Distributor:
Umbrella Entertainment Certificate: PG | 288
minutes Writer: John Clarke And Ross Stevenson
Available to Rent/Buy Extras: Yes
ANYONE
IN IT WE KNOW?
John
Clarke, Gina Riley, Ross Stevenson and Bryan Dawe
WHAT’S
IT ABOUT THEN?
"They
would sing 'The Carnival is
Over' at the closing ceremony of
the Sydney Olympic Games. It'd
be the last song they ever sang
together."
When
this ABC mockumentary first
aired in the run up to the 2000
Sydney Olympics it was obvious
that right from the get go here
was something a little special,
the pomposity and beaurocracy of
state organisations has never
been funnier and now thanks to
Umbrella we have the opportunity
to savour the whole first series
again.
SO
IS IT ANY GOOD?
The
dry and sly humour of The Games is guaranteed to have you in stitches
and although the Olympics has long since been and gone The Games has
lost none of its potency, striking into the heart as it does of any
large scale organisation. John Clarke who not only co-wrote with John
Stevenson also appears in the lead, playing the head of administration
and logistics, other main characters included liaison manager Gina
Riley, budgeting manager Bryan Dawe, and the Minister of the Games'
secretary Nicholas Bell. Well on the money, events in the show were
pretty much guaranteed to happen to the real life committee before too
long.
Considering
that a lot of the show consists of the leads sitting around the
committee table talking it just shows the quality of the scripts that
your interest is totally maintained. There never an Olympics as high
profile as those of Cindy 2000 and this is a great reminder of all the
brou-ha-ha that surrounded it. Essential viewing.
ANY
SPECIAL FEATURES?
Extras
include a
commentary on the pilot episode by John Clarke And Umbrella Propaganda.
