Australia

It's very rare that a newly-released movie has much effect on me. For the most part, despite my best efforts to the contrary, I have a decidedly cynical view about the current state of cinema; I'm willing to watch it, but I find very little to be truly memorable. I might have a fun time with something like Pirates of the Caribbean or Charlie Wilson's War, but only on extremely rare occasions do I encounter a film that has any bearing beyond the two hours I spend in my seat. Where's our Stanley Kubrick, our David Lean, our Alfred Hitchcock? Stuff like The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford - examples of old-fashioned film-making, avoiding for the most parts the quick-cutting, overlit and washed-out, obviously fake wowzer special effects for the sake of style and tertiary, profunctory story telling method of most modern films - are exceedingly rare, and when one comes along, it's like a puddle of water in Death Valley. Even many of the most acclaimed movies of recent years seemed curiously empty and lacking compared to the work of the masters.

Then comes a movie like Australia. Which is the kind of movie that comes along maybe once in a decade. When they say they don't make them like they used to - usually us crotchety grandpa types - this is the kind of movie they tend to be referring to. You don't see movies like this any more, because. But with Australia, Baz Luhrman has given us an invaluable cinematic gift.

I found it amusing to perview the extraordinarily mixed critical reviews of the movie; many people love it, others despise it, seemingly for the same reason. Indeed, whoever wrote up the IMDB review summary shrewdly notes that critics have been "twist(ing) similar words around" to describe the movie, to alternately praise and damn it. What this points to says more about the viewer: you either like this kind of movie or you don't. As audiences didn't give a shit when Pauline Kael lambasted Doctor Zhivago and Richard Corliss (and a million lifeless Internet geeks and bitter teenaged boys) roasted Titanic, so will those susceptible to this kind of film making disregard the utterances of some overpaid navel-gazing snobs (but look who's talking).

The film's plot takes place in World War II-era Belize - no, wait, Australia. Japan is threatening to enter the war and bring it home to Aussies, while Australia soldiers are shipping off to Europe and Africa to die for England. Much of Australia is uncharted, wild territory, ruled by crooked politicians and cattle barons like King Carney (Bryan Brown). And of course, it's home to an oppressive caste system, where aborigines are treated as subhuman outsiders and half-breeds - "creamies" - are even worse. Nullah (Brandon Walters) is one such boy; the son of an aboriginal woman and Fletcher (David Wenham) a vicious, ruthlessly ambitious cattle herder, he witnesses the murder of Carney's chief rival and tries to flee from arrest. The wife of said cattle baron, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), arrives in Australia to negotiate the sale of her cattle, only to find her husband dead and her land in desperate need of repair. With the help of a handsome, tough-guy cattle drover (Hugh Jackman), Nullah and the usual assorted sidekicks, she struggles to drive her herd to Darwin, finding Fletcher trying to stop her every step of the way. Afterwards, Drover and Sarah marry but find themselves seemingly incompatible, while Fletcher claws his way to the top and is in a position to topple Sarah's empire. However, World War II interferes, leading to a denouement in the streets of a bombed-out Darwin.

Australia is a sweeping epic; as one of the world's biggest Leaniacs, it's of immense complements for me to say that it bears actual comparison to the works of that master. Not since The English Patient has a movie captured such a wonderful sense of timelessness, a feeling of romance swept up by the tides of history. Some might call it cliched, but I'd opt for the term old-fashioned; it feels like Gone With the Wind or Doctor Zhivago. And it comes pretty close to looking like them too.

The movie seems a bit schizophrenic at first - the first half's cattle drive and civilized girl out "West" (or East, in this instance) story definitely seems like a Western (Drover even gets a tough guy, Clint Eastwood-ian intro scene, and the cattle drive scenes certain recall Howard Hawks' Red River), while the second half, with its romance and personal conflicts with a historical turmoil, is a much more conventional genre picture. But in my view, this is all for the better. It follows the two-act structure of many an epic film of old, and though different at first glance, the two halves complement each other perfectly.

The early scenes are a bit jarring; Nulla's narration is a mite annoying at first, the animated title display seems out of place, and some of Sarah's early scenes are a bit too parodic and overwrought. The angle of the "mystical aborigine" - personified by Nulla's grandfather, the omni-present King George (David Gulpilil) - is a mite overdone as well, although it's satisfactorily dealt with in the conclusion. Still, most of this awkardness is sorted out by the third reel or so.

Technically, the film is a marvel; if nothing else, it's one of the most beautiful, ravishing movies of the last ten years. Luhrman, a director not usually known for subtlety, manages to keep his usual excess in check (with only a few excusable moments of unnecessary flair and wow moments) and delivers us a handsomely mounted, beautiful film. The Outback scenery is ravishing, Mandy Walker's cinematography brilliantly capturing the stark beauty of Australia, both forbidding and gorgeous at the same time. CGI is used quite often, but would you expect otherwise? In the movie's big set-pieces - the Japanese bombing, and more notably the breath-taking cattle stampede - they're gob-smackingly brilliant. If you need convincing that these modern cinematic tools can be put to good use, then look no further.

The cast is flawless. Hugh Jackman gives an excellent performance as Drover, tough, believable, with a romantic side that seems perfectly natural. It's a shame he's not a bigger star, because he's just perfectly for this type of role. Nicole Kidman isn't far behind Jackman here, her frosty beauty perfectly suited for her character. At first her character is rather grating, seeming like an implausibly ditzy and posh refugee from a Merchant-Ivory film, but as her character develops she becomes more and more likeable, and her annoying and awkward early scenes serve to help character development. The two make a dynamite couple, attractive and believable, their conflicts and differences seeming real rather than a plot device.

While Geoffrey Rush and Cate Blanchett are inexplicably absent, the cast is populated with a plethora of brilliant Aussie actors. Old pros like Breaker Morant vets Jack Thompson and Bryan Brown have solid supporting roles; David Wenham handles his gleefully evil rotter with aplomb, and Ben Mendelsohn gives a strong background performance as a dignified Army Captain. Brandon Walters gives an excellent performance as Nulla, occasionally irritating but always convincing as the boy who is really the focus of the story.

I will concede that Australia isn't for everyone; the current generation of movie-goers may or may not appreciate it (I won't issue a blanket condemnation for the moment), and the usual cranky critics who abhor this sort of film. Let them write what they will, sneer as they like. Those of us who love these movies and can appreciate their beauty and craft will be more than satisfied. During the credits, I found myself on the verge of tears, utterly enthralled, unable to leave until the last frame had spooled off the screen. Now that is a cinematic experience. All that's left to say is: Thank you, Baz Luhrman. And readers: go see this movie right this second.

Rating: 9/10 - Highest Recommendation