McLeod's Daughters (2001-2009, Australia)

Normally I don't talk about TV shows in my film blog, but I just finished series 8 of McLeod's Daughters and I wanted to talk about it. I was trying to think back, and even though it seems like ages longer, I've only been watching this show for four (or maybe five) years (although I have seen all of the series but the last one at least twice each, and most of the early series I have seen infinitely more). The summer between my sophomore and junior years (or it might have been freshman and sophomore years) of college, I didn't do much besides sit in my bedroom floor in front of my tiny dorm TV. One day I heard some Australian accents on the WE network, and I stopped, curious. That was the first time I saw McLeod's. I wish I could remember what episode it was, but I can't. All I know is that it was love at first sight. WE was playing marathons of series one and two for most of the summer, and I watched it over and over and over, even if I'd already seen the episode. And after all this time, my love for it (especially the early series) has not diminished.

I remember sitting in my dorm on Saturday nights watching "new" (at least to America) series three episodes at 10:00. (Clearly this show was geared toward the kind of girl who would be home alone on Saturday night, but who cares.) Then WE pulled the plug, and I have never been so angry. In fact, I actually wrote a letter to the network expressing my distaste for their decision to pull a very quality show about strong women (something their network was supposed to be about) and replacing it with typical reality show crap. I told them I would never watch their network again, and I haven't. Anyway, I was beyond relieved when the first two series came out on DVD, because at least I would be able to watch them repeatedly. And then Koch Vision announced they would be releasing all of the series on DVD in the U.S. every six months or so. For that, I will always love that distribution company.

I have to say that I became increasingly disappointed with the show when the cast started revolving. Minor changes in the 4th and 5th series were transitioned well, but by series 6 it was getting out of hand. Series 7 was my least favorite, because even more of the old characters who were still alive were conveniently "in Argentina" and never seen, and the plotlines just got completely, unbelievably out of hand. After that series, I almost felt like I was watching series 8 because I couldn't stand to quit. But a few episodes in, it was clear that series 8 was back on the right track.

For one thing, even though not one character was left from the first series, Drover's Run was again populated with McLeods. (The original owners were the daughters of Jack McLeod; these girls were the daughters of his brother Hugh, who had fallen out with Jack.) Stevie's cousin coming gave it more of a family-centered feel again. No more illigetimate McLeods/Redstaffs/Ryans kept popping out of the woodwork. The score has always been good, but in this series it was incredible. One thing I will say is that series 8 is definitely lacking in evil characters—no Harry, no Sandra, no Fiona, no Bryce, no Ashleigh, no Liz, no Peter. It made for much less conflict, but at the same time it was nice to ease out of the show without all the mean people. And to top it off, they all live happily ever after. Through the entire show, only one couple that I wanted to end up together didn't end up together, and that pleased me to no end. (Don't get me wrong, it's not like they paired off and went on their way—there was a lot of struggle, sometimes for years, before they figured it out. Also, not all of them ended up staying together because of deaths, geography, etc. But it was close.)

The last two episodes were perhaps the best last episodes of any television show I have ever seen. There was one last big challenge for the Drover's and Killarney gangs to cope with, and then there was one last party to throw. Best of all, lots of old cast members showed up for the party, which gave it a much more realistic air. (This has been lacking, for example at Alex's wedding where his brother couldn't even bother turning up.) If only Tess, Nick, Kate, and Dave would have turned up for the show's finale, it would have been perfect.

So this hasn't been a review so much as me blathering on about my favorite show, but what are you going to do? Sometimes you just need to say how you feel. And I feel like I will never love a show as much as I love McLeod's Daughters. Now that I'm finished with series 8, I'm going back to pick up where I left off watching at the end of series 3. And when I get all the way through 8 again, I'll probably start back at 1. I truly cannot say enough how amazing this show is. Strong women, sexy men, beautiful country, realistic problems (overlooking series 7 and a few other random episodes).

To close up, I'll add a few lines from one of the songs by Rebecca Lavelle, who sang most of the songs for the show:

And this is my heart's home
I'll still dream of Drover's Run

I'm going to miss it. I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that I've seen all the episodes and there will be nothing new ever again. Anyway, better end on a fun note. Two quotes from Matthew Passmore (Marcus) on what it was like at Drover's:

"I reckon it's pretty dangerous. How many people have died on Drover's Run? They should have like security guards just surrounding it, saying, 'Keep off! Will die!'"

“We’re really crap farmers, actually. We fall off everything. We’ve fallen down wells, tractors…”

Okay, enough! Sorry!

Rating: 5.0 ++++++

Australia (2008, Australia)

I have been looking forward to this film for years, quite literally. It was wonderful, as I expected. Other than that, there was little that was what I expected.

Australia is definitely an epic. It's about a country, yes. But it's also about a woman, a man, a little boy, an old Aborigine. It's about love and about hate. Family, friendship, business, war, hardship, tradition, culture, belonging. It definitely felt like a loving tribute to a way of life that is no more. In that way, it was the romance it was marketed as. But the romance was not between Kidman and Jackman, but between the filmmakers and their homeland.

It goes without saying that the acting was phenomenal, but I'll say it anyway. Nicole Kidman is one of my all time favorites, and she was in perfect form. At the beginning of the film, she is amusingly uptight, but by the end she is a self-assured, strong woman who knows her priorities. She plays both roles with equal strength. Kidman definitely overshadows Jackman, although he too is quite good in his role as The Drover (he's never given a proper name, which somewhat annoys me). The real star of the show, however, was Brandon Walters, the boy who plays Nullah, a half-aboriginal child that Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) meets in Australia. He was absolutely charming and a stunning actor, especially considering it was his first project. The rest of the cast was also great. There were many minor Australian actors that I recognized that others probably wouldn't, but I enjoyed seeing them in such a high-profile film. And it was good to see David Wenham in a major supporting role, since I haven't seen him in awhile; he was even great as a bad guy.

As I said about the acting, the backdrop of this saga was also phenomenal, obviously. Luhrman truly captured the rugged majesty of the outback, the incredible sight of 1500 head of cattle being droved, the horror of war (when the town of Darwin is bombed), and all the rest. It was visually stunning, to say the very least. I really don't know how else to say it.

And to the main event—the plot. I expected Australia to be all about the romance between Kidman and Jackman. Instead, it was about a woman from England who discovers the magical draw of the land down under. She meets a half-caste boy who doesn't fit in anywhere and who needs a mother. She meets a strongly independent man to love, a man who loves her back as an equal partner. She learns about what's worth fighting for, and she finds herself as well. It is a beautiful story.

And of course I have to say something about the score, which was composed by David Hirschfelder. The only film I can think of off the top of my head that Hirschfelder scored is Elizabeth, in which he did an incredible job integrating a period feel. I think the same can be said of the Australia score. It also had a markedly old western feel. At times it was just incredibly overstated and upbeat, such as when they head off droving. It was kind of off-putting at first, but I decided that it was well orchestrated. It made it seem as if the film was produced in the era it depicted, which was kind of cool.

I thought that the best part of Australia was how The Wizard of Oz is wound through the plot. Sarah tells Nullah the story to comfort him, and he relates "Somewhere over the Rainbow," which she sings to him, to his culture's ideas of dreaming and stories. The song weaves through the entire movie and one line from The Wizard of Oz reappears in the dialogue. They eventually see the film at the theater. And of course, Nullah (who narrates the film—another element I love), is telling his own story of "a land called Oz." It was beautifully integrated.

See this one.

Rating: 4.5