking into thick-cut, Aussie Beef steaks and fresh salads anytime, anywhere. You can relax and enjoy them, and everybody’s all smiles out in the wilds of nature, which brings everybody closer. And the communication tool that brings that about is the Aussie-style barbecue: The Barbie.
Aussie lifestyle is about not putting on airs, and the real thrill of the barbie is being about enjoying communication with your mates and your family.
It’s hard to see what sort of impact the campaign will have. Japanese tend to be great barbecuers, anyway. And while many would gladly abide by the campaigns exhortations to get out and enjoy a good steak with your mates, most are stuck inside the office waiting for the boss to go home before they have any hope of being able to leave.
English is now Australia’s most commonly used language, but there are also still dozens of indigenous Australian languages that are native tongues for many people living Down Under.
今では英語がオーストラリアで最も使われている言語であるが、同国では数十ある先住民言語の一つが母国語である人が多数いる。
And many indigenous Australian languages have for tens of thousands of years used sign language as well, the most famous example being that used in the Warlpiri language used in the remote central Australian desert, centering on the community of Yuendumu.
面白いことに、この先住民言語の中、多くが何万年前から「手話」が使われている言語が多い。恐らくその最も有名な例がオーストラリア中央部砂漠地帯内イウエンドゥムで使われているワールピリ語だ。
Including the Warlpiri, these sign languages are often the result of taboo practices, where custom forbids certain members of tribes speaking to other members. The sign languages developed as an alternative to verbal communication.
A bilingual English-Warlpiri sign in central Australia.
ワールピリ語を含めて、このような手話が使われるようになったのが「タブー」がある。言葉遣いが部族内の人間関係によって変わると同じだけでなく、関係によって実際に口頭で言葉を交わすことさえ禁じられた。その場合、コミュニケーションが手話で行なった。
Many Warlpiri speakers and other indigenous Australians maintain their traditional lifestyles even today, ensuring these sign languages are retained even as their languages are threatened by the dominance of English.
今でもワールピリ語を母国語とする人々をはじめ、数多くの方々が英語の圧倒的な力を懸念しながら伝統的な生活や言語を守っていっている。
Warlpiri and other northern Australian indigenous languages have strongly influenced the area’s use of a form of Auslan, the Australian Sign Language that targets the hearing impaired.
そして、オーストラリア最北部で聴覚障害者の間で使われている豪式手話であるAuslanにワールピリ語のような先住民言語の手話が大きく影響する。
Matilda has been described online as “the worst sports movie ever made.” Kindly, as it turns out.
