Oscar & Lucinda

Gillian Armstrong, 1997 (132 mins, Cert. 15)

Ralph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett star in a beguiling adaptation of Peter Carey's Booker Prize winning novel. Against the backdrop of Australia's industrial revolution, a young British priest and an Australian business woman, united in their passion for gambling and ridden with guilt, dream of transporting a glass church to a remote Australian parish. A beautifully photographed and haunting tale of dreams, fate, love and obsession.
(Barbican publicity)

Ralph Fiennes transforms himself utterly into the obsessive innocent, Oscar, in a quiet, powerful story of two very unlikely people of overwhelming passions who find their ideal counterpart in each other. Cate Blanchett is a bundle of spikey energy as Lucinda and the supporting cast all turn in excellent performances. The tension is inexorably built up towards a shattering climax, with a surprising twist in the unsentimental ending. The film is visually ravishing and a joy to watch throughout, scene after scene is breathtakingly beautiful. A stunning, epic conception from start to finish. Magnificent.
(Steve Fagg)

Seen: Thursday, 23rd April, 1998 (Barbican 2)