sniper is a 1993 american action thriller starring tom berenger and billy zane as snipers on an assassination mission in panama .

it was shot in queensland , australia , and debuted at number two in the united states .

it initiated the sniper film series and was followed by six sequels : sniper 2 , sniper 3 , sniper : reloaded , sniper : legacy , sniper : ghost shooter and sniper : ultimate kill .

sniper ( 1993 film )

billy zane as richard miller . zane returns to the role he played in the first film ( sniper 1993 ) .
sniper : legacy is a 2014 direct - to - video action film and the fifth installment in the sniper film series .
, 2009 , digital film & video diploma . role and film : production coordinator , “american sniper”
, 2013 , vfx for film & television diploma . role and film : compositor , “american sniper”
, 1993 , associate of specialized technology , visual communication . role and film : head of effects , “big hero 6”
sniper spawned six sequels : sniper 2 in 2003 , sniper 3 in 2004 , sniper : reloaded in 2011 , sniper : legacy in 2014 , sniper : ghost shooter in 2016 and sniper : ultimate kill in 2017 . reloaded , ghost shooter and ultimate kill features billy zane ' s role of richard miller from the first sniper film reprised , having himself become a sniper following his panamanian tour experience with thomas beckett .
sniper spawned six sequels : sniper 2 in 2003 , sniper 3 in 2004 , sniper : reloaded in 2011 , sniper : legacy in 2014 , sniper : ghost shooter in 2016 and sniper : ultimate kill in 2017 . reloaded , ghost shooter and ultimate kill features billy zane ' s role of richard miller from the first sniper film reprised , having himself become a sniper following his panamanian tour experience with thomas beckett .
sniper was held back from release in 1992 . it debuted at number two at the box office on january 29 , 1993 , in 1551 theaters and went on to gross $ 18 , 994 , 653 in the us . tristar released it on vhs in august 1993 , laserdisc in september 1993 , and on dvd in october 1998 .
1993 directed by luis llosa . starring tom berenger , billy zane , j . t . walsh .
the sniper series is a series of action and war films beginning with sniper in 1993 . all seven films feature the united states armed forces . the series so far has run for 24 years .
a seasoned sniper and a rookie marksman are teamed in the panamanian jungle to eliminate some bad guys . but they also must fight against rogue cia agents , mercenaries and drug cartel members . © 1993 sniper productions . all rights reserved .
sniper was held back from release in 1992 . [ 4 ] it debuted at number two at the box office [ 5 ] on january 29 , 1993 , in 1551 theaters and went on to gross $ 18 , 994 , 653 in the us . [ 1 ] tristar released it on vhs in august 1993 , [ 6 ] laserdisc in september 1993 , [ 7 ] and on dvd in october 1998 . [ 8 ]
crew : ( color ) available on vhs , dvd . extract of a review from 1993 . running time : 98 min .
in the film stalingrad ( 1993 ) , where exactly are they passing while on the the train in this scene here ? it is supposed to be in italy , going to russia .
, 2013 , 3d modeling for animation & games diploma . role and film : lighting and technical director , “american sniper”
, 2012 , vfx for film & television diploma . role and film : junior compositor , “guardians of the galaxy”
, 2010 , digital film & video diploma . role and film : show production coordinator , “guardians of the galaxy”
sniper is a franchise of hollywood action movies that began in 1993 , led by the production company sony pictures entertainment . the stars of the saga are us armed forces snipers who conduct missions around the world .
the guerrilla sniper desilva , who was trained by beckett ( tom berenger ) , uses an svd dragunov as his sniper rifle . another guerrilla sniper at ochoa ' s compound also uses a dragunov .
sniper : legacy is the fifth installment in the sniper film series . the 2014 dtv sequel marks the return of tom berenger as master gunnery sgt . thomas beckett , who comes out of hiding to assist his son , gunnery sgt . brandon beckett ( chad michael collins , who returns from 2011 ' s sniper : reloaded ) in tracking down a renegade american sniper . the film ' s cast includes mercedes masöhn and dennis haysbert .
the son of a renowned sniper decides to track down the sniper who ambushed his squad when they were sent to rescue a white planter in the congo .
what appears to be a dragunov - type sniper rifle is used by an enemy sniper . it ' s possible that this is a commercial version of the rifle .
sniper , luis llosa , tom berenger , billy zane , j . t . walsh
, 2009 , visual effects for film & television diploma . role and film : matchmove artist ( scanline vfx ) , “captain america : the winter soldier”
, 2011 , visual effects for film & television diploma . role and film : roto and paint artist , “x - men : days of future past”
the counter sniper carries a custom m91 / 30 mosin - nagant in a bullpup stock .
sniper is a 1993 action thriller directed by luis llosa and starring tom berenger as master gunnery sergeant thomas beckett , a seasoned sniper whose missions have made him spent more time in the jungle than just about everyone else in his field . cia agent richard miller ( billy zane ) is assigned to take out a panamian insurgent leader with beckett ' s aid , but his inexperience causes friction with beckett , while they ' re also being pursued by another sniper who killed beckett ' s previous partner .
an elderly horror film star , while making a personal appearance at a drive - in theatre , confronts a psychotic vietnam war veteran who has turned into a mass - murdering sniper .
film doesn ' t know what it wants to be . billy zane does well tho
a homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five random victims .
with an akm - style muzzle break is used by a guerrilla fighter in the film .
i liked it . berenger and zane are very good . do not have the film .
bidwell ( dominic mafham ) takes aim with the rifle at the film ' s beginning .
several characters are seen carrying the ak - 47 in the film . cole carries an old soviet model ak - 47 equipped with a milled receiver near the end of the film .
but now for something different : russian film - makers have got in on the act .
stuart shepard finds himself trapped in a phone booth , pinned down by an extortionist ' s sniper rifle .
the movie sniper is actually a factual story loosely based on the biography of a united states marine corp sgt . carlos hathcock . sgt . hathcock was a sniper during the vietnam war . a book called
marine sniper
written by charles henderson has the same stories where tom beringer crawls across the field to get into range to shoot the drug lord and also where berenger is stalked by the enemy sniper where he shoots him the other sniper and the bullet goes through the rifle scope . those two scenes actually happened in real life .
the best giant snake film of 1997 ! okay , okay , the only giant snake film of 1997 . which makes it the best , right ? well… yeah , in . . .
the awards season has delivered a decidedly mixed verdict on american sniper . to the surprise of some pundits , the film ' s six oscar nominations did not include one for director clint eastwood ; the two bafta nods were for sound and best adapted screenplay ; the golden globes ignored the film entirely .
in the film , the russian commander reprimands a sniper for killing a german who was fetching water . yet , in 1942 , men killed each other ruthlessly as they ate , slept , washed , prayed .
a us marine sniper is partnered with a swat member to take out rebel leaders in the jungles of panama .
a russian and a german sniper play a game of cat - and - mouse during the battle of stalingrad .
sniper 2 is the second feature in the sniper film series . for the 2003 dtv sequel , tom berenger returns as gunnery sgt . thomas beckett , who is asked to come out of retirement by the nsa in order to take on a mission to eliminate a serbian general responsible for genocide . for the mission , beckett is partnered with a former delta force sniper who was on death row . the cast includes bokeem woodbine and linden ashby .
decent action film , sniper is one of those low budget action films that never really stood out among the genre , but it does manage to be entertaining from start to finish , despite its so - so acting , and paper then story . the story written here is nothing too complex , and for fans of forgotten action films , sniper is a perfect film to watch . i quite liked it , but i also felt that it had the potential of being so much as well . for what it is , it ' s an entertaining film and it ' s engaging from start to finish . tom berenger and billy zane are quite good here , but both actors have made better films . sniper has tense moments that make the film worth…
nsc sniper richard miller ( billy zane ) uses the heckler & koch sr9 tc rifle as his weapon of choice .
cold sniper : thomas beckett is the stoic loner type . he ' s shunned on the base he ' s stationed at both for being a sniper among regular soldiers , and for being rather notorious for losing partners in the field .
, 2010 , animation & art design diploma . role and film : animator , “guardians of the galaxy”
i love tom berenger , probably served as inspiration for the sniper scenes in saving private ryan or shooter , no joke .
with the headline : review / film ; in the mind of a killer : it ' s empty .
, 2011 , 3d modeling for animation & games diploma . role and film : cg generalist , “captain america”
the film is suffused with a blend of brutality and sentimentality which has characterised the russian psyche for centuries .
decent action film , sniper is one of those low budget action films that never really stood out among the genre , but it does manage to be entertaining from start to finish , despite its so - so acting , and paper then story . the story written here is nothing too complex , and for fans of forgotten action films , sniper is a perfect film to watch . i quite liked it , but i also felt that it had the potential of being so much as well . for what it is , it ' s an entertaining film and it ' s engaging from start to finish . tom berenger and billy zane are quite good here , but both actors have made better films . sniper has tense moments that make the film worth seeing , and even if it never becomes anything really good , i thought that the film was quite decent for what it tried to accomplish . the story like i said is pretty basic , and for a film like this , that ' s all you need . although it ' s a bit clichéd , what do you expect from a low budget affair like this ? this is the type of film that you watch only once , and it doesn ' t necessitate multiple viewings . if you ' re a genre fan and enjoy low budget action flicks , then you ' re sure to enjoy sniper . the film works well enough for its run time , but it does show its age . if you ' re expecting something truly great , you ' ll sadly be disappointed , as there ' s never anything truly engrossing . sure , it ' s a fun film , but like i said , it ' s one that isn ' t worth revisiting again and again . the film ' s somewhat lacking script is the film ' s major mistake , and in turn , the film never becomes a truly awesome action film .
an interview with writer / director boots riley about his incendiary new film ,
sorry to bother you .
not the answer you ' re looking for ? browse other questions tagged plot - explanation realism film - location .
