Country Life (1994)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Michael Blakemore

Writer:

Michael Blakemore (writer)

Release Date:

28 July 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Adaptation of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" set in rural Australia in the 1920's. Jack Dickens and his niece...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel | Independent Film

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Sam Neill	...	Dr. Max Askey
Greta Scacchi	...	Deborah Voysey
John Hargreaves	...	Jack Dickens
Kerry Fox	...	Sally Voysey
Michael Blakemore	...	Alexander Voysey
Googie Withers	...	Hannah
Patricia Kennedy	...	Maud Dickens
Ron Blanchard	...	Wally Wells
Robyn Cruze	...	Violet
Maurie Fields	...	Fred Livingstone
Bryan Marshall	...	Mr. Pettinger
Tony Barry	...	Logger
Terry Barry	...	Logger
Tom Long	...	Billy Livingstone
Rob Steele	...	James

Also Known As:

Amours champêtres (Canada: French title) (TV title) [fr]
Besuch aus England, Der (Germany) [de]
Liebe in Australien, Eine (Germany) [de]
Vida no Campo (Brazil) [pt]
Vita di campagna (Italy) [it]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sex-related scenes.

Runtime:

114 min | USA:107 min (dvd release) (IFC library print)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Spain:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Carcoar, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Trivia:

Film adaptation based on and including most of the cast of Michael Blakemore's National Theatre production of "Uncle Vanya".

Quotes:

Sally Voysey: What have you two been doing?
Deborah Voysey: Nothing. Absolutely Nothing. We're bored to death.
Sally Voysey: Do something, then. Find something to do.
Deborah Voysey: Here? Good heavens -- what?

Movie Connections:

Version of Zio Vania di Anton Cechov (1990)

First-rate film

Usually, I dislike plays adapted to a place & time other than those the author intended. Country Life (the title is from Chekhov's subtitle for Uncle Vanya, Scenes from Country Life) is a rare exception. Placed in the Australian outback in the 1920s, aspects of the play, such as the old man's writings (here, trashy theatre criticism, some of which is quoted) are as worthless as his academic treatises in the play; veneration for London (true in much of Oz, even today) makes clearer the play's characters' veneration for Moscow; etc. Blakemore, a fine stage director, knows his Chekhov, knows how to get the most of his actors (all of whom are excellent) and, to my happy surprise, knows how to make a sparkling, engrossing film from a play by Chekhov, which is very difficult (Mikhalkov is the only other one who has done it, in An Unfinished Piece for Player Piano). A thoroughly delight