Ninety Nine Per Cent

With 'Ninety Nine Per Cent' Giorgio Mangiamele harnessed satiric, surreal and slapstick comedy to tell his most socially probing story of the impact of urban as well as cultural isolation. Where his earlier films, including 'Il Contratto' and two versions of 'The Spag' had portrayed problems specific to being an Italian migrant in an often racist and uncaring Australia, 'Ninety Nine Per Cent' made the impact of isolation within a multiracial society more universal. The film is a visual advance on Mangiamele’s earlier films, aided by its being filmed on 35mm stock (all the earlier works had been shot on 16mm), bringing a new sharpness, depth of field and exposure range to images. 'Ninety Nine Per Cent' was to be Mangiamele’s only comedy and in many ways it is his most adventurous, accessible work.