SEPTEMBER 2007
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27 September 2007
'Australia' Unofficial Trailers
- A couple of amusing 'unofficial' trailers for Australia have recently been posted on You Tube. Remember these are spoofs and they are for entertainment purposes only! The clips were both created by a fan with username 'stuartBowen1984'. The first trailer is simply called 'Australia Trailer' and is a very well edited clip that attempts to set the atmosphere for the film, while the second trailer uses a mixture of clips from other movies featuring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman and is amusingly entitled 'Australia Trailer: Fair Dinkum Version'.
Nicole Kidman Interview
- Nicole Kidman corresponded with The Kimberley Echo earlier this month regarding her experiences filming Australia in the East Kimberley region:
Nicole Kidman speaks with Echo
Kimberley Echo, September 2007
Actress Nicole Kidman agreed to an exclusive interview with The Kimberley Echo
just prior to her jetting off to Sydney to continue filming of the epic
'Australia'. The interview was conducted via email. In it she gives her opinions
of the East Kimberley and its people.
Echo: What have been your impressions of the East Kimberley?
Nicole: "This is a magnificent part of Australia. Like most people growing up in
the cities on the east coast, I knew the Kimberley region was big and
impressive, but until I got here and started to experience it I really didn't
understand the scale and wonder of it all. I feel privileged to be here working
on the film ‘Australia’, because many of our scenes have been shot in the early
morning or at dusk when the colours are so dramatic. It's breathtakingly
beautiful and I'll remember its glory forever. The sunrises and sunsets are a
spiritual experience and I am in love with boab trees now."
Echo: Have our temperatures been hard to handle?
Nicole: "Yes, being fair skinned and blue eyed I found the temperatures where we
are filming out at Carlton Hill a bit harsh to begin with. Also my character
Lady Sarah is English and has to wear fairly constricting costumes primarily
made of wool."
Echo: Have people been friendly and non invasive?
Nicole: "I find wherever I go that people are very friendly and welcoming and I
really appreciate that. I won't say the same about some paparazzi and the antics
they get up to, but Keith and I have enjoyed our visits to local bistros, shops
and cafes, although I have not had much time away from a very full schedule
filming six days a week and being in most scenes. I'd like to say thank you to
all those who have made us feel very much at home."
Echo: Have you visited the area before?
Nicole: "No, this was my first visit to the Kimberley but I'll be back."
Echo: Would you recommend it as a holiday destination?
Nicole: "Absolutely, yes. I think all Australians should put this area on their
must-see list and do some of the amazing things available here. I went out past
the Ivanhoe Crossing for a picnic and ate a beautiful barramundi barbecued next
to the waterhole where it was caught. I have never tasted fish as good and
expect I never will. It's an experience everyone should have at least once."
Echo: Has your part been a particularly challenging one?
Nicole: "Yes it is a challenging role. As well as wearing the constricting
costumes of the period, I have to maintain an English accent, do a lot of horse
riding and have had to learn to muster cattle. But it has all been an adventure
which I will always remember and which is ultimately what I am seeking from my
life - adventure and exploration of this beautiful world."
Jack Thompson Interview
- Jack Thompson gave an interview to Filmlink magazine which, according to their website, appears to be featured in the October 2007 edition. The following article includes quotes from Thompson about his role in Australia:
Local Legend
Filmlink Magazine, October Edition
Iconic Australian actor Jack Thompson gives us a sneak peek into his involvement
on Baz Luhrmann’s highly anticipated epic Australia.
Baz Luhrmann's Australia has undoubtedly sparked the most media coverage of any
local production in recent memory, from blanket coverage as the production moves
from location to location, to journalists trying to scam their way on set for a
closer look at stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, and a now infamous shot of
the aforementioned Kidman having her posterior squeezed by none other than
Aussie veteran actor Bill Hunter’s in character of course.
The cast list is a cavalcade of well known Australian actors, including David
Wenham, David Gulpilil, Ben Mendelsohn, John Jarratt, Ray Barrett and Barry
Otto. The film also sees local legends Bryan Brown and Jack Thompson in their
first film together since Bruce Beresford’s 1980 classic Breaker Morant.
