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Australia

  • 20082008
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 45m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
124K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,370
508
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in Australia (2008)
Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot
Play trailer2:13
5 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Adventure
  • Drama
  • Romance

Set in northern Australia before WWII, an Englishwoman who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscapes.Set in northern Australia before WWII, an Englishwoman who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscapes.Set in northern Australia before WWII, an Englishwoman who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscapes.

IMDb RATING
6.6/10
124K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,370
508
  • Director
    • Baz Luhrmann
  • Writers
    • Stuart Beattie(screenplay)
    • Baz Luhrmann(screenplay)
    • Ronald Harwood(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Nicole Kidman
    • Hugh Jackman
    • Shea Adams
Top credits
  • Director
    • Baz Luhrmann
  • Writers
    • Stuart Beattie(screenplay)
    • Baz Luhrmann(screenplay)
    • Ronald Harwood(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Nicole Kidman
    • Hugh Jackman
    • Shea Adams
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 500User reviews
    • 176Critic reviews
    • 53Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 12 wins & 37 nominations total

    Videos5

    Australia: Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:13
    Australia: Trailer #2
    Australia: Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 1:40
    Australia: Theatrical Trailer
    Australia: Shooting Locations Featurette
    Featurette 5:05
    Australia: Shooting Locations Featurette
    Australia: Cinematography Featurette
    Featurette 5:11
    Australia: Cinematography Featurette
    Australia: Working with Baz Featurette
    Featurette 4:30
    Australia: Working with Baz Featurette

    Photos125

    Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in Australia (2008)
    Hugh Jackman in Australia (2008)
    Hugh Jackman in Australia (2008)
    Hugh Jackman in Australia (2008)
    Hugh Jackman in Australia (2008)
    Nicole Kidman and David Ngoombujarra in Australia (2008)
    Nicole Kidman in Australia (2008)
    Nicole Kidman in Australia (2008)
    Hugh Jackman in Australia (2008)
    Nicole Kidman and Brandon Walters in Australia (2008)
    Hugh Jackman in Australia (2008)
    Hugh Jackman in Australia (2008)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Nicole Kidman
    Nicole Kidman
    • Lady Sarah Ashleyas Lady Sarah Ashley
    Hugh Jackman
    Hugh Jackman
    • Droveras Drover
    Shea Adams
    • Carney Boy #3as Carney Boy #3
    Eddie Baroo
    Eddie Baroo
    • Bullas Bull
    Ray Barrett
    Ray Barrett
    • Ramsdenas Ramsden
    Tony Barry
    Tony Barry
    • Sergeant Callahanas Sergeant Callahan
    Jamal Sydney Bednarz
    • Mission Boyas Mission Boy
    • (as Jamal Bednarz-Metallah)
    Damian Bradford
    • Constable #1as Constable #1
    Bryan Brown
    Bryan Brown
    • King Carneyas King Carney
    Nathin Butler
    Nathin Butler
    • Carney Boy #1as Carney Boy #1
    Tara Carpenter
    • Essential Services Womanas Essential Services Woman
    Rebecca Chatfield
    • Magarri's Nieceas Magarri's Niece
    Lillian Crombie
    • Bandy Legsas Bandy Legs
    Max Cullen
    Max Cullen
    • Old Drunkas Old Drunk
    Essie Davis
    Essie Davis
    • Cath Carneyas Cath Carney
    Arthur Dignam
    Arthur Dignam
    • Father Benedictas Father Benedict
    Michelle Dyzla
    • Hairdresseras Hairdresser
    Haidee Gaudry
    • Essential Services Womanas Essential Services Woman
    • Director
      • Baz Luhrmann
    • Writers
      • Stuart Beattie(screenplay)
      • Baz Luhrmann(screenplay) (story)
      • Ronald Harwood(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    In northern Australia at the beginning of World War II, an English aristocrat inherits a cattle station the size of Maryland. When English cattle barons plot to take her land, she reluctantly joins forces with a rough stock-man to drive 2,000 head of cattle across hundreds of miles of the country's most unforgiving land, only to still face the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese forces that had attacked Pearl Harbor only months earlier. —Anonymous
    • soldier
    • 1940s
    • prejudice
    • dog
    • airplane
    • 300 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Genres
      • Adventure
      • Drama
      • Romance
      • War
      • Western
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for some violence, a scene of sensuality, and brief strong language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In an interview that aired October 16, 2008, Hugh Jackman told 60 Minutes (1979) that Nicole Kidman agreed to star in the film without reading the script. According to Jackman, she told him at a Super Bowl party that she had to be in the movie. When Jackman told her he didn't even have a script, Kidman told him to forget the script, because Baz Luhrmann was directing.
    • Goofs
      When discussing Nullah's future, Sarah mentions "a wonderful School of the Air." School of the Air is a correspondence course that uses shortwave radio (and, now, the internet) to teach children in the Outback. The Alice Springs School of the Air covers over a million square kilometers. School of the Air started in 1951.
    • Quotes

      Drover: Most people like to own things. You know, land, luggage, other people. Makes them feel secure. But all that can be taken away. And in the end, the only thing you really own is your story. Just tryin' to live a good one.

