Oranges and Sunshine (2010)

Director:

Jim Loach

Writers:

Rona Munro (written by)
Margaret Humphreys (book)

Release Date:

1 April 2011 (Ireland)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Thousands of lost children. A secret buried by time. One woman will bring the truth to light.

Plot:

Set in 1980s Nottingham, social worker Margaret Humphreys holds the British government accountable for child migration schemes and reunite the children involved -- now adults living mostly in Australia -- with their parents in Britain. |

Plot Keywords:

Australia | 1980s | Social Worker | British Government | Children

Awards:

6 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Hugo Weaving	...	Jack
Emily Watson	...	Margaret Humphreys
David Wenham	...	Len
Tara Morice	...	Pauline
Aisling Loftus	...	Susie
Stuart Wolfenden	...	Bill
Lorraine Ashbourne	...	Nicky
Clayton Watson	...	CM (voice)
Richard Dillane	...	Merv
Geoff Morrell	...	Walter
Kate Box	...	Radio studio receptionist
Russell Dykstra	...	Dan
Molly Windsor
Alastair Cumming	...	Australia House Official
Greg Stone	...	Bob
Neil Melville	...	Monsignor Brutin
Kate Rutter	...	Vera
Neil Pigot
Marg Downey	...	Miss Hutchison
Ruth Rickman	...	Orphan
Carolina Giammetta	...	Charity Rep
Adam Tedder	...	Doctor
Federay Holmes	...	Charlotte
Adam Morgan	...	The Intruder
Helen Grayson	...	Bureaucrat
Neil May	...	Commuter
Tammy Wakefield	...	Susan
Margaret Turner	...	Orphan
Tess O'Flaherty	...	Orphan
Harvey Scrimshaw	...	Ben
Kurt Bayly	...	Hotel Attendee
Jude Henshall	...	Radio interviewer
John Robinson	...	Researcher in library
Hef Lawry	...	PA to Charity Rep
Marie Wheeler-King	...	Rita
Neil Broome	...	Government Dignatory (uncredited)
Carol Bunting	...	Library Background (uncredited)
John Howard	...	Orphan (uncredited)
Chris Koch	...	(uncredited)
Karen Power	...	Orphan (uncredited)
Laura Quirke	...	Orphan (uncredited)
Mandahla Rose	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Sladana Vranjes	...	Hotel attendee (uncredited)

Directed by
Jim Loach

Writing credits
Rona Munro		(written by)
Margaret Humphreys		(book "Empty Cradles")

Produced by
Suzanne Alizart	....	senior production executive
Camilla Bray	....	producer
Iain Canning	....	producer
Joan Schneider	....	line producer
Emile Sherman	....	producer

Original Music by
Lisa Gerrard

Cinematography by
Denson Baker

Film Editing by
Dany Cooper

Casting by
Nikki Barrett
Kahleen Crawford

Production Design by
Melinda Doring

Art Direction by
Jane Levick
Tuesday Stone

Set Decoration by
Glen W. Johnson

Costume Design by
Cappi Ireland

Makeup Department
Eileen Brennan	....	assistant makeup artist
Peta Dunstall	....	makeup supervisor
Marion Lee	....	hair stylist
Marion Lee	....	makeup artist
Zoey Stones	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Louise Knight	....	production manager
Fiona Lanyon	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nick Bollard	....	additional assistant director
Anna Griffin	....	trainee assistant director
James Manning	....	second assistant director
Kiaran Murray-Smith	....	first assistant director
Natasha Phillips	....	third assistant director
Jake Rollins	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Jess Alexander	....	graphic designer
Hannah Boyton	....	charge hand painter
Bowen Ellames	....	graphic artist
Douglas Ferguson	....	stand by props
Alex Giles	....	construction coordinator
Leeth Keough	....	greensman
Brad Maddern	....	art department runner
Obie O'Brien	....	additional set dresser
Yuri Poetzl	....	assistant standby props
Andrew Ranner	....	assistant art director
Lauren Richards	....	action vehicles coordinator
Dean Spicksley	....	set painter
Richard Trayling	....	storyboard artist
Katie Tuxford	....	standby art director
Matt Wells	....	property master: UK

Sound Department
Chinna Boapeah	....	boom operator
Grant Bridgeman	....	sound assistant
Glenn Butler	....	re-recording engineer
Gethin Creagh	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sam Hayward	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Hughes	....	production sound mixer
Leah Katz	....	dialogue editor
Michael McMenomy	....	sound effects editor
Andrew Plain	....	supervising sound editor
J.B. Williams	....	sound recordist: epk

Visual Effects by
Ean Carr	....	compositor
John Durney	....	digital compositor
Matthew T. Griffin	....	digital compositor
Blake Muir	....	digital compositor
James Rogers	....	visual effects supervisor
Takahiro Suzuki	....	title designer
Takahiro Suzuki	....	visual effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
David Ashby	....	key grip
Sian Bates	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Alex Brown	....	best boy electric: UK
Ben Brown	....	clapper loader
Frank Hruby	....	first assistant camera
Nathan Mann	....	focus puller: UK
Nick Matthews	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Tim Murphy	....	lighting technician: dailies
Matthew Nettheim	....	still photographer
Jem Rayner	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Dean Rogers	....	still photographer
Graeme Shelton	....	gaffer
Kirsty Stark	....	truck loader
Alex Stevenson	....	lighting technician
Darcy Sullivan	....	best boy lighting
Barnaby Sweet	....	gaffer

