H231 Australian Cinema: Assignment 2
FILM INFORMATION
DIRECTOR: Paul Cox
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Nino Marinetti
PRODUCERS: Tharsi Vanhuyse and Grietje Lammertyn
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Vine International Pictures
ACTORS:
Father Damien: David Wenham
Williamson: Peter O'Toole
Prime Minister Gibson: Sam Neill
Reverend Appleyard: William Lebus
Father Leonor Fousnel: Derek Jacobi
Dr Kalewic: Aden Young
Malulani: Keanu Kapuni Szasz
Princess Liliuakalani: Kate Ceberano
BOX OFFICE FIGURES: (1st week Aus) $69,944
RELEASE DATES: N/A
INTERVIEW BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Paul Cox by Jim Schrembri
www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/06/21.html
David Wenham by Rosemarie Milsom
http://old.smh.com.au/news/069/05/entertainment/entertain1.html
REVIEWS:
http://www20.sbs.com.au/movieshow/index.php?action=review&id=910
by David Stratton
http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/showreview.php3?ID667
http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/review/films/5739240.html
by Megan Spencer
http://www.daily-reviews.com/m/mwmolokai.htm
by Michael Wichman
http://entertainment.ninesmen.com.au/movieguide/archive/archive_m.asp
OTHER BIBLIOGRAPHY DETAILS:
http://www.moviemarshall.com/ausweek27-06-02.html
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/newzealand/2003/08.html
http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=6269&s=interviews
http://www.sover.net/~ozus/molokai.htm
http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/00/9/cox.html
http://www.hollywoodnet.com/conferences/afm98/mon/html
H231/H431 Australian Cinema Unit Reader, Murdoch University, Perth, WA, 2003
Australian National Cinema, Tom O'Regan, Routledge, New York, 1996
ONLINE PESENCE AND COLLECTION OF INFORMATION:
Molokai had a reasonable on-line presence as far as reviews and the like went but it was a little more difficult to search out other information relevant to this assignment (box office details, release dates etc). There was information relating to DVD and video release but not a lot pertaining to the film's original screenings. This film wasn't promoted in the way that a blockbuster (for example) would be so this could explain the lack of available information. There was no singular site that contained all the information needed so searches were made using keywords relevant to the particular category, i.e. interviews with director etc...
Overall, whilst some of the data was difficult to find, extensive searches found the majority of info eventually.
MOLOKAI
Molokai is based on the true story of 19th century Belgian priest Father Damien (David Wenham), who sees his ultimate calling as living amongst and caring for the lepers who have been exiled to live (and end) there lives on the island colony of Molokai. Father Damien makes it his mission to improve conditions for the lepers on the island and struggles with himself and the powers that be to provide adequate care and dignity for an otherwise forgotten people.
Molokai begins with the chase and eventual capture of a leper whose fate is removal from mainstream life and confinement to the island leper colony of Molokai. When priests are asked to oversee and (of course, convert) the lepers on Molokai, Father Damien volunteers, and so begins his journey. On arriving to find the lepers living in appalling conditions Damien devotes both his physical and mental energy to improving the way of life for the people on the island. But with Molokai chosen as an "out of sight, out of mind" location for the colony, the clergy and the government are content to forget about the illness and depravity that reigns on the island and Father Damien's pleas for beds, medical assistance and nuns fall upon deaf ears. Determined to provide for the people he has chosen to care for, Damien uses all means available to him to see that his pleas are heard. From his arrival on the island to his eventual demise from the same disease that had crippled and killed the people he looked after, Damien's selfless concern is his only driving force. It is not until his untimely death that the fruits of his labour are finally seen and his quest for someone to take his place (the nuns) is realised.
Ironically, the trouble on Molokai was not merely confined to the times of the leper colony, the making of this film itself seemed at first to be destined to failure, with Director Paul Cox fired due to production disagreements and then rehired to finish the film. This could account for the slightly disjointed and almost distant feel of the film. Whilst the 'story' of Father Damien stands on its own as a moving and powerful struggle, the film itself doesn't quite translate the depth of his (and the people of the island's) plight and despair.
Some commendable cinematography conveys the harsh and terrible conditions with which the lepers had to contend, but the film lacks a human quality with which the audience can identify and this is its undoing in the end. Whilst it is possible that miscasting may have contributed to this, the fact remains that there are many extremely talented actors in this movie and yet none of them seem able to shine in their given roles. The main problem being that all the major characters are only portrayed at surface level and this makes it hard for any unity with the audience to take place. Wenham's Damien is so reserved (in remarkably aggravating conditions) he borders on the banal, and Aden Young seems a little too fresh-faced and innocent to be believable in his role as the island's doctor and long time friend to Damien. The lepers themselves are displayed in various states of illness but throughout the film they become a collective mass of disease when perhaps a singular more personal script involvement with the afflicted would have carried more weight and made their plight more 'real'. There seems to be no reason why such a tale of suffering and neglect would not make an extremely moving film, yet none of the characters were focused on deeply enough to raise any genuine feelings of empathy. This film runs for 120 mins and had more of this been involved in character exploration it could have made the difference between a good and a great film.
