Ken Hannam whined about his two and a half hour cut being reduced to 90 minutes but it was the right idea... the film is a series of incidents rather than a powerful narrative, and this way the aimlessness isn't crushing. And how dare him to say his editor should have fought harder. I hate that sort of attitude from directors - expecting people to be suicide bombers on their behalf.
He's directed well it's got to be said but the real star is John Dingwall's script which superbly captures shearing in 1955. Props also to the costumes and the acting - Jack Thompson is stunningly good but everyone is excellent - Reg Lye, John Ewart, Robert Bruning, Sean Scully, Max Cullen, the guy who plays the cook, the undertaker.
Classic bits - Cullen conning the shearers, the final brawl, Thompson breaking down on the death of Lye, putting Lye in the car, the union meeting getting rid of the cocky, the cocky reading a letter from his wife who has presumably taken off, getting rid of the cook, abusing Scully for writing to his wife.
Occasionally you can see the seems like the abrupt cut when Thompson is crying to Lisa Peers - that relationship feels as though it needs another beat or two as does the one with the little kid, But it's a very good film. Thompson was never better.
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