, 2005 , bachelor of science , media arts & animation . role and film : 3d modeler , “the boxtrolls”
, 2005 , diploma , visual effects & digital animation . role and film : senior effects technical director , “interstellar”
, 2007 , visual effects & foundation for design diploma . role and film : digital compositor “guardians of the galaxy”
the film that makes private ryan look like kids ' stuff : the russians are coming - with a blood - drenched film about the most savage battle in history . but , says max hastings , the reality was even more barbaric
this list shows all films released in 1993 , including films that went direct - to - video , or only got an international theatrical release . for each film , we use the first date on which it was made available to the public , which might include international theatrical or domestic video releases that were a few days , or sometimes more , earlier than the domestic ( us / canada ) theatrical release .
a macho action film that is actually pretty decent . it is entertaining , and not a total waste of time .
, 2011 , 3d modeling for animation & games diploma . role and film : rotomation / layout artist , “captain america”
, 2008 , visual effect & foundation for design diploma . role and film : lead compositor , “guardians of the galaxy”
, 2009 , 3d modeling for animation & games diploma . role and film : production coordinator , “guardians of the galaxy”
, 2008 , game art & design and foundation for design diploma . role and film : rotomation lead , “captain america”
some film critics saw the film as definitely left - leaning in its politics , including arguing that the main villain ( senator meachum ) is an analogy for then vice president dick cheney . [ 13 ] [ 14 ] [ 15 ]
, 2003 , visual effects & digital animation master . role and film : digital compositor , ”captain america : the winter soldier”
, 2004 , visual effects digital animation master diploma . role and film : 3d animation & visual effects artist , “captain america”
, 1998 , digital animation master diploma . role and film : sequence coordinator , “x - men : days of future past”
war is hell : german troops during the battle for the city . the battle scenes in the film are terrible and convincing
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
several of the rifles in the film that resemble the m4a1 appear to be hybrid rifles built in part from the
gilboa
series of rifles manufactured by silver shadow , an authorized israeli weapon manufacturer . these rifles are likely the same ones that were seen in the 2014 film jarhead 2 : field of fire ( which was also helmed by sniper : legacy ' s director don michael paul ) .
, 2006 , animation art & design diploma . role and film : production manager , “x - men : days of future past”
, 2009 , independent recording arts certificate . role and film : junior vfx coordinator , “x - men : days of future past”
elephant white is a 2011 action - thriller film starring djimon hounsou and kevin bacon . filming took place in bangkok , thailand .
sniper is an expertly directed , yet ultimately unsatisfying psychological thriller . luis llosa’s first - rate action direction is undermined by underdeveloped characters and pedestrian dialogue .
marine sgt . brandon beckett ( collins ) , the son of the previous sniper film ' s protagonist thomas beckett ( tom berenger ) , takes up the mantle set by his father and goes on a mission of his own . while working with the un forces in the democratic republic of the congo , brandon beckett receives orders to rescue a european farmer , jean van brunt ( rob fruithoff ) , in the middle of hostile rebel territory . when he and his men arrive at the farm , a mysterious sniper ambushes them , wounding beckett and killing everyone else . with the help of his father ' s former protégé , sniper instructor richard miller ( billy zane ) , beckett must learn to think like a sniper to track down the assassin before the sniper returns to finish the job . on top of this he must also track down the one who is giving the orders and reveal a conspiracy .
a police sniper teams up with a hot - headed rookie to take down his former friend and teammate , who is exacting revenge on the police force .
2006 , visual effects & foundation for design diploma . role and film : digital compositor , “x - men : days of future past”
is in the helicopter , he sights the sniper in his scope , the sniper being the one that just shot the chopper up . you see from the scope ' s view that the chopper is apparently following him running down the mountain . but , the helicopter was hovering , it wasn ' t following him .
sniper 3 is a 2004 action adventure direct - to - video film starring tom berenger , byron mann , john doman and denis arndt . it was directed by p . j . pesce and written by michael frost beckner and crash leyland . the movie is the third in a trilogy starring berenger
also appearing in the film is a precision remotes telepresent rapid - aiming platform ( trap ) , a remotely operated weapon platform that accepts a standard rifle . precision remotes ' website [ 6 ] appears in the film , and the company is credited in the closing credits .
sniper is an expertly directed , yet ultimately unsatisfying psychological thriller . luis llosa ' s first - rate action direction is undermined by underdeveloped characters and pedestrian dialogue .
, 2004 , visual effects & digital animation master diploma . role and film : rigger ( scanline ) , “captain america : the winter soldier”
, 2004 , visual effects & digital animation master diploma . role and film : digital compositor , “x - men : days of future past”
, 2006 , visual effects & foundation for design diploma . role and film : digital compositor , “x - men : days of future past”
it happens in each of the sequels as well , possibly making the titular sniper the only marksman in reality or fiction with three scope snipes . this is especially ridiculous in the third movie , where he didn ' t have time to do a carefully aimed shot against the sniper attacking him while he tried to snipe someone else .
, 2007 , animation art & design and foundation for design diploma . role and film : senior creature fx technical director , “guardians of the galaxy”
check out the names of our graduates who worked on films including “american sniper , ”
big hero 6 ,
“interstellar , ” and “guardians of the galaxy . ” and if you’re a graduate who worked on an oscar® nominated film , please contact us so that we can add you to this growing list !
a panamanian rebel leader is meeting with his financier / drug lord . the u . s . government seeks to
disrupt
the meeting by eliminating them both . thomas beckett , an ace sniper stationed in the area , is sent to perform the mission . since his spotter was killed by a mysterious mercenary sniper , he must be accompanied by richard miller , a swat trained sniper from the national security council who has never had a kill . the two must best the jungle and complete the mission , hindered by numerous enemy patrols ,
el - cirujano
, a renegade american working for the enemy , the mysterious sniper , and the rough living in a dangerous jungle .
perang antara 2 sniper melawan pasukan 1 kompi . yah awalnya bagus , ketegangan yang diberikan lumayan , beckett ( tom berenger ) memainkan perannya dengan baik sebagai sniper berpengalaman tapi makin ketengah ceritanya makin biasa aja malah ngebuat emosi diaduk dengan kecupuan si miller ( billy zane ) sniper swat yg belum pernah bunuh orang dan musti terjun ke hutan belantara , yah satu setengah jam nonton diisi dengan kecupuan karakter miller . dan sangat disayangkan untuk eksekusi akhirnya juga biasa aja tidak membangun ketegangan sedikitpun menurutku jadi terlihat . . ya gitu lah .
a flashback to sniper : reloaded shows ar - 15 carbines carried by sgt . brandon beckett ( chad michael collins ) as well as the other marines in the congo .
the norinco type 56 is carried by several guerrilla fighters in the film , most notably by the one who opens fire on the helicopter carrying miller .
the cannes film festival has announced its official jury for the 68th edition , which include actors jake gyllenhaal , sophie marceau and director guillermo del toro .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
in some parts of the film , the rifle becomes a mosin nagant m91 / 30 with a down turned bolt action and is equipped with a scope .
sniper : ghost shooter is a direct - to - dvd release but returns the franchise to its former glory . it’s an enjoyable military action flick for any fan of the genre .
yet the lack of unanimity about the film perhaps reflects something more substantive than awards - season release scheduling , back - channel studio politics and the inevitable subjectivity of the voters . maybe it suggests that cinemagoers and industry insiders are as uncertain about and ambivalent towards the conflict the film documents as the rest of us .
stephen wigler of the baltimore sun called it a
poorly written , badly directed film
that substitutes violence for sex . marjorie baumgarten of the austin chronicle rated it 3 . 5 / 5 stars and wrote ,
sniper does little that ' s terribly original but that which it does , it does with great competence and grace .
sniper is an expertly directed , yet ultimately unsatisfying psychological thriller . luis llosa’s first - rate action direction is undermined by underdeveloped characters and pedestrian dialogue . tom berenger essays a marine sniper , oddly named thomas beckett , on assignment in panama . pic quickly establishes sniping as a lonely profession shunned even by other gung - ho marines . on his latest assignment [ … ]
, 2004 , entertainment business & management diploma and certificate . role and film : prodcution coordinator / associate production manager , “x - men : days of future past”
reception this film generally garnered a very poor rating although receiving an average rating of 3 . 9 / 10 stars on imdb . the general consensus of the reviews offered is that the film is let down by the poor re - use of scenes barely seconds apart and the terrible acting grade by the actors . there is also a general tendency to call this film comical as its entire premise is played out to be stereotypically ridiculous and over the top action and situation wise . the film was a direct - to - dvd movie . in the first week the marksman opened at # 11 at rentals chart and earned $ 1 . 36 million
deadly sniper tom beckett is recruited by the cia to go to ho chi minh city and take out a ruthless drug dealer who turns out to be an old war buddy he thought was dead .
robert lee provides additional insight into the short life of his brother bruce , with stills and film clips of the young martial artist demonstrating his incredible agility and fierce determination .
the cheytac m - 200 intervention rifle is seen in the film used by gunnery sgt . brandon beckett ( chad michael collins ) and troy ( mark lewis jones ) .
reception critical response to the film was mixed . rotten tomatoes reports a 48 % approval rating based on 142 reviews ; and an 82 % based on 120 , 688 audience reviews . metacritic assigns the film a weighted average score of 53 out of 100 , indicating
mixed or average reviews
. empire had a verdict of ' the sequel - ready swagger challenges bourne ' s supremacy with an impressive shoot - ' em - up , work - it - out action drama . ' some film critics , both liberal and conservative , saw the film as left - leaning in its politics , arguing that the main villain ( senator meachum ) was a clear analogy for dick cheney .
