Thursday, February 19, 2015

February 19 - Australia

Today’s movie is a period drama with a scene that happens on February 19. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

AUSTRALIA      

Lady Sarah Ashley travels to her husband’s cattle station Faraway Downs in Australia. He is murdered shortly before she arrives and an indigenous Australian called “King George” is accused of the crime. When her manager Fletcher mistreats a half-native boy, Nullah after he informs her of cattle thieving by her neighbor, cattle baron “King” Carney, she fires Fletcher. Since she can’t have children of her own, Lady Sarah informally adopts Nullah after his mother is killed. Lady Sarah gets Drover, a ranch hand to take her cattle to Darwin to sell them. In spite of many difficulties, some created by Carney’s men, the cattle are sold and Drover and Lady Sarah start a relationship. Fletcher kills Carney, marries his daughter and continues to harass Lady Sarah. We learn he also killed Lady Sarah’s husband and is Nullah’s father. Two years later Nullah is taken by the authorities to an island near Darwin with other native orphans. Drover and Lady Sarah quarrel and he leaves. On February 19, 1942 [2:03:30 to 2:21:30] when the Japanese bomb Darwin and the island, Lady Ashley fears Nullah is dead. Drover rescues Nullah and the pair are reunited with Lady Sarah. Fletcher tries to kill Nullah, but “King George”; Nullah’s grandfather kills him. Lady Sarah and Drover return to Faraway downs, while Nullah and his grandfather return to the bush.   

Fire in the Sky by Eric M. Bergerud (Westview Press, Boulder, 2000) at page 37 gives the date of the raid

Director - Baz Luhrmann

Producers - Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Knapman and G. Mac Brown

Screenplay - Baz Luhrmann, Ronald Harwood, Stuart Beattieand Richard Flanagan

Awards – The film was nominated for the Best Costume Design Oscar at the 81st
                 Academy Awards

Released – November 26, 2008

Runtime – 2 hours 45 minutes

Starring –

Nicole Kidman as Lady Sarah Ashley.
Hugh Jackman as Drover.
David Wenham as Neil Fletcher.
Bryan Brown as Lesley 'King' Carney.
Jack Thompson as Kipling Flynn
David Gulpilil as King George
Brandon Walters as Nullah
David Ngoombujarra as Magarri
Ben Mendelsohn as Captain Emmett Dutton


Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2015. 



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