THE WATER DIVINER
Australia, 2014, 111 minutes, Colour.
Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, Jai Courtney, Yilmas Erdogan, Dylan Georgiades, Dan Wylie, Robert Mammone, Isabel Lucas, Daniel Herriman.
Directed by Russell Crowe.
A fine film and well worth seeing, especially for Australian audiences. Released in the first few months of the centenary of World War I, and anticipating the centenary of Gallipoli, this is a film which will find a ready audience, middle-aged and older. It is also an effective film for younger audiences who are in the process of learning about Australia’s ANZAC past.
It is a tribute to Russell Crowe that he has made such a stylish film, with Andrew Lesnie’s beautiful cinematography, both in Turkey and in Australia, and an intelligent screenplay with the combined authorship of Andrew Knights and Andrew Anastasios. It is well edited, especially with effective insertions of flashbacks. The performances are all creditable.
The film sets a tone by starting in Turkey, at Gallipoli in 1915, at the end of the months when Australians were entrenched at the bottom of the hill with the Turks above them. We are introduced to the Turks before we are introduced to the Australians, with the reminder that while 10,000 Australians died in the campaign, 70,000 Turks were killed. A strong officer (Yilmaz Erdogan) is making decisions about an attack, sending a young recruit back to find his binoculars so that he is not present with the gunfire. When the Turks attack, they find the trenches empty, booby-trapped. The Turks consider it a retreat, the Australians a withdrawal.
It is only then that we go to north-western Victoria where we see Joshua Connor, Russell Crowe in a fine and dignified performance, doing his water divining, his sticks poised ready to follow their direction for water. It is 1919. Joshua and his wife (Jacqueline McKenzie) are living the grief of the death of their three sons who all volunteered to fight together. They are reported to have died together.
Joshua’s wife is in depression, wanting him to read the Arabian Nights to the empty beds of their sons, blaming her husband for their going to war. She drowns herself in the dam. This leads to a discussion with the local Irish parish priest who is severe in his pastoral attitude, applying the letter of the law to the burial of the suicide. When Joshua persuades him that it was an accident (or that he can assuage his conscience with that explanation), he suggests that Joshua donate his van to the parish – a reminder of mercenary attitudes mixed with severity.
Joshua decides to travel to Turkey to find his sons’ graves. British officials forbide any travel to the peninsula but there is an Australian group there trying to identify the bodies and bury the soldiers respectfully. The group is headed by Lt-Col? Cyril Hughes (Jai Courtney) who has welcomed the Turkish officer whom we saw at the beginning, along with his sergeant, to collaborate with the identification of the dead soldiers, Australian and Turkish.
In the meantime, a young boy at the wharf has led Joshua a lengthy chase through the busy markets and streets, to a hotel in Constantinople where the manager is the widow of a Turkish soldier, although she will not admit that he has died. She is hostile but her brother-in-law, who wants to marry her and adopt her son, welcomes Joshua. Joshua returns to the hotel several times, the young woman gradually mellowing, helping him, and the son enjoying Joshua’s being a kind of father-figure. Ayshe is played by Olga Kurylenko and the little boy, is a most engaging Dylan Georgiades. Steve Bastoni is the brother-in-law.
Audiences will be very moved by the sequences at Gallipoli, Joshua initially refused access then setting up camp on the beach after his arrival in a fishing boat, the Australian official and the Turkish soldier both helping him, with his date from his son’s diary and his map of Lone Pine and the action. Joshua is angry with the Turkish officer then comes to an awareness that both sides acted in the same way, especially as we see the close-up flashbacks of the cruel hand-to hand combat in the trenches. We are also shown the flashback of the three sons, two going to the rescue of the other, lying wounded on the battlefield.
The screenplay opens up another possibility for Joshua who has been ordered to leave by the British commander. He encounters the Turks who are gathering in a national resistance to the invading Greeks. Joshua joins the Turks on a train, which is attacked by the Greeks and the officers lined-up for execution – then, with some derring-do, they escape into a neighbouring village where there are discoveries to be made and an emotionally-wrenching experience for Joshua.
Russell Crowe has offered the Australian audience an opportunity to see the Turkish countryside, Constantinople, the clash between Turks Greeks, the effect of the war on the Turks and the consequences – even as his character is sometimes unwittingly insensitive towards Turkish customs, the place of women, honour codes among the men and, especially, with a breakfast episode and the Australian reacting to the Turkish food.
The past as 100 years ago and so many events have happened, including World War II, the current history of Turkey, interested in joining the European Union, neighbour to Syria during its bitter civil war, close to Iraq and Lebanon. This is the time to look back to the war, not only its heroism and self-sacrifice but also raising questions as regards the nature of war, motivations for war and the many futilities of war.
