The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith | 1976 | Australia | Fred Schepisi

Wildly different in both tone and production values from most ‘nasties’, Schepisi’s adaptation of a Thomas Keneally novel is both profound and tragic in its depiction of Jimmie Blacksmith, a young Aboriginal man at the turn of the 20th century in New South Wales. The product of a white man and an aboriginal mother, Jimmie is constantly ridiculed and humiliated by the predominantly white community for his blackness, and frequently taken advantage of by his Aborigine family. When his white wife begins to suffer similarly, Jimmie snaps and slaughters the family of his bullies in a declaration of war against his tyrannical oppressors. While based on the real-life story of Jimmy Governor, the film takes liberties with the source material and failed to make a killing at the box office despite strong critical praise. The racist themes of the film as well as scenes of violence against women and children seems to be the sole reason for its inclusion on the DPP’s lists.