Oscar and Lucinda


Synopsis
Two social misfits meet on a sea liner headed for Australia in this historical tale of folly, weakness and pride. Cate Blanchett and Ralph Fiennes star. (Rated R, 1997)


Observations
Watching this movie was like being wrapped in a wonderful blanket of artistic story-telling. I had seen this movie when it came out, but decided to revisit it to see if it was as good as I had remembered. And, it certainly was! This is a Merchant Ivory style film – epic, historical, breathtakingly beautiful. The character of Oscar shows Fiennes at his quixotic goofiest. The scoring of the movie was amazing and the costuming was nominated for an Academy Award. The film shows Australia as a wild country, but the savages are not only the aboriginal people, but also those who tore through their lands in an effort to build better trade routes. The gambling in the film is an interesting plot device. Oscar and Lucinda prove their love by going against the norm in their friendship, their love of gambling and their relentless pursuit of what is good and true.

Rating:
Amazon's entry for Oscar and Lucinda