Australia

Went to see Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. The film may not have been the masterpiece some were expecting, but it’s well worth seeing and extremely entertaining. Its only real problem is pacing, because it tries to do so much – it is at times light-hearted fish-out-of-water comedy in the vein of The King and I, sweeping war epic, society/revenge drama, willingly old-fashioned romantic weepy and curious but unsatisfying racial commentary. Which is a lot to attempt, even for a mammoth 2¾-hour production. This results in about five false endings, some rather unsatisfying clashes of style and some parts that drag terribly. However, with Kidman’s pitch-perfect performance, Jackman’s easy charm, a stunning performance from the little aboriginal boy at the heart of the movie and those incomparably piercing eyes of his mystic grandfather, fittingly played by the guy from Walkabout, with some hilarious comedy (Kidman’s impression of someone who can’t really sing is utter brilliance) and genuinely touching self-sacrifice, with great expanses of land, intimate moments between uncertain families and breathtaking war scenes all realised with Luhrmann’s usual eye for beauty and scale, there is so much to admire, and even more so than in Moulin Rouge or even Romeo + Juliet, the director manages to bridge exaggerated comedy and touching realism remarkably well for a single film.

It has problems: the treatment of spirituality and race doesn’t satisfy, for while there are slightly cheesy but forceful scenes condemning segregation and the ‘stolen generations’, there’s a typical ‘magical negro’ and a certain pandering tone to the rendering of aboriginal magic, which comes across as patronising. The old-fashioned charm and stylised first act have something of a distancing effect. And the antagonist is just a little too overblown.

In all, though, an impressive film well worth seeing.