Sirens (1994)

When a painting is termed blasphemous, a young minister and his wife visit the artist... and the three sexually playful models living with him.

Director:

John Duigan

Writer:

John Duigan

Stars:

Hugh Grant, Tara Fitzgerald, Sam Neill

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Grant	...	Anthony / Priest / Estella's husband
Tara Fitzgerald	...	Estella / Anthony's wife
Sam Neill	...	Norman / Artist / Rose's husband
Pamela Rabe	...	Rose / Norman's wife
Portia de Rossi	...	Giddy (as Portia De Rossi)
Tziporah Malkah	...	Pru / Model (as Kate Fischer)
Elle Macpherson	...	Sheela / Model
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Lewis
John Polson	...	Tom
Mark Gerber	...	Devlin / Blind man
Julia Stone	...	Jane
Ellie MacCarthy	...	Honey
Vincent Ball	...	Bishop of Sydney
John Duigan	...	Earnest Minister
Lexy Murphy	...	British Bulldog Girl

Storyline

A young reverend and his wife are on the way from England to Australia to minister to their flock. The bishop asks him to visit an eccentric artist prone to sexual depictions and requests that he voluntarily withdraw a controversial work call "Crucified Venus" from his show. The minister, who considers himself a progressive, is shocked at the amoral atmosphere surrounding the painter, his wife, and the three models living at his estate. The minister's wife is troubled also, and has to deal with latent sexual urges while trying to remain loyal to her husband.

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Plot Keywords:

female full frontal nudity | nude modeling | female exhibitionist | female removes her clothes | australia | 

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Taglines:

Be seduced.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, language and some violence

Details

Country:

Australia UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sirenas

Filming Locations:

Australia

Box Office

Gross USA:

$7,770,731

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Screen Finance Ltd., Samson Productions Pty. Ltd., Sarah Radclyffe Productions - Sirens Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Frustrated by her failure to snag Devlin, Portia de Rossi's character says she'll swear off men completely. This actress later "came out" as a lesbian and has since gotten married to comedienne Ellen DeGeneres.

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Goofs

The beautiful green steam locomotive that is seen in an early scene is a NSWGR 38 class, which first entered service in 1942.

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Quotes

Giddy: ...did you know it could be dangerous to wake somebody up when they're dreaming, well, because you leave part of your brain behind. And if it happens too many times, you go feeble in the head.
Sheela: Yeah. You're living proof.

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Connections

Featured in Celebrity Naked Ambition (2003)

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Soundtracks

MARCH PAST OF THE KITCHEN UTENSILS, from WASPS
Written by Ralph Vaughan Williams
J. Curwen & Sons Ltd.
Used by permission of Faber Music Limited, London
Performed by The Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Patrick Thomas
Courtesy of Australian Broadcasting Corporation

User Reviews

A Provocative Moral Statement

While this film is often not taken seriously because of its explicit nudity, it is in fact one of the most thought-provoking commentaries on religious values I have ever seen on the screen. This film provides us with the stark contrast of the repressed preacher from London and the artist's three models in rural Australia, a throwback to Shakespeare's "Green World." The fulcrum of this contrast is the preacher's wife, being pulled in both the oppressive, "moral" direction by her upbringing and her husband and the free and expressive direction of the artist. The breathtaking cinematography and stunning visual symbolism of this film contribute to make it into a powerful attack on the Christian moral code that dominates western thinking. I have been scoffed at on more than one occasion for praising Sirens, but I left the theater questioning my own views about what is and is not moral. The fact that this film's sexual content seems to invalidate it as art in many people's eyes merely underscores the value of its message. Along with Sling Blade, Sirens to me stands as the most provocative film about morality made in the 1990's. A solid 8 on a scale of 1 to 10.