If you measure success commercially or by international acclaim, then Peter Weir would have to be Australia's definitive flag bearer. Certainly one shouldn't overlook the likes of Fred Schepisi, Bruce Beresford or Gillian Armstrong, yet none of these directors have quite parallelled Weir's career.
His recent films have boosted his reputation all the more, but I for one believe he lost his way after "Witness"(1985). "The Mosquito Coast" (86) was a complete miscalculation and "Dead Poets Society" (89) a shameful waste that self-destructed at the last. And "Green Card" I have not even bothered with. Go back before '85 however and his films get better and better. "Picnic at Hanging Rock" (75) and "Gallipoli" (81) both demonstrated Weir's ability to totally involve an audience with the simplest of themes and the most 'human' of characters. "The Year of Living Dangerously" was yet another credit to this insightful director, a top rate drama with a distinct thriller element.
Mel Gibson plays Australian Broadcasting Service reporter Guy Hamilton, an ambitious young Aussie who has landed the arguably enviable position of Jakarta correspondent. What with the rebel communists planning a military coup, Indonesia in 1965 was not the safest place to be.
Chinese-Australian photographer Billy Kwan (Linda Hunt) takes a shining to Guy and so goes out of his way to help the enthusiastic journo make a name for himself, and a few friends as well. One of those friends is English diplomat Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver), and before long romance begins to complicate matters.
Our Mr. Weir blends the human drama with the political turmoil in seamless fashion, whilst importantly focusing on the people whose lives these events affect. His screenplay (co-scripted with David Williamson and C.J. Koch - on whose novel the film is based) helps in this regard immensely, as does the cast that bring the fascinating central characters to life. Gibson's Hamilton is always believable and we are readily able to understand his position. As Bryant, Sigourney Weaver delivers a strong dramatic performance as a woman who has carefully wrapped herself in a protective cocoon, but who yearns desperately for love and passion to come crashing in.
The show stealing turn most assuredly goes to Linda Hunt, as she plays the part with amazing skill. Her portrayal of the dwarfed, idealistic Kwan, who wants nothing other than to "add his light to the sum of light", is a wonderful achievement and a most moving triumph. Billy's secret personal files that he keeps on close associates makes Guy suspicious, yet they serve as a very interesting character study within the film.
Add to this Russell Boyd's captivating and compelling cinematography and Maurice Jarre's very effective thematic score and you have a drama/thriller that works from beginning to end. Brilliant Art Direction, Sets and Editing help proceedings become all the more convincing.
Wednesday, January 11, 1995 - Video
His recent films have boosted his reputation all the more, but I for one believe he lost his way after "Witness"(1985). "The Mosquito Coast" (86) was a complete miscalculation and "Dead Poets Society" (89) a shameful waste that self-destructed at the last. And "Green Card" I have not even bothered with. Go back before '85 however and his films get better and better. "Picnic at Hanging Rock" (75) and "Gallipoli" (81) both demonstrated Weir's ability to totally involve an audience with the simplest of themes and the most 'human' of characters. "The Year of Living Dangerously" was yet another credit to this insightful director, a top rate drama with a distinct thriller element.
Mel Gibson plays Australian Broadcasting Service reporter Guy Hamilton, an ambitious young Aussie who has landed the arguably enviable position of Jakarta correspondent. What with the rebel communists planning a military coup, Indonesia in 1965 was not the safest place to be.
Chinese-Australian photographer Billy Kwan (Linda Hunt) takes a shining to Guy and so goes out of his way to help the enthusiastic journo make a name for himself, and a few friends as well. One of those friends is English diplomat Jill Bryant (Sigourney Weaver), and before long romance begins to complicate matters.
Our Mr. Weir blends the human drama with the political turmoil in seamless fashion, whilst importantly focusing on the people whose lives these events affect. His screenplay (co-scripted with David Williamson and C.J. Koch - on whose novel the film is based) helps in this regard immensely, as does the cast that bring the fascinating central characters to life. Gibson's Hamilton is always believable and we are readily able to understand his position. As Bryant, Sigourney Weaver delivers a strong dramatic performance as a woman who has carefully wrapped herself in a protective cocoon, but who yearns desperately for love and passion to come crashing in.
The show stealing turn most assuredly goes to Linda Hunt, as she plays the part with amazing skill. Her portrayal of the dwarfed, idealistic Kwan, who wants nothing other than to "add his light to the sum of light", is a wonderful achievement and a most moving triumph. Billy's secret personal files that he keeps on close associates makes Guy suspicious, yet they serve as a very interesting character study within the film.
Add to this Russell Boyd's captivating and compelling cinematography and Maurice Jarre's very effective thematic score and you have a drama/thriller that works from beginning to end. Brilliant Art Direction, Sets and Editing help proceedings become all the more convincing.
Wednesday, January 11, 1995 - Video