1. The impact of the film? Australian audiences? Turkish audiences? The British? Worldwide?
2. A stylish film, the complex screenplay, effective editing, beautiful cinematography, visuals? The musical score? Performances?
3. The Australian release at the time of the centenary of World War I, anticipation of the Gallipoli centenary? The myths of Gallipoli and ANZAC involvement? Sacred myths? the harsh realities? Australian deaths, Turkish deaths? The memories over 100 years and the different changes?
4. The locations, Turkey, the re-creation of Gallipoli, fighting in the trenches, the war graves on the beach? Constantinople, the beauty of the city, the Blue Mosque, the hotel, the busy streets and business? The train, Anatolia, the hillside village, the caves, the underground river? Authentic atmosphere? The Australian sequences, the water diviner in the country, the home, the church, the cemetery, the vicious sandstorm? The feel for the period?
5. The prologue, fighting at Gallipoli, from the Turks’ perspective, the commander, the sergeant, the fighting, the gunfire? The empty trenches? Booby traps? Later battle sequences? The command, the boy and the binoculars and his being saved? The Turkish perspective of retreat, the Australian perspective of withdrawal? The later scenes, vicious hand-to-hand fighting?
6. The father, 1919, Joshua, the scene of water divining, his skills, digging the well, the water? His wife lonely at home, reading the Arabian Nights, the sense of their the absence? The key word from the book, especially in the sandstorm, and in their dying of Gallipoli? The absence of the boys? The wife, depression and sadness, walking into the water, dying?
7. The priest, Irish, clerical style, not being able to bury the suicide? Joshua covering it as an accident? The talk, the donation, Joshua’s reaction? The cemetery, friends, the sadness?
8. His decision to search for the boys, going to Turkey, the difficulties and customs, the language? The little boy taking the case, the chase? Through the busy streets and the flavour of the city to the hotel, the hostility of Ayshe, his being allowed in? The boy, language? The room? His insensitivity to Turkish meals and wanting a boiled egg?
9. Ayshe, the situation, an Ottoman woman, her husband, fighting, denying his death? The boy with the photo of his father, asking Joshua find? Ayshe and her attitudes? Joshua defending her? The prospect of marrying her brother-in-law? Going out, covering her hair, Joshua at 20 paces behind? Her angers, being hurt? Her love for her son? Discipline, and changing in mind? The brother-in-law, the situation, his violence, Joshua fighting back? The young prostitute and her clients? Ayshe’s father, dementia, plucking the fowl, talking to Joshua as if he were a professor?
10. The British, the office, the officer, no permits to Gallipoli, his hard stances, the advice to Joshua about the fishing boat, his coming ashore? The officer at Gallipoli, the Australians with him, the commission about the search, the graves? A sympathetic man? Joshua and the fire on the shore, his being sent food? Joshua with his son’s diary, the dates? The arrival of the Turkish officer, the audience having seen him at Gallipoli, his sergeant? Sympathetic? Good relationships with Hughes? Joshua and his anger, his realising that both sides had deaths, both sides fighting in the same way? His apology, realisation about the war?
11. The Turkish perspective, the war dead and their numbers? Coming to Gallipoli, the mound of skulls, Turkish? The work, the graves, the officer riding the horse?
12. The search for Joshua’s son is, finding their bones, the grave and his grief? But satisfaction in knowing that they had been found and buried?
13. The flashbacks, fighting, going to rescue the brother, the deaths, the long dying and the brother asking to shoot him, Arthur’s anguish that the decision? Arthur’s disappearance, prisoner of war? Searching the graves, Joshua using his water divining techniques?
14. Constantinople, the secret groups, national feeling, against the Greeks, Joshua abducted, secret centre, the sergeant’s attitudes, the Turkish officer, his respect and Joshua, mutual friendship, his helping, the list of the prison camps?
15. The British attitude, ousting him? His return to the hotel, his becoming closer to Ayshe, the brother-in-law and his brutal telling of the little boy the truth? Joshua and his violence against the Turks? The British chase, over the roofs?
16. On the train, the information about the camp, the list from the Turkish officer? The attack by the Greeks? The Greeks attitude towards Australians? Executing the sergeant, about to execute the Turkish officer, Joshua hitting the Greek, getting on the train, taking the horses, riding to the village?
17. The motif of the dervishes dancing throughout the film? The village, seeing the windmill, asking information, going to the church, and Arthur’s painting the icons, the reunion, his feelings, blaming himself? The Greek attack, their decision, plunging into the river? The return to Istanbul, Arthur and the haircut, Joshua new clothes, the return to the hotel?
18. The prospects for the future, the final image of Ayshe, the final image of Joshua? The changed man?
19. The story of a mission, with faith, intuition? Achievement?
