The Eye of the Storm (I) (2011)

Elizabeth Hunter controls all in her life - society, her staff, her children; but the once great beauty will now determine her most defiant act as she chooses her time to die.

Director:

Fred Schepisi

Writers:

Judy Morris (screenplay), Patrick White (novel)

Stars:

Charlotte Rampling, Maria Theodorakis, Geoffrey Rush

7 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlotte Rampling	...	Elizabeth Hunter
Maria Theodorakis	...	Mary DeSantis
Geoffrey Rush	...	Basil Hunter
Jamie Timony	...	Onslow Porter
Judy Davis	...	Dorothy de Lascabanes
Bob Marcs	...	Queens Club Porter
Alexandra Schepisi	...	Flora Manhood
John Gaden	...	Arnold Wyburd
Helen Morse	...	Lotte
Robyn Nevin	...	Lal
Jane Menelaus	...	Maggie
Bille Brown	...	Dudley
Heather Mitchell	...	June
Simon Stone	...	Peter
Nikki Shiels	...	Janie

Storyline

Elizabeth Hunter controls all in her life - society, her staff, her children; but the once great beauty will now determine her most defiant act as she chooses her time to die.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official USA site

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 September 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Coração da Tempestade

Filming Locations:

Botanical Gardens, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$25,785 (USA) (7 September 2012)

Gross:

$83,297 (USA) (2 November 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paper Bark Films Pty. Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In real life Charlotte Rampling is only five years older than her screen son Geoffrey Rush and only nine years older than her daughter Judy Davis.

User Reviews

As dull as a hot afternoon in a 1960's English Class

I can't see anyone under 50 even being remotely interested in this "Patrick White In Drag" type film (to quote another IMDb user). The 2 hours reminded me of those hours spent in non air- conditioned portable classrooms (for me, in the late 60's) wading through arcane English literature classes wherein Patrick White was regarded as "worthy"...or "significant".

"Storm" has all the features we have come to expect from "quality" Australian film-making - a great cast, polished direction, impeccable production values etc etc ... but it's as dull and disconnected as the world White writes about. Who really gives a stuff about an imploding grazing family presided over by a a dying monster ... nominally set in the 1970s, but really (as in most of White's writing) set in the 1930s?

On a $15m budget ... it probably needs a world wide gross of $100m to break even. Ye Gods - who green-lit this? How much Government funding went into it? (Its $1.6m domestic gross should just about pay for the Prints and Advertising" budget & little more).

We have a bustling new generation - make that two generations - of film-makers pushing the envelope and making "Animal Kingdom", "Daybreakers", "Red Dog" etc who seem to be at least aware of their audience and their responsibility for getting a return for their investors. Film-making is an expensive business ... and "Storm" is just a sad old melodrama, outdated, over-priced and isolated from the real world, doomed to fail financially. I can understand why audiences congratulate themselves for having sat through it ("splendid and intelligent" - another IMDb post), but it's just an Anglo middle class statement from people who are longing for the days of "Careful He Might Hear You" or "The Devil's Playground".

At least the English Class in those old portables only lasted 50 minutes...