By Jason Apuzzo. It looks like MGM’s forthcoming Red Dawn remake may have some competition.
A new Australian film called Tomorrow When the War Began, distributed in Austalia by Paramount (starting September 2nd) and based on an Australian teen novel series of the same title, is getting a lot of buzz right now (see The Hollywood Reporter’s HeatVision blog and Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood today) because the film is currently unspooling for potential distributors at the Toronto Film Festival. The film marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Stuart Beattie, whose credits include Collateral and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Here’s the HeatVision summary of the project:
“Tomorrow” is based on the best-selling Australian novel by John Marsden, which is the first in a series of seven books that have sold over two million copies in Australia and New Zealand. In a “Red Dawn” from Down Under way, it tells the story of a group of high school teenagers who decide to take an end of the year camping trip and return home to find houses deserted and phone lines cut. They soon learn that their country has been invaded, and they’re forced into a battle of life and death against the deadly occupying force.
Check out the trailer above – the parallels to Red Dawn are quite obvious. You can otherwise read some early reviews of the film here and here.
The film, and John Marsden’s original novels, are coy on the matter of who the invading force happens to be – but all indications are that they are most likely the communist Chinese, potentially with the aid of other southeast Asian forces. Tellingly, Marsden apparently dedicated the most recent book in the Tomorrow series to “the people of Tibet, East Timor and West Papua” … all of whom have been invaded either by China, or Indonesia. For an in-depth look at the controversy over this project in Australia, I strongly advise watching the interview below with Marsden – who talks about the novels and the film, and discusses the political implications of both. Expect this exact same controversy to play out once this film is released in the U.S. – assuming that’s allowed to happen.
It’s fascinating to me that films like this are suddenly getting made right now (e.g., Salt) – although certainly a great many more of them are getting made outside Hollywood (and America, generally) than from within. [In American films right now, fears of foreign invasion are currently being sublimated into the science fiction alien invasion genre. See my exchange with the LA Times’ Patrick Goldstein here.]
Most recently, for example, it was an Australian production team that made Mao’s Last Dancer, which is in theaters right now (see the LFM review). Mao’s Last Dancer deals with a ballet dancer’s defection to the United States, in a much-celebrated case that even involved the intervention of (then) Vice President George H.W. Bush, and yet it was apparently impossible for that film to be made here in this country by American filmmakers.
So we now apparently have a case where a kind of ersatz remake of Red Dawn, made by Australians, may actually hit theaters before MGM’s ‘official’ Red Dawn remake (due to MGM’s complex financial situation). Personally, by the way, I’m still waiting for Chris Morris’ incredible new film Four Lions to get its U.S. release (see the LFM review); that release seems very much up in the air, sadly, due to frightened domestic distributors.
So what’s going on here? I think it’s this: that the climate for freedom-oriented filmmaking is actually better these days outside the United States than within. What a shift that represents. And what a tragedy.
Let’s hope Tomorrow When the War Began gets a U.S. release. We’ll be keeping an eye on this story as it develops.
[UPDATE: It looks like the film is going to be getting two sequels, due to its early success at the Australian box office.]
Posted on August 31st, 2010 at 3:19pm.
Funny how history repeats. The original Red Dawn was released about the same time as the similarly themed Amerkia (a TV miniseries) and Invasion USA (with Chuck Norris).
Turns out the remake, if it ever gets out of development hell, will be released about the same time as the similarly themed Tomorrow, When the War Began and Homefront (a videogame which is being written by the writer/director of the original Red Dawn)
It is interesting. I think people are feeling similar anxieties.
Man, that’s pretty hard-core. I wonder how this is going to go over with the Aussie audience. It’ll be interesting to see if this gets picked up at Toronto by any US distributors. Any news on what’s happening with the “Red Dawn” remake here? I agree with Psudo – it’s funny how all these themes suddenly hit all at once. I guess history does repeat itself.
I think people are feeling similar anxieties.
