We of the Never Never

Agreeing to live with her cattle rancher husband in the Australian outback circa 1900, a young woman finds her preconceptions and views on the world at large changed in this iconic drama, based on actual events. Having never lived outside the suburbs and finding herself with no Caucasian female company at all, 'We of the Never Never' at first seems predictable with lead actress Angela Punch McGregor undergoing many trials and tribulations adjusting to her new life. The plot soon thickens though as she befriends the local Indigenous Australians and finds herself at odds with her Caucasian companions (including her husband), who treat the Aborigines as second class citizens. Particularly compelling are the maternal instincts that swell up inside her as she bonds with a young Indigenous girl without strong parental figures in her life. The question then arises of whether she actually has the girl's best interests at heart by taking her away from her family and basically trying to adopt her. Further questions of inference arise with an Indigenous man who she tries to force to take medicine, and it is all endlessly engaging as we witness a character with more moral fibre than those around her wrestling with whether or not her generosity is in fact beneficial. The less said about the strained relationship with her husband and Arthur Dignam's hardly remarkable performance the better, but this is Punch McGregor's film all the way with a special mention to the breathtaking majestic landscape photography that makes the outback seem more alluring than ever.

Watching the film straight after reading the book made for a very poor viewing experience. Where the characters in the book were alive and so multi-dimensional, they sadly lost most of that in the film, which chose to diverge from the book in so many places that it became unrecognizable. Key events in the film did not happen in the book and others that I considered important were omitted from the film. The book was set as a narrative, you were following her thoughts, listening to her voice and I wish they had transferred this concept to the film. Too many key characters were omitted from the movie and those that remained seemed to have lost their voices by being given too few lines. All in all a nice movie, and beautifully shot and acted, but not a true representation of the book or the true events.

This movie strays way too far from the book. The entire story line from the time they get to Elsey takes a turn away from the truth, as told by Mrs Aeneas Gunn. While the movie is visually beautiful, I was sad to see that all the parts of the book which were particularly special, like her relationship with the stockmen, were traded in for a conflict based on race. Even her relationship with the Maluka is cheapened. I would like to see this book remade into a movie that is truer to the original.

Despite its rather rambling structure, this is movie is a great achievement - as a portrait of a 19th century, white Australian woman trying to cope with life in the outback. It's beautifully photographed, written and acted, with the exception of the male lead, who is astoundingly miscast. Such a shame, as otherwise this would have been a completely absorbing and accurate depiction of conditions faced by a woman, married to a typical man of the land; the only white woman in a very male world, and inn a world in which indigenous people are treated as third class citizens. I recommend this to schools and educators and to film historians - as an example of how to make a great movie with not much money and a lot of commitment. See the extras on the DVD - even in those, the male lead reveals himself to be completely out of step with the spirit of the film.

A remarkable movie about a woman overcoming sexist and racial prejudice in outback Australia. McGregor is very convincing as Jeannie Gunn as she battles constantly to be seen as an equal amongst the menfolk on the station on which she lives with her husband. The fight seems a losing battle however as the views held by the men (regarding both women and indigenous people) are hard to overcome.

Anyone outside of Australia who is interested in an accurate portrayal of the early relations between Australian Aborigines and white Australian's then this movie is for you.