NFSA Restores Collection: 'Starstruck'

Few titles of the Australian film renaissance of the 1970s and early 1980s have fallen into such undeserved obscurity as Gillian Armstrong's Starstruck, but Jaymes Durante's thoroughly researched and lively evocation of a rare excursion into the musical genre may well lead to an upsurge of interest in and popularity for the film. It was not what one would have expected from Armstrong, whose previous feature was the coming-of-age period piece My Brilliant Career, and Durante's essay makes a persuasive case for her versatility in successfully embracing such different material.

Additional keywords:
teen film, coming of age, Jo Kennedy, Stephen MacLean, Sydney, stardom, fame, celebrity, kitsch, camp.