Australia: The Movie and the Country
The movie "Australia" takes place in northern Australia from 1939 to 1941 - just prior to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' entry into World War II. The movie could have easily been produced as an epic. Even though it is produced on a slightly lower key, the country itself gives viewers the sense of a land and time of epic proportions. Nothing is done on a small scale in pre-World War II Australia. Cattle ranches cover thousands of square miles and reminds one of Texas in the 1800s. The people are adventurers, pioneers and entrepreneurs, carving out a life in a rugged landscape. One of the interesting and little known facts in the movie is that Darwin - a major coastal city in northern Australia, was attacked by the Japanese shortly after Pearl Harbor.
I've always thought of Australia as a country that is at least a decade behind the US culturally and socially. It's a country that been described as living in the 60s - not a bad place to be. The crime rate is low and it's safe to walk the streets of a city at 2:00 in the morning. Australia impresses me as on the the world's last frontiers - a country on the move that has a positive outlook and good quality of life. It's no wonder that Australia has one of the highest "happiness index" ratings in the world.
The movie reinspired me to visit Australia and sooner or later I will - I may stay. The Australians I've met have an optimistic zest for life that seems to be in short supply in America these days. In a country that acts, sounds and looks bigger than life - much like America once did - anything is possible. I need to find out.
Published by Mike Gordon
I'm originally from a little bit of everywhere - born in Tennessee, grew up on the move and finally settled in Charlotte, NC for the past 30 years. I'm retired and now have the time to get back into doing s... View profile
- Defiance with Daniel Craig an Outstanding World War II Movie on DVDDefiance with Daniel Craig follows "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" and "Valkyrie" as another 2008 movie about World War II, and I would rank it right up there next to "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" as one of the be...
- The Legacy of World War IIA look at what made the world and the United States of today.
- What If Adolf Hitler Defeated the Soviet Union in World War II?This is an alternative history speculating what would happen following a German victory over Russia in World War II.
- My Favorite Classic World War II FilmsA list of some of my favorite films set during and after World War II.
- The Outfit: Defeat the Nazis and Win World War II!This is a review of the game, The Outfit. Defeat the Nazis during World War II by being the best squad leader you can be.
- African-American Soldiers' Roles in World War II
- Buyer's Guide for Authentic World War II Gear
- Ten Films to Teach World War II in the Social Studies Classroom
- Thanksgiving: Free Old Time Radio for a World War II Thanksgiving
- World War II Descriptive Timeline
- The French Resistance in World War II
- World War II, International Institutions and Cold War Politics
1 Comments
Post a CommentMike Gordon has laid his finger on a place that seems to feed the travel fantasies of most of the world's weary. Ah! To get lost in such a place, and forget the pressures of this corrupt and confusing world. As a genealogist (family tree stuff), I have recently found distant cousins in both Australia and New Zealand. In the past two years of descendancy dialogue, I have found these home grown "Downunders" to exhibit an intelligent appreciation of life and heritage. Contrary to our common English homeland roots, as well as this modern liberal US colonial malaize, there is a freshness that permiates the English-speaking folks of the Southern Hemisphere. It's not only a country ... it's a continent. A continent of contentment.