AUSTRALIA (2008): Across the never-never
December 13th 2008 14:24
Category: No Category
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman do muster some chemistry in Australia despite Nic's botox lips...
While the director’s heightened reality of magic realism, with a drop of Aussie-style Poor Fella Rum mixed in, enchants in the beginning of the film aided by the discovery of charming child actor Brandon Walters who plays Nullah, a mixed-race boy from Faraway Downs and the narrator of the story, that tone dissipates as Australia shifts genres, slowly losing its humour and ending on a note much lower and more formulaic than the one it begun with.
Nicole Kidman and Brandon Walters make up a family in Australia
Australia’s epic concept aroused mixed expectations and delivered mixed results with pitch problems due to its vast scope. There are several genres in this mix: a good bush/western story detailing the harshness and beauty of the country, intelligently tackling more serious themes of Australia’s cultural, political and racial history and social hypocrisy with regards to the Stolen Generation, skillfully combined with lighter comedic references to Indiana Jones, The African Queen, and Crocodile Dundee – the dashing David Wenham in his crocodile shoes paying tribute to Paul Hogan in a standout villain performance as power and land-hungry Neil Fletcher. Bryan Brown cameos as King Carney, the Alpha-cattle farmer, complementing the set of vividly drawn character types and rewarding performances.
David Gulpilil as King George
The last quarter of the film, the World War II section, unfortunately appears to draw on Pearl Harbor and delves into plain sobriety, not only losing its Luhrmannesque touch but even arousing a few cringes normally expected from American blockbusters. Broad pathos suits Luhrmann less than the heightened variety, and one comes away with a distinct feeling that unlike the uncompromising cheesiness of Strictly Ballroom and Shakespearian banter coupled with gangsta culture of Romeo and Juliet, Australia was rather made (or edited) for an American audience - with perhaps Oscars and tourists in mind. The references to Over the Rainbow charming at first, become a bit tedious due to over use.
Mr Luhrmann was self-confessedly inspired by the American epic, of the Gone with the Wind calibre. Entire books have been written about the miracle that Gone with the Wind came to be, despite constant production disasters, endless script revisions, star’s tantrums, changes of directors and writers, etc., and it is cited in film history as that case of true cinema magic where everything works despite all the odds. Falling short of such “miracle” standards can be forgiven, as Australia disappoints just a little due to the heights it is able to reach rather than the lower points of average drama it occasionally sinks to. This reviewer is looking forward to hopefully extensive DVD extras.
Review by Patricia Bieszk
© Copyright P. Bieszk 2008
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