Cloudstreet

Same era with magic realism. A slow burner; give it a chance!

Cloudstreet was surprisingly a brilliant TV-Series and adaptation of the novel by Tim Winton, spanned to 6 episodes. The director managed to explore the theme of magical realism that was in the novel, and the cinematography was amazing. You could feel the character of the house and the scenes from the book are identical to the scenes in the TV- series. One of the minor problems with this series is that was not very appropriate for little children, as there were some disturbing scenes but nevertheless the M rating was OK. I would of wished that they didn't rush the ending and incorporated more about the Nedlands Monster - would of been much more intense and a thriller. I felt empty having the TV series missing this segment, and a tad bit rushed with everything happening so fast. Perhaps more episodes would do this TV- Series justice. I found the young actors/actresses; that is young Quick, young Fish and young Rose were all very competent in their respectable roles, whereas the adult actors/actresses of their role didn't do too good apart from adult Fish. They felt more like different characters to me and couldn't bring in the personality traits that the young actors could. My recommendation is that you definitely watch this interesting and thought-provocative TV Series if you had little expectations. Because trust me, this would really blow your expectations!

The only miniseries that compares with this one in the sweep of its story and the quality of the acting and production is Brideshead Revisited. This is the story of two, dirt-poor, tragedy-scarred Australian families in the 40s and 50s - and of the large house near Perth that they share. For an American viewer, the effect is heightened by the unfamiliarity of the actors, who are instantly and credibly the characters they play. They are all decent if flawed people, and you find yourself pulling for them to succeed. At the heart of the story is a young Lamb boy, called Fish, who nearly drowns at the outset and as a result is retarded. The telling of the tale is poetic, with the large, ramshackle house (on Cloud Street) and the sea (Fish's "water") playing major roles. Not for all tastes, and there is enough explicit sex to keep it off Masterpiece Theater, but it is a production that will move a lot of viewers. It certainly moved this one.

A complex novel, Cloudstreet was always going to be difficult to film, not only because of the number of characters within this book, the time span of 2 decades but also for the spiritual/metaphysical nature within the characters/plot.

This series was a brave attempt to film this adaptation which was co-written by Tim Winton. The first night's episode was a slow exposition of the characters, glossing over, in parts, the events that would eventually lead to the 2 families meeting up at the house in Cloud Street. Those who hadn't read the novel may have struggled to understand some of the events or actions in this first night's episode because of the curtailment of description.

The series, like the novel, calls for a perhaps a "suspension of reality" or perhaps, more accurately, a "leap of faith" to believe in some of the events portrayed. If a viewer does this, then the excellent casting of the lead characters allows you to enter fully into the inner life of not only the actors but also the house, which becomes a central character within the story also.

Yes, there are quibbles - music that isn't appropriate to the time portrayed, modern street lights/blurred high rise apartment blocks in the background but then filming a period piece set in the 1940s/50s in and around Perth was also always going to be difficult. This is a city that has little of it's "older" character still present thanks to the "tear it down and rebuild" mentality of the 1960s and 1970s. Kudos to the production for not only filming here in Perth but for also managing to recreate the era successfully, for the most part. Winton's work is always firmly rooted here in this state, again the landscape/architecture being a character within his writing. To film it elsewhere would have been a compromise too far.

This is my first review, and I'm not sure if this will count as review, or just long comment. I loved every minute. Definitely worth your time if you enjoy poetical story, ever present love - hate drama, touch of reality, music which syncs with the picture and of course Ozzie style directing, camera, characters and scene. Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! And once more, LOVED IT! Aussie scenery half a century ago was done perfectly. You could compare this movie to, from top of my head, BIG FISH or LEGENDS of the FALL from American cinematography mixed with Australian THORN BIRDS or MAN from SNOWY RIVER. You will all probably see something much different than I did, but you won't regret. This movie will lift your spirit little bit and give you something to think about for couple of hours.