One aspect of the film that is hard to overlook though, is Nino Martinetti's brilliant cinematography which captures some beautiful expanses of coastline and untamed nature and is the one place where Molokai finds its strength. The irony of such a strong contrast between the surrounding beauty and the terrible illness on the island can hardly be missed throughout the film. It is almost an uncomfortable sensation to be admiring the view and suddenly be reminded of who and what resides on the island and this works to great effect in bringing home the hopelessness that shrouds the island's inhabitants. Likewise certain pieces of this film are equally beautiful and moving; when Father Damien cannot be greeted on the island to make confession (due to quarantine), in desperation he takes a boat out to meet his superior's ship and makes confession in front of the entire ship in French. Princess Liliukalani's (Kate Ceberano) woeful song to the lepers on Molokai is also a highlight, as too when the camera lingers slightly longer than normal on any moment of physical contact between the healthy and the lepers, but moments like these are few and far between and are not strong enough to overcome the more mundane droll of the film.
In the majority of cases, this movie has been reviewed quite favourably by the press, but perhaps this was more for the nobility of the idea and its potential rather than what it actually delivered. Much praise was given to the cinematography and David Wenham's presence in his lead role. The few reviews that gravitated towards the unfavourable made similar references to those above about the disjointed feel of the film and the sense that there was 'something lacking' without much explanation as to what that 'something' was. It is worth commenting that this film was Paul Cox's 'baby' and had he remained with the film throughout its duration perhaps it would have had the depth and flow that it was intended to display in the first place.
As mentioned before troubles haunted much of the film's production and Paul Cox was fired and rehired twice within the films making. A huge testament to his abilities as a director occurred when he was fired for the second time cast and crew refused to work with anyone else, he was subsequently re-hired and stayed on to finish the film. Cox himself stated of the movie, "It is 82.5 percent my film ... in terms of filmmaking, I bleed when I see that film." (Paul Cox, MIFF 2000)
With 18 feature films (including Lonely Hearts, My First Wife, Man Of Flowers, Cactus, A Woman's Tale and Innocence), 7 documentaries, 11 shorts and 3 children's films Cox's list of work is certainly impressive. He has been internationally praised for many of his films, yet in his home country, (he was born in Belgium, but lived in Australia ) he has often been savaged by critics who argue that his films are too 'European'.
Critically applauded for his cinematography in this film, Nino Martinetti has also worked on many feature films including Wills and Burke, Gift, The Golden Braid, Flair, A Woman's Tale, The Heartbreak Kid, Exile, Erotic Tales, Lust and Revenge and Nowhere To Land. He was nominated for an A.F.I Award for Best Cinematography for Golden Braid and won the award for his work in Exile.
It is also worth mentioning that Molokai's screenwriter John Briley has had many past successes with a list of films including Cry Freedom, Enigma, Postman's Knock, and Children of the Damned. Most notably he won an Academy Award for Best International Screenplay for the monumental film Ghandi.
It is difficult to surmise how Molokai figures in the scheme of Australian Cinema and its value with the defining argument on what constitutes an Australian film being so sketchy. However its market value, whilst good in relation to box office earnings of other Australian releases, did not for example compare to the US film Minority Report which also opened (in Australia) the same week as Molokai and earned $2,780,592 as opposed to Molokai's $69,944 takings. This has come to be expected in relation to Australian cinema as a medium size English language cinema, with Hollywood blockbusters usually dominating the box office sales in comparison to Australian feature films. This doesn't really reflect the 'quality' of an Australian film as opposed to a Hollywood based production as these films have always dominated a huge proportion of our national box office takings and usually have the hype of advertising and reaction to an earlier international release to boost ticket sales. Critically, whilst the reviews ranged from a few unfavourable to mostly favourable, they were not 'rave' reviews and Australian critics seem to have a habit of 'owning' a successful talent (or in this case director) and 'disowning' a not so successful one, as has been done in the past with respect to some of Paul Cox's earlier films. Overall though, Molokai was an important enough production by an influential enough director to be taken seriously by both critics and the audience.
In summary Molokai's list of cast and crew is extremely impressive, as too is the moving story upon which the film is based, yet even with these combined factors the overall product was a case of hit and miss. That said, the premise of the film was large enough to have an impact on both critics and audiences alike. The fact that Australian cast, crew and end product are receiving attention on an international scale fosters a respect that only improves our standing as a viable creative force in regards to the film industry. In this respect a film such as Molokai, whilst maybe not receiving unanimous critical praise can still demonstrate the amazing creative talents that Australia has to offer the international film community.
New: 22 May 2003 | Now: 6 August 2006