The Water Diviner

Last updated

The Water Diviner
The Water Diviner poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Russell Crowe
Written by
Produced by
  • Troy Lum
  • Andrew Mason
  • Keith Rodger
Starring
Cinematography Andrew Lesnie
Edited by Matt Villa
Music by David Hirschfelder
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 26 December 2014 (2014-12-26)(Australia)
  • 24 April 2015 (2015-04-24)(United States)
Running time
111 minutes [1]
Countries
  • Australia [2]
  • United States [2]
Languages
  • English
  • Turkish
Budget$22.5 million [3]
Box office$38.2 million [3]

The Water Diviner is a 2014 drama film starring and directed by Russell Crowe, in his directorial debut, and written by Andrew Anastasios and Andrew Knight. The film follows an Australian farmer, Joshua Connor (Crowe), who travels to Turkey soon after World War I to find his three sons who never returned. It also stars Olga Kurylenko, Jai Courtney, Cem Yılmaz, Yılmaz Erdoğan, and Jacqueline McKenzie.

Contents

The Water Diviner had its world premiere at the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia on 2 December 2014. [4] It opened in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on 26 December 2014. The film had a limited release in the United States on 24 April 2015.

Plot

The film begins in 1919, just after World War I has ended, and centres around Joshua Connor (Russell Crowe), an Australian farmer and water diviner. His three sons Arthur (Ryan Corr), Edward (James Fraser), and Henry (Ben O'Toole) served with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during the military campaign in Gallipoli four years previously and are presumed dead. After his wife Eliza (Jacqueline McKenzie) commits suicide out of grief, Joshua resolves to bring his sons' bodies home and bury them with their mother.

He travels to Turkey and stays in a hotel in Istanbul run by war-widowed Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko), but is unable to travel to Gallipoli by road. Learning the purpose of his journey, Ayshe tells him to bribe a local fisherman to travel to Gallipoli by boat. When he arrives, Joshua learns that ANZACs are engaged in a mass burial detail and all civilians are banned. Major Hasan (Yılmaz Erdoğan), a Turkish Army officer assisting the ANZACs, persuades the ANZAC captain Lieutenant Colonel Cyril Hughes (Jai Courtney) to prioritize helping Joshua with his search, as the only father to care enough to come all this way to find the fate of his sons. After finding Edward and Henry's graves, Joshua sees in his dreams that Arthur survives the battle. Hasan recognizes Joshua's surname and tells him that Arthur might have been taken prisoner.

Joshua returns to Istanbul, but fails to find out to which prison camp Arthur was transferred, as many Turkish records have been burned. He returns to Ayshe's hotel and learns that she is being pressed to marry her brother-in-law, Omer. Their argument becomes heated and Omer retreats when Joshua intervenes. Ayshe lashes out, blaming Joshua for making things worse and tells him to leave. As Joshua leaves the hotel, Omer and a few of his friends attack him, only to be stopped by Hasan's subordinate, Sergeant Jemal (Cem Yılmaz). Jemal takes Joshua to Hasan, who explains that the Greeks have invaded and they are going to defend their country as the British are not intervening. Joshua decides to travel with Hasan's group, who will pass through the region where his son might be. As Joshua returns to the hotel to retrieve his belongings, Ayshe apologizes for her earlier words.

While on the train, Jemal asks Joshua about a cricket bat he found in the Allied trenches when they retreated, as he is unsure whether it is a weapon or not. Joshua then explains to the Turkish soldiers on board the train the basic rules of cricket. However, Greek soldiers attack the train with only Jemal, Hasan and Joshua surviving the initial assault. Using the bat, Joshua saves Hasan as a Greek officer prepares to execute him but Jemal is killed in the resulting struggle. Joshua and Hasan flee to a nearby town where they spot a windmill, which Joshua saw in his recurring dream. There he finds Arthur alive but traumatized. Arthur reveals that at the end of the battle, Edward was still alive but badly wounded. He pleaded with Arthur to end his suffering, and Arthur reluctantly complied. Blaming himself for his brother's death, Arthur felt he could never return to his family.

