Wendy Hughes

“Paul Cox (“My First Wife”/”A Man of Flowers”/”The Golden Braid “) helms an interesting romantic drama about diverse cultures meeting on equal terms. It’s set in Melbourne, Australia, where the earthy Kostas (Takis Emmanuel), a journalist in the old country but who is now forced to drive a cab to survive. Kostas is depicted as a sensitive man of hot Greek passions, well-educated and of a good upbringing who currently lives in a dumpy boarding-house. The exile lives a peaceful but depressing existence, but things perk up when he picks up one of his fares. Carol (Wendy Hughes) is a native born pretty divorcee of the upper-crust, who despite embarrassed by Kosta’s vulgarity is still attracted to him. How the couple manage to relate to each other makes up the heart of the film and gives the viewer a chance to look at the clash over cultures through their eyes.Read More »

Sybylla Melvyn (Judy Davis in her first major screen role) is the eldest daughter of a struggling Australian farming family in the 1890s. Bold and determined, she dreams of success as a writer. At a time when convention and sexism limit female ambition, Sybylla frequently challenges traditionalist expectations.

She accordingly rejects one highly desirable suitor but then falls in love with dashing Harry Beecham (played by a young Sam Neill). As events twist and turn, Sybylla is painfully brought to realise the emotional cost of placing her career over love.Read More »

quote:
A slickly made and occasionally creative action drama, of the thoughtful sort they seldom make anymore. The hero of Philip Noyce’s 1978 Australian film is a newsreel cameraman, a device that allows Noyce to cut between stock shots and new footage, black and white and color, and historical and personal events. The montage sometimes makes good drama and good sense, but at other points the intent is every bit as obscure as the Australian politicians the film constantly alludes to.Read More »