‘A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose’, so said famous American poet Gerrude Stein. It’s a poetic way of saying something simple,- what something is, is what it is! There’s no point in criticising something for what it isn’t!

‘Australia’ is movie making on a grand scale…some say it was Luhrmann’s attempt to make an Australian version of ‘Gone with the Wind’..It’s not meant to be a bulletproof historical document.

‘Australia’ is a great love story. The story of the coming together of two rank opposites. It is flagged from their first scene together…Nicole Kidman’s Lady Ashley has just arrived from England. She is dressed up to the nines. She comes out of the pub to meet up with Hugh Jackman’s Drover who is going to take her to her huge cattle property, Faraway Downs, when she finds the Drover laying into a bunch of guys, in a good, old fashioned Aussie brawl. Somehow her suitcase gets caught up in the brawl, and her expensive lingerie tumbles out of her bag, and much to her chagrin, goes flying everywhere. It’s a legendary scene in a film that boosts a few of them.

‘Australia’ is a celebration of its indigenous peoples. Two of the films’ main characters are Aboriginal; Brandon Walers’s Nullah, a smart, spririted 12 year old half-caste boy who Lady Ashley takes under her care, and Nullah’s grandfather, David Gulipilli’s King George, a spiritual elder.

‘Australia’ plays out as a modern day western. Bryan Brown’s King Carney wants to buy out Faraway Downs to add to his empire and together with David Wenham’s Neil Fletcher will do anything to win Faraway Downs from Lady Ashley.

One of the joys of ‘Australia’ is that it is a celebration of how much acting talent we have, seeing so many well known local performers getting roles in a big international film. Its a huge list including in supporting roles- Ray Barrett, Tony Barry, Lillian Crombie, Max Cullen, Essie David, Arthur Dignum, John Jarrett, Ben Mendelsohn, Barry Otto, Bruce Spence, Jack Thompson, Kerry Walker, Matthew Whittet, Ursula Yovich and John Walton…

‘Australia’ is good, old fashioned, escapist, grand movie making. Don’t be too hard on it, and enjoy it for what it is!