Oscar and Lucinda is a 1997 British-Australian romantic drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong and starring Cate Blanchett, Ralph Fiennes, Ciarán Hinds and Tom Wilkinson. It is based on the 1988 Booker Prize-winning novel Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey.[2] In March 1998, the film was nominated at the Academy Awards for the Best Costume Design.
Plot[]
As a child living in Australia, Lucinda Leplastrier is given a Prince Rupert's Drop which sparks a lifelong obsession with glass.
Lucinda's parents die and she is left a wealthy heiress after her guardians sell off the vast farmland that was her family's home. She buys a glass factory with her money and takes to gambling after her accountant introduces her to it.
Meanwhile, a young Oscar is being raised as a Plymouth Brethren by his father but after receiving a sign from God he decides to join the Anglican faith. While studying he is introduced to gambling and becomes massively successful, using his winnings to fund his studies and giving the rest to the poor. He earns a scholarship to study in New South Wales. On the boat over he meets Lucinda and hears her confess to gambling which he denies is a sin. They play cards together until Oscar becomes panicked at the sight of a storm.
In New South Wales Oscar loses his scholarship after he is unable to stop gambling. He goes to live with Lucinda who allows him to work in her glass factory. Inspired by a model of a glass church she shows him he asks her to make a real life replica to send to their mutual friend the Revered Dennis Hasset, betting that he can deliver it by Good Friday. Lucinda decides that they will each bet their inheritance.
Because he fears water, Oscar takes the church over land in an expedition led by Mr. Jeffries. He witnesses Jeffries murdering and raping Indigenous Australians and eventually kills him in self-defence after Jeffries attacks him.
He is successful in delivering the church. Weakened upon arrival, he is left in the care of a woman named Miriam Chadwick, who rapes him. Fearing that he will have to marry Miriam, and in love with Lucinda, Oscar enters the glass church to pray. He falls asleep and is drowned inside when the church, which had been resting on a barge in the water, sinks.
As Miriam is pregnant with Oscar's child, Hasset burns the papers confirming the wager, not wanting Lucinda's money to be inherited by her. She dies shortly after her son, Oscar, is born and the child is raised by Lucinda.
Cast[]
- Ralph Fiennes as Oscar Hopkins
- Cate Blanchett as Lucinda Leplastrier
- Ciarán Hinds as the Reverend Dennis Hasset
- Tom Wilkinson as Hugh Stratton
- Richard Roxburgh as Mr. Jeffries
- Clive Russell as Theophilius
- Bille Brown as Percy Smith
- Josephine Byrnes as Miriam Chadwick
- Barnaby Kay as Wardley-Fish
- Barry Otto as Jimmy D'Abbs
- Linda Bassett as Betty Stratton
- Peter Whitford as Mr Ahearn
- Geoffrey Rush as Narrator
- Adam Hayes as Young Oscar
- James Tingey as 13 year-old Oscar
- Polly Cheshire as Young Lucinda
Production[]
Gillian Armstrong had long wanted to film Peter Carey's novel but the rights were originally bought for John Schlesinger. However, after several years they could not come up with a script anyone was happy with; Schlesinger dropped out, Armstrong became involved and she brought in Laura Jones.[3]
Filming[]
Filming took place in Sydney (as well in the Sydney suburbs of Glebe and Randwick) and all around New South Wales. Scenes were also filmed in Hobart, Tasmania, and some others in Cornwall, south-west England.[citation needed]
Music[]
The soundtrack to Oscar and Lucinda was released by CBS Masterworks Records on 9 December 1997 in Australia and the United States, it was recorded by Thomas Newman and the Bruckner Orchestra. The soundtrack was completely recorded at Paramount Scoring Stage and at The Village Recorder, in Los Angeles, California on 9–30 June 1997.[4][5]
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All music is composed by Thomas Newman.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prince Rupert's Drop" | 02:37 |
| 2. | "Throwing Lots" | 00:48 |
| 3. | "Dutch Hazards" | 00:50 |
| 4. | "Sydney Harbor" | 01:57 |
| 5. | "Rumors" | 01:26 |
| 6. | "The High Downs And The Sea" | 01:52 |
| 7. | "Forgive Me" | 01:02 |
| 8. | "Bruckner: On Justi" | 04:39 |
| 9. | "Six Rivers To Cross" | 01:14 |
| 10. | "Two Gambers" | 02:22 |
| 11. | "The Murder Of The Blacks" | 01:42 |
| 12. | "Never Never" | 01:16 |
| 13. | "Floorwashing" | 00:40 |
| 14. | "Cards And Dogs" | 01:02 |
| 15. | "One Obsessive" | 01:09 |
| 16. | "The Church Of Glass" | 03:50 |
| 17. | "Letters On The mantel" | 01:25 |
| 18. | "Odd Bod" | 01:05 |
| 19. | "Prayer Wounds" | 02:11 |
| 20. | "Leviathan" | 01:08 |
| 21. | "Magic Boxes (White Man's Dreaming)" | 01:49 |
| 22. | "The Other Compulsive" | 01:02 |
| 23. | "A Broken Thing" | 00:59 |
| 24. | "The Seduction Of Mrs. Chadwick" | 02:31 |
| 25. | "Wesley: Blessed Be The God And Father" | 01:19 |
| 26. | "Aqua" | 04:10 |
| 27. | "The Caul" | 01:22 |
| 28. | "Oscar And Lucinda" | 02:49 |
| 29. | "Excerpt From The Random House Audio book" | 05:10 |
| Total length: | 55:26 | |
Release[]
Box office[]
Oscar and Lucinda grossed $1,768,946 at the box office in Australia,[6] which is equivalent to $2,458,835 in 2009 dollars. The film grossed $4,953,510 between USA, Australia, UK and Germany.[7]
Reception[]
Oscar and Lucinda received generally positive reviews from critics, holding a 66/100 on Metacritic[8] and the same approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[9]
Awards[]
| Group | Award | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70th Academy Awards | Academy Award for Best Costume Design | Janet Patterson | Nominated |
| AACTA Awards | Best Achievement in Cinematography | Geoffrey Simpson | Won |
| Best Achievement in Costume Design | Janet Patterson | Won | |
| Best Achievement in Production Design | Luciana Arrighi | Won | |
| Best Achievement in Sound | Andrew Plain Gethin Creagh Ben Osmo |
Won | |
| Best Original Music Score | Thomas Newman | Won | |
| Best Actress | Cate Blanchett | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Laura Jones | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Most Promising Actress | Cate Blanchett | Nominated |
| San Diego Film Festival | Best Cinematography | Geoffrey Simpson | Won |
| Motion Picture Sound Editors | Best Sound Editing | Thomas Newman | Nominated |
| Australian Screen Sound Guild | Best Achievement in Dialogue Editing for a Feature Film | Libby Villa Wayne Pashley |
Won |
| Best Achievement in Mixing for a Feature Film | Gethin Creagh Martin Oswin |
Won | |
| Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Cinematography | Geoffrey Simpson | Won |
| Best Actress | Cate Blanchett | Nominated | |
| Best Music Score | Thomas Newman | Nominated |
References[]
- ↑ "Oscar and Lucinda (1997) – Box office / business". IMDb. Retrieved on 29 November 2015.
- ↑ "Oscar and Lucinda (1997)". IMDb. Amazon.com. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
- ↑ (4 September 1998). "Interview with Gillian Armstrong" . Signis.net. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
- ↑ "Oscar And Lucinda Soundtrack CD". cduniverse.com. Retrieved on 29 November 2015.
- ↑ "Oscar And Lucinda- Soundtrack details - SoundtrackCollector.com". soundtrackcollector.com. Retrieved on 29 November 2015.
- ↑ "Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office". Retrieved 23 August 2013.
- ↑ "Oscar and Lucinda (1997) – Box office / business". IMDb. Retrieved on 29 November 2015.
- ↑ "Oscar and Lucinda Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved on January 22, 2017.
- ↑ "Oscar and Lucinda (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on January 22, 2017.
External links[]
Oscar and Lucinda on IMDb- Template:Amg movie
- Oscar and Lucinda at Rotten Tomatoes
- Oscar and Lucinda at Box Office Mojo
