Romance meets war meets fantasy meets cattle herding

Few directors are able to successfully combine elements of theater, visual extravagance and good storytelling. But Baz Luhrmann has perfected this art to create a style all his own. Only the fourth feature film from the director famous for his modern-day “Romeo and Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge,” “Australia” is as ambitious as it is lengthy.

Comparisons to “Gone with the Wind” have already been made, and with its romance-meets-wartime narrative, “Australia” certainly shares similar thematic elements with its classic predecessor.

But to say it is a modern remake of “Wind” would be far-fetched. While that film is the epitome of a historical drama, “Australia” is a concoction of various filmic genres.

Structured like a (long) four-act play, Luhrmann begins with English aristocrat Lady Ashley’s (Nicole Kidman) journey and acclimation to the land down under in 1939. After a meeting with the rugged Drover (Hugh Jackman), the film proceeds to an action-packed, cattle-herding sequence followed by a romantic subplot and an ending with a graphic depiction of war and its aftermath.

Simple enough in its structure, Luhrmann gives his characters room to develop and allows a central conflict to build.

Tension comes in the form of Fletcher (David Wenham), a disgruntled ex-employee of Ashley’s former husband. Fletcher, the constant threat that holds the plot together, strives to reclaim Ashley’s land and will stop at nothing to defeat her.

The performances are strong, and it may have helped that Luhrmann used a largely Australian cast. Hugh Jackman delivers one of the best performances of his career, but the gem of the film is 12-year-old Brandon Walters, who plays Nullah, an Aborigine child and the object of Lady Ashley’s affection. Walters also narrates with seamless inflection. His performance should garner Academy Award buzz.

Amongst his stunning visuals, Luhrmann has a knack for elements of fantasy. He cannot help but inject elements of magic and amazement as plot twists, but this comes at the cost of the film’s historical believability.

Luhrmann balances this fantasy with important social criticisms, touching on race relations, class associations and Australian re-education policies for Aborigine children. He shows an Australia that is racially intolerant and anxious over its Aborigine heritage.

Baz Luhrmann takes years between films to refine his scripts and direct his masterpieces. With “Australia,” he spares no expense, and if the first act can be digested, the remainder of the film is enthralling.