Alan Moorehead wrote a thrilling account - 'Cooper's Creek' - of Burke & Wills' (SPOILER) doomed 1860 expedition from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpenteria and, er, not quite all the way back.
If you've read that book, this movie successfully recreates amazing scenes of the size of the initial expedition, trekking in the immense, desolate, scorching outback, the dignity of the Aboriginal people, and Victorian white mens' extravagant facial hair. It's worth watching as a supplement to Moorehead's account.
What the movie does not translate from the book, sadly, is any sense of suspense. In fact, every single ironic and outrageous beat of the true story is obscured, seemingly by the writer and director's wish to cram every detail in at the beginning. We could have done without the beautiful Greta Scacchi singing several Victorian parlour songs, or games of cricket, or horses and camels being tormented quite so much.
After over 2 hours, your faith is not rewarded by the sole survivor John King's appearance as a Thunderbirds puppet.
Tries to be an epic, but the basic story - which is heartbreaking - isn't clear enough.
If you've read that book, this movie successfully recreates amazing scenes of the size of the initial expedition, trekking in the immense, desolate, scorching outback, the dignity of the Aboriginal people, and Victorian white mens' extravagant facial hair. It's worth watching as a supplement to Moorehead's account.
What the movie does not translate from the book, sadly, is any sense of suspense. In fact, every single ironic and outrageous beat of the true story is obscured, seemingly by the writer and director's wish to cram every detail in at the beginning. We could have done without the beautiful Greta Scacchi singing several Victorian parlour songs, or games of cricket, or horses and camels being tormented quite so much.
After over 2 hours, your faith is not rewarded by the sole survivor John King's appearance as a Thunderbirds puppet.
Tries to be an epic, but the basic story - which is heartbreaking - isn't clear enough.