9th December, 2008
LLOYD HARKNESS
Australia (M)
In A Word: Crikey!
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A CRACKING GOOD TIME: Hugh Jackman stars as the drover in the Baz Luhrmann film, Australia.
"Yes, there is the scenery, the rugged outback lifestyle, the horsemanship and other features that will grab an international audience but what Baz has seemingly conjured up for an American audience is a range of vague parallels between the ‘Wizard of Oz’ and the dreamtime."
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Let me say up front - as black as Vegemite on rye bread, as clear as recycled water in a crystal mug; what you get in Australia is a big screen, big budget, big vista, Baz Luhrmann eclectic tale.
And let’s face the facts, the drought between big screen historical Aussie flicks stretches back to Gallipoli.
Australia has scenery to raise a glass of chardy to in the offices of Australia tourism.
Australia has an old world grand love story set in tumultuous times.
Australia has a politically correct revisionist view of our history especially in relation to the bombing of Darwin and the stolen generation but at the same time doesn’t set out to be historically accurate.
Australia has a cute kid, Brandon Walters, in a central role, the likes of which we haven’t seen since Greg Rowe in Storm Boy.
It is worth a Captain Cook.
What Australia struggles with is the OS appeal factor. In earlier times our film industry grabbed high-profile stars; I nearly said actors, but who can forget, though try as we may, Mick Jagger in the role of Ned Kelly; to bolster OS interest.
Yes, there is the scenery, the rugged outback lifestyle, the horsemanship and other features that will grab an international audience but what Baz has seemingly conjured up for an American audience is a range of vague parallels between the Wizard of Oz and the dreamtime. It is a distraction from an Australian story and it is limp. Likewise, the referencing to the song Over the Rainbow tends to jar rather than add to the tale.
And while I am on the little detractions line-of-thought, here are a few more points on why Australia does not reach that grand status of 'classic'.
• Hugh Jackman strains a little too hard with a broad Aussie drover accent;
• Nicole Kidman is a little too English upper crust poncy before Australia transforms her;
• There is one too many 'bloody' and 'crikey' in the script;
• It is a little preachy on the stolen generation;
• It is a little too PC, with features such as women drovers as good as the men and corrupt cops who snatch Aboriginal children for misguided Christian missions; and
• It has a few too many clichés like the obligatory aboriginal magic man/tracker standing on one leg with his woomeras and spear.
And so without being trite, can I say again Australia is worth a Captain Cook. It is not the classic we were hoping it would be but it is entertaining.
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