I know what kind of anxieties Mr. Cusack is feeling, which may explain his twitter meltdown.
Dude needs a stiff drink. Talk about tightly wound.
as an asian american i have exactly zero problem with this, cus the neither the norkocoms nor the chinese government represent me at all. i’m not sure who they represent any more other than a bunch of angry old men.
Got your back, Pong.
This is very interesting — especially since it has a bit of historical context: If I remember correctly, Australia was in the path of the theoretical “domino effect” of communist aggression favored by JFK among others in that time.
Australians also fought very hard in Vietnam, so they took the threat of collectivism very seriously.
I would LOVE to see this picture.
Agreed.
As somebody who lives in a country where they show Australian soap operas in the afternoon, watching that trailer was a weird experience: ‘Look, Rachel from Neighbours and Geoff from Home and Away are fighting a guerrilla campaign!’ Looks good though, and there will probably be a hot picture of Caitlin Stasey at the premiere for you to put on the site…
And I will happily oblige … 🙂
Looks great. However…I know very little about the books or politics of the writer but is there any chance the invaders will be American?
That would be a nice kick in the nads.
No chance. As I said, watch the video at the bottom of the post and you’ll get a very detailed discussion of the whole question of who the invaders are.
As a side note, I’m not sure why we would invade Australia anyway. For the beer? 🙂
Good. I was worried when i saw the shape of the helmets in the trailer. Can’t wait to see this one.
Chicks and beer are good enough reasons as any…well, they’re good enough for me to invade anyway.
You have a point.
That does bring up a question (and I’d appreciate it if anybody familiar with the books could answer it) – where is America in this scenario? Australia is one of our closest allies (arguably the closest ally), so what is our reaction to the invasion? In the books’ scenario, are we too weakened militarily and/or politically to intervene? Are we busy on another front? Are we intervening, but the outcome is still in the balance? Or are we simply not mentioned at all?
Great question. [Complicating factor: I think the books and the movie may vary slightly on this question.] Anybody who’s got answers feel free to reply.
Looks like I’ll be answering my own question (with the caveat that this information comes from Wikipedia, so may not be completely trustworthy). It refers to The Third Day, The Frost:
That’s pretty weak, but the book it’s supposed to be from was written in 1995 – so maybe it says more about how the author regarded the Clinton administration than America in general.
Interesting. And a little unrealistic, frankly.
Hello there, I’m responding to jic. I found this post because the latter video in the original post was uploaded by me. It’s been a very long time since I’ve read the books, but from memory the United States is reluctant to become involved, but supplies weapons to New Zealand, who are assisting Australian resistance efforts. I believe India and Japan are among the countries involved in attempted peace negotiations with the invading country. Many people assume that the invading country is Indonesia or China, for obvious reasons, however the fact is the country is never identifies, and I don’t believe the details revealed about them apply to any single real country, which was probably the right decision by the author. I haven’t seen the film yet (might check it out this weekend), but I’m told that the invaders are a coalition of unidentified nations, but are Asian in appearance. For more detailed answers perhaps try posting on the IMDB forums?
Thanks very much for writing in! We really appreciate your insights. Please do see the film, if you can, and tell us what you thought of it. I know we’d all be interested in what your opinion of it is.
I re-read all nine books in the series in anticipation of the movie and watched it last night. The enemy is clearly asian but their dialogue is always muffled or in accented English making it impose ble to know exactly who the invaders are. When I read the books I always pictured Indonesians as they are our closest neighbors. The movie itself is quite good but is let down a bit by some dodgy acting. I think the best thing about the movie is how closely it follows the book with a lot of the scenes exactly how I pictured them. Over all probably not quite up to Hollywood standards but this is a good thing because their isn’t some half assed message about the US getting what it deserves or being the big hero that comes in and saves everyone at the end of the movie .
Glad to hear it, Fez. I certainly hope it gets a U.S. release.
