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Lionel & the King: Rose with Elvis Presley
Discover how a new film has brought Lionel Rose's big life to the big screen, at a special director's Q&A.
Between Drouin and Warragul, Jackson's Track was the heart of Gippsland's Indigenous community for much of the twentieth century. Boxing was popular with many young men from the community, but the stratospheric rise of Lionel Rose to the World Bantamweight Championship in 1968 turned him into a national celebrity - the first Indigenous Australian to be awarded Australian of the Year.
In California for a match, Rose famously met Elvis Presley. "I was punching a heavy bag in a gym in L.A., and I hear a voice sing out, 'Hey, Lionel! What's doin'?' And it was Elvis himself," Rose told The Age. "I was in awe of him, but he said he was in awe of me." Music was to become a big part of Rose's life, working with Johnny Young to record chart topping country tracks for two albums with Festival Records - including a record named Jackson's Track after Lionel's hometown.
Lionel's is a big journey, set against the context of some seismic shifts in Australia's social history. It's little wonder than filmmaker Eddie Martin struggled to contain the story in a 52 minute, made for TV documentary for SBS. Lionel, screening in Australian Perspectives, is the expanded result of this project - a visually and emotionally rich look into the life and times of a great Australian.
We've published Eddie Martin's Filmmaker's Notes on the site here, providing a fascinating insight into the director's process and creative decisions. Martin will be on hand on Saturday 4 October at 2pm to answer questions about his film - another great opportunity to explore the workings behind the screen, at ACMI Cinemas.
For Lionel session details click here
Published Wednesday, 1 October 2008
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