This band and these songs are so deep in the consciousness of Australians that this stunning documentary serves as a trip down memory lane, a history lesson, and a coming of age story for the whole country.
An archive that spans the early years in the 70s, the collaborations with Warmupi band, the massive concerts, the politics and the campaigning and the outrage has been brought together brilliantly by a team dedicated to Midnight Oil’s legacy. As Peter Clarke the writer and director said, “what you feel in the film is the energy of determination from the editing team, particularly Gretchen Peterson.” The build up and the context and the back-and-forth that led to the famous moment when the band came out to sing in the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics wearing the ‘Sorry’ t-shirt is handled so well in the film, that by the time they stride out on stage you’re right there with them, punching the air and willing them on. Cutaways to the reactions of John Howard, then Prime Minister of Australia, are priceless.
The film is also a really enjoyable catalogue of the massive hits that made Midnight Oil a worldwide millions-of-albums-selling phenomenon. Wayne Pashley the sound mixer has apparently, “Made the edit hot,” as Clarke said. It’s designed to be loud, so if you do find yourself watching at home, turn it up!
Written and Directed by Paul Clarke. A Beyond Entertainment and Blink TV production. Produced by Carolina Sorensen and executive produced by Mikael Borglund, Paul Clarke and Martin Fabinyi. Edited by Gretchen Peterson.
Available on AppleTV from 4th September.
Was a hit at Sydney Film Festival 2024 and in it’s theatrical run in Australia in July.
Starring the band: Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie, Martin Rotsey.
The band’s legacy and Peter Garrett’s political career are touched on in the documentary, and it is left to the viewer to let the images and the songs speak for themselves. The echoes and tensions between Garrett taking up space as a parliamentarian in the House of Representatives in Canberra, and the same figure roaring into the crowds of packed out arenas, juxtapose the questions of art and politics, representation and democracy, and campaigning and realpolitiks deftly. Anyone with even the slightest inkling to start a band or make a difference will finish the film feeling inspired. As Clarke told a Sydney audience at Midnight Oil: The Hardest Line’s premiere at Sydney Film Festival, “Midnight Oil always took the hardest line. They never stopped. There is still fierce music out there. It has a lot to show.”