Marsden was just terrified of offending the PC brigadeand creating a racism controversry and offending Australia’s enormous Asian poplation by clearly identifying the invaders, at least in the book, as Asians, regardless of the FACT that Janes military experts have predicted Australia will be invaded by an Asian power within 50-100 years.
There’s even more left wing hysteria about avoiding racism here than in America or any other country, I fear, and with the Greens taking control of Australian parliament, it will only get worse. The reference to America not intervening I guess is to protract the story and make it more interesting (more reason for the kids to rely on themselves) or perhaps even an anti American vien of the author which has infected so much of Australian academia.
I saw the movie yesterday: it was just OK – though it could have been great. People will read Sinophobia into it because they want to. Why would any Asian national invade when they already are buying up our minerals, farmland and water legally? To me, we have already been invaded, and the weapon is the chequebook and the colloaborators our businessmen and politicians.
That’s my Aussie nationalist perspective anyway.
Thanks for writing in with a report, Jon – we appreciate it.
@Jon
“regardless of the FACT that Janes military experts have predicted Australia will be invaded by an Asian power within 50-100 years.”
HAHAH
How can a prediction be FACT?
Hell, Canada COULD invade the USA in 50 to 100 years for all anyone knows.
Oh no … the Janes experts said it! It MUST be true!
It’s a FACT they’ve made the prediction.
Literate much?
Like you would know.
So you have seen the report then? Or you just believe anything you read on the internet?
Thanks Rob. Marc has his hand on it. Sorry, I cant provide a link, but it was an article in the Sydney Morning Herald some years ago on the Jane’s predcition.
as an australian, it is just common knowledge amongst us that if any country were to invade us, it would most likely definitley be an asian nation and it would most likely be china or indonesia. I’ve read all the books, and I am sure of what I can remember that in the books the US and New Zealand come to our aid. it was just pretty much common sense and not racist at all to have the soldiers resembling asian ethnicity.
But we must remember that this is fiction- although it may remind and stir concerns of a future invasion from asia, it is fiction.
Thanks for your thoughts, Laura.
This really is becoming very unrealistic these days, as countries will know ground movements and so on which is going to look obviously like an invasion. Threats and counter attacks will be made in deterrence involving Allys and nuclear weapons and result in nothing (cold war for example). I think all countries know this, the only big worry is if they make nuclear shields as it may make them confident and use them but this will still be stupid as these days one bomb can wipe out half the world. so worth the risk – maybe for a brain dead leader.
or it could always be a dream (in a dream(dream))
Kim Jong! Thanks so much for commenting – your insights are especially welcome here, given your intimate feel for the subject. Please keep coming back!
I’m with Kim on this one, i think this movie is a dream
peace dude
Wow, it’s great to have such distinguished and accomplished readers on this site! Thanks so much for joining us in the midst of your very busy schedule, and please continue to keep the world safe from American imperialism! We’re counting on you.
Jon from Australia again. It’s a passable movie, more a drama than an action movie and I suspect that some American fans will be disappointed – Aussie films just don’t have the budget for that kind of thing usually. There’s not a lot of gunplay, although I will say that once the kids are being hunted by the invaders, the tension and the suspense works well. In fact, it reminded me a little of the book War of the Worlds (not the movies) – the kidnapped people, the empty houses, being hunted by an alien enemy. And as a proud Aussie my skin crawled at seeing Asian tanks on my soil and RAAF FA/18’s being shot down by Chinese jets.
It is though, a movie aimed at teens, and some of the situations the kids get themselves into and succed are a little unrealistic, but hey its a movie.
For those who think an Asian invasion is impossible or fantasy, the Japanese had every intention of invading in WW2. They actually invaded Australian territory (now independant New Guinea) where they were turned back by Aussie and American troops there and at the Battle of Coral Sea. Americans visting Canberra can visit the American war memorial erected in gratitue. Japanese subs also attacked Sydney Harbour and Newcastle and sunk US and Australian ships off our coast from Tasmania to New Guinea. Dont forget Darwin was bombed to the ground (see Baz Lurhmans terrible move “Australia”) many times, and other Australian cities like Townsville were regualrly bombed by the Japanese air force.