) is seen with the mauser 1896 at the film ' s beginning . he ' s using his middle finger to fire due to the injury he incurred in the original
shooter depicts a number of sniper tactics , thanks to the guidance of former u . s . marine scout sniper patrick garrity , who trained mark wahlberg for the film . garrity taught wahlberg to shoot both left and right - handed ( the actor is left - handed ) , as he had to switch shooting posture throughout the movie , due to swagger ' s sustained injuries . he was also trained to adjust a weapon ' s scope , judge effects of wind on a shot , do rapid bolt manipulation and develop special breathing skills . his training included extreme distance shooting ( up to 1 , 100 yards ) , and the use of camouflage ghillie suits . fuqua appointed garrity as the film ' s military technical advisor . [ 3 ]
sniper
expresses a cool competence that is a pleasure to watch . it isn ' t a particularly original film , but what it does , it does well . we ' ve seen so many bad movies about guys walking through the jungle with rifles that it ' s interesting the way this one grabs us through its command of the locations and its storytelling skill .
stephen wigler of the baltimore sun called it a
poorly written , badly directed film
that substitutes violence for sex . [ 15 ] marjorie baumgarten of the austin chronicle rated it 3 . 5 / 5 stars and wrote ,
sniper does little that ' s terribly original but that which it does , it does with great competence and grace .
[ 16 ]
shooter is a 2007 american conspiracy action thriller film directed by antoine fuqua based on the novel point of impact by stephen hunter . the film follows united states marine corps veteran bob lee swagger ( mark wahlberg ) , who is framed for murder by a rogue secret private military company unit . it was released in cinemas on march 23 , 2007 .
master gunnery sergeant thomas beckett ( berenger ) , force reconnaissance marine , an experienced sniper , and his spotter , cpl . papich ( aden young ) , are on a mission to assassinate a panamanian rebel leader in the jungle . because they are extracted in daylight instead of at night , papich is killed by a sniper . beckett runs back under fire to carry papich ' s body to the helicopter .
master gunnery sergeant thomas beckett ( berenger ) , force reconnaissance marine , an experienced sniper , and his spotter , cpl . papich ( aden young ) , are on a mission to assassinate a panamanian rebel leader in the jungle . because they are extracted in daylight instead of at night , papich is killed by a sniper . beckett runs back under fire to carry papich ' s body to the helicopter .
el cirujano
( ken radley ) carries a lar grizzly mk i in his shoulder holster . beckett is also able to use it at the end of the film .
the first and only entry in the sniper series to feature all three snipers ; thomas beckett ( tom berenger ) , richard miller / zeus ( billy zane ) and brandon beckett ( chad michael collins ) .
a psychotic sniper plans a massive killing spree in a los angeles football stadium during a major championship game . the police , led by captain peter holly and swat commander sergeant . . . see full summary »
the first movie in the series took place in australia , and the following five productions were shot in hungary , thailand , south africa , and bulgaria , always using production services from local companies . the producers at mandalay pictures , contracted by sony pictures entertainment to make the film , chose to shoot the seventh installment in the capital of colombia . this decision , coming after four years of negotiations with the colombian company dynamo and prompted by the benefits offered under colombian film law 1556 , will make sniper 7 the first in the series to take place in latin america .
others are less regular attendees such as actress rossy de palma , an iconic presence and profile in pedro almodovar’s early international hits and del toro , who nevertheless first came to attention when his feature debut “cronos” played cannes critics’ week in 1993 then triumphed in terms of critical reception with “pan’s labyrinth , ” which played in competition and is still considered one of his finest films . gyllenhaal starred in david fincher’s “zodiac , ” selected for the cannes festival in 2007 .
scott was building on a formidable foundation : the incident portrayed in the film , where an american special forces mission to capture a warlord from the streets of mogadishu in 1993 goes desperately wrong , was the subject of a series of articles published in the philadelphia inquirer and written by mark bowden , who later turned them into a book . the reporting was meticulous , extensive and deep : as well as interviewing as many of the participants as he could track down , bowden went through hours of aircraft cockpit recordings and video footage shot during the operation , and took care to ensure the somali side of the story was told just as thoroughly .
after the fight with zane about ending the mission , berenger puts a marker down on the ground . later the mercenary sniper picks up the marker , but it ' s a different marker than berenger put down .
sniper thomas beckett is hired by nsa officials william avery and richard addis to perform a covert operation to eliminate a suspected terrorist kingpin in the people ' s republic of vietnam who was providing support for jemaah islamiyah .
took a level in badass : after spending much of the film as a fake ultimate hero , miller eventually rises to the occasion near the end when he goes back to save beckett .
chris hemsworth kicks off filming for the star - studded men in black spin - off as he cuts a sharp figure in london . . . 21 years after the first film hit screens
a psychological study of operations desert shield and desert storm during the gulf war ; through the eyes of a u . s marine sniper who struggles to cope with the possibility his girlfriend may be cheating on him back home .
u . s . army sniper charlie snow finds himself at the other end of the crosshairs when the brother of an eastern european arms dealer whom he killed decides to take vengeance on charlie and his family in l . a .
the hostile interplay between the emotionally detached veteran and the cocky youngster is strictly textbook , as is their eventual male bonding . this would be okay if they weren’t virtually the only characters in the film .
corporal doug papich ( aden young ) , beckett ' s spotter , is seen with an m16a2 mounted with a scope as he and beckett move to the extraction site at the beginning of the film .
the producers for sniper 7 were peter nelson , senior vice president of sony pictures entertainment , who has brought us blockbuster franchises like men in black , spiderman , and resident evil ; and david zelon , executive vice president of mandalay pictures , the company behind birth of a nation , sleepy hollow , and numerous other films . film finances , which has made possible some 6 , 000 films since 1950 , provided the completion bond for the production .
the film grossed $ 14 . 5 million in its opening weekend , finishing in 3rd at the box office behind tmnt ( $ 24 . 3 million ) and 300 ( $ 19 . 9 million ) .
written by michael frost beckner and crash leyland and directed by peruvian luis llosa , who readily provides all kinds of closeups of bloody faces and bloody fingers ,
sniper
moves briskly along , aided by the lush photography by veteran bill butler .
a former marine sniper is lured back in on a top - secret mission to take out a rogue general who is committing atrocities on the muslim population . his partner in this mission is a death - row . . . see full summary »
a special ops military force , led by sergeant vic mosby ( tim abell ) with an expert sniper sergeant jake chandler ( steven seagal ) as
over watch
during a special mission are sent to a . . . see full summary »
sniper ,
which has been rated r ( under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian ) , has a lot of obscene language and violence . sniper directed by luis llosa ; written by michael frost beckner and crash leyland ; director of photography , bill butler ; edited by scott smith ; music by gary chang ; production designer , herbert pinter ; produced by robert l . rosen ; released by tri - star pictures . running time : 98 minutes . this film is rated r . thomas beckett . . . tom berenger richard miller . . . billy zane chester van damme . . . j . t . walsh doug papich . . . aden young el cirujano . . . ken radley
the back - and - forth dynamic between zane and tom berenger remains intriguingly unpredictable until very late on in the film , but the very nature of the action is what stops it from being more interesting . the…
he is , in fact , first seen in
sniper
trying to be not seen - his face blackened , his outfit official gi camouflage . surly , tight - lipped , with close - cropped hair , here is lee marvin , cleaned up .
this film ( along with several others ) is somewhat based on the story of us marine corps sniper carlos hathcock , who took out a viet cong sniper who was stalking him by firing a round through the man ' s scope , sending the bullet into his brain . the story has been labeled a
myth
by some , but the incident was observed by hathcock ' s spotter , john roland burke , who surveyed the scene after the kill . given the flight time of rounds at long ranges , both snipers could easily have killed one another . the enemy rifle was recovered and the incident is documented by a photograph . after an investigation , the marine corps confirmed the incident and registered the kill to hathcock . see more »
this , then , is the story that film director fyodor bondarchuk has set out to tell , focusing upon the fictionalised experience of a few men ordered to hold a vital position between hitler’s army and the vital volga crossing .
exactly the same thing happens in american sniper , but in entirely different ways . the film deletes most of the passages from the book where kyle ' s views would have alienated left - leaning audiences , and - crucially - adds in scenes emphasising how the war took its toll on him , too : reading the book , you see this between more or less every line , yet kyle studiously avoided anything which might make him appear a victim . the reasons for these changes in the film are obvious enough : kyle ' s book made him a minor celebrity , and the post - military work he began before writing it , with traumatised fellow veterans , was only beginning before he became a best - selling author . the film takes his life story to its desperate and dramatic conclusion , beyond the end of the book ' s timeline - avoiding detail presumably because kyle ' s apparent murder remains the subject of an ongoing court case .
