12:00pm Friday 19th December 2008
By Joanne Mace
THE stinging critical attacks on Australia, Baz Luhrmann’s first film in seven years, have emphasised what a polarising director the amazing Aussie is.
Even though he’s been clear about his intentions, there are still those who want to be sniffy about this three hour film fantasy and its fabulous fusion of genres in the tradition of epics of old. Tragedy, comedy, love, war – they’re all here. And that’ll be why you’ll either love it or loathe it.
If you’re a fan of Baz, who’s the directorial equivalent of Marmite, then you’ll probably be in the former camp, lapping up the cartoonish reactions, physical comedy and almost farcical moments as Nicole Kidman’s posh totty Lady Sarah Ashley arrives in Australia to find out what’s happened to her husband.
After discovering that he’s, in fact, dead, Lady S works out that local ranch owner King Carney (Bryan Brown) is up to no good with his offers to buy her property. Guided by the stories told to her by young mixed-race Aboriginal boy Nullah (Brandon Walters), she decides to hang on in there, and try to sell her cattle to make enough money to stay independent.
Trouble is, the cattle need taken all the way to Darwin – step in the drunken Drover (Hugh Jackman), who, after an initial unsuccessful encounter with Lady S, agrees to help her out.
Aside from this fiction, Australia deals with two other crucial historical issues, the bombing of Darwin and the Stolen Generations. Nullah’s character is a representation of just a fraction of the torment which must have been experienced by the affected families, and the war scenes provide a stunning backdrop around which the rest of the plot can fall into place.
Clearly, there’s a lot going on, so you’re best to relax and go with the flow of the work. Thus, you’ll be happier to find yourself moving from a deliberately tongue-in-cheek slo-mo shot of Hugh Jackman taking a shower, or knocking ‘em dead in matinee idol mode arriving at a party, to serious incidents where key characters die, or mystical moments involving Nullah’s grandfather King George (Walkabout’s David Gulpilil).
You’ll also then be more accepting of the use of The Wizard of Oz and its key number Somewhere Over the Rainbow, both of which are posited right at the heart of Luhrmann’s Australia.
Kidman and Jackman, two of the nicest actors in Hollywood, are top-notch throughout, but still cannot prevent the luminous Walters from walking away with the whole shebang. It has been a long time since cinema audiences have been treated to such a natural performance from a child actor – and on his debut, no less.
To sum up, this is a film which will make you laugh out loud with its cheesiness, swoon with its fabulousness, and cry your eyes out to boot. And that, for me, made it the perfect escapist night out. Don’t leave it so long next time, Baz.
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