35mm Kangaroo (1986)

The Story

D.H. Lawrence, one of the greatest modernist novelists, wrote Kangaroo as a semi-autobiographical account of his 1922 visit to Australia.

Pioneer Australian director Tim Burstall’s adaptation casts Colin Friels as mild-mannered English novelist Richard Somers and Judy Davis as his wife Harriet (Davis delivers a brilliant, AFI award-winning performance). The Somers leave Europe in the early '20s for a new life in Australia. The couple are captivated by the openness and hospitality with which they are received, but they are soon enveloped in a web of political intrigue, adultery and murder as they become involved in battles between the rising trade unions and an underground fascist group led by “Kangaroo”, the code-name for its charismatic but dangerous leader. 

Kangaroo was Burstall’s finest theatrical film and through its AFI award-winning achievements in performance and period costume design, stands as a testament to a remarkable career.

Rating

M

Duration

Cast

Colin Friels, Judy Davis, John Walton, Julie Nihill, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Peter Hehir, Peter Cummins, Tim Robertson

Director

Tim Burstall