at around 17 : 52 in the movie the sniper who tries to shoot
junior
with a dragunov looks through the sight pso - 1 and incorrectly ranges the actor as being closer than 100m , which is completely wrong as the scope has a ranging etching on the left side . a person 200m away 1 . 7m tall should be as tall as the first rightmost etch , while in the movie the sniper is approx . 300m away . the target should not be that big , as the scope magnifies 4x only .
rotten tomatoes , a review aggregator , reports that 42 % of twelve surveyed critics gave the film a positive review ; the average rating was 4 . 7 / 10 . roger ebert rated it 3 / 4 stars and wrote ,
sniper expresses a cool competence that is a pleasure to watch . it isn ' t a particularly original film , but what it does , it does well .
variety called it
an expertly directed , yet ultimately unsatisfying psychological thriller
that is
undermined by underdeveloped characters and pedestrian dialogue .
vincent canby of the new york times described it as
partly a badly choreographed action drama and partly a psychological exploration of beckett ' s mind , which comes up empty .
usmc master gunnery sergeant thomas beckett ( tom berenger ) uses an m40a1 in 7 . 62x51mm nato , a sniper rifle based on the remington model 700 . the m40a1 rifles used in the film were remington 700 rifles , supplied for the filming by ' weapons and effects ' of san rafael , ca . the rifles were fully prepared as though they would see real use , with aftermarket bedding , trigger jobs , mcmillan stocks and parkerization done by scott , mcdougall & associates of santa rosa , ca .
tough guy thomas beckett is an us soldier working in the panamanian jungle . his job is to seek out rebels and remove them using his sniper skills . beckett is notorious for losing his partners on such missions . this time he ' s accompanied by crack marksman richard miller .
least known to some in the film industry , though an admired international music figure , is traore , a musician and singer who straddles modernity and tradition and broke through with 1998’s “mouneissa . ” her latest release is 2013’s “beatiful africa . ”
on rotten tomatoes , the film holds a 48 % approval rating based on 147 reviews ; the average rating is 5 . 6 / 10 . the site ' s consensus reads ,
with an implausible story and numerous plot holes , shooter fails to distinguish itself from other mindless action - thrillers .
[ 10 ] metacritic assigns the film a weighted average score of 53 out of 100 , based on 33 critics , indicating
mixed or average reviews
. [ 11 ]
en route to the target , they realize they are being followed . they head to a village to contact their informant , a priest , only to find that he has been tortured and murdered by alvarez ' s men well before they arrived . beckett speculates out loud that it is the work of el cirujano , calling into question miller ' s credibility . that night , beckett marks their track to bait the follower - the sniper that killed papich - into a trap and uses miller as bait to pull the sniper out of hiding to take him out .
throughout the film , swagger uses an array of sniper weapons , among which are the usmc m40a3 , [ 4 ] the cheytac intervention , [ 5 ] and the barrett m82 sniper rifles . donnie fenn used an m4a1 with a cobray 37mm launcher ( commonly used by tv and movie armorers as a stand - in for the m203 grenade launcher ) and m68 close combat optic in the african opening sequences . a pair of remington 700ps were bought by swagger and memphis while on the run . other weapons used by swagger include a beretta m9 and a commandeered m4a1 with an aimpoint sight , in the fight against the 24 mercenaries and a colt m1911 - a1 and a suppressed m4a1 in the final scene . fenn ' s old . 22 rifle that swagger used on the lake scene is a cooey model 60 .
the norinco type 56 - 1 is carried by several guerrilla fighters in the film . they are fitted with akm - style slanted muzzles , but are identifiable as type 56s and not actual akms from the hooded foresight that only chinese aks have .
it is , i admit , strange that
sniper
is so blase about the fact that the heroes are murderers . after all of those angry costa - gavras thrillers about corrupt american death squads , here is a movie that pragmatically assumes that ' s the way the world turns .
rotten tomatoes , a review aggregator , reports that 42 % of twelve surveyed critics gave the film a positive review ; the average rating was 4 . 7 / 10 . [ 9 ] roger ebert rated it 3 / 4 stars and wrote ,
sniper expresses a cool competence that is a pleasure to watch . it isn ' t a particularly original film , but what it does , it does well .
[ 10 ] variety called it
an expertly directed , yet ultimately unsatisfying psychological thriller
that is
undermined by underdeveloped characters and pedestrian dialogue .
[ 3 ] vincent canby of the new york times described it as
partly a badly choreographed action drama and partly a psychological exploration of beckett ' s mind , which comes up empty .
[ 11 ]
the production team for sniper 7 features swiss director claudio fäh , who already directed sniper : reloaded and who has worked on productions such as northmen : a viking saga and coronado ; canadian carl goldstein as assistant director ; australian ross clarkson as director of photography , a position he held on films like the expendables 2 and conan the barbarian ; american donnie dean , winner of an emmy in 2015 for his special effects work on american horror story ; and new zealander steve mcquillan as stunt coordinator , a position he also held on the lord of the rings trilogy and the spartacus series .
because the movies are such a curiously voyeuristic form , we identify with the heroes and accept their actions , at least as long as the film runs . afterward , there are some hard questions to answer , but not about llosa ' s filmmaking skill .
not a word is said in the film about the stalin regime’s savagery , as terrible as that of the nazis . unit commissars imposed iron discipline : during the battle 13 , 500 russian soldiers were shot by their own side for alleged cowardice or desertion .
what appears to be a glock pistol is carried by sanaa ( mercedes masöhn ) . upon closer inspection , the pistol actually appears to be a zoraki 917 , a blank - firing only glock clone that is only available in europe , where the film was produced .
at the core of the film is a big truth : the successful defence of the city proved a critical landmark in the war — much more so than el alamein or any other british military achievement in the years between the battle of britain and d - day .
on the other hand , “american sniper” never shies away from depicting kyle as racist and xenophobic , an innocent abroad rendered armed and exceptionally dangerous . after sitting through the film twice , i’m more convinced than ever that there’s a level of sardonic commentary at work that is sometimes subtle and sometimes pretty damn obvious . pay attention to cooper’s increasingly congested body language , the posture of a man stricken with unmanageable psychic distress . pay attention to the use of the phrase “mission accomplished” late in the film , or the stateside scene in which kyle runs into a marine whose life he saved in fallujah and can’t even make eye contact with the guy . this is a portrait of an american who thought he knew what he stood for and what his country stood for and never believed he needed to ask questions about that . he drove himself to kill and kill and kill based on that misguided ideological certainty – that brainwashing , though i’m sure clint eastwood would never use that word – and then paid the price for it . so did we all , and the reception of this film suggests that the payments keep on coming due .
after the training ( which takes up nearly a quarter of the pages ) , lone survivor mainly sticks to the one harrowing incident . luttrell inserts information he found out afterwards into the timeline - particularly about the vigil that took place at his family home while he was missing . american sniper is more of an overarching autobiography , kyle ' s claim to fame when it was written being his having killed more enemy combatants than any sniper in american military history , something that clearly takes a long time to happen . the films adhere to these same basic structures but the points at which each movie departs from the book are revealing .
filming took place from september 24 to october 22 of this year , but pre - production began months earlier , with leading action movie professionals in fields like special effects and stunt doubles training the colombian crew . around 13 foreign and 170 colombians have worked on the film .
plot the movie starts off with master gunnery sergeant thomas beckett ( berenger ) , an experienced sniper , and his spotter cpl . papich ( aden young ) assassinating a panamanian rebel leader in the jungle . afterward , they take up a position in an isolated part of the jungle and wait out until nighttime for an extraction . however , they are extracted at daylight much to the dismay of beckett . an experienced rebel sniper , formerly trained by beckett , kills papich as the two reach the helicopter , but beckett is able to retrieve his body and bring it to the helicopter . infuriated , beckett blames the helicopter co for papich ' s death .
ok movie . there ' s not much in the way of plot , and character development is practically non - existent , but the action is well - executed , the concept of getting inside a sniper ' s mindset and planning fairly unique and berenger ' s lead performance is compelling enough to make this a watchable genre pic .
there is a tiny bit in sniper one which has 2 versions . the trailer on flixster shows a different version when the dc guys talk to billy zane s character about his mission in pananma . check out 00 : 21 the flixster trailer . the dvd version is totally different . i dont know if this was the theater version ?
the film ' s great triumph - and a bigger differentiating point from american sniper or lone survivor even than its lack of budget or marquee - name stars - is that it sticks to the facts without worrying about the cinematic consequences . as a result , it succeeds on every level , yet does so by seeming to break every rule in the book . it is the tensest of action films , yet contains no real
action
- there ' s barely even any movement . aside from a moment where one of the paras is listening to the kaiser chiefs on his ipod during some down time , and a new song ( ' all of my life ' , written and performed by phoebe katis ) that plays over the end credits , there is no music . the nearest the soldiers get to the taliban is watching them through binoculars , yet the film shows the paras in the fight of their lives .
tom berenger essays a marine sniper , oddly named thomas beckett , on assignment in panama . pic quickly establishes sniping as a lonely profession shunned even by other gung - ho marines . on his latest assignment he’s accompanied by an ambitious young washington bureaucrat , richard miller ( billy zane ) , who is so green he doesn’t really need camouflage .