Also in 1999, when Australia led INTERFET into East Timor during the UN intervention, we came terribly close to war, however limited, with Indonesia, world’s most populous Muslim nations. RAAF F111 strike aircraft were armed ready to take out Indonesian communications as far back as Jakarta.
Thankfully Australia will take delivery of 100 JST fighters in two years – Indonesia now has the best Russian Sukhoi fighters in the world.
This is another reason Australian polticians are shit scared of offending Asia.
Jon, thanks again – great comments, with lots of information. I’m getting a much better picture now of what sorts of anxieties this film is addressing, as well as the historical context. I’m hoping this film picks up North American distribution out of the Toronto film festival, because I’d love to see it – even if, as I suspect, it’s aimed primarily at the teen audience.
Personally, I’m not sure why anyone would think the Chinese communists are incapable of doing this sort thing. If they are incapable, it’s only because they’re being held in check by superior forces. It certainly would have nothing to do with the current regime’s ‘benevolent’ intentions.
Coincidently, this was on Australian Sixty Minutes last night, about the rise of China in the Pacific, and of US-Australian and Pacific nation waragames near Hawaii recently.
http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/stories/7955110/navy
I’m not losing any sleep about an armed Asian invasion right now, but for the children of Gen-Y, the future will be ‘interesting’.
BTW, the best Aussie movie IMO was Mad Max (made on a shoestring budget), followed by Gallipoli.
Thanks for this, Jon. I appreciate it.
How do you rate “The Road Warrior”? It’s very high on my personal favorites list – higher than “Max,” actually. Also: what do you hear down there about “Fury Road,” the new “Max” film? I’m really liking what I’m reading about it up here.
I assume you mean “Mad Max 2”? Very good, but the story seems to have jumped about 10-15 years into the future from MM1. It’s a shame that several of the leads were forgein actors, although a lot of Australian films use them to increase overseas interest.
I didn’t like Beyond Thunderdome (too Hollywood and childish) and I bet Fury Road will ruin the story of MM1&2 just like Aliens and Jaws 3&4 did for those originals and great sequels. Mad Max without Mel will be just wrong!
BTW, I hope you’re only watching the undubbed Australian version now of Mad Max, which in its original US release, had dubbed US accents because they thought you would not be able to undertand Aussie strine! :-p
I’ve seen the ‘original’ version – and I love the Aussie accents. I have no problem with them. I thought the dubbing was ridiculous.
Aw, hell, I love Mad Max 2! And I enjoyed Aliens, as well. You’re a tough audience, Jon.
“RAAF FA/18’s being shot down by Chinese jets.”
You assume they are Chinese.
“For those who think an Asian invasion is impossible or fantasy, the Japanese had every intention of invading in WW2”
Incorrect.
The IJN submitted a PLAN to do it. It was rejected by both Tojo and the IJA. The objective was to isolate Australia.
“Thankfully Australia will take delivery of 100 JST fighters in two years – Indonesia now has the best Russian Sukhoi fighters in the world.”
I think you mean JSF. No, Indonesia DO not have the best Russian Sukhoi fighters in the world. Russia never exports the latest and BEST to other countries.
You might want to get your info from sources other than Wikipedia.
Marc, get your own “facts” right. Indonesia has been operating the Sukhoi since 2004. Google “Indonesia” and “Sukhoi” and will see plenty of other sources other than Wikipedia.
September 5, 2007, Sydney Morning Herald
http://news.smh.com.au/national/indon-threatens-aussie-naval-dominance-20070905-xdk.html
“Indonesia is set to buy two Russian submarines, raising concerns that they could challenge Australia’s naval dominance in a future conflict.
Professor Hugh White, head of the Defence and Strategic Studies Centre at the Australian National University and a former senior defence official, said the two Kilo-class submarines, if delivered, would be a very significant increase in Indonesian military capability.
