Australia
Australia
Starring - Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Brian Brown, Jack Thompson, Brandon Walters
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
A soft romance with a hard edge as it's set in the midst of World War 2, takes us Down Under as we follow English Aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley travelling to Australia. After thinking she would not be there for long, she finds herself teaming up with the local herd drover (Hugh Jackman) and an affection for half-caste boy Nullah (Bradon Walters) the leads her to stick around and fight for 'Faraway Downs' to stop corparate baron Mr Carney from sweeping up a monopoly on all profitable land across Australia.
The story relating to Nullah also adds in dose of race to the issue. As white domanance attempts to sweep all Aborigional children into the 'Christian mission' to segreagate non-whites in the region and destroy local aborigional culture. In addition Nullah's greandfather known as 'King George' is falsely accused of the death of Sarah Ashley's husband, but who can prove it, and can the wise old aborigional man with an instinct for survival be caught anyway.
The film covers a multitude of plotlines covering romance, war, race, a battle for the future of society, along with underlying links to the story of the Wizard of Oz after Lady Ashley sings Nullah some of the songs of the story, which adds a fairyale element in a similar way to a film like 'The Orphange.' The chesmitry between Jackman, Kidman and Walters brings you right into their story as they battle with all the issues the period in Australian History would bring.
This is a love it or hate it film with little middle ground. For me it was beautifully Written, acted with wonderful backdrops and directed in a way that brought a serious of plotlines together in a way much more engagingly than something like 'No Country for old Men.' It could have unravelled tryign to do to many things at once, but it didn't. It also did not hide from the harsh realities of World War 2, yet managed to keep the balance of the emotional elements of the story firmly to the forefront.
MOON OF LIBERTY VERDICT - RATING 'A' - A beautiful film with so many aspects pulled together so well. The acting, and msot importantly the directing, was the key, a triumph for Baz Luhrmann above all.