the intruders ( also known as skippy and the intruders ) is a 1969 australian film directed by lee robinson .

it is a spin-off of the popular skippy the bush kangaroo tv series .

the intruders ( 1969 film )

skippy ( 1966 - 1969 ) drama series 91 episodes x 30 minutes . the intruders ( 1969 ) , were produced between 1966 and september 1969 .
post production was finished relatively early in 1969 but the film was held back from release .
skippy ( kangaroo ) and the intruders . skippy and the intruders . avi : 898 . 16 mb : skippy skippy and the intruders full length movie 1969 dvdrip . skippy the bush kangaroo in the classic 1969 movie . watch movie skippy and the intruders online . see the synopsis , cast , reviews , trailers , trivia , reviews and everything related to this movie here in cinetvx !
aka skippy the bush kangaroo the intruders ; 1969 childrens family action adventure the same team as featured in the long running television series turn up in the .
the film was in the can relatively early in 1969 , but release of the feature film was held back for the 1969 - 1970 christmas holiday season . this proved a disappointing strategy . the film failed badly and was soon removed from city screens , enjoying only intermittent bookings thereafter and soon shifting to television .
find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for skippy and the intruders ( 1969 ) at amazon . com . read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users .
wolves at the door is a us horror , set in 1969 , in which four friends are menaced by intruders while staying overnight at a house in los angeles .
summary wolves at the door is a us horror , set in 1969 , in which four friends are menaced by intruders while staying overnight at a house in los angeles .
undeniable hero of the australian tv scene and pop culture pin - up , skippy the bush kangaroo takes a giant leap into his first ever feature film in skippy and the intruders .
hoyts palace theatre sydney 12th december 1969 . it closed in sydney on 4th january 1970 .
a scene from ' the intruders ' : ed deveraux & ken james , with john unicomb in the water .
undeniable hero of the australian tv scene and pop culture pin - up , skippy the bush kangaroo takes a giant leap into his first ever feature film in skippy and the intruders . this rarely seen 1969 stand - alone production takes place in the famed waratah national park and continues the intrepid . . . full description
hoyts paris theatre , melbourne 19th december 1969 . it closed in melbourne on 8th january 1970 .
some filming for the intruders was done at the same waratah national park set used in the skippy tv series ( see urltoken ) .
garry pankhurst , actor : skippy . garry pankhurst was born in 1958 . he is an actor , known for skippy ( 1967 ) , the intruders ( 1969 ) and skippy : australia ' s first .
colette and jeffrey macdonald in 1969 , a year before her murder . photograph : kathryn macdonald / ap
andrew pike and ross cooper , australian film 1900 - 1977 - a guide to feature film production , oxford university press , 1980 , 448p .
kevin miles , ed deveraux and ron graham on location at mallacoota during filming of the skippy movie , ' the intruders ' .
the television series had been an immediate success , with international sales strong , and with the first season screening abroad before it was launched in australia . according to the oxford australian film , some eighty countries were screening the series by the end of 1969 .
future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .
according to don storey , some footage for the intruders was filmed at eden , a town near mallacoota ( urltoken ) .
to concentrate better on film production and separate clearly the worlds of fiction and documentary ( including educational film ) , kanun , almost simultaneously with its film production department , created its educational film center . abbas kiarostami , who had a taste for nonfiction , was appointed to run the center . the subjects varied from arts and crafts to science and technology , from health issues to social institutions .
the working title for the intruders was mallacoota , which is the name of the seaside holiday town in which the film is set and shot . thanks to j . grant , honorary curator - m & dhs inc - mallacoota wwii bunker museum , for contributing information about this location .
( 1961–74 ) , jupp was also a leading composer for film and tv . the richness of the score he composed for
this movie was not theatrically released in australia until december 1969 , about a year after principal photography had wrapped late in 1968 .
judith adamson , australian film posters 1906 - 1960 , currency press , sydney , 1978 .
1 sheet , lithograph . 27 x 40 . national film and sound archive # 435072 .
kānun - e parvareš - e fekri - e kudakān va nowjavānān iv . international film festivals
the results were described as disappointing , as the feature film failed to replicate the success of the television series . it did however achieve a theatrical release in the uk on the back of the huge success of the series in that country .
a tale of sunken treasure & spirited adventure in skippy ' s first ever feature length film .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
on the strength of this australian sale and the optimism of covering the remaining costs from overseas , production started in earnest in 1967 . with a few more episodes in the can , john mccallum and bob austin secured sales in europe and the uk ( but not america ) and in april 1968 a second series commenced production . in 1970 , a breakthrough in the united states came via breakfast cereal manufacturer kellogg’s , who entered into a syndication deal which meant that the program screened on more than 160 american television stations . in total , 91 episodes over three series as well as a feature film , the intruders ( 1969 ) , were produced between 1966 and september 1969 .
episode 34 , ‘the last chance’ , is something of a self - parody . in the episode , skippy stars in a film , performing a number of far - fetched extraordinary deeds - very similar to that featured in the series ! many of the skippy crew appear in the episode as extras portraying the film crew of the story .
we don ' t have enough data to suggest any movies based on skippy and the intruders . you can help by rating movies you ' ve seen .
skippy’s awards included an awg ie , penguin and logie special award for best export production in 1968 , and in 1969 the charlie award for best promotion and contribution to the australian entertainment industry .
the script for the intruders , by shifting the action to the sea and the beach - foreign terrain for a bush kangaroo - seems almost wilfully perverse in sidelining skippy , and this might help explain the film ' s lack of box office appeal . there ' s not much a kangaroo can do in relation to a power boat , or an underwater gold heist .
is an example of the strength of his work and recognition from the producers of the importance of music in drama . among his later film and tv credits , jupp was the music director for the adventure series
kānun - e parvareš - e fekri - e kudakān va nowjavānān v . film production : 1970 - 77
this rarely seen 1969 stand - alone production takes place in the famed waratah national park and continues the intrepid adventures of young sonny hammond ( garry pankhurst ) alongside his ever - reliable marsupial friend .
to secure the initial funds for the film production at kanun , širvānlu proposed a profit - making “showcase” by inviting a branch of the renowned moscow circus , which was on the tail - end of a tour of the middle east , to perform in iran . he invited f . moezi moghadam , then working for the ministry of economy as an economist , to manage the circus’s operations and its financial administration in 1969 . with the modest profits generated by the circus , kanun obtained its first film production cameras and sound recording and lighting equipment ; step by step , the basement rooms of its six - floor headquarters was transformed into a film workshop with cutting , editing , dubbing , and projection rooms .
won a number of awards : a 1968 logie special award for best export production ; a 1968 awgie for michael wright , writer of ep . 4 , ' the poachers ' ; a 1968 penguin for best live show ; and a 1969 charlie award for best promotion and contribution to the australian entertainment industry . all three series of skippy plus the movie the intruders have been released on dvd .
the intruders premiered in december 1969 , in time to capitalise on the school holiday audience . there was some underwater filming in the movie , handled by ron and valerie taylor , and it featured a unique two - man submarine which was later used extensively in the series barrier reef . basically a feature - length episode , the movie was seen as a good rollicking adventure yarn and was well - received by skippy fans .
on kānun - e parvareš - e fekri - e kudakān va nowjavānān v . film production : 1970 - 77
the film has been released in the uk on dvd , in 4 : 3 . while the print is slightly worn , the colour is good , and the presentation generally acceptable , with only the closing shots showing lots of sparkle and dirt .
and tony bonner tried his hand at a musical career by recording a self - titled album for festival records in 1969 , which , inevitably , included him singing the skippy theme song .
skippy and the intruders . so i will provide the original link for you as well . feel free to ask them to do the same to protect your rights . i ' m truly sorry if this ever happens .
the next logical step was a feature film spin - off , with a script by lee robinson based on a story by ross napier .
2 . “the intruders” ( mozāhemhā ) , animation , 35mm , 2 . 30 min , color ; cinematographer , mehdi samākār ; screenwriter and director , vajih - allāh fard moqaddam .
7 . “waiting” ( enteẓār ) , live , 35mm , 43 min , color ; cinematographer , firuz malekzādeh ; screenwriter and director , amir nāderi ( winner of the grand prix award , 11th international meeting of film and youth , cannes film festival , 1975 ) .