The Greek soldiers who previously attacked the train begin to attack the town, and the two men try to escape through the mountains. Arthur refuses to follow his father, but relents when Joshua says that without his wife and sons, he has nowhere else to go. They successfully evade the Greek army and return to Ayshe's hotel. The film ends with Joshua drinking a cup of coffee made by Ayshe which indicates that she has fallen in love with him.

Cast

Production

The story concept originated from a single line in a letter written by Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril Hughes, who was a worker in the Imperial War Graves unit. The footnote simply said, “One old chap managed to get here from Australia, looking for his son’s grave.” After a year of research, the writers were unable to identify the man or his son, which gave them the freedom to imagine a story which would become their screenplay. [8]

On 18 June 2013, it was announced that Crowe had signed to make his directorial debut with an historical drama film The Water Diviner from a screenplay written by Andrew Knight and Andrew Anastasios. He would also star in the film. [9] Producers would be Troy Lum, Andrew Mason and Keith Rodger and it was set to be shot in Australia and Turkey. [5] On 25 March 2014, it was announced that Seven West Media and Seven Group Holdings would co-finance the film. [10] On 7 November 2014, Warner Bros. acquired the US rights to the film. [11]

Casting

Crowe portrays Joshua Connor, an Australian farmer. Olga Kurylenko was added to the cast on 18 October 2013 to co-star with Crowe. [6] On 24 October, Jai Courtney was announced as having signed to star in The Water Diviner and another historical film, Unbroken . Courtney first filmed Unbroken and then moved to The Water Diviner, playing a soldier, Lt. Col. Cecil Hughes. [7] Later, Turkish actors Cem Yılmaz and Yılmaz Erdoğan were also added to the cast, along with some Australian actors: Ryan Corr, Daniel Wyllie, Damon Herriman, Deniz Akdeniz, Steve Bastoni and Jacqueline McKenzie. [12]

Filming

Principal photography began on 2 December 2013 in Australia. [12]

Marketing

On 1 February 2014, the first official still from the film was revealed. [13] On 28 April, the first footage from the film in a 7-minute featurette, narrated by Crowe, was revealed. [14] The first official trailer for the film was released on 30 September. [15]

Release

The film was released in Australia, New Zealand, and Turkey on 26 December 2014, and it was released in Thailand on 15 January 2015. The film was initially to be released in the UK on 23 January 2015 but was moved to 3 April. [16] The film was released in IMAX, and general, theaters by Warner Bros. in the United States on 24 April 2015. [11] [17] Entertainment One and Universal Pictures jointly released the film in Australia, with eOne solely releasing the film in Europe and Canada. [10]

The film made its free-to-air television premiere on the Seven Network in Australia on 20 April 2015, a mere four months after its theatrical release in Australia for the centennial anniversary of ANZAC Day. Seven is an investor in the film. [18]

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 61% based on 150 reviews; the average rating is 6.05/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Water Diviner finds Russell Crowe on somewhat uncertain footing as a director, but he's rescued by a strong performance from himself in the leading role." [19] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 50 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [20] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale. [21]

Calls for a protest and boycott of the film on social media resulted in the Facebook page "Protest and Boycott the Water Diviner" which has over 16,000 fans. [22] Descendants of victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide, Assyrian genocide and Greek genocide were incensed by the film's portrayal of the Turks as victims, at the same time that Turks were committing atrocities against their minorities. Various film critics described the movie as "a distortion of history that only serves to appease Turkey and its continued agenda of genocide denial." [23] Anthony McAdam of The Spectator wrote: "Leaving aside aesthetic considerations, the fact is the film's lack of any historical context is breathtaking." McAdam notes that there is one "glaring omission" in the film, that being the lack of any mention of the Armenian genocide. [24] Andrew O'Hehir of Salon questioned why Crowe and Warner Bros. released the film in the US on 24 April, the same day that Armenians commemorate the Armenian genocide, comparing it to releasing a film which ignores the Jewish Holocaust on Yom HaShoah. [25]

Box office

The Water Diviner grossed $30.8 million worldwide. [26] On 5 January 2015, it was named the highest grossing Australian-produced film of 2014, with a gross of $12,294,472. [27] [28] However, in many cinemas in the UK it was screened for just one week.

