Luhrmann knows his audience. Americans will respond well to his latest feature, Australia, not necessarily with awe over the landscape (or should I say pastel skyscape?) but the film’s relationship to the American fairy tale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In the United States, we take pride in L. Frank Baum's fairy tale, the good ole’ story of a small girl on the Kansas prairie and her dreams of reaching some sort of home but realizing that it was right there in her backyard. "Home is where the heart is," in a sense.
The main characters of Australia must all learn what Dorothy learned, that they do not need to seek out their home and that Australia is the perfect nation to settle down in. Lady Sarah Ashley finds a home in Faraway Downs (this link is great!),Drover realizes that his home is not miles away with cattle but with the woman he loves and Nullah realizes that he does not have to identify himself as either black or white. He can stay creamy. He may be a half-caste but he is an Aborgine at heart. His story is like Dorothy’s, she feels lost in the real with her aunt and uncle and seeks a home away from home.
This film is made for us Americans that are always looking for that little something called the American Dream. Interestingly enough, us Yanks have a tiny cameo in the film and in the end, it is the American story, The Wizard of Oz, that saves the day. The songs of the 1938 film relate to everyone’s search to adulthood and that greener grass on the other side. This song was cut from the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf1bcjQPO00
Movie Rating=It was okay.
Not worth three hours of my time but the references to The Wizard of Oz kept me amused.
No comments:
Post a Comment