Harvie Krumpet

Infobox_Film
name = Harvie Krumpet

| imdb_id = 0382734
writer = Adam Elliot
starring = Geoffrey Rush,
Julie Forsyth,
Kamahl,
John Flaus
director = Adam Elliot
producer = Melanie Coombs
distributor = Monster Distributes, Ireland and Atom Films, USA
released = 2003
runtime = 23 mins
language = English
music =
awards =
budget =

Harvie Krumpet is an Australian claymation, made in Melbourne by Adam Elliot (Melodrama Pictures). This short (23 min) film won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film in 2003, in addition to numerous festival awards and the 2004 Australian Film Institute Best Short Animation award.

ynopsis

The story revolves around the life of "Harvek Milos Krumpetzki", born in Poland in 1922. At the outbreak of World War II he comes to Spotswood in Australia as a refugee, and changes his name to "Harvie Krumpet". Despite a life filled with bad luck - such as having Tourette's Syndrome, being struck by lightning, and losing one of his testicles - Harvie remains ever optimistic, living out his own eccentric way of life, marrying a nurse he meets in hospital and raising an adoptive daughter, who is a Thalidomide baby. Throughout his disaster-ridden life, people around him come and go, but right to the end Harvie delights in the simple pleasure of life. In one of the pivotal episodes of his life Harvie sits in the park next to a statue of Horace while he hears the instructional "Carpe diem" that inspires him to many changes in life including embracing the naturist ways and embarking on daring rescue missions for animal rights.

That this film is a series of clay figures, not a computer generated animation makes it even more powerful. The naïve simplicity of Harvie is an extended metaphor for all that youth values in life - a clear sense of values and strength of family.

Easter Eggs

There is an easter egg on the DVD. Put the DVD into your DVD player. When you get to the main menu, go to the 'Extras' menu. Highlight the 'Main' option (get the blue dot next to the word Main) and press right on your remote. When you do this, a cigarette appears in Harvie's mouth. Press OK and you'll hear the sweet sound of the famous Irish tune 'Danny Boy'.

Goofs

*When Harvie first appears naked on screen, he is a darker color and doesn't have a darker toned mouth.
*The letter sent from Harvie's daughter had a British stamp although she was in America.
*When Harvie is born he has a full set of teeth.
*Harvie's wife Valerie was shown to have died on his 65th birthday, 1984, but this is contradictory: his 65th birthday would have been in 1987, making 1984 his 62nd.

ee also

*List of Australian films

External links

* [http://www.harviekrumpet.com/ Official site]
*
* http://www.adamelliot.com.au/ - Adam Elliot official website
* http://www.melodramapictures.com - Melodrama Pictures official website
* [http://www.sleepybrain.net/adam-elliot Sleepy Brain's interview with Adam Elliot]
* [http://www.xdafied.com.au/movies/adamelliot.html Xdafied.com.au interview with Adam Elliot]
* [http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=Number%3A636719;querytype=;rec=0;resCount=10 Harvie Krumpet at the National Film and Sound Archive]