Burke & Wills (1985)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Graeme Clifford

Writer:

Michael Thomas (writer)

Release Date:

31 October 1985 (Australia)

Genre:

Adventure

Tagline:

They dared to challenge the unknown...

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Independent Film | Character Name In Title

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Jack Thompson	...	Robert O'Hara Burke
Nigel Havers	...	William John Wills
Greta Scacchi	...	Julia Matthews
Matthew Fargher	...	John King
Chris Haywood	...	Tom McDonagh
Ralph Cotterill	...	Charley Gray
Drew Forsythe	...	Brahe
Ron Blanchard	...	Bill Patton
Monroe Reimers	...	Dost Mahomet
Barry Hill	...	George Landells
Hugh Keays-Byrne	...	Ambrose Kyte
Roderick Williams	...	Bill Wright
Arthur Dignam	...	Sir William Stawell
Ken Goodlet	...	Doctor John Masadam
Peter Collingwood	...	Doctor William Wills

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Central Australia, Australia

Company:

Greater Union Organisation (GUO)

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Wills & Burke (1985)

Soundtrack:

O Mistress Mine

Interesting re-enactment...

...but a little too disjointed and overlong. Thompson is good as the feisty Irish Burke, and Havers tries his best as the quiet English Wills, but it is the stunning location scenery which helps this one along. Disappointingly, we never get a "feel" for the characters: the lack of closeup shots in particular gives this one a distant quality as the viewer remains largely alienated from the inner workings of Burke's raving mind. The director has made the mistake of slipping into "re-enactment" mode instead of just telling a story that has become part of Australian folklore - and the length doesn't help when everyone who knows anything already knows how the film is going to end. For those who are interested in further research, begin at http://www.davidreilly.com/australian_explorers/burke/robert.htm Rating: 68/100.