Historical Accuracy Of The Depiction Of The 1990s In Looking For Alibrandi

Table of Contents

The 1990s were a time of schooling

The 1990s saw males entering the workforce

In the 1990s, there was a lot of racism and immigrants.

Alibrandi

In conclusion

The 1990s were a time of schooling

In the 1990s, schools were given a higher priority, especially for students who had just completed secondary schooling. Because the labour market requires students with higher education credentials, this was important. Students who had a long schooling history were more likely to continue their secondary education. Parents with a higher level of education became involved in education.

Specific schools show a decrease in public schools but an increase in non-government schools. Campbell and Proctor (2014) found that in 1991 government schools fell by 1.6%, while non-government schools grew by 0.6%. Five years later, non-government schools continued their decline, growing by 1.3% while government schools saw a drop of 5.1%. This is due to the Howard Liberal government which, in mid-90s, started to divert public resources more towards the private and less towards the public sectors (Sherington & Campbell (2009)). This resulted into conflict between the government and non-government schools that were able to enrol students (Campbell & Proctor 2014. This conflict led schooling to become more segregated based on socio-economic status and geographic location. Catholic and Protestant school became very popular in the North Shore area, as well as the Eastern suburbs and inner West. Few students were able to attend government schools. This is because they perceived themselves to be more orderly and less chaotic than public schools. Catholic schools were also more exclusive than other schools. To gain admission, one had to be able to pay the fees and have to pass entrance tests to prove academic potential. These schools also offered social exclusivities and specializations in curriculum. There was no Catholic school in the early days. They were single-sex schools, run by brothers and nuns. The Arnoldian traits of having prefects and school songs adopted by girls’ schools became more common. This was the case throughout the 1990s. Additionally, policies changed to include females in curriculum and higher education.

The 1990s saw males entering the workforce

Boys were a growing problem in the 1990s. New programs were created that supported young males, who had become the disadvantaged sexual class (a term previously reserved for women). This led to youth suicide becoming more common, particularly among young males. In the 1990s, suicide rates among males aged 15-24 jumped three-fold over the 1960s. The Australian Bureau of Statistics found that suicide rates in the 15-24 age group were higher than those of males. This was based on a comparison of female suicide rates and male suicide rates (Cantor and al. 1999). The high suicide rates of young males could have been due to their feeling that they were being ruled by tyranny (Cantor et al., 1999).

Immigration and Racism in the 1990s

In 1970, the Racial Discrimination Act became law. This act saw the end to the White Australia policy. In the 1990s, multicultural policies became more common in Australia’s post-white Australia era. However, laws and policies were not effective in stopping discrimination. The 1990s saw an increase in anti-immigration and xenophobia.

Particularly, the mid-1990s saw an increase in non-European immigrants, particularly Asian and Muslim ones, which led to opposition (Tavan 2004). Pauline Hanson of the One Nation Party maintained this trend into the late-1990s, arguing that immigration is a prelude and catalyst for social conflict and division. This will lead to an Australian with a more ethnically diverse population. According to a survey, 60% of Sydney’s residents opposed the immigrant communities maintaining their traditions and cultures.

Although Asian and Muslim immigrant seem to be the main groups, other less well-known groups like the southern and Eastern Europeans were identified as important outgroups in New South Wales (Forrest & Dunn (2006)). The mass migration of Eastern Europeans to Australia, particularly Italians, began in the 1950s. Despite how many years passed since they immigrated, it wasn’t until the 1990s that there was significant language loss and a shift among Italo Australians. In particular, the decline in Italian speakers is 10.3%. Rubino, 2002 found that older generations adopted Italian tendencies to externally, while retaining Italian family and community behaviours. This could indicate that ItaloAustralians stopped participating in their culture after witnessing a rise of racism during this decade. There was evidence that the younger Italo/Australian generation had experienced a cultural revival of the Italian language.

Looking for Alibrandi: “Looking to Alibrandi” was a 2000 Australian film. The entire movie was shot in Sydney. Glebe Beach was used, as well as Bondi Beach and Glebe. The Scots College was the most popular school, followed by Kincoppal School.

The film won five AFI Awards 2000, the most notable being “Best Film”. Kate Woods was the film’s director and made her directorial debut. The film’s multiculturalism was represented by Woods with respect and depth. The film earned $8.3 million in Australia. This is evidence of their success.

