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Australia

1/3/07 The name of the film is Australia.

6/8/06 Fellow Aussie Hugh Jackman has agreed to take over the lead male role for the film. comingsoon.net reports that the plot of the film is a cattle drive across the Australian outback. This film is getting more doubtful that it is anything more than a romantic epic. Cattle and Zeroes never mix well.

5/31/06 Set against the Australian town of Darwin, this epic story of two Aussies facing the darkest history of their country was set to star Russell Crowe (who may have dropped out today) and Nicole Kidman. Rumor has it that Heath Ledger has taken over.

Covering Darwin from 1930 to 1942, the centerpiece is a recreation of the air raid on Darwin in 1942, which wipred out most of hte Allied Air Force and caused significant damage.

Director Baz Luhrmann is known for his offbeat sense of humor and musical numbers, but he swears that neither will be present in this film. He is looking for a "gone with the wind" type epic.

I don't know if Luhrmann can pull this off, given that his films have all had music and romance as central themes, and I don't see him as a dramatic director. However, he can be an interesting director, and everyone attached to the project seems interested in creating a movie that celebrates Australia during the depression and the war. So, it could be very historically accurate. However, given the director's fervor for melodrama, I wouldn't expect much.

These films show a disconnect between the hard subjects of the attack on Darwin, and a realm tending towards fantasy. They're enjoyable films, but don't expect a World War II classic. Since Luhrmann is always surprising, he may pull it off.

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