Australian
Screen

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Australia (2008)

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clip 'The strangest woman I ever seen'

Original classification rating: M. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

Nullah (Brandon Walters) thinks 'coppers’ are coming to take him away. The car in the distance is actually bringing Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) to Faraway Downs. Nullah describes her as 'the strangest woman I ever seen’.

Curator’s notes

This stirring pre-titles sequence 'sets out the stall’ of Australia. The voice of the film is Nullah, a young boy who fears being taken away by police and placed in a mission home for half-caste children. Humour is signalled by the sight of English aristocrat Lady Ashley struggling through heat and dust dressed in full colonial finery. Nullah’s description of Australia having many names indicates political and cultural intent. This is about Australia as it is known and seen by Indigenous inhabitants and settlers from many other lands. The glorious aerial photography and sweeping crane shots show the grand scale of production. The music at the start of this clip incorporates a few notes from Waltzing Matilda, a beloved 19th century bush ballad written by Banjo Paterson in 1887 and widely regarded as Australia’s unofficial national anthem.

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You must read and agree to the following terms and conditions before embedding the clip:

australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

  • You may retrieve materials for information only.
  • You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

All other rights reserved.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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