The film was received very favourably in Turkey at its debut and subsequent release. To date, the film has taken almost ₺14.3 million ($5.7 million). [29]

Accolades

AwardCategorySubjectResult
AACTA Awards
(4th)		 Best Film 1Andrew MasonWon
Troy LumWon
Keith RodgerWon
Best Original Screenplay Andrew AnastasiosNominated
Andrew Knight Nominated
Best Actor Russell Crowe Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Yılmaz Erdoğan Won
Best Supporting Actress Jacqueline McKenzie Nominated
Best Editing Matt Villa Nominated
Best Production Design Christopher KennedyNominated
Best Costume Design Tess SchofieldWon
Best Visual Effects David BoothNominated
Prue FletcherNominated
Marc VariscoNominated
Adam PaschkeNominated
ARIA Awards [30] Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album soundtrackNominated
AWGIE Award Best Writing in a Feature Film - OriginalAndrew AnastasiosWon
Andrew KnightWon
FCCA Awards Best FilmAndrew MasonNominated
Troy LumNominated
Keith RodgerNominated
Best DirectorRussell CroweNominated
Best ActorWon
Best Supporting ActorYilmaz ErdoganWon
Best Supporting ActressJacqueline McKenzieWon
Best Cinematography Andrew Lesnie Nominated
Best EditingMatt VillaNominated
Best Music Score David Hirschfelder Won
Best Production DesignChristopher KennedyNominated

1 Shared award with The Babadook

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Crowe</span> New Zealand-born actor (born 1964)

Russell Ira Crowe is an actor, director and musician. He was born in New Zealand, spending 10 years of his childhood in Australia and residing there permanently by age 21. His work on screen has earned him various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a British Academy Film Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Lesnie</span> Australian cinematographer

Andrew Lesnie ACS ASC was an Australian cinematographer. He was best known as the cinematographer for The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003) and its prequel The Hobbit trilogy (2012–2014), both directed by New Zealand director Peter Jackson. He received the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his work on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacqueline McKenzie</span> Australian actress

Jacqueline Susan McKenzie is an Australian film and stage actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megan Gale</span> Australian model and actress

Megan Kate Gale is an Australian model and actress. Born in Perth, Western Australia, Gale won a model contest when she was 18 in her home town. In 1999 she was cast in a series of commercials for the Italian branch of telecommunications company Vodafone. This led to wide exposure in both Italy and her homeland Australia, and she appeared in those advertising until 2006. Gale has also appeared in Italian movies and television shows, and as an actress, Gale played Fatma in Russell Crowe's The Water Diviner (2014) and Valkyrie in George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).

Cem Yılmaz is a Turkish actor, stand-up comedian, musician, filmmaker, screenwriter, and cartoonist. He has four franchise film series G.O.R.A., Karakomik Fimler, Organize İşler, Vizontele. Also, He is best known for his films Yahşi Batı, Hokkabaz, İftarlık Gazoz, Av Mevsimi and has won three Sadri Alışık awards and Yeşilçam award for his roles. His international films are Russell Crowe's film "Water Diviner" and Ferzan Özpetek's film "Magnifica presenza".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yılmaz Erdoğan</span> Turkish actor, screenwriter, director and poet

Yılmaz Erdoğan is a Turkish filmmaker, actor and poet who is most famous for his box-office record-breaking debut comedy film Vizontele (2001) and the television series Bir Demet Tiyatro (1995–2002/2006–2007). He founded BKM Theatre and Film Production. He was awarded the Best Supporting Actor at 4th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards for his performance in The Water Diviner (2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olga Kurylenko</span> Ukrainian-born French actress (born 1979)

Olga Kostyantynivna Kurylenko is an actress. Born and raised in Ukraine, she moved to France at age 16 to pursue a modelling career. Kurylenko refocused on acting in 2004 and had her breakthrough film role in the action-thriller Hitman (2007). She gained recognition as Camille Montes in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008).

Max Benitz is an English writer, journalist, and former film and television actor.

