How Baz Luhrmann reengineered 2008sAustraliato bring new perspectives toFaraway Downs.
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Public-health professionals pointed to Hanks as an example of how to stop the spread.
Chet Hanks, of all people, became aprimary sourceof information.
I thought,What am I going to do?Im sort of falling into an abyss.
But other critics were less positive, and the filmstruggledat the American box office, opening at No.
5 and earning only $50 million Stateside during its run.
Its probably the most underperformed film of mine in the U.S., Luhrmann says.
So Luhrmann had an idea:Australias epic nature could be realized as astreaming series.
Luhrmann spoke to Vulture about bringing those elements back to life.
Luhrmanns responses have been combined, edited, and condensed for clarity.
They were missions, but they were camps.
They were lied to about where their parents were, that their parents were dead.
That part of the story is a horror.
That probably was the main reason I did it.
But thats what happened.
We found him in Alice Springs.
Me and Schuyler Weiss, who produces with me, we flew through a storm on a little aircraft.
I have the tapes of him saying exactly what happened.
I couldnt believe, actually, when I openedAustraliain Australia.
I couldnt believe the pushback from some quarters of the press.
I believe the movie stands alone as a one-sitting watch.
It did allow more time to deal with that underlying theme.
Nullah is spying on this.
The foods horrible, and theyre really horrible.
In the film, the Kuraman is such a big deal: Were gonna do it.
Were gonna do it.
Were gonna do it!
And then they just do it.
They literally go and its over.
Crossing the Kuraman is a metaphor for actually crossing the emotional rubicon for all three characters.
Once theyve crossed the Kuraman, theyve lost everything.
Theres almost a great, tragic loss of Nullah.
They come together to achieve something impossible, and emotionally, theyre bonded, too.
The Kuraman is a direct quote ofLawrence of Arabia.
Ive always quoted different cinema in the movies.
FromRomeo + Juliet, I can point and say, Thats Sergio Leone.
But I take a stab at flip it and use it in a modern way.
InFaraway Downs, Neil is still pretty terrible.
I was just finding all this footage and going like, Oh, gosh.
Theres no discussion about her leaving the same day.
I brought you out here because I was gonna get a drove of cattle.
Neil goes, Listen, Lady Ashley had a terrible tragedy.
Youre not gonna get it.
We gotta go.
And Drover says, But the cattle is worth more than the land.
Even if the lands terrible, the cattle can make you rich.
you’ve got the option to see her go, Really?
[Mimics Kidmans squint of surprise from the scene] Nicole plays it really well.
Its a funny thing, even amid her tragedy.
Drover goes, Hes right, youre just a woman, and goads her into staying that night.
Thats when the style changes from broad comedy to a different kind of comedy; its more human.
Its all shot on location in 1,000-degree heat, and theyre really great in it.
We found that and reconstructed it.
I only ever shot two endings, actually.
Fifteen years ago, the entire world of the movies was different.
You opened on a weekend, you had to get a landing spot.
You spent a huge amount of money, you had like 48 hours, and then you were dead.
But we got hit by that economic catastrophe.
There was an immense sense of darkness, and people were just unbelievably depressed.
At two hours and 45 minutes; it was like,bang, bang, bang, bang.
I was pressured a lot: Can you find something a little more upbeat?
So I did look at this alternate of Sarah not being entirely alone at the end.
I think thats fine.
I think what was maybe left out is Sarahs final evolution.
What he asks her to do in the final moments is really important.
To hear his name he probably hasnt heard his name in like 20 years.
A child will come and go in your life.
All it’s possible for you to do is curate their journey and help.
Relationships, goodness knows you cant be defined by them.
But when Sarahs alone, shes got to go on.
She still has a lot of story to live.
And I think you get that.
She is the one who has transformed as a character the most, I hope.
