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The Widower is a 2004 Australian film based on the poetry of Les Murray and directed by Kevin Lucas. It has no dialogue, instead using operatic-style music in its place. Lyndon Terracini wrote the screenplay and performed the vocals with Slava Grigoryan on guitar. The score was composed by Elena Kats-Chernin. When the film first opened, many of the screenings were accompanied by live music.

Plot

A woodcutter mourns his dead wife.

Cast

• Chris Haywood as Neville
• Frances Rings as Mary
• Matt Dyall as Blake
• Blake Pittman as Young Blake
• Djakapurra Munyarryun
• Jay Bailey
• Tony Barry
• Ben Harkin

Reception

The Age's John Slavin writes "I don't think it has made up its mind whether it is a poetic elegy for bush life or a character study of the bushman. Haywood's superb performance emphasises the second approach." The Herald Sun gave it two stars, saying that "Director Kevin Lucas often settles for a far-too-literal interpretation of his source, which only invites the unwelcome (but not totally unwarranted) accusation that this isn't much more than a pretentiously highbrow music video." Paul Lepetit of the Daily Telegraph gave it three stars, saying "Almost contemplative at times, The Widower exercises a mesmerising effect upon its audience; for the most part, it is a delicate combination of high art and fine cinema." Reviewing in The Australian, Evan Williams gives it 3 1/2 stars sand said "The film as a whole, however -- fragmentary, impressionistic, essentially plotless -- never quite lives up to its high ambitions." Paul Byrnes of the Sydney Morning Herald finishes his review with a similar conclusion, "The film still has a power – Haywood's performance is magnificent – but it never achieves a strong inner reality. It falls short of its own tall ambitions."

Awards

• 2005 AFI Awards
  • Best Adapted Screenplay - Lyndon Terracini - nominated

References

1. Molitorisz, Sacha (5 October 2004), "The Widower", The Sydney Morning Herald
2. ^ Slavin, John (12 October 2004), "The Widower", The Age
3. Webb, Carolyn (8 October 2004), "No words for the widower", The Age
4. "The Widower", The Herald Sun, 7 July 2005
5. Lepetit, Paul (3 July 2005), "The Widower (M)", The Daily Telegraph
6. Williams, Evan (9 July 2005), "Kidman gets there by a nose", The Australian
7. Byrnes, Paul (30 June 2005). "The Widower". The Sydney Morning Herald.
8. Zion, Lawrie (25 November 2005), "No short-priced favourite this year", The Australian

External links

• The Widower at IMDb

• 2004 films
• Australian musical films
• 2000s English-language films
• 2000s Australian films
• English-language musical films
• 2004 musical films