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Long Weekend  (1978) Directed by Colin Eggleston Long Weekend is an Australian horror film starring John Hargreaves and Briony Behets. They play a married couple, Peter and Marcia, whose relationship is in difficulty. Peter decides that he and Marcia need some time alone together and sets his heart on a weekend camping trip to a deserted beach, in the middle of nowhere. Marcia is not keen on the idea but goes along anyway. The couple don't talk a lot on their journey to the beach. The atmosphere inside their Land Rover is strained and it is obvious that they are not the happiest of campers. Neither are they the most responsible and they manage to cause a certain amount of havoc without even leaving their vehicle. First of all Peter throws a lighted cigarette out of the window and, as he drives away, it ignites the grass at the side of the road. Then, a few minutes later, he is so busy fiddling on with his next smoke that he runs over a kangaroo. The trip seems doomed from the start, Peter is unable to find the beach and ends up driving around in circles, in the dark, in the bush and in a lot of hot water with his wife. When Peter stops the vehicle Marcia is keen to go back and find a hotel, but Peter insists that they sleep in the Land Rover. Peter is the first to wake up and by the time Marcia clambers from the Land Rover he has got breakfast underway. Better still, he has discovered that the beach is just over the hill and so he has already set up camp. He appears to be quite a capable camper, but is obsessed with boy-toys like his brand new rifle and his harpoon gun. For some strange reason his axe is not without its attractions either and when Marcia asks him why he is chopping down a tree his only reason is "Why not?" Actions like this, along with his litter-bug ways, give an indication of how little respect he has for the environment. The stretch of coast that Peter has brought them to is breathtaking and for a while it looks like all that sun is and sand is beginning to melt the ice between the couple. The thaw is a short one, though and, as everything seems to go wrong for them, their relationship begins to fall apart faster than ever. One of their first problems is just a little one. Lots of little ones actually -- ants -- and Marcia murders the little blighters with a can of insecticide. Then the frozen chicken spoils at an impossible speed and when Peter takes it out of their portable freezer it is covered in mould. This is very strange, but is not unduly alarming. On a more than one occasion, however, Peter is attacked by the local wildlife and is particularly shaken after an encounter with and eagle. Through all of this Marcia is quick to remind her husband how bored she is and that she wants to leave. Peter is not for budging though, even if their long weekend has become more of a wrong weekend that is probably destroying more bridges than it is mending. Hargreaves and Behets are very well cast as the warring Peter and Marcia, who sometimes seem to love each, but at others to perhaps only need each other because they have no one else. They paint a very believable picture of a complicated relationship that is falling apart. Long Weekend is an extremely good film and the idea of nature striking back at humanity is a quite scary one that is handled very well here under the direction of  Colin Eggleston. It is also a much underrated film that is rarely aired here in the UK. Because of this a lot of people have never even heard of it. It is not easy to find it on DVD either. Even on Amazon I could only find a region 1 copy. Fortunately, I have a multi-region player, but not everyone will be so lucky.   Extras: Original Theatrical Trailer. Audio Commentary with Producer Richard Brennen and Cinematographer Vincent Monton. Extentsive Still Gallery Featuring an Audio Interview with John Hargreaves.     CAST  John Hargreaves     ...  Peter  Briony Behets         ...  Marcia  Mike McEwen        ...  Truck Driver  Roy Day                 ...  Old Man  Michael Aitkens       ...  Bartender  Sue Kiss von Soly    ...  City girl      DVD Information: Audio Dolby 5.1 Surround (or mono) Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Runtime 95 minutes (approx) Languages English Subtitles None Watch The Trailer This text will be replaced HOME