Casting Department
Wizzy Evans	....	casting associate
Caroline Stewart	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jessica Allen	....	costume stand-by

Editorial Department
Luca Byrne	....	first assistant editor (as Luke Byrne)
Trish Cahill	....	digital intermediate colorist
Rebecca Dunn	....	digital intermediate operations
Katherine Heads	....	digital intermediate producer
Emily Jefferies	....	apprentice assistant editor

Music Department
Marcello De Francisci	....	composer: additional music
James Orr	....	mix assistant

Other crew
Jo Beckett	....	script supervisor
Vicky Chapman	....	assistant location manager
Lauren Dark	....	assistant to producer
Bettina Hamilton	....	production coordinator
Greg Harris	....	rushes runner
Dan Hodgett	....	locations executive: EM Media
Megan Huitema	....	production assistant
Richard Knight	....	location manager
Habib Rahman	....	production accountant
Nathan Smith	....	I/O operations liaison
Sylvia Warmer	....	location assistant

Production Companies

• Screen Australia (presents)
• Little Gaddesden Productions (presents)
• Fulcrum Media Finance (in association with)
• EM Media (in association with)
• South Australian Film Corporation, The (in association with) (as South Australian Film Corporation)
• Deluxe Australia (in association with) (as Deluxe)
• Screen NSW (in association with)
• BBC Films (in association with)
• Sixteen Films
• See-Saw Films

Distributors

• Cohen Media Group (2011) (USA) (theatrical)
• Diaphana Films (2011) (France) (theatrical)
• Icon Film Distribution (2011) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Icon Film Distribution (2011) (UK) (theatrical)
• Lusomundo (2011) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Moviola (2012) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Odeon (2011) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Film1 (2012) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Audiolink Radio Communications  walkie talkies
• BBC Films  funding
• Deluxe  funding
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Fulcrum Media Services  funding
• Mediacom 24-7  travel and accommodation
• Screen Australia  funding
• Screen NSW  funding
• Showfilm  travel agent
• Soundcrews.co.uk  sound equipment supplied by
• South Australian Film Corporation, The  funding

Also Known As:

"Laranjas e Sol" - Portugal (imdb display title)
"Portokalia ston ilio" - Greece (imdb display title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong language

Country:

UK | Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Netherlands:12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Company:

Screen Australia

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.16" (2011)

A quietly angry, lightly fictionalized film

A quietly angry, lightly fictionalized film detailing the systematic, organized UK government sanctioned deportation of up to 150,000 children, often as young as three to Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.

In case you were under the assumption that this occurred in the dark ages, you would be wrong. The last cases are recorded in the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Emily Watson plays Margaret Humphreys the tireless Nottinghamshire social worker, who stumbled across an isolated case and then fought almost single-handedly to undercover the truth. Creating the "Child Migrants" trust by necessity to reunite lost families, sometimes decades later and in many cases too late.

The film is based on the the book "Empty Cradles" written by Humphreys to highlight the plight of the families and children involved and raise much needed funds.

Not only were children sent to countries alien to them, in the majority of cases without parental consent or even with the parents knowledge, many were told incorrectly their parents had died leaving them as orphans. Brothers and sisters were systematically split up and many endured harsh conditions, being treated as slave labour and subject to both mental and in many cases physical and sexual abuse, often at the hands of those supposedly charged with their care and well being.

As in many such cases, the Church and charitable organizations, when confronted with the proof of the neglect they oversaw, denied the charges and repeatedly attempted to frustrate attempts to drag the secret into the light.

Eventually in 2010 the UK Government formally apologised for the migrants treatment, finally acknowledging the mistakes that had been made.

Bearing in mind the shocking truths on display, does the film need to be any good? Directed by small screen veteran Jim Loach, this is a sympathetic account with quality naturalistic acting from all of the cast, in particular Watson and Hugo Weaving an adult sent as a child to Australia for "Sunshine and Oranges". Humphreys long suffering and supportive husband deserves a medal of some description as his wife continues to travel the world putting wrongs right or at least allowing closure, seemingly with little regard for her own safety, mental or physical health.

The film resembles "Magdalene Sisters", all the more effective for the lack of moralizing, preaching and sentimentality, apart from one off key line "You got my Mum for Christmas", the dialogue and acting are pitch perfect.

There are always concerns as to how fictionalized true stories are, certainly the facts are undeniable, all films compress time, alter circumstances and timelines. The most important factor is, does the film capture the spirit and feel, this does just that.

Summary

A stirring, largely truthful re-telling of an important story in our recent past, not an easy watch in parts but well worth the time to be aware of this travesty, compounded by the initial failure of anyone brave enough to take responsibility for what had occurred.

Watson embodies the spirit of Humphreys who quite rightly eventually received recognition for all her efforts.

Recommended

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