Australian New Wave: Gillian Armstrong's Approach in Filmmaking

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course Name
Date
Australian New Wave Reflection Paper
Gillian Armstrong is an Australian citizen born in December 1950 in Melbourne. Gillian Armstrong has had a successful career as a movie director for over 44 years. She is a mother of two children and a wife to John Pleffer. Even in school, Gillian attended filming schools where her apparent interest in filmmaking manifested. She started by making short documentaries in school to producing award-winning movies. Some of her renowned movies include My Brilliant Career (1979), Little Women (1994), and Not Fourteen Again (1996). She is well known in the Australian industry for her historical drama movies that feature carefully selected and strong female characters. Gillian Armstrong made a massive breakthrough by directing the movie My Brilliant Career (1979).
The Brilliant career opens with a captivating opening sequel that introduces the movie's problems and pleasures. The movie runs for 100 minutes and stars Judy Davis, Sam Neil, and Wendy Hughes as the main characters. The landscape outside is full of cattle, horses, chariots, and stressed bushmen farmers from where a woman walks through. The high intensity of the wind makes it hard to comprehend what she is saying (CINEASTE 59). Almost immediately, the village's reputable man confesses his interest in Judy Davis as Sybylla Melvyn. Since, not in a hurry to rush into a relationship, Sibylla explains to his suitor that she does not want to get married and start bearing children. Instead, she wants to live her life before she commits to someone else's. She clarifies that her main objective is to become a writer and will attain it against all odds. This film aims to give power to the voice of the female protagonist. Additionally, the strong female characters in this film use their voice to fight against society, nature, and domesticity to create a new reality. (CINEASTE 59) The continued patriarchy had created a false reality for women whereby men were included but women excluded.
Gillian depicts the mise en scenes of this film clearly, from the color of the set represented by the dry brown grass and the broken branches and the white horses and chariots. The costumes also fit the age at a time when the movie was set. Armstrong emphasizes lighting and costumes to pass on the conventional masculine ideologies of the story (CINEASTE 59). Furthermore, the mise en scenes in this drama create an environment of self-actualization and realization where women can clearly express themselves and freely ...