4 . “release” ( rahāyi ) , 35mm , 23 min , color ; cinematographer , neʿmat ḥaqiqi ; screenwriter , nāṣer taqvāʾi and moḥsen taqvāʾi ; director , nāṣer taqvāʾi ( winner of the golden plaque , 6th international film festival for children and young adults , tehran ; grand prix of the international jury , 22nd venice film festival for children ; golden gate prize , 16th san francisco film festival , october 1972 ) .
ninety - one 30 - minute episodes were made over the three seasons of production . at the time of first screening , australian television was still in black and white , however , the show was filmed in colour on 16 mm film to increase its international marketability , especially in the united states and canada , where it aired in syndication between 1969 and 1972 . the nine network readily repeated the series several times after australian television switched to colour transmission in 1975 .
as with the television series , there was a film tie - in involving golden books . the golden book spin - offs of the tv series and the feature were estimated to have generated nearly a half million sales by january 1973 .
while the screenplay by t . j . cimfel and david white eventually proves unsatisfying in its plot revelations , the film certainly holds your attention thanks to schindler ' s tautly paced direction and riegraf ' s emotionally nuanced performance . the violence is more bloodily graphic than it needs to be , with the result that intruders ( screened at festivals under the more evocative title shut in ) feels more like a familiar exploitation item than the sophisticated thriller it might have been .
all the cast members went on to appear in many film and television series , both in australia and overseas , except garry pankhurst - he gave up acting and never returned to the profession .
emphasising the enduring power of the ' roo , umbrella has also released the intruders on dvd in region four , in a barebones edition , handy for those who didn ' t get in early with the uk edition . it also offers a 4 : 3 format and dolby 2 . 0 .
and he didn’t . bonner left the show at the end of the second series .
the life of a witch is disrupted by the arrival of a boy and his mother . the intruders ' presence makes her struggle to adjust to the modern world , and to change from bad to good witch . based on the book
old black witch
by wende and harry devlin . starring hermione gingold , anna strasberg , roger morgan and burgess meredith as the narrator .
. the situations were usually believable , and good performances from the cast heightened the credibility .
skippy was also a merchandising bonanza , with book annuals , skippy money boxes , product placements and branding , perhaps the best film or tv example of the craft in australia in the nineteen sixties , following on but far exceeding ken hall ' s 1930s example of chut the kangaroo in orphan of the wilderness .
diving scenes were featured in a later episode ( no . 58 ‘the shark taggers’ ) plus the skippy movie the intruders , but these were all handled by famous husband - and - wife team ron and valerie taylor , as were the extensive underwater scenes in fauna’s next series barrier reef . the taylor’s were world - renowned underwater experts , and valerie appeared on camera as a diver in ‘the shark taggers’ .
i remember this one shown on the cbs children ' s film festivals , and recall it because it was ' repackaged ' as ' the old witch , ' which is what they called the books over here in the states . used to get them from the weekly reader ( god , am i showing my age , or what ? ) . and i agree , the magic pancake scenes are hilarious , i remember watching it and thought
is there something wrong with the film ?
i would definitely love it if rifftrax did this one .
and the ' star ' of the show , of course , is skippy the bush kangaroo .
what morris is really talking about is the manner in which we persuade ourselves that information is proof when it ' s merely information . he originally wanted to make a film about the case but he says no one was interested . he describes a meeting with a studio executive in which he was told that the film can ' t be made .
why ?
he asks .
because he ' s guilty ,
the executive replies .
the man killed his family .
daybill . the story of the kelly gang , by biograph . original poster , printed in black and red with 12 photographs from the film . national film and sound archive , canberra . 1910 version - ' anderson ' s olympia theatre , saturday nov . 26 . j . j . miller print co . opp post office place , melb . 21 - 11 - 10 ' . 3 colour - red , blue and black . 15 x 40 inches . national film and sound archive , canberra , item # 350429 . illustrated adamson , colour ; sabine , p . 51 , b / w .
juan carlos fresnadillo ' s intruders is an atmospheric psychological horror hybrid that samples from a lot of genre staples without fully committing to any of them . like the best of recent spanish fright fare , pan ' s labyrinth , it harnesses the vulnerability and powerful imagination of children . it throws in a franchise - ready monster - movie boogeyman called hollow face , and even adds a hint of possession and ecclesiastical intervention that harks back to the exorcist . where the film falls apart is in trying to steer this nightmare out of dark fantasy into the cold light of logic .
filming a scene utilising the helicopter , one of the expensive ' props ' featured in the series .
at around 3 . 30am macdonald called the emergency services , while apparently drifting in and out of consciousness . he told the first military police to arrive that his family had been attacked by four intruders – two white men , a black man and a white woman . he said the woman held a candle and chanted
acid is groovy
and
kill the pigs
. on the headboard in the marital bedroom the word
pig
was written in blood .
this film , which was narrated by burgess meridith , was recently written up in the ny times . it has developed the kind of cult following that has made it a legend . it was made by parent ' s magazine and distributed through schools , to be shown at assemblies and when rain kept the children in during recess . it was lost to the sands of time until the internet came along . hundreds of people were finally vindicated in their memories of this odd little film that none of their friends remembered .
after the revolution , the film department was entrusted to newcomers , and foruzeš turned his attention to writing and directing . his post - revolution feature films , most of which were prize winners and box office successes , were also produced by kanun .
sydney pop group ‘the executives’ appeared in ep . 35 , ‘the bushrangers’ , the title referring to the name of a band that the group portray in the episode . four of the six members of the group took part in the episode , with actor fred sims playing the fifth band member . they perform two songs in the episode , one being a specially written variation of the skippy theme tune . being the talented kangaroo that she is , skippy even joined the group as a drummer !
kanun productions were the first experience of film direction for a number of today’s best - known iranian directors , including abbas kiarostami , bahrām beyzāʾi , sohrab šahid - ṯāleṯ , moḥammad - reżā aṣlāni , nāṣer taqvāʾi , and amir nāderi . all internationally recognized iranian animation film directors started their work at kanun , and many have continued to cooperate with it , or have finished their oeuvre with it .
as a bonus , within this extra , you get the piano accordion stylings of gus herzi and charles and janie paton ' s puppets ( it seems capitals didn ' t exist in those days for film credits ) .
episode 19 , ‘the waratah festival’ , was filmed during the annual sydney waratah festival float procession . taking part in the actual parade was a ‘waratah national park’ float with the cast members plus skippy and hector the emu on board . while in the procession , action was staged on the float which was used in the episode . so while the real - life audience at the festival were watching a skippy float in the parade , all the while it was being filmed for use in an episode where a ‘waratah national park’ float has been entered in the procession . a neat two - pronged plan - publicity for the series in a high - profile community event ; and a unique setting to film an episode of the series .
after production of the series ceased , the film set in ku - ring - gai chase national park was opened to the public in january 1970 as a ‘theme park’ and animal sanctuary , with skippy and the other animals taking up permanent residence there . ed deveraux was on hand , in uniform as matt hammond , for the official opening . initially operated by fauna productions , the management of the park changed hands over the years , and was still operating as of 2006 .
the intruders arrive in the form of two suspicious divers ( ron graham and jeff ashby ) seeking a park permit to carry out regulation abalone fishing . with their request granted by chief ranger matt hammond ( ed devereaux ) they begin an underwater operation which involves a clandestine treasure hunt in a submersible to retrieve the cargo of lost gold from a sunken wreck .
3 . “the boy , the musical instrument , and the bird” ( pesar o sāz o parande ) , animation , 35mm , 12 . 30 min , color ; cinematographer , asad - allāh kafāfi ; screenwriter , animator , and director , faršid meṯqāli ( winner of the 22nd venice film festival for children golden plaque , 1972 ) .
this is just weird enough to work i think haha . it ' s 22 minutes - not bad for a short film plus its narrated by burgess meredith aka the penguin from the 1960 ' s batman series . . . . and there ' s a witch !
3 . tv week , may 20 , 1967 . 4 . tv week , march 16 , 1968 . 5 . the story is included in the dvd release of the first series of skippy ( umbrella entertainment david0215 and david0640 ) . 6 . 40 years of tv special , nine network . 7 . tv week , may 20 , 1967 . 8 . tv times , may 21 , 1969 . 9 . tv week , 1967 . 10 . tv times , april 17 , 1968 . 11 . tv week , march 23 , 1968 . 12 . tv times , july 10 , 1968 . 13 . ibid . 14 . ‘which way did they go skip ? ’ , skippy dvd ( umbrella entertainment david0215 and david0640 ) . 15 . ‘gentler times’ , skippy dvd ( umbrella entertainment david0202 and david0640 ) . 16 . 40 years of tv special , nine network . 17 . tv times , april 17 , 1968 . 18 . ‘which way did they go skip , skippy dvd ( umbrella entertainment david0215 and david0640 ) . 19 . tv times , nov 4 , 1972 . 20 . ‘gentler times’ , skippy dvd ( umbrella entertainment david0202 and david0640 ) . 21 . tv times , dec 23 , 1970 . 22 . tv week , april 26 , 1969 . 23 . tv times , april 17 , 1968 . 24 . tv times , sept 25 , 1968 . 25 . tv times , feb 19 , 1969 . 26 . tv week , jan 25 , 1969 . 27 . tv week , may 31 , 1969 . 28 .
the episode , no . 13 ‘the marine biologist’ , featured world deep sea diving champion kathy troutt , who set a world record for the deepest scuba dive by a female when she was only 17 . in addition to her diving prowess , kathy also happened to be a pretty girl who could act , which made her an obvious choice for a number of parts in various film and television series ( including riptide , chopper squad and the film blue lagoon ) , particularly if diving or swimming scenes were required . however , she only appeared in one episode of skippy .
