Film > Australian Cinema Classics

Dawn Fraser won four gold medals for Australia at three Olympics between 1956 and 1964. She remains the only athlete in the world to win the same event – the 100m freestyle - at three consecutive Olympic Games. During her legendary, and tumultuous, nine-year swimming career, Dawn set 28 world records and won eight Olympic medals.

This classic biographical drama, produced in 1979, explores Fraser's life before and after her competitive years, beginning with her working-class upbringing in the Sydney suburb of Balmain, and climaxing in the notorious events surrounding the Tokyo Olympics when she was banned from competitive swimming after allegedly stealing the national flag. A rare insight into one of the most infamous episodes in Australian sporting history, Dawn also brings to life the spirit and passion of one of Australia’s greatest sporting heroes.