Australia!

[jo]

Catherine Martin, who has just won her third Oscar for her production/costume design work, was talking about the work she has done for her busband's, Baz Luhrmann, latest stage adaptation of the film STRICTLY BALLROOM.

While browsing through her past portfolios, she remembered what he thought of Hugh as the perfect human mannequin ( actually better than a mannequin) for the costumes for The Drover --

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2596598/He-amazing-physique-Oscar-winning-Australian-designer-Catherine-Martin-gushes-Hugh-Jackman-looks-famous-costumes.html

Martin took Gillies down to the basement to look at some of her other famous costumes from movies directed by her husband Baz Luhrmann, including Moulin Rouge, Australia, and Romeo + Juliet.

While looking at a Jackman costume from the film Australia, Martin was full of compliments for the Aussie hunk.

'Unfortunately no mere mannequin can fill out Hugh Jackman's form,' she said.

'I mean he has the most amazing physique and he wears a T-shirt like nobody's business.'


Amazing physique: The Oscar-winning costume designer was full of praise for hunky Aussie actor Hugh Jackman





Gillies cut in and joked that Martin should 'Stop now'.

Martin then quipped: 'I am, I'm going to stop!'

'Love you Hugh, love you Deb!' she said, referring to Jackman's wife Deborra-Lee Furness.

[jo]

The UK Guardian revisits AUSTRALIA ( the movie) and comes out dissing the movie, Baz, Hugh, and Nicole smiley-rolleyes010

www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/24/australia-rewatched-a-bulky-berserk-bush-turkey-lathered-with-stereotypes

I wonder why he bothered re-watching it?


Jo

[jo]

TBT --

http://instagram.com/p/BM6gC7Vj_wp

[jo]

While promoting AUSTRALIA ( see Nicole in clip)10 years ago --

[jo]

This brings back memories of that long-ago Luhrmann film with Hugh and Nicole! One of Hugh's best film portrayals!

Mar 9, 2019 17:24:07 GMT -5 jo said:

Mar 9, 2019 9:59:50 GMT -5 jo said:

Doing research

http://instagr.am/p/BuyW-xkHz8L

Remember the song written by Elton John for the man portrayed by Hugh Jackman in AUSTRALIA, the movie? It was called "The Drover's Ballad". Too bad it did not qualify as a song nominee at the Oscars, only because it was played second in the after-credits ( another song preceded it called "By The Boab Tree").

[jo]

While promoting AUSTRALIA in Germany -- Hugh Jackman met the now President of the powerful European Commission ( of the European Union) Madame Von Der Leyen in a German entertainment show.

[jo]

AUSTRALIA was only a relative success at the box office and was met with critical panning in a number of reviews. Most were directed towards the meandering nature of the storytelling and which caused it to be overly long to some quarters. It's a movie of Hugh that is not discussed often nor included when people choose his more memorable films.

Maybe breaking up the movie into a series with a compact dealing of sub-themes ( such as the life of the aborigines and the story of Nullah, the backstory of Lady Sarah and maybe a little of the Drover, the love affair of Sarah & the Drover, the fight with the cattle barons, the cattle drive in the barren landscape, the onset of the war and its consequences, etc) into a limited series ( maybe 6 episodes or so) will make appreciation of the epic fuller?


JO

[jo]

This rarely-discussed Jackman movie is the only one which features a Christmas scene ( in the outback).

Rotten Tomatoes gave it a CRITICS average rating of 55% ( considered ROTTEN) and the AUDIENCE SCORE was also a low 65%.

www.rottentomatoes.com/m/australia

Critics Consensus
Built on lavish vistas and impeccable production, Australia is unfortunately burdened with thinly drawn characters and a lack of originality.

Looking at the TOP CRITICS list -- it is noteworthy that FRESH ratings were given by noted top critics like


*New York Times ( Manohla Dargis)
*LA Times ( Kenneth Turran)
*Wall Street Journal ( Peter Morgersten)
*Empire (Chris Andrews)
*Financial Times (Hewitt)
*Variety
*Hollywood Reporter
*Washington Post
*Roger Ebert
*Time
*Newsweek
*Duralde

It is always worth another look.


Jo

[jo]

Btw, Helen O'Hara is a film critic for EMPIRE Magazine.

Based on her reviews of Hugh Jackman movies - she seems like a big fan of Hugh


Jo

[njr]

^ I would hope Amanda Keats meant to say that Hugh does NOT need to be photoshopped!

[jo]

[njr]

Feb 21, 2021 12:48:25 GMT -5 njr said:

^ I would hope Amanda Keats meant to say that Hugh does NOT need to be photoshopped!

I tweeted her and she replied that’s what she meant to say.

[hughmanity]

Interesting--

collider.com/australia-extended-cut-baz-luhrmann-hulu-faraway-downs-series/

[jo]

Maybe a bit more details on the life of The DROVER. Also, the song that Elton John wrote about him could be placed within the film story itself ( and not just a song sung while the credits are sung)?

I wonder if Hugh's August weeklong break from The Music Man has anything to do with this planned conversion of AUSTRALIA into A tv series?

