We of the Never Never

"We of the Never Never" is a rare film. A near-epic made by and starring people from Australia. I can't really say whether no Hollywood people were involved, but it doesn't seem so.

Most Americans will have a some trouble understanding dialogue here and there. I have spent time in Oz and N.Z. and I didn't catch some of it. Just another reason why it's a true Australian production.

And it's quite upfront for 1982. The interaction/friction between Aboriginals and Whites is not most of the film, but a large part of it.

But to see it is to see something uniquely Australian, IMHO. Got to read the book!

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.

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.

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.