Jack Thompson is clearly enjoying the Australia experience. Complete with bushy
moustache and more than a 5 o’clock shadow, Thompson is in a jolly mood after
having spent the past few weeks shooting interior scenes at Fox Studios in
Sydney. This represented an unscheduled stop in production after rain flooded
the set of the lavishly recreated homestead featured in the film on a property
in Kununurra, in Western Australia’s East Kimberly region. “I’ve been flat out,”
says Thompson in his instantly recognisable voice as he does double duty
promoting his next film December Boys. “It’s just a joy really. It’s a lot of
fun to be a part of this living thing that’s emerging. It’s just such a huge
picture, and there are such breaks between my involvement. My role is certainly
a major support role, but it’s not the lead hero and heroine. It’s really their
tale, so we turn up when appropriate, and you’re often sort of sitting around.
This happens more as you do supporting roles as you’re waiting for the next
location.”
In case you’ve been living under a rock and don’t know the plot, Australia sees
Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) of the English aristocracy travel to a pre World War
2 Australia to rescue her outback cattle station from the grip of cattle barons
with the help of a local drover (Hugh Jackman). They embark on a cattle drive
which will lead them to Darwin, which is in the throes of a bombing by Japanese
forces, and also, inevitably, to love.
While Thompson won’t elaborate too much on his character, he is prepared to give
a brief outline. “It’s good fun; he’s a fun character. I couldn’t wait to get
into it. He is the station book keeper and accountant, who has an occasional
drinking problem,” says Thompson in the English-edged accent he’s presumably
using for the film. “He’s certainly not a drunk.”
What follows is a mini master-class in accent and elocution. It’s slightly
English but it’s not really English; it’s actually the accent of a well
educated, privately educated Australian of the ’40’s. It was the “ABC radio”
[accent] of that period,” explains Thompson of his character’s accent. “[My
character] might have spent a bit of time in the bush, so there’s a bushy edge
to him, but when he’s talking with Nicole’s character, it’s “Me Lady”. He
recognises that she is titled, so you speak correctly; you don’t want to be
taken for a colonial fool!”
Thompson, who has in recent times mixed work in local and Hollywood productions,
seems to be in his element at the moment with a string of local projects to his
name. Apart from Australia, he’ll next be seen alongside Daniel “Harry Potter”
Radcliffe in December Boys, which will be followed by Ten Empty from thesp-turned-director
Anthony Hayes (Look Both Ways). He can also currently be heard narrating the
documentary series South Side Story (about Russell Crowe and Peter Holmes a
Court’s buy-out of the South Sydney Rabbitohs) on the ABC. Of working overseas,
Thompson simply says, “It’s hard to leave Australia when you’re an Australian.”
Australia is set for release next year.
Happy Birthday Baz!
- And finally, congratulations
to Baz Luhrmann who celebrated his 45th birthday on 17 September 2007. The
following article reports that he worked on his birthday, but I have also read
that he was spotted going out to dinner with the principal cast of Australia
on Tuesday the following week at Cafe Sydney in Circular Quay.
Small celebration
Daily Telegraph, 23 September 2007
If Australia is indeed behind schedule, Luhrmann is certainly trying to pick up
the slack. He celebrated his 45th birthday last Monday - but not with a
fabulously expensive lunch or a cocktail soiree. Luhrmann gave the film's cast
and crew a treat of muffins and coffee, then remained at the studio until late.
The director also shared a birthday cake with his wife, Catherine Martin, and
children, Lilly Amanda and William Alexander, last weekend.
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12 September 2007
'Australia' shoot returns to Sydney
- Filming of Australia has now returned to Fox Studios in Sydney for what will reportedly be a further two months of production before the shoot wraps around November 2007. Filming finished in Kununurra last weekend, with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman leaving town on the Thursday night. The following articles and snippets were reported last week and give further details about the Kununurra shoot:
Nic and Hugh gallop into Kimberley sunset
Perth Now, 8 September 2007
Hollywood farewelled the Kimberley this week as actors Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman left Kununurra after shooting Baz Luhrmann's epic, Australia. The actors hugged at the town's airport on Thursday night before boarding separate flights. The romantic adventure movie wraps up filming in the Kimberley this weekend. More than 300 cast and crew have been based there since July. Road trains carrying sets and other equipment are beginning the three-day trip to Sydney today, where the next phase of filming is due to start at Fox Studios. Film publicist Edwina Wenkart said filming in the Kimberley had been arduous at times, but rewarding. "We were filming at Digger's Rest (station) this week in some very remote locations where you had strong winds and lots of sand and dust,'' she said. "We were camping in tents out there and everyone would finish for the day covered in dust. But it was very beautiful out there with the emus and horses, and we built up a really strong sense of camaraderie.'' Ms Wenkart said Kidman and Jackman had "been amazing throughout, working really hard and supporting each other''. Digger's Rest owner Alida Woodland said: "Hugh was lovely, he hung out on the veranda with everyone here, didn't have any airs or graces; he's a really genuine person.'' She said the station's infrastructure had been substantially upgraded for the film crew, including increasing the capacity of the power and water systems. Wyndham East Kimberley shire president Michele Pucci said the town had been buzzing since the film crew arrived in July. "Everybody's been really supportive of them being here, they've really become part of the community,'' she said. "We will certainly be sad to see them go, especially those of us not lucky enough to have seen the stars in person.'' She said the film had injected millions of dollars into the local economy and longer-term tourism benefits were expected to continue after the film's release. "I wouldn't say we've been starstruck, but we've certainly been quite chuffed about it all,'' Ms Pucci said.
