Baz Luhrmann creatively hit his stride with the stylistic explosion of Moulin Rouge in 2001. It was only natural that his next film would be huge. Efforts to bring his own version of Alexander the Great to the screen, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman, fell through. So, he turned to his native Australia.
After a few more years of struggle (the loss of Russell Crowe and the gain of Hugh Jackman), Baz Luhrmann’s Australia was given to the world.
Australia Overview
The film didn’t sound too bad: A sweeping World War II romance set in the wild Australian outback. The preview displayed Luhrmann’s penchant for grand scenery, and gorgeous costumes, albeit in a slightly toned down fashion. It was going to be more of a Casablanca-esque throwback, a new creative step.
The film begins with a blurb about the Australian ‘Lost Generation,’ specifically referring to the half-Aboriginal half-Caucasian children who are not only exiled from both cultures, but effectively rounded up and forced into the service of upper class families.
Any plot summaries or previews of Australia clearly focus on the relationship between white English aristocrat Lady Sara Ashley (Nicole Kidman) and white Australian cattle driver Drover (Hugh Jackman). This information about the Lost Generation is surprising news, but certainly seems like a more interesting film.
The audience is introduced to Nullah, the fated half-breed aboriginal child whom the film is presumably about, a presumption reinforced by the fact that he’ll be narrating the film for the next one hundred and sixty-five minutes. How presumption fails.
Australia’s Unfulfilled Intent
The summaries were not misleading, Australia is in fact all about Lady Ashley and Drover. This would be fine if it weren’t for the conscious introduction of the Lost Generation. As the film carries on, it continues to focus on Lady Ashley, whose husband has been murdered by the cattle competition. She must take up the reigns of the operation with the help of mysterious loner Drover. Any opportunity for good romantic fun is undercut by Nullah’s observance of all this, and his occasional mystical adolescent quest.
All in all, Australia isn’t really even about Australia, it’s about two white people falling in love, and the magical aborigines changing their lives. There are plenty of problems with the film cinematically (CGI backgrounds, anyone?), but the portrayal of Nullah and his grandfather King George (the awesome David Gulpilil) is nothing short of patronizing.
The stereotype of the magical black man is arcane and completely unexpected from someone as creative and open-minded as Baz Luhrmann. After two and a half of the longest hours of a person’s life, there comes another sudden blurb about the Lost Generation, the Australian governments prejudice and inaction, and the injustice to the aboriginals that continued well into the 20th century. Where is THAT film? Australia is NOT the film it thinks it is.
Australia Lacks Luhrmann’s Signature Style
For the first thirty minutes, it feels like a Baz Luhrmann film. His style is toned down, but the humor of Moulin Rouge is present. Any sign of Luhrmann vanishes as the film tries to take on a very serious tone. Nullah’s narration stops being cute very quickly, and he never elaborates on anything useful.
Nicole Kidman, who is quite amusing at the beginning of the film, becomes a significant bore, and on more than a few occasions (re: every time she smiles) tragically reveals her poor choice in cosmetic surgery.
A Naked Hugh Jackman Doesn’t Fix Everything
Hugh Jackman, on the other hand, is stunning to look at but none of his lines matter. It’s as if he and Luhrmann made a pact that required a lot of gym time and lingering shots of Jackman’s shirtless torso.
But that isn’t enough to distract from the giant mess crumbling with each passing minute. Luhrmann probably could have gotten away with this film if it weren’t for the unholy length. The runtime allows the audience to dwell, in-between bouts with narcolepsy, on the fact that none of this matters.
Australia the country is amazing, and has a fascinating, complex, violent history that has not been fully reconciled, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t honestly be revealed or discussed. Perhaps Luhrmann should have considered a viewing or ten of The Proposition, a film made by Australians about the REAL Australia. There is no shame in acknowledgment, which is the first step in making amends.
Preaching aside, the bottom line is, Baz Luhrmann is better than this film. Australia is not good, but it hopefully doesn’t signify an end to a creative person’s abilities. He is currently set to shoot The Great Gatsby, a subject and time period that could benefit from his creative flair, if he doesn’t stifle it with Hollywood convention.
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