Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! is the breeziest, most fun documentary I’ve enjoyed since Once In a Lifetime. Small wonder, as this film revels in the glamor and grit of the height of the Western Civilization, the 1970s. Mark Hartley has created a relentless and exhaustive tour of seemingly every Australian exploitation film, from cheeky T&A lad flicks to nasty slasher films, and everything in between. If you’re hankering for a variety pack of car explosions and other automotive-themed noir, gratuitous excuses for bared breasts, booze–fueled exploits, and psychotic killers on the rampage, Not Quite Hollywood delivers by the bucketload.

For all its crassness and over the top scenes, Not Quite Hollywood is a very affectionate and surprisingly respectful look at Aussie exploitation. In the late 1960s, the Australian government , in a misguided attempt at international prestige, began funding films and encouraging a homegrown film industry. Every joker with dreams of being the next Cecil B. Demille wasted no time taking advantage of this federal largess, but the resulting films were not precisely what the government had in mind. Things really started getting rolling when the government introduced the “R-certificate” in 1971, which abolished almost all film censorship in the country.

Not Quite Hollywood is divided into three rollicking chapters: “Ockers, Knockers, Pubes and Tubes”, “Comatose Killers and Outback Thrillers”, and “High Octane Disasters and Kung Fu Masters”. The first chapter is a gloriously seedy look at Aussie T&A flicks, starting off with the “educational” films about sex, which predictably degenerated into all out sex romps, beginning with the hit series “Stork,” which chronicled the erotic adventures of an unlikely playboy. The McKenzie film series also reached new cultural heights, with plenty of booze, racist jokes, dogshit, smutty double ententes, and gallons of vomit. (The directors describe how the different kinds of vomit were made). To give you an idea of how classy this documentary is, director John Lemond is interviewed in a strip club with a pole dancer gyrating behind him. Respectable film critic Philip Adams is on hand to offer dry and scathing wisecracks on the film industry’s most boorish moments, but you know he is cracking up just as much we are.

Quentin Tarantino (who assisted Hartley with financing and producing Not Quite Hollywood) gives his usual hilarious reviews of the films, giving special praise to director Brian Trenchard-Smith. (Tarantino dedicated Kill Bill to the Trenchard-Smith). Tarantino is practically frothing at the mouth and jumping out of seat with love for these Australian films, describing them as “so bang on that the Italians did rip offs them.”

Not Quite Hollywood is chock full of insane anecdotes, such as the production of Sandy Harbutt’s Stone, which involved near fatal stunts, real pot smoking, and rioting Hell’s Angels. And if you thought Dennis Hopper was out of control for Easy Rider, that was nothing to compared to his tear through Australia for the production of Mad Dog Morgan. The 1978 film Stunt Rock features Sorcery, a rock band who Trenchard-Smith had to “find by Monday” or the Dutch company funding the film would pull the plug.

And that’s just for starters. Apparently Jimmy Wang Yu, the legend behind Master of the Flying Guillotine, was a racist prick who actually beat up the local Australian stuntmen during the filming of The Man From Hong Kong. The film features ridiculous car chase scenes that were filmed without actual traffic control or police permission.

According to Wikipedia, more than sixty films are referenced in the documentary; Not Quite Hollywood is a comprehensive look at a wide range of directors, editors, actors, stuntmen, and critics. Other than Mad Max, I have not seen any of these films, but I know I have to hunt down at least half of them. Not Quite Hollywood is a superb documentary that will impale the heart of any die-hard film geek and anyone with an Aussie fetish. The ideal party movie for your next raucous get together, Not Quite Hollywood is absolute, genuine apeshit, with editing that is nothing short of miraculous.