Storytelling genius and contemporary auteur Baz Luhrman presents AUSTRALIA, his epic tale inspired by, amongst others, GONE WITH THE WIND, AFRICAN QUEEN, and Sergio Leone westerns. In pre-WWII Australia, Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman), an English aristocrat inherits a large cattle ranch in the Northern Territories and acquires the help of a rugged local cattle drover (Jackman) to make an untimely journey to Darwin. Marking a mature departure from his Red Curtain trilogy (STRICTLY BALLROOM, ROMEO & JULIET, MOULIN ROUGE) Luhrmann and his partner, production designer Catherine Martin, create a modern day classic exploring the transforming nature of landscape and an historic reimagining of a nation.
Reviews
“The beauty of the film’s stars and landscapes, the appeal of the central young boy and, perhaps more than anything, the filmmaker’s eagerness to please tend to prevail, making for a film general audiences should go with, even if they’re not swept away.” Variety
“A shamelessly melodramatic, often eccentric spectacle. Despite some cringe-making Harlequin Romance moments,…AUSTRALIA defies all but the most cynical not to get carried away by the force of its grandiose imagery and storytelling…rousing and passionate.” Hollywood Reporter