The Well (1997 film)

Last updated

The Well
The Well FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by Samantha Lang
Written by Elizabeth Jolley (novel)
Laura Jones
Starring Pamela Rabe
Miranda Otto
Paul Chubb
Frank Wilson
Cinematography Mandy Walker
Edited by Dany Cooper
Release date
  • 31 July 1997 (1997-07-31)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million

The Well is a 1997 Australian film directed by Samantha Lang and starring Pamela Rabe, Miranda Otto, Paul Chubb, and Frank Wilson. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Jolley.

Contents

Synopsis

A young girl named Katherine and her older friend Hester live on an isolated farm run by Hester and her father Francis. Katherine works as a maid and wants to leave because there's too much work. Hester, however, becomes attracted to Katherine and holds her there, promising to give her less work in the future. When Francis dies, Hester decides to sell the farm for cash. They move to small cottage on the edge of the farm and plan to go to Europe. But a tragic accident and the theft of their money change their plans.

Cast

Production

Sandra Levy bought the rights to the novel and hired Laura Jones to adapt. They worked on the project for around six years, and then Samantha Lang became involved as director. [1]

Awards

Box office

The Well grossed $393,920 at the box office in Australia. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miranda Otto</span> Australian actress

Miranda Otto is an Australian actress. She is the daughter of actors Barry and Lindsay Otto and the paternal half-sister of actress Gracie Otto. Otto began her acting career in 1986 at age 18 and appeared in a variety of independent and major studio films in Australia. She made her major film debut in Emma's War in 1987 in which she played a teenager who moves to Australia's bush country during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Campion</span> New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer

Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films The Piano (1993) and The Power of the Dog (2021), for which she has received two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Campion was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM) in the 2016 New Year Honours, for services to film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynne Ramsay</span> Scottish filmmaker

Lynne Ramsay is a Scottish film director, writer, producer, and cinematographer best known for the feature films Ratcatcher (1999), Morvern Callar (2002), We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011), and You Were Never Really Here (2017).

Genevieve Lemon is an Australian actress and singer who has appeared in a number of Australian television series and international film, including a frequent collaboration with Jane Campion for Academy Award-winning The Piano (1993) and The Power of the Dog (2021), which earned her a Satellite Award as cast member and a Critic's Choice Awards nomination. In television Lemon is best known as Zelda Baker in The Young Doctors, Marlene "Rabbit" Warren in Prisoner and Brenda Riley in Neighbours.

David William Rabe is an American playwright and screenwriter. He won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1972 and also received Tony Award nominations for Best Play in 1974, 1977 (Streamers) and 1985 (Hurlyburly).

<i>Jindabyne</i> (film) 2006 Australian drama film

Jindabyne is a 2006 Australian drama film by third time feature director Ray Lawrence and starring Gabriel Byrne, Laura Linney, Deborra-Lee Furness and John Howard. Jindabyne was filmed entirely on location in and around the Australian country town of the same name: Jindabyne, New South Wales, situated next to the Snowy Mountains.

The Film Critics Circle of Australia (FCCA) is an association of cinema critics and reviewers. It includes journalists in "media, television, major national and state papers, radio, national and state, online and freelance writers, Australian representatives from international magazines..and local specialist film magazines", and is based in Sydney.

Laura Jones is an Australian screenwriter.

<i>Bliss</i> (1985 film) 1985 Australian drama film

Bliss is a 1985 Australian comedy-drama film directed by Ray Lawrence, and co-written by Lawrence and Peter Carey, based on Carey's 1981 novel of the same name. It stars Barry Otto, Lynette Curran and Helen Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pamela Rabe</span> Canadian-born Australian actress

Pamela Rabe is a Canadian–Australian actress and theatre director. A graduate of the Playhouse Acting School in Vancouver, Rabe is best known for her appearances in the Australian films Sirens, Cosi and Paradise Road, and for starring as Joan Ferguson in the television drama series Wentworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aden Young</span> Canadian-Australian actor

Aden Young is a Canadian-Australian actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Daniel Holden in the SundanceTV drama Rectify, for which he was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. He has appeared in American, Canadian and Australian productions.

<i>The Well</i> (novel)

The Well is a Miles Franklin Award-winning 1986 novel by Australian-English author Elizabeth Jolley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Cannes Film Festival</span> Awards gathering for films

The 50th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 18 May 1997. The Palme d'Or was jointly awarded to Ta'm e guilass by Abbas Kiarostami and Unagi by Shohei Imamura. Jeanne Moreau was the mistress of ceremonies.

Shirley Barrett was an Australian film director, screenwriter, and novelist. Initially Barrett was a singer in the band Fruit Pastilles from 1981-83. After ending her time in the band, Barrett went on to write for films. Her first film Love Serenade won the Caméra d'Or at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. She wrote and directed two other feature films Walk the Talk (2000) and South Solitary (2010). Barrett's script for South Solitary was awarded multiple prizes, including the Queensland Premier's Prize and the West Australian Premier's Prize. Her first novel Rush Oh! (2016) was shortlisted for the 2016 Indie Awards for Debut Fiction and the 2016 Nita May Dobbie Award, and long-listed for the 2016 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction. Her second novel The Bus on Thursday was released in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Lang</span> Australian film director

Samantha Lang is an Australian film director and screenwriter. Her production company is Handmaid Media.

<i>Cosi</i> (film) 1996 Australian film

Cosi is a 1996 Australian comedy-drama film directed by Mark Joffe. Louis Nowra wrote both the screenplay and the 1992 play it was originally based on.

The 19th Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards, honoring the best in films from 2010, were presented on 13 March 2011 at North Sydney Leagues Club in Cammeray, New South Wales and hosted by Rod Quinn. The nominees were announced on 8 February 2011 with Animal Kingdom receiving ten nominations. Animal Kingdom won six awards, including Best Film and Best Director.

Al Clark is an Australian film producer. He is best known for his producer role on TheAdventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and his executive producer role on the film, Chopper. Clark is also the author of four books. Time Flies and Time Flies Too are Clark's memoirs, which merge the early days of punk and new wave popular music with the truncated British film renaissance of the 1980s and the world of international film finance, and later chronicle his move to Australia and his work there. Clark's first book Raymond Chandler in Hollywood provides an insight into the work of the writer of detective fiction and includes interviews with many of the Hollywood figures who were associated with Raymond Chandler and his films. His second book Making Priscilla, also titled The Lavender Bus: How a Hit Movie Was Made and Sold, is a behind-the-scenes tale outlining the follies of film-making and how The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert became an international success.

<i>In the Winter Dark</i> (film) 1998 Australian film

In the Winter Dark is a 1998 Australian feature film adaptation of the 1988 novel by Tim Winton, which was released by Goalpost Pictures on 10 September 1998. It starred Brenda Blethyn, Ray Barrett, Richard Roxburgh and Miranda Otto and was directed by James Bogle.

References

  1. "Interview with Sam Lang", Signet, 23 July 1997. Retrieved 19 November 2012
  2. "Festival de Cannes: The Well". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
  3. Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office Archived 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine