Winter of our Dreams (John Duigan, 1981) prod. Richard Mason for Vega Film Productions, wr. John Duigan, dp Tom Cowan, design Lee Whitmore, ed. Henry Dangar; Judy Davis, Bryan Brown, Baz Luhrmann, Cathy Downes, Mervyn Drake, Zoe Lake, Peter Mochrie Bill Garner; prostitute Davis falls for bookseller Brown; Eastman colour, 35mm, 90 min.; for both of them life had become a habit ... until they met
Keith Connolly:
... a wry contemplation of the disturbing nexus between self-expression and personal responsibility in social relationships. Murray: 86.
One of our best films.
It was released on DVD around 2011-12, thank goodness: The commentary is by John Duigan (watching it alone). It's possible to hear all of the dialogue, as his comments are sparse, and begin typically a couple of lines into the scene. He didn't talk much like a film-maker (about settings or cinematography or even acting). He sounded to me quite like one of my English tutors in the 1960s: conservative, and concerned in a somewhat Leavisite fashion with the morality in the story.
My own reading of the film didn't change. I was more prepared to put up with Baz Luhrmann's randomly irritating performance, however, when Duigan pointed out he was only 17 at the time. It's Judy Davis's third film. Her face has done a lot of hard work since then.
IMDb page.
Garry Gillard | New: 27 October, 2012 | Now: 9 March, 2023