The Eye of the Storm (2011 film)

The Eye of the Storm
The Eye of the Storm
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Fred Schepisi
Screenplay by	Judy Morris
Based on	The Eye of the Storm; by Patrick White
Produced by	Gregory J. Read; Antony Waddington
Starring	Geoffrey Rush; Charlotte Rampling; Judy Davis
Cinematography	Ian Baker
Edited by	Kate Williams
Music by	Paul Grabowsky
Distributed by	Transmission
Release date	8 September 2011;
Running time	119 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English

The Eye of the Storm is a 2011 Australian drama film directed by Fred Schepisi. It is an adaptation of Patrick White's 1973 novel of the same name. It stars Geoffrey Rush, Charlotte Rampling and Judy Davis. It won the critics award for best Australian feature at the 2011 Melbourne International Film Festival^[1]^[2] and had a September 2011 theatrical release.^[3]

Plot

In a Sydney suburb, two nurses, a housekeeper and a solicitor attend to Elizabeth Hunter as her expatriate son and daughter convene at her deathbed. In dying, as in living, Mrs. Hunter remains a formidable force on those around her. It is via Mrs Hunter’s authority over living that her household and children vicariously face death and struggle to give consequence to life.

Estranged from a mother who was never capable of loving them Sir Basil, a famous but struggling actor in London and Dorothy, an impecunious French princess, attempt to reconcile with her. In doing so they are reduced from states of worldly sophistication to floundering life.

The children unite in a common goal — to leave Australia with their vast inheritance. Moving through Sydney’s social scene, they search for a way to fulfill their desire. Using the reluctant services of their family lawyer Arnold Wyburd, who was long in love with Mrs Hunter, they scheme to place their mother in a society nursing home to expedite her demise.

Panic sets in as the staff sense the impending end of their eccentric world. Mrs Hunter confesses her profound disappointment at failing to recreate the state of humility and grace she experienced when caught in the eye of a cyclone fifteen years earlier.

For the first time in their lives, the meaning of compassion takes the children by surprise. During a ferocious storm Mrs Hunter finally dies, not through a withdrawal of will but by an assertion of it. In the process of dying she re-lives her experience in the cyclone. Standing on a beach, she is calm and serene as devastation surrounds her.

Cast

Geoffrey Rush as Basil Hunter
Charlotte Rampling as Elizabeth Hunter
Judy Davis as Dorothy de Lascabanes
John Gaden as Arnold Wyburd
Robyn Nevin as Lal
Helen Morse as Lotte
Colin Friels as Athol Shreve
Dustin Clare as Col
Liz Alexander as Cherry Cheesman
Maria Theodorakis as Mary DeSantis
Alexandra Schepisi as Flora
Louise Siversen as Carol
Benita Collings as Lady at lunch
Laurent Boulanger as French waiter^[4]

Awards

Ceremony	Recipient	Category	Result
2011 Asia Pacific Screen Awards	Judy Davis	Best Performance by an Actress	Nominated
AACTA Awards^[5] (1st)	Antony Waddington Gregory J. Read Fred Schepisi	Best Film	Nominated
	Fred Schepisi	Best Direction	Nominated
	Judy Morris	Best Adapted Screenplay	Nominated
	Geoffrey Rush	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Nominated
	Judy Davis	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Won
	Charlotte Rampling	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Nominated
	John Gaden	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Nominated
	Helen Morse	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Nominated
	Antony Waddington Gregory J. Read Fred Schepisi	AFI Members' Choice Award	Nominated
	Melinda Doring	Best Production Design	Won
	Terry Ryan	Best Costume Design	Won
2011 Inside Film Awards^[6]^[7]	Antony Waddington Gregory J. Read Fred Schepisi	Best Feature Film	Nominated
	Geoffrey Rush	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Nominated
	Judy Davis	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Nominated
Melbourne International Film Festival		The Age Critics' Award for Best Australian Feature Film	Won
Rome International Film Festival		Jury Special Prize	Won

References

^ "'The Eye of the Storm' Wins at Melbourne International Film Festival". Yahoo! TV. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
^ Bulbeck, Pip (9 August 2011). "'The Eye of the Storm' Wins at Melbourne International Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
^ "Sycamore presents Fred Schepisi's, The Eye of the Storm" (PDF). Paper Bark Films EOS Pty Ltd. 18 August 2011. p. cover. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
^ "The Eye of the Storm (2011) - IMDb". IMDb.
^ " Nominees for the 2011 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
^ " Winners of the 2011 Inside Film Awards. Inside Film Awards. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
^ " Nominees of the 2011 Inside Film Awards. Inside Film Awards. Retrieved 9 December 2011.

External links

[1] "'The Eye of the Storm' Wins at Melbourne International Film Festival". Yahoo! TV. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2015.

[2] Bulbeck, Pip (9 August 2011). "'The Eye of the Storm' Wins at Melbourne International Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 14 December 2015.

[press_kit_pdf-3] "Sycamore presents Fred Schepisi's, The Eye of the Storm" (PDF). Paper Bark Films EOS Pty Ltd. 18 August 2011. p. cover. Retrieved 25 December 2012.

[4] "The Eye of the Storm (2011) - IMDb". IMDb.

[5] " Nominees for the 2011 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Retrieved 9 December 2011.

[6] " Winners of the 2011 Inside Film Awards. Inside Film Awards. Retrieved 9 December 2011.

[7] " Nominees of the 2011 Inside Film Awards. Inside Film Awards. Retrieved 9 December 2011.

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