    • Crazy credits
      The Bazmark logo features a watermill wheel which the emu knocks to move it around a little, revealing the words "Darlinghurst-Sydney-Australia" on it.
    • Connections
      Edited from Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
    • Soundtracks
      By the Boab Tree
      Music by Felix Meagher, Baz Luhrmann and Angela Little

      Lyrics by Baz Luhrmann, Felix Meagher, Anton Monsted, Angela Little and Schuyler Weiss

      Performed by Angela Little

      Produced by BLAM (Baz Luhrmann & Anton Monsted), Felix Meagher and Angela Little

      Mixed by Eden Martin

    User reviews500

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Old-style epic romantic movie
    An entertaining romantic drama by Buz Luhrmann, old-Hollywood style.

    The movie is set in the Northern Territory of Australia in the years previous to the involvement of Japan in the WW II, and tells the story of Sarah Ashley -an English lady who goes to Australia to try to get her husband back to England and ends becoming the head of their Australian cattle farm-, Drover -an independent free-spirited cattle and horse drover that works for her- and Nullah -a half-caste Aboriginal child who lives in the farm and struggles to live in a world in which he's alien to both blacks and whites.

    This is one of those movies that you can say it is done as the movies of the golden era of Hollywood used to be - flashy wonderfully well-looking movie stars, great scenery and great studio settings, detailed recreation of the era's fashion, decoration, atmosphere, etc., , and a simple epic plot with a great love story. Australia has all of this, but also a little bit of corn, a thin plot, weak characters and flaws that are even more noticeable in a super-production like this.

    The script is uneven and Manichean (with angels and demons) and mixes several movie genres (romantic comedy, romantic drama, war movie, western movie, and Aboriginal movie) with different degrees of success. The characters are descriptive and without emotional depth, and that affects the acting. However, I loved the depiction of the magic and wisdom of Aboriginal Australians, which is really well presented, with its magic beliefs and philosophical and environmental approach to the world. I think that part is truly genuine and real and reaches the viewer. I also loved that Lady Ashley's character is the one of a true modern woman, as she is a strong-willed free woman, a boss, the boss of her man, a woman who always leads, never submissive or afraid of being alone if she doesn't get what she wants. That's a post-modern woman, so rare to see in cinema nowadays.

    The acting is unconvincing on the part of the leading actors. Hugh Jackman's performance is just OK in his role, while Nicole Kidman disappoints in the comic part of the movie, as she seems not to relax when she does so, but she warms up to her usual self when the story becomes more dramatic; she looks beautiful in this movie, like a 50s movie star, although those inflated siliconed lips were a distraction... Jackman and Kidman make a great couple, but their chemistry on camera was nothing memorable and you see yourself seeing two actors playing a couple, not a real couple on screen.

    Most supporting actors are good in their roles, especially the Aboriginal ones, who really shine in this film. David Gulpilil is simply terrific, completely believable and inspired in his role of the Aboriginal Elder King George. Brandon Walters, despite his youth, offers a memorable performance, and his face really lights up the screen. Also great is the actor who plays Drove's Aboriginal pal, who also offers a solid performance. They are the ones who really give soul to the movie.

    Despite what you might expect, the cinematography is poor. I was expecting the rare beauty of the Northern Territory to be captured by the always stylish and colorful Luhrmann. However, the part of the movie that happens during the dry season is completely opaque and colorless, ugly to watch, while the scenes happening during the rainy season are again limited in colors.To my disenchantment, many of the most colorful and beautiful scenes are digitally created or enhanced, while others seem to have been shot in big studios. Just the Mission island seems to convey that luxurious real feeling of the NT vegetation. Some of the most beautiful bits of the real land, the aerial vistas, look like if they had been taken for a documentary for National Geographic. Where is the emotional connection of the story with the land? In other words, the viewer doesn't go beyond what the eyes see. So, one wonders, why the movie was called Australia and why it was sold as a movie that captured the spirit of this country. To be honest, I thought that most scenes in the movie could have been shot anywhere in the world not in Australia.

    The movie is a little too long. Most of the first half an hour could have been removed , condensed or presented in another way to give the non-Aboriginal characters more emotional background and depth. For example, we barely know why Neil Fletcher wants so badly Sarah's farm, and why he's so wicked in general but he loves a lovable sweet good- hearted woman. He is just an archetypal bad-guy, period.

    Despite its flaws, I enjoyed the movie, especially the second hour and a half, and that heaven of a man that is Hugh Jackman. God Bless him and his holy body.
    helpful•13
    5
    • Imdbidia
    • Feb 22, 2011

    FAQ3

    • Is "Australia" based on a book?
    • Where can I find the trailer?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 26, 2008 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • Australia
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Aboriginal
      • Chinese
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Chuyện Tình Nước Úc
    • Filming locations
      • Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
    • Production companies
      • Twentieth Century Fox
      • Bazmark Films
      • ScreenWest
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $130,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $49,554,002
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $14,800,723
      • Nov 30, 2008
    • Gross worldwide
      • $211,787,511
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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