"On its release in 1978, Fred Schepisi's The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith confronted audiences with a depiction of violence, racism and exploitation in the harsh Australian outback. Based on Thomas Keneally's award-winning novel, the film is a dramatisation ofthe real-life story of Jimmy Governor, the part-Aboriginal bushranger hanged for multiple murders in 1901. A vision of rage and revenge striking out against an unjust and intolerant society, the film brought sharply into focus issues of race and identity in Australian society." "In this compelling critique, Henry Reynolds explores the difficult relationship between fiction and history. Reynolds views The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith in its political and historical context, and examines the ways in which a study of Australian cinema is also a study of Australian social issues."--Back cover.