Pia Miranda plays Josie Alibrandi. Before becoming an actress, she earned a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University of Technology. Miranda and her character shared a commonality because she is also of Italian-Australian descent. Melina Marchetta wrote the screenplay. Rosebank College, currently an independent Roman Catholic comprehensive secondary school co-educational, was Marchetta’s high-school. However, the school was previously an all-girls school.

“Looking for Alibrandi” is full of schooling. Josie Alibrandi attends St Martha’s Catholic all-girls school. Catholic schools were the most sought-after school in the 1990s. Josie Alibrandi was the principal student at this school. Josie also revealed how a friend had to work two jobs to secure a spot at Catholic school for her daughter.

St Martha’s resembles the school environment described in Part 1. This is because the film depicts Catholic schooling accurately to what Part 1 describes. This scene shows how all-girls schools can develop Arnoldian characteristics. Outdoor films often include information about other infrastructures. This information can be valuable for understanding the social history. Kincoppal Secondary School is an authentic Roman-Catholic all females Catholic school. The film features school scenes shot there. Originality is preserved by using authentic schools so that it gives an accurate picture of Catholic schools in the 1990s.

Additionally, several schools visited the Sydney Opera House in order to hear speeches by different students. Josie gave a speech. Her school’s reaction was polite and well-mannered. Jacob Coote, who was a student at a public high school, was next to her. He was a loud and vulgar character. Obnoxious students laughed and cheered throughout the speech. The camera panted around the audience to add effect. It was clear that students had different dress and behaviours, which made it easier to identify which student attended a public or private school.

This scene nicely reflects the perception that church-run schools are more orderly and more civilized than public schools.

The film was notable for other reasons than the Alibrandi’s schooling. Racism came back in the 1990s. Italo Australians were particularly affected by it. Josie expresses disinterest in Josie’s loud Italian family and then leaves the scene to go home with her Australian friends. In school, students openly refer to her Italian family as ‘wogs’. Carly Bishop even mentioned how her father had publicly stated that they were ‘tackling all the wogs. These are examples of the racism that occurred during that decade. These social attitudes are clearly reflected in the film. However, there may be some errors due to films not being openly controversial, especially when it comes to topics such as racism, which can offend many people. The film shows that there is a revival of Italian culture, language and heritage despite the racism. Josie changes her attitude towards the end and appears more proud and involved with her Italian heritage.

John Barton’s suicide is another significant aspect of the film. This is important because suicide was a common occurrence among youth in the 1990s. His suicide was not explained in detail, but Josie and his father were seen talking about their futures several times. John felt compelled to follow the footsteps of his father, a well-respected politician. The fact that he was forced to emulate his father could indicate his feeling of being influenced, which could lead to youth suicide.

However, the film did not portray certain aspects accurately. Josie explains that St Martha’s is also concerned about the earning potential of fathers. We can see that parents had a major role in the education and participation of their children during the 1990s. The film does not express this. The film does not explicitly mention fathers. However, they are mentioned throughout. Carly was a proud mother and boasted often about her father. She treated her like royalty and was spoilt by her father. Carly’s father wasn’t an influential figure in her education. Instead, his popularity was portrayed. This film does not portray the history, but has some teenage themes like popularity and dating to make it relevant and more relatable to the audience. Josie’s and Jacob’s relationship exemplifies the idea that schooling is becoming more divided on the basis of social class and geography. Josie expressed concerns that Jacob and Josie were from different social classes and regions. She fears their relationship won’t work. It is easier to show this through relationships, than by looking at how social class and region caused further segregation during the 1990s.

In conclusion,

Barber (2015) reaffirms that films won’t and will never reflect society. Films are merely a representational of reality at the time. The film ‘Looking for Alibrandi’ is accurate in portraying the 1990s. Multiple aspects of it convey the realities of racism, schooling, and suicide among youth at that time. When evaluating a film’s historical value, it is important that you consider the purpose of the film and its execution. This film is a look into the lives of a teenager trying to navigate her teenage years, school and cultural changes in the 1990s. The film does not attempt to address these issues or concepts. This helps to accurately represent history since staginess or obtrusiveness could obscure it (Barber 2015). Despite the inaccuracies, they are inevitable because films still serve their purpose of entertaining and engaging their audience. This film does a great job of presenting major historical moments in the 1990s.

Author

  • joshwright

    Josh Wright is a 34-year-old educational blogger and school teacher who has been working in the field for over a decade. He has written extensively on a variety of educational topics, and is passionate about helping others achieve their educational goals.

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