Jo

[jo]

Speculation on the upcoming FARAWAY DOWNS --

Baz Luhrmann’s Epic ‘Australia’ To Be Basis for New Series, ‘Faraway Downs’
By Annabel Smith -July 9, 202205

After the success of Elvis, Baz Luhrmann is delving back into the TV world. The last time he did so was for the short-lived series, The Get Down. Luhrmann is developing Faraway Downs (named after the cattle station in the story) from footage captured for the 2008 epic Australia.

Streaming on Disney+ in the UK, and premiering on Hulu in the US, the series promises a “new variation” on the film. Executively produced by Luhrmann, as well as Catherine Martin, Schuyler Weiss, and Catherine Knapman, Faraway Downs is sure to hold up to the epic that is Australia.

Australia is set during World War 2, where English aristocrat, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) returns to claim her inheritance—a cattle station. Here she meets a cattle drover (Hugh Jackman) and rivalry and romance ensue. Australia is a romantic epic which also enlightens those to the Stolen Generations; Indigenous Australian children who were forcibly integrated into white society and removed from their homes.


With a $211.3 million box office and a $130 million budget, Australia was by no means a failure. Although achieving the lowest IMDb rating of Luhrmann’s productions, Australia proves Luhrmann can do the epic. Yet, the TV format appears Luhrmann’s biggest threat after production problems with The Get Down. The show, set in 70s New York, was cancelled after one season in 2017. The reported increasingly extravagant budget and challenging filmmaking process may have doomed the series from the get-go. Fortunately, Luhrmann’s previous dealings with Australia’s story promises an epic expansion.

Luhrmann remarks, “Australia the film has its own life, there was another telling of this story; one with different layers, nuances and even alternative plot twists that an episodic format has allowed us to explore. Drawn from the same material, Faraway Downs is a new variation on Australia for audiences to discover.” The 2008 film had several different endings proposed, so the TV series is likely to veer off from its predecessor.Luhrmann is known for involving Australian talent in plenty of his productions, from Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley in the recent Elvis, or Joel Edgerton as Tom in The Great Gatsby—Australia was no exception. Along with Jackman and Kidman, Australia introduced Brandon Walters as the young Nullah, and the seasoned actor David Gulpilil as King George. Faraway Downs promises more screen time in a six-episode format for these Australian actors whilst encompassing the epic Australian landscape in which it was shot.

Words by Annabel Smith

'Australia' Endings Go Down To The Wire
November 17, 20084:00 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered
KIM MASTERS

Listen
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Transcript
The new Baz Luhrmann film Australia is coming out Nov. 24 ... but it's not clear how it ends. Luhrmann reportedly shot three different endings to the film.

MELISSA BLOCK, host:

The latest movie from director Baz Luhrmann is big in many senses - big stars, big story, and perhaps big problems. "Australia" features Nicole Kidman as a British aristocrat and Hugh Jackman as the man who helps her manage a sprawling ranch. The movie opens in nine days. Just last week, Luhrmann denied reports that the studio had forced him to change the ending. As NPR's Kim Masters reports, fooling around with the end of a movie is very rare.

KIM MASTERS: "Australia" is epic.

(Soundbite of movie "Australia")

Ms. NICOLE KIDMAN (As Lady Sarah Ashley) We can't let them win.

Mr. HUGH JACKMAN (As Drover) We won.

MASTERS: The film went well over its $100 million budget. Luhrmann has acknowledged that it wasn't finished just days before it was supposed to premiere overseas. And then there's the question of the ending. A report published in Australia said the Fox studio had forced Luhrmann to change a downbeat ending. The studio denied that, and Luhrmann did too. Here's what he told The Los Angeles Times.

Mr. BAZ LUHRMANN (Director, "Australia"): On my films, no one makes decisions about that except me.

MASTERS: Luhrmann went on to say that he had written six endings and shot three of them. A studio would allow a director to shoot three endings, really?

Mr. BILL MECHANIC (Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Fox Filmed Entertainment): Generally speaking, no, you prefer to solve your story problems before you set out to make a movie.

MASTERS: Bill Mechanic ran the Fox studio when Luhrmann made the 1996 hit "Romeo and Juliet," as well as the Oscar nominated 2001 film "Moulin Rouge." He says there are some occasions when a studio might shoot an alternative ending, but it doesn't happen often.

Mr. MECHANIC: If it happens once every couple years, that'd be a lot.

MASTERS: Mechanic remembers only one occasion when that option was discussed, when Fox made the "The Beach," a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Danny Boyle. Sometimes endings are reshot if they're not working, as famously happened with the 1987 film "Fatal Attraction." The Glenn Close character originally framed Michael Douglas's character for murder. That didn't play well with test audiences, so Michael Douglas had to go mono on mono with Close and win.

(Soundbite of scuffle in movie "Fatal Attraction")





MASTERS: Anne Thompson, a columnist with Variety, says Luhrmann tried out various versions of "Australia" in front of test audiences. And in at least one, Hugh Jackman's character did not survive.

