Australia Is A Romantic Action Adventure - 1296 Words

‘National Cinema’ is often used to describe simply the films produced within a particular nation state’. (Higson, 2015) Nations have distinctive stylistic devices, often featuring stereotypical settings and characters in the attempt to represent the essence of the nation’s culture. This is apparent when comparing the Australian drama, Australia (2008) with A Separation (2011), an Iranian drama. Both films reflect through a set of norms, behaviours, beliefs and customs their nations culture, demonstrating that films are not made in a vacuum. (Smith, 2015) Australia is a romantic action-adventure, directed by Baz Luhrmann, set in Australia prior to World War II. The plot centres on an English aristocrat who inherits a large cattle farm.†¦show more content†¦However, when he discovers the new maid has been lying to him, he realizes that there is more at stake than his failing marriage. (iTunes, 2011) In relation to national cinema, the combinations of social and cultural factors strongly influence the setting of a film. Australia references the old Australian language and traditional Aboriginal terminology including herd, mouthorgan, rush, station, willy willy, whitefellas, billabong and more (Park, 2011), Australians have an inherent understanding of this language however an international audience would not be familiar with it. The very nature of the language makes Australia identifiable to the country in which it was created. The portrayal of character is also a depiction of the film’s national origin. In Australia, ‘the drover’, is not only the character’s name but also a colloquial term that refers to â€Å"an experienced stockman, who moves livestock, usually sheep or cattle over long distances.†(New South Whales State Library, 2013) Australia both identifies the visual appeal of the landscape traditions (Khoo, Smaill and Yue) and harsh reality of the Australian bush. Breaking the romanticized illusion of the land. One example of this is when Lady Ashley is first travelling to ‘Faraway Dawns’. She notices a mob of kangaroos jumping past her vehicle, she comments on their elegance and how she has never seen one before. Suddenly, out of