Well, we have heard so much about the movie, we decided we had better see it for ourselves before we departed these shores. Much ado about nothing? well not exactly, but certainly a lot of hype. We had already heard good and bad reviews so went with an open mind.
The name gives one the impression that we are about to see a great film about Australia and whilst it is obviously an Aussie movie it has been seriously mis-titled and would have been better named 'The Dover' and marketed as a good Aussie yarn. There is a certain resemblance to the great Robert Redford movie of the 70's Out of Africa and in the same vein is a stunning portrayal of the Outback scenery. Woman stays at the ranch to keep it going against all odds (a good versus evil syndrome with the big big rancher who wants to take over the property) while the man goes off to do his thing.
Its a pity that the producers added a documentary note to the start and end of the film as it adds nothing the the movie and possibly detracts from the actual wrongdoing that was done by the Governments regarding the Lost Generations' which are certainly due more of a mention than this film actually covers. Mind you, that could have been one of the conditions in order to qualify for government funding.
Some of the opening scenes seem to be little better than cardbord cutouts and later on re-enactments of the bombing of Darwin during the 2nd world war leave something to be desired and should have been kept more to historical fact than fiction. My God! if the Japanese had ever gotten to bomb London it would have been all over in a week.
The star of the show was not Nicole Kidman or Hugh Jackman. It was the little Aborigine boy - the 'half caste' who was rejected by whites and blacks alike.
As a night out it was an pleasant and entertaining film but an epic it was not.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
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