Australia

"Welcome to Australia!"

2008 2h 45m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 2,506

AdventureRomanceDrama

Synopsis

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Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin by Japanese forces firsthand.

“Welcome to Australia!”

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Cast

Nicole Kidman
Lady Sarah Ashley
Hugh Jackman
The Drover
Essie Davis
Katherine
David Wenham
Neil Fletcher
Bryan Brown
King Carney
David Gulpilil
King George
John Jarratt
Sergeant
Shea Adams
Carney Boy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Writers: Baz Luhrmann, Ronald Harwood, Richard Flanagan
Languages: Mandarin, Japanese, English
Countries: Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 165 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

$130M budget — tentpole studio territory.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Mandarin, Japanese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

348+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Baz Luhrmann, shot by Mandy Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Hirschfelder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Baz Luhrmann directs. Mandy Walker behind the camera. David Hirschfelder scores. Michael McCusker cuts. A long sit — settle in. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in Mandarin, Japanese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 165 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2$130M budget — tentpole studio territory.
3Released 18 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Mandarin, Japanese, English.
5International production across 3 countries: Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America.
6348+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
7Directed by Baz Luhrmann, shot by Mandy Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by David Hirschfelder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Michael McCusker shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman and Essie Davis carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "Welcome to Australia!".
12IMDB entry: tt0455824 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Classified under 14 themes, including "australia", "missionary", "world war ii", "ranch".

The technical file

Cinematography: Mandy Walker
Original score: David Hirschfelder
Editing: Michael McCusker
Production design: Catherine Martin
Costume design: Catherine Martin
Makeup / hair: Sheldon Wade
VFX supervisor: Robert Duncan
Sound: Anna Behlmer
Stunt coordinator: Greg Stuart
Runtime: 165 min · 2h 45m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.78:1 (16:9)
Status: Released
Budget: $130,000,000
Box office: $211,787,511
Return: 163% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Australia (2008)

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Baz Luhrmann

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What people are saying

John Chard2020-01-12
★ 7/10
King George angry at them white fellas. King George say them white fella bad spirit. Must be taken from this land. Australia is directed by Baz Luhrmann and Luhrmann co-writes the screenplay with Stuart Beattie, Ronald Harwood, and Richard Flanagan. It stars Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Bryan Brown and Brandon Walters. It took a bit of a kicking from the pro critics upon release, where the consensus is that at a cost of $130 million this intended sprawling epic is an ambitious flop. For the record at the box office it practically made double its outlay, so certainly wasn't a financial flop. It's a mixed bag for sure, a film of two differing halves. First half sends Kidman's English aristocrat to Northern Australia after she inherits the sprawling Faraway Downs Ranch. Here she finds herself in the middle of a dirty take over plot and reluctantly makes a working pact with Jackman's stock-man Drover. Seeds are sewn here for a bit of a screwball relationship, all while a cattle feud brews and the Aborigines at the ranch - particularly young Nulllah (Walters) - are in fear of racial tension. Pic then flip-flops into a love story, a war story (as the Japanese attack Darwin) and the bile strewn historical strand that features the "stolen generations" of half-white/half-Aboriginal children. With all this going on, as Lurhman nods to classic epics from classic era past, the vistas are stunning and the hard work of cattle ranching is given genuine credence (helps having the rugged Jackman leading the way). Set pieces are exciting, the Japanese aerial attacks realistic for dramatic worth, while the chemistry between the leads, a worthy child performance from Walters and a quality weasel villain turn from Wenham ensure performances don't harm the pic in that department. There's even the likes of Ben Mendelsohn and John Jarratt in secondary support slots. It isn't all it can be, and tonally it feels like there might have been some behind the scenes interference (three co-writers probably didn't help). Yet there are some genuine moments of fun and beauty here, mixed with some heart string tugs and reflection of an historical time that should never ne forgotten. Luhrman reached for "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and didn't quite make it, but it's honourable and has some damn fine craft for entertainment purpose. 7/10

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