From Sunday Afternoon:
Tasmanian Devil: The Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn
Tasmanian-born Errol Flynn remains one of the greatest matinee idols ever produced by the Hollywood machine. Discovered in 1935 at the age of 26 by studio boss Jack Warner for the role of Captain Blood, Flynn's gorgeous good looks and swashbuckling roles have ensured his status forever as one of Hollywood's most enduring icons.
His short and flamboyant life, full of scandals, adventures, lovers and excess was largely played out in front of the cameras – either starring in the movies which were to make him extremely rich and very famous, or filling the newsreels and gossip magazines.
But there is another side of Flynn that is less well known – his ambitions to be a serious writer and newspaper correspondent, his own documentary films and his interest in the Spanish Civil War and Castro's revolution in Cuba both of which he covered as a journalist on assignment for Hearst newspapers.
Much of this part of Flynn's life has been buried under the salacious (and not entirely unfounded) stories and unrelenting gossip which eventually broke his heart and, despite his brashness and bravado, finally killed him. Tragically he was dead from the effects of drugs and alcohol by the time he was only 50 and yet the myths live on.
Tasmanian Devil: the Fast and Furious Life of Errol Flynn will take a look at the fascinating life and career of Flynn, the man beyond the film star… 'the good-looking bad boy from Hobart'.
The ABC was the first to kick-start this project, supporting it at the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC 2005) and Hot Docs in Canada, the two international forums where it found its finance. The FFC came on board at their last meeting and this film is now in go-mode.
Duration 1 x 55 minutes
Director Simon Nasht
Producer Sharyn Prentice
Writer Robert de Young
EP Amanda Duthie
Now complete, this docu has been shown on BBC4 and in Europe, as well. Look for a more detailed Review here soon!
Btw, our Author's Karl, Jack, Bri, Ralph, Steve and Genene and David are also in the credits of this nicely done docu…
— David DeWitt