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Australia to put the Kimberley on the international tourism map
E-Travel, 4 September 2007
The stage is set for Western Australia's Kimberley region to be showcased as a
key international tourism destination, when Baz Luhrmann's film epic 'Australia'
is released. Culture and Arts and Tourism Minister Sheila McHale visited the set
to experience the enormous scope of the film being shot at Carlton Hill, 100km
west of Kununurra. Ms McHale met filmmaking legend Baz Luhrmann to discuss
possibilities for ongoing tourism benefits for WA when 'Australia' was released
internationally. "This is a significant cultural tourism initiative and we are
very excited that Baz Luhrmann agreed to film part of his feature in WA," she
said. "'Australia' is one of the most anticipated movies in our recent cinema
history and when it is released, the eyes of the world will be on us as a top
tourism destination. "We hope the movie will be a big drawcard for international
tourists to the Kimberley region, similar to the impact 'Lord of the Rings' had
on New Zealand tourism." The Minister said the Carpenter Government had
committed $500,000 to secure filming in WA, with the financial return to the
economy already reaching $4million during shooting alone. "The benefits to the
region are enormous, apart from the excitement that comes with having Hollywood
stars here, there are huge financial benefits to local business generated by a
400-strong cast and crew in town for several weeks," she said. Ms McHale said
shooting was due to finish on September 6, but the State Government was looking
ahead to the longer-term benefits for WA. "The release of 'Australia' provides
enormous potential to trigger other international film productions to shoot
here, which is great news for our screen industry," she said. "There's also the
added boost to the Kimberley's profile as a tourism destination of having
international travel and entertainment media in Kununurra.
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Stars come out for $15 bush dance
The West.com.au, 3 September 2007
When Kununurra residents received invitations to the inaugural NAIDOC ball, nowhere did it say the party was an A-list event. So guests were stunned last night wh Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman and her husband Keith Urban walked in and mingled with the 200-strong crowd. Word spread quickly that the $15-a-ticket ball was turning into one of WA's most star-studded gatherings of the year when Hugh Jackman and partner Deborra-Lee Furness followed. It was a night locals won't forget in a hurry. "We had extended an invitation to the stars but we didn't actually expect anyone to turn up," Waringarri Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Richard Beeck said. "Everyone was thrilled." Nathan Dyer, 28, said Kidman and Jackman spent 15 minutes mingling and posing for photos. "It started off fairly low-key but suddenly everyone started whispering and pointing at the door and people realised Nicole was in the room," he said. "At first, they weren’t sure whether to go up to them but when a few people introduced themselves, everyone rushed over hoping to shake hands." The stars have spent the past five weeks in the Kimberley filming Baz Luhrmann's romantic epic film Australia. Tourism Minister Sheila McHale said $500,000 was ploughed into the WA economy during shooting alone.
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Snippet from MTV.com
Early September 2007
Nicole Kidman has been in the Australian outback shooting her new film Australia. The flick is being directed by Baz Luhrmann and it also stars Hugh Jackman. Nicole told us that this is the first film she has really concentrated on in 2007. "A lot of my focus was about just my home and my family and this is the first thing I've really gone into with a lot vigor and enthusiasm. So really, this film is my passion this year." Nicole told us how filming is going. "It's actually the hardest film I've ever had to do because we are living out in our trailers and we are about two hours from the closest town and the closest town in very, very small. I mean there's no cinema, nothing." Even with the 4:30 AM calls to set for sunrise shots and being stranded from civilization, Nicole explained that she is completely thrilled about this new project. Australia is set to open in the US sometime in 2008.
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Nicole Kidman
Interview - 'Invasion'
Mid-August 2007
Q - How is "Australia"
going? Do you feel any added pressure making a movie that's been tagged the
"Gone With the Wind" of Australian history?
