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Bookmark this pageAustralia (2008)
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Synopsis
Baz Luhrmann attempts to deliver Australia's answer to Gone with the Wind, a sweeping romance set in the years leading up to World War II.
Movie review
From Time Out London
Hoity-toity Englishwoman Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) doesn’t believe for a moment that her husband is in Australia selling his cattle station; he’s off shagging Sheilas, she reckons, so even though it’s 1939 and she’s far too genteel to go bucketing around the world alone, she crosses the globe to bring him home – more out of irritation than any obvious romantic impulse.She doesn’t find him – or not alive, anyway. But she does discover a vast land full of kangaroos, magical half-Aboriginal children and empire-building cattle barons. Oh, and there’s some bloke called The Drover (Hugh Jackman) who thinks she’s a nuisance but agrees to herd her cattle across the Northern Territory anyway, with a motley crew including a drunken accountant and Lady Sarah herself.
It’s a fine romp, epic in both ambition and visuals if not narrative – and if director Baz Luhrmann had stopped at the end of the love story’s trajectory, the audience would have left entirely happy. But he carries on, into war, the Japanese bombing of Darwin and other, less credible villainy, and it becomes clear that beneath his camp sensibility beats a conscientious heart, keen to bring the plight of the Stolen Generations – Aboriginals parted from their families – to a wider audience. It’s a laudable aim, but exploring the issue here is as ludicrous as expecting viewers of ‘Gone with the Wind’ to worry about slavery. View this as Outback candyfloss and you’ll have a grand time – it’s terribly entertaining f too long, and its release date is perfect since it’s as camp as Christmas. But ‘Rabbit-Proof Fence’ it ain’t. (Nina Caplan)
Author: Nina Caplan
Time Out London Issue 2000/2001, Dec 18-31, 2008\
User reviews of this film
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- usman khawaja said...
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Posted on Dec 29 2008 01:23
nicole kidman is a very politically correct engish lady who becomes an english cow girl and goes on a cattle drive in austrailia with the tough white guy who has a chip on his shoulder ,
he cannot commit to love or kids but can break horses like eastwood and ride like john wayne -so can nicole kidman .
but the english woman is also very christian and wants to save the souls of all the aboriginal kids who are being abused by a bunch of evil snobbish english racist aristocracy who all talk like helen mirren acted in queen .
the kid of course is called NUALLA and is a sugary little plum who goes for walkabouts every 5 minutes in the kangaroo fields ,
he has a aboriginal grandad who sings weird songs from hilltops that look recycled from PICNIC AT HANGING ROCKS and walbabout ,
everyone shouts and laughs and pretends to be outraged by the plight of mixed kids except the white men who have fathered them .
then the best thing happens to the world and hollywood -japan attacks pearl harbour and what would the movie moguls done if WW2 HAD NOT HAPPENED ,
the rest you can see on the screen with horses cows ,ships and planes ,a lot of kidman and kangaroos with some excellent music ,production design and a mediocre script and acting -
other then the kid who was quite sweet in a male shirley temple kinda role of being a cute professional .
baz lahrman is a mediocre film-maker and this will not surprise anyone with its craftsman ship and should fulfill your expectations .
a tiny warning both kidman and hugh jackman are showing signs of turning into antique stars as by the tell tale wrinkles .
a little bit of empire of the sun and far country mixed with austrailian mumbo jumbo from WALKABOUT -but not a tiny shred of intelligence -it was mildly interesting - Report as inappropriate
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- sam said...
- Posted on Dec 28 2008 18:46 I can't believe people like this film. The only good part about it is the comedy-value of how bad it is and how Nicole Kidman's acting is shown up by a little boy who has never acted before.
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- Chris Bentley said...
- Posted on Dec 28 2008 13:15 Absolutley loved this film despite it being a tad long. Great acting, stunning scenery and as for Hugh Jackman wow! it was worth going to see just for him. I would thoroughly recomend it to everyone.
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- Dez Licquorish said...
- Posted on Dec 28 2008 09:41 absolutely loved this film...a first class epic...acting superb from everyone...visually stunning...gripping storyline...Baz should be an Oscar winner in February!
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- HowardL said...
- Posted on Dec 28 2008 00:23 The only redeeming feature was the closing credits. This contained every cliche possible, with sets that looked like they were resurected from South Pacific and bits of plot from Schindler's List and Mary Poppins, amongst others.
