Australia
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman join forces with visionary director Baz Luhrmann in Australia, an epic and romantic action adventure set on the brink of World War II. When an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) travels to this faraway continent, she meets rough-hewn cattle driver (Hugh Jackman) and an enchanting aboriginal child (Brandon Walters). This unlikely trio joins forces and embarks on a transforming journey, driving a herd of cattle across hundreds of miles of the world's most beautiful, yet unforgiving, terrain. When their world is torn apart by powerful enemies, they must try to find each other amidst the bombing of the city of Darwin by the Japanese forces that attacked Pearl Harbor. With this new film, director Baz Luhrmann is painting on a vast canvas, creating a cinematic experience that brings together comedy, romance, drama, adventure and spectacle.
Member Reviews
Disappointment - Skees
I am not sure what I was expecting from this movie but what I saw wasn't necessarily it. Maybe it was Nicole Kidman playing an Englishwoman that disappointed me. I did however find a number of parallels between what happened in Australia and what happened in Canada with native peoples. The scenery was unbeatable.Huge scope - FilmGeekGirl
This film, like the Outback, is hard to take in with the eye all at once - simultaneously, it focuses on the great and the small - and that's just the landscape - I haven't even gotten to the human factor or the human face of the story.
The heart of the story is a nation on the brink - of war, of inner turmoil, of resistance to change - these themes are not only part of the script but also are seen in the characters themselves.
Hugh Jackman is the Drover - he is representative of Australia; rough, rugged, resistant to change, honest and savagely beautiful, all at once. Nicole Kidman, as Lady Sarah Ashley, represents progress, the modern world breaching Australia's shores and piercing to the heart of the continent. She brings grace and gentility as well as her own brand of strength and courage.
Together, these reluctant business partners, along with their friends and business colleagues, assume the daunting task of driving Lady Ashley's inherited herd of 2000 head of cattle from her farm in Northern Australia to be sold to the British Military in Darwin. Along the way they battle the elements; a local cattle baron, King Carney, and his band of toadies - led by Lady Ashley's former farm manager Neil Fletcher; and even each other.
This film also addresses the issue of the Indigenous Australians - their culture - struggling to keep ancestral ways in the face of the ever expanding white population and industrialisation. As well, the film looks at the issue with the Stolen Generations - the Stolen Generations (also Stolen children) is a term used to describe the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Federal and State government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments.
This sweeping saga of a film will have you laughing through tears and weeping with a smile.Pleasantly surprised - LittleJoe
I normally don't go for this type of movie but my girl wanted to see it. I got ready to reluctantly sit through a couple of hours of sappy romance just for her. But low and behold, I got into it and actually enjoyed it a lot. Kind of a Crocodile Dundee + Quigly Down Under mix with a very mild romance to it. Not too much romance to botch it up. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I would recommend it to other guys who want to sit for a couple of hours watching something the significant other would like.
Member Reviews
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Disappointment - Skees
I am not sure what I was expecting from this movie but what I saw wasn't necessarily it. Maybe it was Nicole Kidman playing an Englishwoman that disappointed me. I did however find a number of parallels between what happened in Australia and what happened ...Huge scope - FilmGeekGirl
This film, like the Outback, is hard to take in with the eye all at once - simultaneously, it focuses on the great and the small - and that's just the landscape - I haven't even gotten to the human factor or the human face of the story.
The heart of ...Pleasantly surprised - LittleJoe
I normally don't go for this type of movie but my girl wanted to see it. I got ready to reluctantly sit through a couple of hours of sappy romance just for her. But low and behold, I got into it and actually enjoyed it a lot. Kind of a Crocodile Dundee + Quigly ...