Analysis Of Crocodile Dundee

Crocodile Dundee is a film produced by John Cornell in 1986. The film was set in the Australian Outback and in New York City. The movie embodies many ideas about the “Typical Australian” that Russel Ward characterizes as the “Australian Legend”. The Australian Legend is not a person, it’s an idea that describes the typical Australian man, which is a concept that has been formed through society. Two different versions of the film were created, an Australian and an international version. The international version of the film had a lot of the Australian slang replaced with more commonly understood terms because the Australian version had a lot of colorful Australian slang. Contesting the male type of the Australian Legend invites a closer examination …show more content…
The following quote originates from a scene where Mick and Sue come across a robber, who demands Mick’s wallet, while threatening him with a small knife. Sue responds by nervously demanding Mick to hand over his wallet and Mick responds by laughing. He then pulls out a machete 5 times the size of the robbers and says “That’s not a knife…. This is a knife”. The scene was created to portray Mick as “rough and ready”, and “willing to have a go” while using his outback skills. The machete he has in his pocket is made to makes him seem “manly” and “confident”. His confidence showed it was normal for him to stick up for himself and for his lady. Australian’s take great pride in their country and culture. They enjoy being different and ‘better’ than everyone else. Australian nationalists argue that this national identity which can be defined as the Australian Legend, has been formed by the experience of living in the bush. As stated in Australian Bush Wisdom and the Australian Legend, the legend works largely through identification. Dibble says, ‘it is part of a complex postcolonial discourse that originally defined Australian identity as something different from or better than British and now defines it as different from or better than everyone. This means that there is a distinct Australian identity, and that they stick by it to define themselves, while being proud of who they are . Mick clearly belongs in the outback and …show more content…
During the scene Mick is supposed to be showing Sue around the outback. Sue is eager to take a walk by herself to explore the “Australian lifestyle”. Sue wants to show Mick that as a woman she can handle the Australian lifestyle. While most typical Australians tend to be more “taciturn” sue fits into this category because she is more assertive and confident in trying to live the Australian lifestyle . There are a couple of times she is shown to have changed and picked up on Australian normalcies. For example when Mick first meets Sue she is impractical. Her clothing is very “New York City” styled; dress, scarf, heels and etc. By the end of the film when she falls in love with Mick, she loses her pretentiousness from her New York lifestyle when she takes her heels off and runs down the city streets barefoot. Furthermore, when Sue and Mick part ways in the outback Mick is secretly watching her the whole time. Mick is shown climbing and walking on the trees, keeping an eye on her. When Mick walks on the trees he is not wearing shoes. This scene shows that he is in his natural environment and that he is capable of nature. When Sue is off on her own she undresses and head over to the Billabong trying to fill up her water canteen. Mick bumps his head into a branch and loses his “Australianness” with nature because a woman distracts him. A crocodile then pulls on