The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)

A young Australian reporter tries to navigate the political turmoil of Indonesia during the rule of President Sukarno with the help of a diminutive photographer.

Director:

Peter Weir

Writers:

David Williamson (screenplay), Peter Weir (screenplay)

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt

Won 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Linda Hunt	...	Billy Kwan
Mel Gibson	...	Guy Hamilton
Bembol Roco	...	Kumar
Doming Landicho	...	Hortono (as Domingo Landicho)
Hermino De Guzman	...	Immigration Officer
Michael Murphy	...	Pete Curtis
Noel Ferrier	...	Wally O'Sullivan
Paul Sonkkila	...	Kevin Condon
Ali Nur	...	Ali
Dominador Robridillo	...	Betjak Man
Joel Agona	...	Palace Guard
Mike Emperio	...	Sukarno
Bernardo Nacilla	...	Dwarf
Bill Kerr	...	Colonel Henderson
Sigourney Weaver	...	Jill Bryant

Storyline

Guy Hamilton is a journalist on his first job as a foreign correspondent. His apparently humdrum assignment to Indonesia soon turns hot as President Sukarno electrifies the populace and frightens foreign powers. Guy soon is the hottest reporter on the story with the help of his photographer, half- Chinese dwarf Billy Kwan, who has gone native. Guy's affair with diplomat Jill Bryant also helps. Eventually Guy must face some major moral choices and the relationship between Billy and him reaches a crisis at the same time the politics of Indonesia does.

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Plot Keywords:

foreign correspondent | journalist | embassy | diplomat | 1960s | 

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Taglines:

Risking it all was just part of the job.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filming in Manila was halted after three weeks due to death threats to the production. Reportedly, these were directed at Mel Gibson and Peter Weir. The threats alleged that the film being made was intended to be anti-Islam. For the protection and safety of the cast and crew, the whole production moved to Sydney to complete principal photography. The move was costly, and put a huge strain on the picture's art department.

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Goofs

Billy Kwan should have the same type of dwarfism as his father, and yet his limbs and body are perfectly normal despite his small size.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Billy Kwan: June 25th, 1965. Dossier H-10. Hamilton, Guy. Born 1936 under the sign of Capricorn. Occupation: Journalist with the Australian Broadcasting Service. Jakarta: first assignment as foreign correspondent.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Space Children (1998)

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Soundtracks

Be-Bob-A-Lula
By Gene Vincent (uncredited) and Tex Davis (uncredited)
Performed by Gene Vincent
Courtesy of Capitol Records

User Reviews

Despite some weaknesses, a strong movie

Peter Weir's movie, set in Sukarno's Indonesia in 1965, can be seen as four films in one. The first is socio-political, focusing on the plight of the impoverished Indonesian people, the impending insurrection by the communist movement, and the bloody, chaotic aftermath of the coup. The second, coloured in Graham Greene-ish tones, has a cast of western journalists and diplomats failing to make sense of what's happening around them, and falling back on sex, drink and cynicism. The third - and most important in commercial-cinema terms - is a convincingly acted romance between rookie foreign correspondent Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson) and British diplomat Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver), culminating in an unlikely and sentimental ending to the film.

But it is the fourth of these "sub-movies" which is the most intriguing; this concerns the diminutive and enigmatic Australian/Chinese photographer Billy Kwan, an astonishing - and Oscar winning - portrayal by actress Linda Hunt. Billy sees himself as a puppet-master, pulling the strings of friends and colleagues, particularly of Jill and Guy, whom he throws together. But his need to take control also motivates him to help local people, not through indirect and political means, but directly like an early Christian, and this apparently benign course leads to tragedy. Billy is the true heart and conscience of this film.

Weir is not entirely successful in weaving these strands together, and leaves a few gaps in both plot and characterisation. He is also occasionally guilty of melodrama (a fault which, in the movie, Jill warns Guy about), especially in the film's closing scenes - though certainly not where he shows communist sympathisers being shot, which is factual. On the whole, however, the movie works on both commercial and artistic levels, and should be seen.

Details

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English Tagalog Filipino Indonesian

Release Date:

18 February 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Year of Living Dangerously

Filming Locations:

Artransa Park Film Studios, Mobbs Lane, Epping, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$35,000, 23 January 1983

Gross USA:

$10,278,575

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,278,575

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Freddie Fields Productions, McElroy & McElroy

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1