Wednesday, December 16, 2015

644. My Brilliant Career

My Brilliant Career
1979
Directed by Gillian Armstrong








We are almost done with the 70s and have almost reached the cinematic treasure trove that is the 80s.  That may be a bit optimistic, but it is the mindset I am going with.

Sybylla is a free spirited girl who longs for something more than 19th century Australia can give her.  She is sent to live with her grandmother and is courted by two men.  Meanwhile when I visit my grandmother, I never meet anyone younger than 90 years old.  Anyway, one of the men is a childhood friend so we know who will probably win.

Australian cinema has really been disappointing and, unfortunately, the misery continues.  Sam Neill and Judy Davis may be talented actors, but together they had absolutely zero chemistry.  I do appreciate the idea that a woman in a movie can want something other than a man.  Still, I expected Davis' character to be a tad more likable.  I ended up finding the whole film rather dull.

If I could sum it up, I would say it was like A Room With a View, but slightly worse.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

The producers, director, scriptwriters, costume designer, accountant, and bookkeeper were all women.

Judy Davis learned how to play the piano specifically for this film.


3 comments:

  1. Hi Amanda, found you through Andrew's blog, enjoyed your guest column for all of it's brief running time! I like your idea of watching in chronological order, must take a lot longer to complete so kudos for that. I finished the 1001 a few months ago, was worthwhile but a total relief to get it over with. Now that's Andrew's finished I'll follow along with your posts, I like to hear the thoughts of others who are suffering through the book like I did.

    And yes you're right, I can't really remember anything about this film other than it's dullness.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Donald!

      Welcome to my blog! Thank you so much. Are you going to do the other 1001 movie lists that weren't part of your edition now?

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    2. Yes I think I will go back to finish the films in the other editions, but only after a long break. Enjoying having the freedom to watch anything I like for a while!

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