How weird does this mob still seem?

Impossibly remote in many ways, the late fifties are portrayed with verve and nuance in John O’Grady’s bestselling novel, writes Brian McFarlane, in his review of the book and DVD 'They’re a weird mob', by Nino Culotta, published by Text Classics, Melbourne, 2012, and 'They're a weird mob', directed by Michael Powell, distributed by Reel DVD, Australia, 1966.