An Aussie's view of the movie "Australia"

WE have an extra special treat today!

One of the women who reads my blog, Brigit from Australia, offered to go see the movie and then give us her take on it.  So here goes:

Last night I took myself to see ‘Australia.’ This film has all the ingredients of a box office success. It has great actors, the beauty of the Northern Territory outback, romance, an interesting storyline, history and a renowned director. It seems to have it all.

There were moments I became quite absorbed. I chuckled a couple of times and even had tears welling in my eyes, but unfortunately I couldn’t get comfortable with the film.

There were problems with genre. The initial humour in the film, caught me unaware. I found myself thinking “Was this going to be a drama or a comedy?” The humour did not follow through, but ceased, as if one film finished and another began. I felt the film lacked honesty in its portrayal of Australian history, its characters, and its depiction of the outback. On leaving the cinema, I felt the film had failed.

For a film with the title of Australia, it lacked Australian authenticity. Why was one of the main characters a British aristocrat? Why did the cinematography relate more to something out of Indiana Jones than the true beauty of the Northern Territory outback? And why on earth wasn’t history accurately presented.

The Northern Territory is as vast an area of red soil, as it is of fine detail and prolific wildlife, of which the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, that seems to be the species in the film is not a resident of, and was purely there for the ‘wow’ factor. The arid areas of the Northern Territory are dramatically transformed during the wet season. What a shame that wasn’t portrayed.

Yes, the existence of the Stolen Generation is true. We did remove ‘half-castes’ from their families and tribes, but we didn’t put them on a mission island, leaving them there, knowing the Japanese would bomb there first. In fact women and children from the Northern Territory and islands were evacuated and taken south, interstate.

The connection between Nullah, played by Brandon Walters and his grandfather, King George played by David Gulpilil hold the value in this film. Their relationship is an insight into the power of culture and belief. That and the juxtaposition of the drover (Hugh Jackman), a rough macho man with a love of horses, gently breaking in a horse, and Nullah getting close to an emotionally cold Lady Sarah.

The horse is torn between freedom and the relationship with the drover. Young Nullah is torn between his grandfather’s magic and intrinsic yearning to go walkabout, and his yearning for mothering after the loss of his own mother. Lady Sarah is torn between her aristocracy and her repressed emotions around not being able to have children.

I think it was from that scene that the film held more emotional guts and warmth for me, but not enough truth to really win me over.

Tagged as: Aussie review of film Australia, authenticity of film Australia