Australia (Bluray Review)
Main Feature
I really wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this film. On one hand I’m a fan of Baz Luhrmann’s previous work especially Strictly Ballroom which I found so refreshing all those years ago and still do. On the other hand I’m not a fan of Nicole Kidman’s acting and from early interviews I couldn’t avoid feeling that Luhrmann was trying too hard to create an epic and to me this spelled disaster.
The mixed expectations I had were further confused by the fact that I wasn’t sure what kind of film it would be and so didn’t know how to approach it. I am certain some of you may dislike the idea of genres and the rules and boundaries which come as part of the deal but they can provide a helpful route into a film. I was pretty sure there’d be no Sci-Fi elements although part of me did hope that Hugh Jackman would be running around putting wrongs to right with the help of some Adamantium claws. As it turns out this is very much a film in the Western genre complete with elements of action, adventure, romance, and occasional comedy, all wrapped up in a World War II setting. Simple.
It struck me that I’ve seen Kidman in a carbon copy of this role many years ago. An upper class woman sets off on a huge adventure, finds herself in an unusual environment which she must come to terms with, and predictably falls for the rough and ready man she thought she had nothing in common with. That film is Ron Howard’s Far and Away. I have been critical of Kidman’s acting style for many years as I often find that she over-plays her lines in an Oscar-friendly fashion but I might have to re-evaluate her previous roles as she really impressed me in this film. Perhaps Kidman requires a great Director to get the most out of her because for me her two previous best performances are in To Die For and Eyes Wide Shut directed by Van Sant and Kubrick respectively.
Hugh Jackman’s performance in this film also surprised me because I now realise he has proper leading man credentials in an old fashioned Hollywood sense. I’d be surprised if his character wasn’t intentionally modelled on the lone hero archetype made famous by Clint Eastwood and he certainly shares a similar on-screen presence to the great man. Brandon Walters, who plays the “half-caste” Nullah, put in a great performance I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of him in future.
Something I found interesting in this film is that while it has an important message, relating to the problems the Aborigines had to face, about treating everyone as equals, that was largely pushed to one side in favour of the romantic element. I certainly don’t think the director and writers intentionally ignored that part of the story, as the treatment of the Aborigines is shown to be abhorrent, but it wasn’t the “Baz Luhrmann’s Gandhi” I half expected to see. References to ‘The Wizard of Oz’ aren’t exactly hidden as one scene involves Nullah actually watching the film and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is heavily featured throughout. Some may dislike the overuse of such references but I prefer to see this as Luhrmann’s way of telling the audience that the film is supposed to be over-the-top and fantastical.
Extras
There are just two small deleted scenes which is surprising as anyone with experience in the editing room will know that, no matter the length of the final cut, the clips left on the cutting room floor will always be substantial. It’s understandable that both these scenes were omitted as “what about the drove?” repeats the ‘I am as capable as any man’ statement found elsewhere and “angry staff serve dinner” is out of touch with the rest of the film.
“Australia: The people, the history, the location” is a short documentary in which Luhrmann touches on the amount of research he conducted and describes the importance of using story-telling techniques whilst maintaining historical accuracy.
“Behind the Scenes” is is a documentary broken into different sections, photography, production design, costume design, locations, cinematography, sound, editing, music, and visual effects. I found myself frustrated at needless fluff from Luhrmann and his wife and the fact that neither seem able to display modesty when the camera is on them. This puts Luhrmann in direct contrast to a Director such as Sam Raimi who takes pleasure in disclosing how he manages to create something magical from something basic. I enjoyed this more in the later stages, especially the sections on editing, music, and visual effects, and it’s certainly a good watch if you’re interested in how the film was made.
No Director’s Commentary. This is a huge surprise but having listened to the Director in “behind the scenes” I’m almost thankful to avoid sitting through 165 minutes of Lurhmann telling the world how incredible every one of his thoughts are.
Summary
There are some great performances in this film and Luhrmann and his crew did a fantastic job in recreating this turbulent period in Australian history. Despite the lightweight extras, and the bizarre lack of commentary, Australia’s rich landscape is certainly worthy of appearing on the Blu-ray format. Having said this I can’t help thinking that some extras and the commentary have been held back for the future release of a “super special ultimate edition” and that idea bothers me. I think anyone who approaches this film with an open mind will be pleasantly surprised but they may, just as I did, expect more from this Blu-ray release.