3 . “the traveler” ( mosāfer ) , live , 35mm , 72 min ( 83 min when shown in france in 1992 and later in us ) b / w ; director , abbas kiarostami ( directing his first feature - length film ) .
the climactic action lurches off on a visual tangent reminiscent of guillermo del toro ' s work , as mia ' s bedroom comes alive with a seething mass of inky tendrils . it ' s an intriguing idea that the same trauma hatches a vivid nightmare that continues to develop in the active minds of children over two generations . but the resolution nonetheless is unsatisfying , dismantling the film ' s supernatural foundations using dreary psychology .
john laws , well - known as an outspoken sydney talkback radio host , appeared as a villain and performed a rendition of ‘the wild colonial boy’ in ep . 41 , ‘honest jack’ , his first major acting role . his part in the episode led directly to him being cast in a lead role opposite googie withers in the film the nickel queen . john mccallum , who was also producer of the nickel queen , said
the opening titles showed a scene of sonny calling skippy by whistling through a gumleaf , and skippy responding . the cast members then received an individual credit , with the curious exception of liza goddard - for some reason she was never included in the opening titles . the final credit , naturally , was for ‘skippy the bush kangaroo’ . the opening neatly demonstrated the unique relationship between sonny and skippy , and showcased the bushland setting . the closing credits were superimposed over a scene of the helicopter on the helipad .
the first series commenced with a ‘teaser’ before the opening titles , but for the second and third series the ‘teaser’ was dropped and the episode started with the stock opening . after four episodes , the opening was altered , commencing with ep . 44 ‘the raft’ . the same structure was retained , the only change being different scenes for the actors , necessitated in part by the fact that garry pankhurst , and to a lesser extent ken james , were noticeably older . there was still no credit for liza goddard , however on the closing credits liza was now listed with the other cast members ( whether she appeared in the episode or not ) , whereas in the first series her credit was included with the guest actors .
a self - financed pilot episode in 1966 was aimed squarely at an overseas market . although australian television at this time was still in black - and - white , skippy was filmed in colour on 16mm film to increase its international appeal . however , john mccallum first offered the show to australian frank packer , head of a media empire that included the nine network . according to mccallum , despite the fact that the sound and then the picture packed up during the screening , packer agreed to back the series .
find all the best television shows from the other side of the pond in our us tv store and catch the latest shows in our 2014 ' s hottest tv page .
underwater photography was done by ron and valerie taylor , then the go - to people for this kind of filming , and while not up to the standard of their evocative reef work for age of consent - because of the relatively dull underwater location selected for filming - it is perhaps still the best element in the film . this footage features what was at the time deemed james bond - style underwater gear , a mini sub used to explore a wreck for gold bullion .
there is some ambiguity around the creative genius behind skippy , although general agreement that actor and producer john mccallum ( 1918–2010 ) , film director lee robinson ( 1923–2003 ) and lawyer bob austin , who together formed fauna productions , all played a key role along with producer on the first series , dennis hill .
during filming of the second series , a major breakthrough occurred - a sale was made to the united states . breakfast cereal manufacturer kellogg’s entered into a syndication deal which would see skippy eventually being shown on more than 160 american television stations , commencing in january 1969 . at that stage the series was already being seen in 51 countries , and would be screened in 85 countries by the end of the year , and ultimately would reach over 128 countries . lee robinson said skippy had proved that australia need not confine itself to the local market : “obviously our artists and technicians have been producing the quality necessary for world success . ”
29 . tv week , oct 4 , 1969 . 30 . tv times , april 22 , 1970 . 31 . tv week , nov 7 , 1970 . 32 . ibid . 33 . tv times , jan 6 , 1971 . 34 . ‘gentler times’ , skippy dvd ( umbrella entertainment david0202 and david0640 ) . 35 .
3 . “the journey” ( safar ) , live , 35mm , 34 min , b / w ; cinematographer , mehrdād faḵimi and firuz malekzādeh ; screenwriter and director , bahrām bayżāʾi ( winner of golden statue , special prize of the international jury , 7th international film festival for children and young adults , tehran ) .
that crime spooked the suburbs of america . it seemed to be the evil fruit of a society in flux , rootless , godless , unpatriotic . and macdonald was the very opposite of all that . a graduate of princeton , he was the embodiment of the all - american hero – the athletic school quarterback who became a handsome , hard - working emergency doctor , the green beret who married his childhood sweetheart . yet investigators soon began to suspect it wasn ' t drugged - up intruders who killed his family but macdonald himself , who then carefully stabbed himself to make it look as though he had been attacked .
( yoram gross , 1997 ) , featured skippy as the park ranger in the cartoon world of bushtown . in 2009 , the documentary
6 . “harmonica” ( sāz dahani ) , live , 35mm , 75 min , color ; cinematographer , ʿali - reżā zarrindast ; screenwriter and director , amir nāderi ( kanun’s first feature length film and nāderi’s first color feature ) .
this goes with the genre , but contemporary critics complained that skippy didn ' t do enough work in the feature , despite opening the show and being on hand for the climax .
an artist’s sketch of the woman macdonald claimed was involved in the killings . photograph : corbis
fauna’s first plan was to follow the success of they’re a weird mob with a spin - off series , but it was soon realised that the subject had limited appeal for overseas audiences - even though it broke box - office records in australia , the film had little success in other countries . unlike crawford productions , who were making shows primarily for a local audience , fauna’s vision was always for the international market .
shooting began in october 1968 , using the same crew and some of the same key sets as the tv series . the unit first did location work at the victorian town of mallacoota , and then did sydney interiors in november .
errol morris works in a large , airy studio in cambridge , massachusetts . when i visit him on a bitterly cold afternoon in february , he ' s editing a film about donald rumsfeld , provisionally titled the known unknown . morris won his oscar for the fog of war , a brilliant documentary about robert mcnamara , the us defence secretary during the vietnam war . did he , i wonder , get access to rumsfeld ?
what at first appears to be a standard home invasion thriller is transformed into something more complex , if ultimately not much more rewarding , in adam schindler ' s directorial debut . the story of an agoraphobe who can ' t escape her home when it ' s broken into by three men intent on robbery , intruders at least offers an intriguing twist or two .
later this year the judge in wilmington is due to report on his findings on the long saga of the people versus jeffrey macdonald . it should be the last throw of the dice for the 69 - year - old doctor . mcginniss and morris are of the same opinion : they are not expecting him to get lucky .
the pilot episode , ‘man from space’ , was included as part of the first series , but it was screened at various times . in some places it was shown early in the series run , whereas most cities ( including sydney and melbourne ) showed it towards the end of the first series or during the second series . there were some differences in the pilot : garry pankhurst as sonny looks noticeably younger , and ranger headquarters is a completely different building - the house used in the series was not constructed until after the pilot had been made . the end credits feature a view of the ( different ) ranger hq instead of the usual helicopter on the helipad scene , and the original opening titles were later substituted for the series two stock opening .
the same team as featured in the long running television series turn up in the feature film , including chief ranger of waratah national park matt hammond ( ed devereaux ) , his sons mark ( garry pankhurst ) and sonny ( ken james ) , along with a flight ranger jerry king ( tony bonner ) and clancy , a teenager girl who works at ranger headquarters ( liza goddard ) .
the third series ran to only 13 episodes , making a total of 91 , and production was wound up in september 1969 . it was never intended to make any more , partly because 91 episodes was considered enough , and partly because garry pankhurst was growing up . john mccallum , in his book life with googie , later said 91 was too many , and they should have stopped at the end of the second series . the reason was that most countries would only purchase selected episodes , ranging from a minimum of thirteen to a maximum of 78 .
on the day of her brother ' s funeral , a trio of intruders ( joshua mikel , martin starr , jack kesy ) break in , assuming that the house is empty , to look for the large cache of cash rumored to be there . at first rudely surprised and then amused when they discover that beth is not only present but also suffering from a psychological condition that prevents her from escaping even through an open door , they threaten to kill her if she doesn ' t tell them where the money is hidden .
the name given to john ' s daughter is more likely a fanboy in - joke than a direct nod to rosemary ' s baby , given that intruders has little kinship to that classic , or to polanski paranoia in general . it treads an ambiguous line between violent reality and frightening imagination as it cuts back and forth between luisa and john ' s attempts to protect their children .
feature - length film spin - off of the australian hit tv series ' skippy the bush kangaroo ' , starring all the regular tv cast . when matt hammond , head ranger in the holiday paradise of mallacoota , is approached by two divers for permission to search for abalone off the coast of the waratah national park , flight ranger jerry king becomes suspicious . he is certain there is no abalone in waratah , and , when he sees the divers ' large cruiser , he is convinced that they are not fishermen . it turns out that he is right : they have been hired to find a wreck and illegally salvage the cargo . . .
filming commenced in may 1967 , on the strength of the sale to channel nine and the optimism of covering the remaining two - thirds of the costs from overseas sales . considerable preparatory work was required before filming could commence . production offices had to be set up in sydney , and permission was required from the nsw state government to occupy land in the ku - ring - gai chase national park north of sydney . co - operation was received from the nsw national parks and wildlife service and the ku - ring - gai chase trust , who set aside 24 acres of land for use as a film set , and granted access to a further 500 acres of surrounding park . a house was built
the addition of female cast members gave greater depth and breadth to the show , but , as it happened , the romantic interest was never developed .
the obscurity factor : 8 ( almost completely forgotten until it was featured in the times ) .