<i>Heavens Burning</i> 1997 Australian film

Heaven's Burning is a 1997 Australian crime film starring Russell Crowe and directed by Craig Lahiff. The film was released in Australia on 6 November 1997. It follows the adventures of an Australian getaway driver (Crowe) and a Japanese runaway bride on a road trip as they are pursued by both criminals and the police. This was Russell Crowe's last Australian film until 2014's The Water Diviner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Collee</span> British screenwriter

John Gerald Collee is a Scottish/Australian doctor, novelist and screenwriter whose films have three times been nominated for Oscars. Master and Commander was nominated for Best Film 2003, Happy Feet won Best Animation in 2006, and Tanna (2015) was nominated for Best Foreign Language Feature in 2015. His many other films, written or co-written, include Creation (2013), Hotel Mumbai (2018) and Lee. His novels include Kingsleys Touch, A Paper Mask and The Rig published by Viking/Penguin. His TV Adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe received critical acclaim upon release on Netflix in 2024.

Colour of War: The Anzacs is a three part Australian TV series narrated by Russell Crowe, first shown in 2004 on Nine Network. It details, in rare colour footage, the story of the ANZACs during both World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Dorman</span> New Zealand actor (born 1981)

Michael Dorman is a New Zealand actor, best known for his starring roles as NASA astronaut Gordo Stevens in the Apple TV+ original science fiction space drama series For All Mankind and as John Tavner in the comedy-drama series Patriot.

<i>Empires of the Deep</i> Unreleased US-Chinese film

Empires of the Deep is an unreleased 3D action-adventure fantasy film, written by Randall Frakes, directed by Jonathan Lawrence, Michael French and Scott Miller, and starring Olga Kurylenko. The film was conceived by Chinese real estate tycoon Jon Jiang, who partially financed the U.S.–Chinese co-production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jai Courtney</span> Australian actor (born 1986)

Jai Stephen Courtney is an Australian actor. Born and raised in Sydney, Courtney started his career as teenager with small roles and film and television, and studied acting at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. After early supporting roles in Hollywood projects, he gained recognition for playing Dauntless leader Eric Coulter in The Divergent Series (2014–2015), Kyle Reese in Terminator Genisys (2015), and supervillain Captain Boomerang in the DC Extended Universe films Suicide Squad (2016), The Suicide Squad (2021), and The Flash (2023). He received praise for his performance as a corrupt debt collector and the main antagonist in the independent film Buffaloed (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Crowe filmography</span>

Russell Crowe is an actor. He gained international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 epic historical film Gladiator, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor. Crowe's other performances include tobacco firm whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand in the drama film The Insider (1999) and mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. in the biopic A Beautiful Mind (2001). He has also starred in films Romper Stomper with Daniel Pollock (1992), The Quick and the Dead with Sharon Stone (1995), L.A. Confidential with Guy Pearce (1997), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with Paul Bettany (2003), Cinderella Man with Renée Zellweger (2005), 3:10 to Yuma with Christian Bale (2007), American Gangster with Denzel Washington (2007), State of Play with Ben Affleck (2009), and Robin Hood with Cate Blanchett (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hasan Cemal</span>

Hasan Cemal is a Turkish journalist and writer. He was the editor of Cumhuriyet from 1981 to 1992, and of Sabah from 1992 to 1998. In 2013 he resigned from the Milliyet newspaper after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had criticised his article supporting Milliyet's publication of minutes of a parliamentary visit to Abdullah Öcalan, and Milliyet suspended him and refused to publish his returning column.

The 4th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards are a series of awards which includes the 4th AACTA Awards Luncheon, the 4th AACTA Awards ceremony and the 4th AACTA International Awards. The former two events will be held at The Star Event Centre, in Sydney, New South Wales in late January 2015. Presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), the awards will celebrate the best in Australian feature film, television, documentary and short film productions of 2014. The AACTA Awards ceremony will be televised on Network Ten for the third year running. The 4th AACTA Awards are a continuum of the Australian Film Institute Awards, established in 1958 and presented until 2010 after which it was rebranded the AACTA Awards when the Australian Film Institute (AFI) established AACTA in 2011.

Cem Belevi is a Turkish pop music singer and actor. He is best known for collaborating with Ayshe on "Kim Ne Derse Desin".