Ms. ANNE THOMPSON (Columnist, Variety): Sometimes audiences really resist certain endings, and it's possible that they did not want to see the Hugh Jackman character die at the end. Apparently, someone else dies at the end - spoiler alert.




MASTERS: We asked an executive at Fox whether Luhrmann set out to shoot three separate endings. The answer wasn't quite clear. We haven't seen that much tap dancing since Bill "Bojangles" Robinson teamed up with Shirley Temple. He did tell us that Luhrmann did a lot of filming and gave himself a lot of options. Given Luhrmann's unorthodox methods, former Fox chief Bill Mechanic says pressing him to meet a firm holiday release date could have created problems.

Mr. MECHANIC: He's slow. He doesn't work at the same pace as everybody else. So there was no hard and fast release date on "Moulin Rouge." And in fact, it moved five months. It moved from where it was going to go out in October-November and went to the following year.

MASTERS: Mechanic says he took that time to hash out the story and resolve his differences with Luhrmann. The director did not shoot an alternative ending for "Moulin Rouge," and of course it's hard to imagine an alternative ending to "Romeo and Juliet." Kim Masters, NPR News.

Copyright © 2008 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our webs

[jo]

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Faraway Downs Cast Release Date Plot
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Everything to Know About Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Faraway Downs’ Series Starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman
The six-episode show is made from footage shot for his 2008 movie 'Australia.'

EMMA DIBDIN4 MINUTES AGO
There’s no shortage of TV remakes and reboots based on existing IP right now, but Baz Luhrmann’s Faraway Downs is a little different. This six-episode series is a reimagining of the director’s 2008 movie Australia, but it’s comprised entirely of footage from the ambitious original production, which shot for five months back in 2007. Given that length of filming time, it’s no surprise that Luhrmann had a lot of additional material that he couldn’t fit into the original cut.

So Faraway Downs is an expanded version of Australia, featuring largely the same storyline—a love story between Nicole Kidman’s fish-out-of-water aristocrat and Hugh Jackman’s rugged cattle drover, set against the backdrop of World War II Australia. But with a broader scope and some new twists. Here’s everything to know about the series, including its release date and who else is cast.


What is Faraway Downs about?
Luhrmann’s 2008 romantic epic Australia is set in the early 1940s and stars Nicole Kidman as an aristocratic English widow, Lady Sarah Ashley, who has just inherited a sprawling million-acre cattle ranch following her husband’s murder. That ranch is named Faraway Downs (hence the show’s title), and running it soon proves to be a much harder task than she anticipated. When Australian cattle barons try to muscle in on her land, Lady Sarah joins forces with a cattle drover, played by Hugh Jackman, in order to protect her ranch.


The story of their romance is told through the perspective of Nullah (Brandon Walters), a biracial indigenous Australian child who is adopted by the couple after being caught up in the Australian government’s brutal policy of forcibly removing First Nations children from their parents, a practice now referred to as “The Stolen Generations.” Together, per the show's official synopsis, “the trio experiences four life-altering years, a love affair between Lady Ashley and the Drover, and the unavoidable impact of World War II on Northern Australia.”



How does the Faraway Downs storyline compare to the Australia storyline?
Australia Nicole Kidman Hugh Jackman
IMAGO / Album


While the storyline is broadly the same, Faraway Downs chronicles an expanded version of the story that’s more serialized, and features an updated soundtrack along with a different ending. Think of it as a director’s cut, in six chapters.

“I originally set out to take the notion of the sweeping Gone With the Wind style epic and turn it on its head,” Luhrmann explained via Deadline. “[It was] a way of using romance and epic drama to shine a light on the roles of First Nations people and the painful scar in Australian history of the ‘Stolen Generations.”


The writer-director went on to say that “while Australia the film has its own life, there was another telling of this story; one with different layers, nuances and even alternative plot twists that an episodic format has allowed us to explore. Drawn from the same material, Faraway Downs is a new variation on Australia for audiences to discover.”

Who is in the Faraway Downs cast?
Faraway Downs’ six episodes will be made up of cutting-room-floor footage that Luhrmann originally captured for Australia, so the cast will be the same—including Kidman, Jackman, Walters, Lord of the Rings actor David Wenham as a station manager who plots to steal Lady Sarah’s land, and Bryan Brown as a similarly villainous cattle baron.



What is the Faraway Downs release date?
Faraway Downs will premiere in November 2023, with a specific date yet to be confirmed.

How to watch Faraway Downs
Faraway Downs will be released as a Hulu original in the U.S., while in international markets it will be available on Disney+ and Star+.


“Baz is one of the world’s great auteur storytellers, so revisiting Faraway Downs and experiencing his incredible film Australia in this unique, new episodic format has been a revelatory and unique adventure,” Craig Erwich, President, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment, said in a statement when the series was announced. “We look forward to taking viewers into the ranch and to experiencing all of the stories that are both held within and continue to unfold there.”


Is there a trailer for Faraway Downs?
There isn't a trailer yet, but you can stream Australia on Hulu to hold you over.

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