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- T said...
- Posted on Dec 27 2008 22:39 I was in the mood to watch a film with a story, and this movie proved to be everything I needed, I laughed I cried I felt. Maybe a bit long, but an excellent epic :)
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- Jackie said...
- Posted on Dec 26 2008 23:30 Well I went along with the critics reviews in mind but was totally blown away. Absolutely loved it and as for Hugh Jackman!! I agree that maybe it could have ended after the ball scenes but there would have been too many ends left lying around so it had to go on. I also never realised that Darwin was bombed so I learnt something new. And what an amazing country Australis is - Baz's filming of the scenery was stupendous especially the cattle stampede. I would thoroughly recommend this film and yah boo to the previous spoilsports who hated it.
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- Freddy said...
- Posted on Dec 20 2008 02:37 This is the worst film I have ever seen.
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- Kate said...
- Posted on Dec 16 2008 10:35 100% pure Baz Lurhman magic. First 15 minutes a bit slow but after that I barely noticed the time passing. What an adventure! Pleased to see that Kevin Rudd's apology to the stolen generation features at the end too. Well done Baz!
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- Editor in the House? said...
- Posted on Dec 04 2008 20:35 With respect to different aesthetics, and the right of everyon to have different views...this film cost 130 million dollars to make and I didn't feel 130 times more emotion. It was about 2-3 films trying to co-exist, and can not really be seen as anything near a perfect film. I ask people to seek out the smaller budget gems from Australia, Europe and the UK that really do have maverick ideas and push boundaries without needing to depend on cash. If Time Out loved this film, that's worrying, and I should really reconsider that subscription. Would you really pass over 130 films made for a million that at least got a tear or genuine humor without cliches?
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- Flemming said...
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Posted on Dec 04 2008 18:50
This film is all over the place. A bit like a soap opera really. It kinda grabs you in the beginning but when the cows hit Darwin we lose any emotional bond to any of the characters.
I agree with another reader saying it should've been a 90 minute-film.
Must hand it to Baz luhrman though: he manages to make even a Western camp as Christmas. That's an achievement.
No. This is definitely not a good film. Far from it in fact. - Report as inappropriate
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- Jenny Cleaver said...
- Posted on Dec 04 2008 17:57 I landed in a seat to see 'Australia' the movie in a New York theatre only because I was meant go to a film that was sold out. The best error in timing I have made all year. I expected to be disappointed as some reviews had not been kind. What was the result? I will never ever take notice of reviews every again and when I get home to England, I will insist my entire family see this marvelous, sad and bitter-sweet flamboyant production go and see it when it has it's UK opening at Xmas. The Director of Moulin Rouge has done ir again. Offbeat in a way, yet with a stylised manner not seen since 'Gone with the Wind.' If you see it, forget the staggered first fifteen minutes as it soon gathers momentum until you are drawn in totally by the actors, the story and most of all the unbelievable cinematography. My best film trip this year and to hell with those Aussie critics. They always bag their home grown stuff. They call it 'The Tall Poppy Syndrome' down there. Running down anything ho0me grown. 'Crikey' is a funny aussie slang word used often in the film. A bit too much. Shades of Paul Hogan, But as a film it was a five star delight to me. Thank god men of vision can see see we like epics like this beautiful film.
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- Editor in the House? said...
- Posted on Dec 03 2008 22:51 This is the worst film I've seen in a while. I watch a lot of films for a living, but this was cliched, tired and a film taht should have been 90 minutes long max. I like popcorn, but after the first bucket is gone, it becomes a bit tired...just like this waste of money. True mavericks in Australian film could have made 130 films that would have touched me more than this Never Never Not worth seeing.
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- ~EtHaN~ said...
- Posted on Nov 24 2008 22:12 tyhis movie has totally blown me away.. congradulations to the actors director an more..
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- chris said...
- Posted on Nov 24 2008 07:39 Great movie. Should definitely be in the running for best picture oscar.
- Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brandon Walters, David Gulpilil, Bryan Brown, David Wenham, Essie Davis, Ben Mendelsohn full cast
Rated: 12A
Duration: 165 mins
UK Release: Dec 26 2008
US Release: Nov 26 2008
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