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Clip description
Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) is confronted by cattle baron Neil Fletcher (David Wenham). Fletcher offers to buy Faraway Downs and use his influence to save Nullah (Brandon Walters) from being removed to a mission. Lady Sarah refuses his offer.
Curator’s notes
An epic such as Australia requires a hissable villain and gets one in the shape of Neil Fletcher. Played by David Wenham (who played a bad guy named Eden Fletcher in the outback western The Proposition, 2005), Fletcher is a reprehensible and ruthless character willing to sacrifice anything to own the only cattle station in the Northern Territory not already under his control. He regards Faraway Downs as his birthright while callously dismissing the son born to him by an Aboriginal woman as a 'creamy’ – a derogatory term for half-caste children.
Wenham oozes menace in this scene. He relentlessly invades Lady Sarah’s physical space: entering the house unannounced, giving orders to Bandy, putting his feet up on the table, and standing uncomfortably close to whisper in her ear. Fletcher barely raises his voice but his steely tone effectively conveys the anger he is capable of. Fletcher’s making himself comfortable is another way of undermining Lady Sarah’s presence at Faraway Downs and establishing his own claim.
Catherine Martin received an Academy Award nomination for Australia’s costume design. Lady Sarah’s open collar and more casual attire in this scene show just how more comfortable she is now in Australia (compare her impractical dress in clip one and formal riding gear in clip two). Lady Sarah’s more relaxed appearance is also at odds with Fletcher’s suit (black, in case you had any doubt he was up to no good). Wearing a suit to call on her gives Fletcher the appearance of courtesy, but this is belied by his proprietorial and threatening manner.