“Were there to be a confrontation or a conflict between Australia and Indonesia, God forbid, that would very significantly complicate Australian planning particularly in relation to the use of surface ships,” he told ABC radio.
Russia appears set to grant a billion dollars of credit to Indonesia for purchase of a large package of Russian weaponry.
The agreement is to be signed in the course of the first visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Indonesia on Thursday en route to the APEC meeting in Sydney.
The two kilo-class submarines will be acquired as part of a weapons package which includes Sukhoi jet fighters, helicopters and tanks. The Indonesian navy is considering eventually acquiring up to eight of the submarines.”
November 13, 2008, Sydney Morning Herald
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/russias-largest-air-show-opens-20081113-60ms.html
“In another boost, Indonesia and Russia signed a contract today for six Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets worth a total of about $US350 million ($A434.38 million) , the news agency Interfax reported.”
So Marc please take the time to research before you shoot your mouth off and embarrass yourself.
Bombing of Darwin – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Darwin
The Japanese air raids on Darwin on 19 February 1942 were the largest attacks ever mounted by a foreign power against Australia. They were also a significant action in the Pacific campaign of World War II and represented a psychological blow to the Australian population, several weeks after hostilities with Japan had begun. The raids were the first of almost 100 air raids against Australia during 1942–43.
This event is often called the “Pearl Harbor of Australia”.[2] Although it was a less significant military target, a greater number of bombs were dropped on Darwin than were used in the attack on Pearl Harbor.[3] As was the case at Pearl Harbor, the Australian town was unprepared, and although it came under attack from the air another 58 times in 1942 and 1943, the raids on 19 February were massive and devastating by comparison.
Darwin had a population of about 2,000 at the time, the normal civilian population of about 5,000 having been reduced by evacuation. It was a strategically-placed naval port and airbase, and there were about 15,000 Allied soldiers in the area.
Thanks for this, Jon.
I’ve just returned from seeing Tomorrow When The War Began, and found this article because I am trying to find out if this movie will get released in America. I am a New Yorker permanently living in Sydney, and I thought the movie was brilliant. I didn’t read the books as a teen and never even heard of them until my partner told me they were making a movie of his favorite books from when he was a teen. We were both really excited to see the movie and were worried it wouldn’t live up to our expectations. It definitely did. I particularly loved and even remarked to my partner as we walked out the theater that the movie felt distinctly Australian and un-Hollywood. This is a great thing. It’s a movie made from AUSTRALIAN best selling novels. I liked how the movie had a documentary-like feel, both from the self-filming parts and also from the cinematography, filming the characters quite close-up especially when they are talking about their feelings/thoughts about the war and what they should do. The writing is often poetic and not dumbed down. It wasn’t full of end-of-the-world crazy special effects as so many Hollywood movies are. If America got to see this film they would get a real insight into what Australian culture is about and how talented the art and film industries are here. This would be a good thing as most Americans think Australians sit in the sun and drink beers all day and there are kangaroos and koalas everywhere. I think however no matter where you’re from the message is universal – would you sit around and do nothing if someone took away your freedom or would you fight back and do something about it? I really hope this film gets to America.
Thanks so much for your review, Dana! We really appreciate your thoughts. Keep coming back here to Libertas.
Haha! I actually DO have koalas that visit our trees in our front yard 😉 I live 1km from the CBD in Port Macquarie and due to the proliferation of trees in town, its quite common, although they often get run over by cars 🙁
Being Australian i do take our freedom for granted, and dont give much thought to an invasion, but i must say after seeing this movie its hit a nerve. We rely far to much on the US coming to the rescue, indonesia could land a force that could walk all over Australia, let alone China being involved. We realise without outside support we wouldnt have much hope, not many Australians carry guns, so most civilians would have no option but to surrender. Stopping an Indonesian invasion would be like trying to put out a bushfire with a water pistol, so i dont blame us for relying on the US.