<i>Momentum</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Stephen Campanelli

Momentum is a 2015 action thriller film directed by Stephen Campanelli, and starring Olga Kurylenko, Morgan Freeman and James Purefoy. A high tech thief is pursued by mysterious government agents.

<i>The Exorcism</i> (film) 2024 film by Joshua John Miller

The Exorcism is a 2024 American supernatural horror film starring Russell Crowe as Anthony Miller, an actor whose deteriorating mental state on a horror movie set causes his daughter Lee to suspect either his former addictions or a more sinister cause. It is directed by Joshua John Miller, from a script he co-wrote with M. A. Fortin. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg, Adrian Pasdar, and David Hyde Pierce.

References

  1. ↑ "THE WATER DIVINER (15)". British Board of Film Classification . 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 "The Water Diviner (2014)". British Film Institute . Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 "The Water Diviner (2015) - Summary". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Sams, Christine (2 December 2014). "The Water Diviner premiered in Sydney with Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, Jai Courtney and Megan Gale". The Daily Telegraph . Sydney. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  5. 1 2 Fleming, Mike (18 June 2013). "Russell Crowe Sets 'The Water Diviner' For Directing Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  6. 1 2 McNary, Dave (18 October 2013). "Olga Kurylenko Joins Russell Crowe In 'Water Diviner'". Variety . Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  7. 1 2 Fleming, Mike (24 October 2013). "Jai Courtney Tapped For Angelina Jolie's 'Unbroken', Russell Crowe's 'Water Diviner'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  8. ↑ Gundlach, Sarah. "The story behind The Water Diviner" . Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Anderton, Ethan (18 June 2013). "Russell Crowe Plans Directorial Debut in Period Drama 'Water Diviner'". FirstShowing. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  10. 1 2 Frater, Patrick (25 March 2014). "Seven Finds Russell Crowe's 'Water Diviner'". Variety . Retrieved 26 March 2014.
  11. 1 2 Kit, Borys (7 November 2014). "Warner Bros. Picks Up Russell Crowe's Historical Drama 'Water Diviner'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Russell Crowe to start shooting Gallipoli film The Water Diviner in Sydney". news.com.au. 22 November 2013. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  13. ↑ Barraclough, Leo (1 February 2014). "First Image: Russell Crowe's Helming Debut 'The Water Diviner'". Variety . Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  14. ↑ Anderton, Ethan (28 April 2014). "Footage from Russell Crowe's 'The Water Diviner' in First Featurette". FirstShowing. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  15. ↑ Anderton, Ethan (30 September 2014). "Russell Crowe's Directorial Debut 'The Water Diviner' Aussie Trailer". FirstShowing. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  16. ↑ "Russell Crowe is Looking for his Sons in The Water Diviner". filmtronic.com. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  17. ↑ Bowles, Scott (20 March 2015). "Russell Crowe's 'The Water Diviner' Also Will Screen In Imax – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  18. ↑ Knox, David (13 April 2015). "Water Diviner world TV premiere on Seven". TV Tonight . Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  19. ↑ "The Water Diviner (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  20. ↑ "The Water Diviner Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  21. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (26 April 2015). "'Furious 7' Hits $320.5M, 'Adaline' Lures Ladies: The Calm Before 'Age Of Ultron' Conquers – Final Sunday B.O. Update". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Business Media . Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  22. ↑ "Protest & Boycott "The Water Diviner" a movie by Russell Crowe". Facebook. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  23. ↑ "Russell Crowe's The Water Diviner faces deluge of protest ahead of US opening". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  24. ↑ "Crowe's water diviner is out of his depth". The Spectator . Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  25. ↑ "What Armenian genocide? "The Water Diviner," Russell Crowe's disgraceful Turkish fantasy". Salon. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  26. ↑ "The Water Diviner (2015) - Summary". The Numbers . Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  27. ↑ "Russell Crowe's 'Water Diviner' is Top Australian Film of 2014". Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). Reuters. 6 January 2015.
  28. ↑ "The Water Diviner (2015) - Foreign". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  29. ↑ Andrew Anastasios (6 December 2014). "The Water Diviner" . Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  30. ↑ ARIA Award previous winners. "History Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 16 July 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.