The Movie - Australia

I was very fortunate last night to go and see the movie "Australia". I say fortunate, because I rarely get out to the movies due to my child caring responsibilities and I so appreciated the opportunity to enjoy a good 3 hour epic movie that kept me the whole way through.

What did I love about this movie?

1. It's sincere message about the way the Aboriginal people were treated and the re-telling of their story with compassion and respect.
2. The historical content which taught me some Australian history that I was blissfully ignorant of in relation to the Darwin invasion by the Japanese and which made me all the more grateful for the contribution that the Diggers made to keeping our nation safe.
3. The beauty I saw in the blossoming Lady Ashley as true love captured her heart, first through Nulla, then through the Drover. Although some may say the whole thing was overacted, I loved the styling of the movie and I believe they delivered exactly what the Director was trying to achieve. If you think it's overacted, go see Gone with the Wind again!!!
4. The juxtapositioning of "English" culture alongside the "Australian Outback" culture. The richness of the black humour in the movie captured my imagination, ie dead Kangaroos bleeding down the windscreen seconds after Lady Ashley says how delightful the Kangaroos are hopping along beside them.
5. The magnificent scenery in the movie. I will never forget the scene where the little Aboriginal boy stops a mob of stampeding cattle from going over the cliff face. That was pure magic.
6. The tragedy that was the white Australia policy and the scene where "Daisy" died in the water tank. I wept, because being a mother of four children I could relate to how you would do anything to save your child from being taken away from you.
7. The love story - after all, it was an epic love story and I think "Lady Ashley" and the "Drover" sizzled. No wonder they are calling Hugh Jackman the sexiest man alive. Although not my type at all, he definitely had something going for him in this movie. I think it was the contrast of pale skin and tanned, of the fine boned and porcelain thin and the bronzed, muscled hunkiness that really got to me. Certainly, Nicole Kidman played a gutzy role with aplumb.

Overall, I give it the big thumbs up for storytelling, for integrity of plot, for mastery of cinematography and for artistry. Well done!