So in some ways, this documentary doesn't pretend to be anything more than what it is - a love letter to a great Aussie film and its producer, John Cornell, by his wife and soul mate. But it tantalizes with showing some of the magic thst made Crocodile Dundee such a beloved film and worldwide success. Some of the photography is stunning and just brings back some of the magic of the original film (to be re-released in a edited form in May 2025 in Australia at least).
The background to the making of the movie and the interviews with some of its key players are great but if there is any criticism to be found here, it is that some of the interviews seem to be short and could have offered so much more (while admittedly extending the runtime). One can only hope there is a longer documentary to be produced with the release of the 4K physical media. One example is the brief account from Peter Best whose music enhanced so much what was on the film and elevated it significantly (just imagine the movie without the music over the titles or at the end of the movie).
There is more than one love story here - not only the love between the deceased producer, John Cornell, and his wife Delvene Delaney but also the love of mates John and Paul Hogan, others who worked with them and the love that developed between Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski. It was great to see Linda being interviewed and still very much the person she was during the filming of Crocodile Dundee. Both Paul and Linda avoid talking about their love or marriage so maybe that was off-limits. But to see them having so much fun during the filming of Crocodile Dundee comes across and their chemistry was tangible.
This film is timely as we move towards 40 years since the release of Crocodile Dundee (1986). We can only hope thst another behind the scenes documentary may be made by the same team to coincide with the 2026 anniversary before we lose more players behind such a successful independent film. It truly was the little film that could and there's something very Aussie about that. This documentary is worth a watch to anyone who like the creation of lightning in a bottle.
