Blakemore directed and scripted the documentary , '' A Personal History of the Australian Surf : The Confessions of a Straight Poofter '' ( 1981 ) , in which he appeared as himself . Tom Milne , reviewing it for the '' Time Out Film Guide '' , described the film as , " basically a home movie in which theatre director Blakemore traces his graduation from Bondi Beach to National Theatre . " He followed with the film version of '' Privates on Parade '' ( 1982 ) featuring Denis Quilley and John Cleese . In 1994 , Blakemore wrote and directed '' Country Life '' . In this adaptation of Chekhov 's '' Uncle Vanya '' , transferred to an Australian setting , he also played the role of Alexander who has left the London literary scene to return to his roots . The film received five nominations from the Australian Film Institute and was entered into the 19th Moscow International Film Festival
19th Moscow International Film Festival
19th Moscow International Film Festival
Michael Blakemore