4 . “black and white” ( siāh o sefid ) , live [ with special effects ] , 35mm , 4 min ; cinematographer , mehrdād faḵimi ; screenwriter and director , sohrāb šahid - ṯāleṯ ( winner of the golden plaque , international jury , 7th international film festival for children and young adults , tehran ) .
fereydoun moezi moghadam , “kānun - e parvareš - e fekri - e kudakān va nowjavānān v . film production : 1970 - 77 , ” encyclopædia iranica , xv / 5 , pp . 509 - 512 , available online at urltoken ( accessed on 30 december 2012 ) .
matt hammond , sonny’s dad , is the chief ranger of waratah national park . the ranger ' s headquarters still stands at the waratah park earth sanctuary overlooking kuring - gai chase national park on the outskirts of sydney .
umbrella has also released every episode of the tv ' roo show on disc , making for a digital ' roo feast . and the ' roo still regularly hops into view in the wee hours on free to air television . clearly the ' roo will never die , such is the love for skippy that endures in the land .
much of the action in the skippy movie took place at mallacoota :
there was a large amount of location filming down the coast at mallacoota inlet
( see urltoken ) . according to j . grant , the mallacoota inlet entrance - also known as ' the bar ' - features in some of the abalone boat scenes .
two of the many skippy books released . at left a storybook for younger kids , at right one of the regular ' annuals ' released for the christmas market .
in 1970 , colette macdonald and her two daughters were stabbed to death in a savage frenzy , setting in motion america ' s longest - running murder trial . after decades of legal wrangles , her husband , a military doctor , remains in jail for the crime . we spoke to errol morris , an oscar - winning film - maker who has written a book about the case which reaches some startling conclusions…
of course kangaroos don’t say ‘tchk tchk tchk’ . sound editor phil judd remembers getting producer dennis hill up to the microphone to demonstrate skippy’s trademark sound . visually skippy ‘talking’ was achieved by giving the kangaroo something to chew . many alternatives were tried including chewing gum , rubber bands , chocolate and , most successfully , grass . when filming ended skippy continued to live in the film set in ku - ring - gai chase national park , which was opened to the public in january 1970 as a theme park and animal sanctuary .
the fact that worse atrocities were being conducted elsewhere was no excuse for their own irresponsibility , and local police and an inspector from the rspca conducted an investigation of the incident .
some international orders may require additional identification before being processed . the transmission of this information to the abc shop may affect estimated delivery times . the abc shop reserves the right to request additional identification prior to processing orders originating outside australia .
the next series to be made by fauna productions was barrier reef , set in north queensland , and many of the skippy crew worked on the new show . ken james played one of the lead roles in the series , that of diver kip young , but it was originally planned that he would continue his character of mark hammond in the new series .
the third series opening titles retained the same style , with different scenes of the actors , and of course the lack of a credit for tony bonner . ( some prints of the third series were later modified by reverting to the second series opening titles - probably to allow them to be mixed up with earlier episodes and screened in random order . unfortunately , these altered episodes are used on the dvd release . ) there were a couple of different vehicles being used in the third series , but the major changes were the absence of clancy and jerry king . clancy had been written out at the end of the second series , but no explanation was given for jerry’s departure - he , and the helicopter , were just simply not there . the audience could only assume that his duties as chief flight ranger were keeping him away from waratah national park .
it is often noted that skippy is always the sidekick to the action , providing reaction shots , the occasional helpful paw , a ' tch tch ' here and there , and a decisive intervention at the point when baddies need to be defeated .
skippy theme ( ' bushrangers ' variant ) as performed by ' the executives ' in ep . 35 , ‘the bushrangers’ .
ultimately what did for macdonald was not his personality or his lifestyle but the forensic evidence . morris maintains that the crime scene was despoiled by the military police who first arrived and that therefore the forensics are unreliable . but every disputed criminal case of note has its totemic piece of evidence . with oj simpson it was the glove that didn ' t fit . in the assassination of jfk it was the so - called magic bullet . in the macdonald case it ' s a pyjama top .
was set in the fictitious waratah national park , a conservation area open to the public for recreational pursuits , where all plants and wildlife are protected . head ranger of the park was matt hammond , played by ed deveraux , an accomplished actor who had appeared in many film and television roles in both australia and britain , including they’re a weird mob and the abc mini - series my brother jack . initially , deveraux did not want to be in the series : “i said i didn’t want anything to do with what i thought was going to be children’s tv . i thought it was a sort of ‘low grace’ thing . ”
it takes a speedboat chase and a gunfight in the sand dunes before the gang leader ( kevin miles as a nasty piece of work ) is brought to justice . . . naturally with the help of the clever , hardworking ' roo . . .
executive producers of skippy were john mccallum and bob austin . producers of the first series were lee robinson and dennis hill . hill was also instrumental in the development of the show , however he only worked on the first series . producers of the second series were robinson and joy cavill , and cavill was the producer for the third series . most episodes were directed by max varnel or eric fullilove , both of whom had extensive experience overseas .
following his 2001 domestic debut , intacto , fresnadillo landed a plum assignment with 28 weeks later , capably picking up where danny boyle left off in his terrifying zombie spree , 28 days later . co - financed by universal pictures international , intruders shows again that fresnadillo can deliver chills , sustain a mood of potent dread and ratchet up suspense as such b - movies demand . but nico casariego and jaime marques ' shaky screenplay lets him down .
morris has had several communications with macdonald , although he avoided contact during the writing of the book so as not to allow emotion to affect his focus .
he is a problematic person ,
he says .
is there anything he said to me , anything in his demeanour that tells me he slaughtered his family ? not really , no . to me the issue is not whether i like jeffrey or i don ' t like jeffrey , because i do like jeffrey , but i still think it ' s irrelevant . there are lots of people from 1969 and 1970 who really liked him , admired him and his family , saw him as a loving father .
the figure of most controversy , though , is jeffrey macdonald . he remains incarcerated and steadfast in his protestations of innocence . in a prison ceremony in 2002 he married a woman who is equally convinced that he is not guilty . yet nothing adds up with him . his story about the hippie intruders seems fantastic . acid is groovy ? kill the pigs ? that sounds like dialogue from one of roger corman ' s more hamfisted exploitation movies . and why would a gang go to such sustained and ferocious lengths to kill a pregnant woman and two small children and yet leave a powerful and therefore dangerous man with only a single puncture wound ?
the dvd has two extras a 24 ' 17 period black and white television special showing
skippys playground at waratah headquarters
( sic ) , intended for young viewers , and
the long way home
, a 24 ' 19
1967 episode from the television series ,
the first ever episode
according to the dvd slick and featuring the immortal frank thring , with reasonable image .
scripts were written by australian writers , and lee robinson said that “each story has the underlying thought , which is the preservation of wild life” . however , the directors were initially from overseas : “we have no australians capable of doing the job , ” said robinson , “but we plan to train australians as the series develops . ”
6 . “the flower storm” ( golbārān ) , animation , 35mm , 9 min , color ; cinematographer , moḥammad fayjāni ; music , esfandiār monfaredzādeh ; screenwriters , ḥosayn samākār and ebrāhim foruzeš ; animator and director , ʿali - akbar ṣādeqi ( golden plaque , international jury , 7th international film festival for children and young adults , tehran ; special diploma award , tampere international festival , finland , 1973 ) .
but the initially terrified beth turns out to be far from what she seems , and the same goes for her home . during the ensuing ultra - violent cat - and - mouse , she reveals surprising resources , utilizing the house — which comes to resemble a demonic theme - park attraction — to turn the tables on her tormentors .
there is a good reason skippy is a timeless hit worldwide . you feel like you are out there with sonny and skippy roaming the park . sonny keeps his childlike innocence while the adults handle the details . skippy is the power all children wish they had over an adult world . and it all comes out safe in the end .
student leader gary ross tried to defend their negligent actions , saying the whole thing was intended only as an amusing stunt : “as soon as we realised that the prank had gone sour we returned the kangaroo we were holding . ” when told how upset people were by the whole stunt , he replied : “we might remind people of the hundreds of kangaroos which are being slaughtered in the outback areas . ”
( there actually were aussies qualified for the job , but they were mostly already working for crawfords , roger mirams or the abc ) .
sydney pop group ' the executives ' appeared in ep . 35 , ' the bushrangers ' , which ended in a sloppy mud fight .
the original cast of skippy : ken james , tony bonner , ed deveraux , garry pankhurst and , of course , skippy the bush kangaroo .
a man awakens inside a white cube , covered in a four - by - four grid . he has no memory of how he got there and there seems no way out . but as time passes , panels open temporarily to admit an intruder or onlooker . they pop back through their panels but bar the man from going through , pointing out
this is my door ; you ' ll have to find your door .
the intruders vary from individuals to a child on a tricycle and and a rock band . more and more people start to come into the cube , filling it up and this developes into a sort of cocktail party . a rock band comes through sometime during all of this , singing the cube ' s theme song ,
you ' ll never get out , you ' ll never get out , you ' ll never get out till you die .
at one point the man sees himself , a double , and has a dialog with himself about how he has to find his way out . is the man a prisoner ? an inmate ? someone on a voluntary retreat ? the stories change with each new visitor . eventually , just as he succumbs to despair , a square panel clicks open . the man crawls through it and discovers he is in a clinic corridor . a therapist welcomes his escape form the cube and takes him to his office . there the therapist reveals the reason the man was in the cube . or does he ? once in the office the man was given a fountain pen to sign some forms before being discharged . he accidently cuts his finger , and when he sucks the cut he tastes not blood but . . . . strawberry jam . the office then dissolves into . . . the white cube . fade to white .