A young independent woman who lives with her grandmother and aunt in the countryside rebels against being pressured into marriage and chooses to solely focus on having a career as a writer. Nevertheless, two suitors propose to her.
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Title: My Brilliant Career (1979)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Judy Davis | ... | Sybylla Melvyn | |
| Sam Neill | ... | Harry Beecham | |
| Wendy Hughes | ... | Aunt Helen | |
| Robert Grubb | ... | Frank Hawdon | |
| Max Cullen | ... | Mr. McSwatt | |
 |
Aileen Britton | ... | Grandma Bossier |
| Peter Whitford | ... | Uncle Julius | |
|
|
Patricia Kennedy | ... | Aunt Gussie |
|
|
Alan Hopgood | ... | Father |
| Julia Blake | ... | Mother | |
| David Franklin | ... | Horace | |
|
|
Marion Shad | ... | Gertie |
|
|
Arron Wood | ... | Stanley (as Aaron Wood) |
|
|
Sue Davies | ... | Aurora |
|
|
Gordon Piper | ... | Barman |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (127) »
Storyline
Sybylla Melvyn is an independent young woman who soon after arriving to live with her Grandmother Bossier and aunt Helen announces that she will never marry and plans on having a career instead. She does attracts the interest of several suitors. The bumbling Englishman Frank Hawdon has only been in Australia for three months and proposes that she return home with him as his wife. She rejects him out of hand telling her grandmother that she does not love him. Then there's her neighbor, the handsome young farmer Harry Beecham, who she is attracted to and eventually accepts his proposal. Time passes however and in the end refuses to marry him while she seeks to become a writer. Written by garykmcd
Plot Keywords:
brushing hair | feminist film | independent woman | feminist | rebellious woman |Taglines:
Sometimes it is the things that bind us, that truly set us free. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
AustraliaLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
17 August 1979 (Australia) See more »Also Known As:
As Quatro Irmãs See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
AUD 800,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Production Co:
Margaret Fink Productions,New South Wales Film Corporation,Greater Union Organisation (GUO) See more »
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Eastmancolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Sybylla: Possum Gully, Australia. 1897. Dear fellow countrymen, just a few lines to let you know that this story is going to be all about me. So, in answer to many requests, here is the story of my career... here is the story, of my career... my *brilliant* career. I make no apology for being egotistical... because I am!
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Publicity for this film stated that producer Margaret Fink and director Gillian Armstrong both felt that this film should be directed by a woman, "...especially since Miles Franklin was such a strong feminist. Miles believed in women doing things on their own, and I always felt she would prefer a woman to make her story." See more »Quotes
[first lines]Sybylla: Possum Gully, Australia. 1897. Dear fellow countrymen, just a few lines to let you know that this story is going to be all about me. So, in answer to many requests, here is the story of my career... here is the story, of my career... my *brilliant* career. I make no apology for being egotistical... because I am!
See more »
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I just bought the Australian DVD release of My Brilliant Career. All I can say it was worth every penny.
I don't need to go into the specifics of the plot. There are plenty of comments listed on IMDb already. But the peformances, by then new and upcoming actors Judy Davis and Sam Neill, are beautifully timeless!! It's everything I'd hoped for and more. It just gets better with repeated viewings.
Made on a shoestring budget by new director Gillian Armstrong, the commentary provided by her on the recently released Australian DVD in widescreen is a real treat to listen to! You'll chuckle at the stories she tells on how cast and crew achieved what you see on screen when little or no money was left in the budget. And you'll realize how lucky and fortunate Armstrong and producer Margaret Fink were at landing Judy Davis to play Sybylla.
My Brilliant Career is currently out-of-print in the USA. Don't know why, but currently a DVD is out in Australia and the UK only. If only the Criterion Collection would select this film for a DVD release in the USA.....