MY BRILLIANT CAREER

Australia, 1979, 91 minutes, Colour.
Judy Davis, Sam Neill, Patricia Kennedy, Wendy Hughes, Robert Grubb, Max Cullen, Aileen Britton.
Directed by Gillian Armstrong.

My Brilliant Career is Miles Franklin's autobiographical novel, published in 1901. Its feminist tone anticipated women's movements of later decades. This adaptation is a strong portrait of 19th. century Australian society, highlighting the aspirations and frustrations of a girl who symbolises the vigour and potential of a pioneering spirit. Made with wise perception of human behaviour and with beauty and taste, it is a fine contribution of women artists to Australian cinema. They range from Gill Armstrong's direction of Eleanor Whitcombe’s screenplay to Judy Davis' natural and engaging performance as Sybilla. The supporting cast, both
men and women, is excellent.

1. The quality of this film. Its acceptance at the Cannes Film Festival? Its awards? The particular qualities?

2. Miles Franklin, her reputation? Audience interest in her work, influence in Australia? A film version of her autobiographical novel?

3. The importance of women's contribution to Australian filmmaking, 1979? Miles Franklin's viewpoint on the career in writing of a woman? Producer, director, screenwriter? The feminine sensibilities? The quality of the acting, especially Judy Davis?

4. The contribution of the colour photography, location photography? The editing and pace? The re-creation of the 19th. century atmosphere? The musical score, especially Schumann?

5. The portrait of Australia at the end of the 19th. century? Life in the bush, the impact of drought, poverty and the struggle for existence? The contrast with wealthy families? The elite and their way of life? The wealthy farmer and struggles, the banks? An overall picture of a pioneering society?

6. The introduction to Sybilla? The impact of the opening, her writing the title of 'My Brilliant Career'? The accent on 'brilliant'? Sybilla as a young girl in her family context, creative, ambitious, her comments on culture, her hopes? Her wilful approach to life, spirited? People commented that she was selfish. How true was this? Her achievement and what she learnt in staying with her grandmother and moving in the circle of society, her service of the poor family, her experience at home? Her drawing on all of this for her book? How did it change her? Set her on to a career? How sympathetic and attractive a heroine?

7. The initial farm sequences, the wind, the drought, the cattle? Her hardworking parents and her father's attitude to the farm? Her mother and the contrast with the background in which she grew up? Gertie and her relationship to Sybilla? The possibility of her working as a governess and supporting herself? Her mother's hard approach to her to get her to earn her living? The difficulties of the mortgages on the house? The classes with the family, her relationship to the parents, to the kids - their hostility towards school, friendship with her, winning them over? The ugliness of the farmhouse, her room - even compared with that at how? The family singsong? The boy with the sling and punishing him? The contrast with food? How well did she learn? The irony of the wrong interpretation of her relationship with the son? Her returning home?

8. Sybilla's going to her grandmother's - and the difference, the elegance, the train ride, the coach and horse, the meals and the elegant service, piano playing, clothes and the commissioning of new dresses, beauty techniques, the emphasis on manner? Her easy adaptation to this role despite her lack of confidence in her appearance?

9. The world of her grandmother? Her aunt, her mother coming from this world? Her grandmother's ideas, standards, angers at Sybilla's behaviour? Her offering her chances for the future? Her grandmother's strong presence and the confrontation sequences? Her letting her go for the sake of the tutoring job and her grandmother's comments on Sybilla’s selfishness?

10. Aunt Helen and her kindness towards Sybilla? Gentility, the experience of the broken marriage and her explanation of this, her helping Sybilla with her beauty treatment, with her dresses? Her helping in her emotional crises?

11. Uncle J.J. and his robust attitudes, Sybilla's liking for him, the singing and the dancing, the party? Uncle J.J. and Harry? His role in Sybilla's going to be a governess? A different angle on family life?

12. Aunt Gussie and her household? In comparison with Sybilla's grandmother? 'Her direct talk and the implied criticism of Sybilla? The elegance of her home? Her pleasantness, relating well to Sybilla with a lighter touch? Her wanting Harry to marry? Her comments after they were both in the lake, the throwing of the ball and her observation, her sympathy for Sybilla and her happiness in Harry marrying her?

13. Harry as the hero? The film's presentation of him in comparison with Sybilla? The audience hearing about him, his being forward and approaching Sybilla as if she were a maid, the incident with the tree, the humour of his humiliation of the meal and his comments, the singsong and his reaction, the dancing? The bonds between the two - Sybilla's visit, the long pillow fight and the chase, rowing on the lake and falling in, the comments and conversation afterwards? His promise to see her and her reaction to him when she met him in the town? The hostility? The build-up to the ball and her ill-treatment of him? Her going to the barn and dancing, the altercation, his proposition and the slaps? Why could she not marry him? Her apologies to him and trying to explain the situation? The two year wait? His return to her and her joy in this, her asking him to marry Gertie, his wanting Sybilla, his trying to understand her choice of the career? Harry as an Australian young man, his prospects in the 19th. century, the farm and his inheritance, the foreclosure of the banks, his success with the farm, making a living for himself, his hopes and prospects for family and marriage with Sybilla?

14. The contrast with Frank? the humour of his meeting Sybilla at the station, their coach ride, his very English manner? His manner and its being ridiculed throughout the film? how gently? His being self-opinionated, his proposals to Sybilla? His singing manner., his dancing? His falling in with the sheep? Sybilla making him walk? His flirting with the girls at the ball. Gertie marrying him? The portrait of the younger son sent to Australia and bringing his British manner to a very different kind of culture and background?

15. How well were the characters drawn, how sharply. individually? The details of interaction? Audiences understanding the characters even when briefly sketched?

16. The skill of the film in creating the atmosphere of the farm and drought, the sequences at the pub with Sybilla seeking out her father, the elegant N.S.W. society at home, on the land, social events? The use of atmosphere and scenery, town, countryside, drought-stricken areas, pastureland, rivers? The weather?

17. Comment on the impact and style of the important sequences e.g. the scene with the milking and the two girls, the encounters with Frank, the staging of the pillow fight throughout the house and outside it, the singsong and Sybilla drawing on her experience at the pub, the dancing with Uncle J.J., the various moods at the ball and the sequence in the barn with the aristocracy visiting the farmers, the piano duet with Harry?

18. The exploration of Sybilla's character and motivations? Judy Davis' skill in communicating to the audience the nuances of Sybilla's experience, feelings and thought?

19. The emotional impact of the climax with Sybilla having learnt from experience, facing the future, refusing Harry?

20. The quality of the cinematic achievement and audience response to this?

21. Treatment of the basic themes of life and its meaning, men and women and their identity and relationship, love and marriage, friendship, mateship, ambitions, self-centredness, career, society?