John Howard banned the ownership and sale of all privately owned automatic weapons as a knee jerk reaction to the Port Arthur massacre in 1996. At least if the US or Switzerland was invaded, everyone would have a gun!
For what it is worth, we will always have to rely on the US for defence. Churchill effectively abandoned Australia in WW2.
HELLO! THIS IS JASON APUZZO HERE – AND I JUST WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY THAT WE HAVE A BRAND NEW POST ON THIS SUBJECT (TOMORROW, WHEN THE WAR BEGAN):
https://www.libertasfilmmagazine.com/tomorrow-when-the-war-began-aussie-red-dawn-to-get-back-to-back-sequels/
… AND SINCE THE COMMENTS THREAD ON THIS POST WILL SOON BE CLOSING, I’D APPRECIATE IT IF EVERYBODY COULD MOVE THE DISCUSSION TO THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THE NEW POST.
MANY THANKS!
– THE MANAGEMENT
The Immigration is to destroy White Protestant cultures which were born out of the Protestant Reformation and have been the most resistant to tyranny and the Papacy throughout history. All you see is non-white people immigrating to white countries. You don’t see white people immigrating to non-white countries. It is because Bible believing Protestantism (not the apostate/Freemasonic and Papal controlled one today) provides freedom as opposed to the Jesuit controlled Catholic church which enslaves people. Read up on the Protestant Reformation and the Counter Reformation. The reason for the race mixing is to make the white nations weaker and less likely to unite to fight the enemy.
The ruling power until Christ returns is the Papacy, which is the whore that rides the beast as described in Revelation of the King James 1611 version (which is above the rest). Most of the other versions have been changed such as the NIV. Watch the video the Battle of the Bibles for further information.
The governments of the world are controlled by the Papal Jesuits through Freemasonry. Freemasonry is how all of this evil gets done. It doesn’t matter if the left or right gets in, it is the game they play, back and forth gradually until the Papacy gets it’s New World Order. Most of Parliament or Congress, Labor or Liberal, Democrat or Republican are members of Freemasonry or secret societies. Both sides appear in opposition so the public think they have a choice but secretly work together. Heard of the Illuminati? That was created so the Jesuits could continue to operate under a different name because of their suppression by Pope Clement XIV. The Jesuits have been kicked out of many countries for their political meddling. They were behind WW1 and 2 as well as Hitler.
Concerning the possible Chinese invasion, I’ve heard from Eric Jon Phelps that Bill Clinton gave China U.S military secrets. Don’t think the Jesuits don’t control China….they do through High level Freemasonry. Eric says that the Jesuits have purposely built up China to invade America and Australia. America is especially targeted for destruction because it is the last form of freedom in the world. Once that is gone we can all live under world socialism.
Remember John Howard has taken are guns away for a reason. That is so we are sitting ducks ready for the picking by either an invasion, a tyrannical police state or both. The Port Arthur Massacre has come to be known in conspiracy circles as a “psyop”. The definition of a psyop is a psychological operation or an event designed to drum up public support for some piece of legislation that would be otherwise be unpopular and probably be defeated.
Research problem reaction solution or false flag events. They create the problem so they can get the solution they want. Also research the hegelian dialectic.
Don’t forget the coming WW3 scenario of Zionism VS Islam. Remember it’s not the Jews which the Jesuits would like everyone to believe so they have an excuse to round them up like in Hitler’s day. They place Masonic Talmudic Jews in the limelight to take the heat with the higher powered Jesuits in the background.
It’s all conspiracy and treason big time. Get used to it- it’s the truth. Our freedoms are getting slowly taken away. They can’t do it quickly or we’ll notice. Forget the popular perception that conspiracy theorists are wackos. It is conspiracy fact if you give it a chance and do the research.
If you have any questions email these people:
Eric Jon Phelps: eric@vaticanassassins.org
Tom Friess: inquisitionupdate@yahoo.com
Best of luck.