A - I was unaware that it was tagged "Gone With the Wind." I think it's very,
very different to that film. I love working with Baz Luhrmann and Catherine
Martin (his wife), and this film has been a part of my desire creatively since I
was a little girl. Not the actual story, but the idea of making a film that uses
my country as a backdrop to deal with core emotions such as love, loss,
survival, in a simple and pure way.
Crowe regrets not doing 'Australia'
- Earlier this week, several websites reported that Russell Crowe was annoyed with Baz Luhrmann over an alleged monetary dispute regarding stables he built for the filming of Australia. At a press junket for his new movie, 3:10 to Yuma, Crowe was quoted as saying, "I was going to be in that film,and I was happy to build the stables. But the way things turned out, we didn't do it together - and no one's paid me!" Some websites took this to be a negative comment and reported that Crowe had 'slammed' Luhrmann for failing to pay him. However, it has since been clarified that Crowe's comment was meant as a joke, and other websites have now correctly reported that Crowe holds nothing against Luhrmann. Instead, Crowe has admitted that he does have a "tinge of regret" that he is not in the movie:
Crowe's epic regret
News.com.au, 11 September 2007
His latest flick 3:10 to Yuma topped the box office when it opened in the US at the weekend, but Russell Crowe has revealed he still has regrets about his recent film choices. The Hollywood heavyweight admitted yesterday he's now sorry to have missed out on being part of Baz Luhrmann's sweeping outback epic Australia, currently shooting final interior scenes at Moore Park's Fox Studios. Crowe was originally slated to star opposite Nicole Kidman, but was forced to pull out when the project was delayed. The changes made headlines at the time, with Crowe making way for Hugh Jackman to take up the coveted role. "To be completely honest there's a tinge of regret that I'm not on the film,'' Crowe told Confidential. "Conversations about the Australia project started between Baz and I as early as 2002.'' But the Woolloomooloo local denied internet reports circulating yesterday claiming he was still waiting for payment from Luhrmann for stables he built for the movie. Crowe admitted building the eight-bay stables at his property at Nana Glen, near Coffs Harbour, but said there was never any issue over money. "Baz, Nic, Hugh and many of my other friends are in the cast and crew,'' he said. "It will be an instant classic and as a movie lover I can't wait to see it.'' Crowe - currently filming the thriller Body of Lies in the US - is being tipped for an Oscar nomination for his role in the Western thriller Yuma. The flick was a risk with a budget of about $50 million but took in $14.1 million in ticket sales for distributor Lions Gate Entertainment Corp in its first weekend. His next film American Gangster, which co-stars Denzel Washington, will be released in the US in November.
Crowe has personally responded to the matter in a transcript posted here at Russell Crowe fansite, Murph's Place. The transcript includes the quotes used in the above article, including the one where he said he has a "tinge of regret" that he is not in the film. This is not surprising to hear, as anyone who has followed the production Australia from the beginning will remember that Crowe was very enthusiastic about his initial involvement with the production. When he visited the town of Bowen just before filming took place there, I did wonder if perhaps he had some regret about not doing the movie, and now he has admitted that he does. It is a shame that circumstances meant that Crowe could not be involved, however it is great to hear that Crowe is still positive about the project and has even said he believes it will be "an instant classic".
House of Iona Haunted?
- Meanwhile, on a lighter note, the
Sydney Morning Herald has reported that Baz Luhrmann's Sydney mansion, the
House of Iona, may be haunted! The mansion is very old and historic, and it
wouldn't surprise me if there is some truth to this story! :)
Spirited bids for Baz's cast-offs
Sydney Morning Herald, 1 September
2007
Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin have been telling friends and associates about being spooked by two persistent ghosts who reside in their $10 million Darlinghurst mansion, Iona. The story sounds eerily similar to the film The Others in which Luhrmann's leading lady, Nicole Kidman, plays a neurotic ghostly housewife running about an English pile not realising she is dead. However, Baz and Catherine are taking their own haunting much more seriously, forced to hire a ghostbuster, who has advised them to sell off some rare and treasured antiques to make the home less attractive to the ghostly old man and little girl rattling the film duo's nerves. Yesterday among the offerings at Lawsons antiques and decorate arts auction were three French gilt 19th-century mirrors, the largest of which towers 3.4 metres and has the bust of a spooky bearded man included in its frame, sold for $13,420. The other two mirrors sold for more than $12,000 combined; all three came from Iona. Luhrmann's ghostbuster, who makes weekly trips to the Darlinghurst home, recommended that the mirrors be removed from the house. However, PS also hears the couple are planning some renovations of the sandstone Italianate villa, which also swayed their decision to get rid of the mirrors.
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