Sirens [DVD]

I first saw this movie a few years back and just had to own it. The film is beautifully filmed, the backdrop of Australia is wonderful, and the themes of the movie are highly relevent and fascinating. This is a movie about the conflict between repression and freedom, especially artistic freedom and also freedom of women to express themselves.Hugh Grant plays a minister sent to the outback to convince an unconventional and controversial painter to withdraw a picture that the religious authorities are appalled by...which is part of the point of why the artist created it and entered it into the show in the first place. He is shocked by what he finds--both in the artist's wife and her modern and free sensibilities and in the artist's lovely, innocent and yet wise, models. I say innocent yet wise because they are free in a sexual sense, yet they are also free in having escaped from the repressive views of women and sex of the time.The minister's subdued wife becomes fascinated by these women and also by another man, with obvious results and consequences both to her life and to their marriage. To be honest, this movie is more about her journey than it is about her husbands. You also see the difficulties when the freedom of the "Sirens" comes into conflict with the narrow-minded views of what a good woman and morality should be.As the movie progresses, you see the artist's visions and love of women as they come to life. Still, this is not just a movie about naked idyllic scenes...as the movie continues to return again and again to the idea of the reality of whether Sin exists or if it is just a human invention to try to control people, especially women. This comes across both in the symbolism in how the movie is filmed, in the art it portrays, and the conversations in the movie. Its only fault might lie in the fact that this is a bit heavy-handed at times.Otherwise, a lovely and meaningful movie.EDIT: I ordered this movie on blue ray from here and when I got it, it wouldn't play. I tried several times, but all I got was a black screen. By that time, my window to return it had closed (as I hadn't gotten around to watching it in time) so I can't return it. Just be warned that if you order this, it might not work and you should check it out right away to make sure it runs. I've had no problem with any other blue ray I've ordered on Amazon--this is a first. But I'm disappointed that I can't replace my old DVD copy.

I originally watched Sirens on Netflix and absolutely loved it. I watched it several times with the subtitles engaged, each time catching nuances I had not noticed before. I liked it so much I bought it from Amazon.com, but I made the mistake of buyhing the least expensive version on sale, and it had no subtitles. I found that a significant loss, as I am every so slightly hard of hearing and the Australian accents and humor are often missed. I would cheerfully give this movie five stars if I was reviewing the more expensive model.Artist Norman Lindsay (1879-1969) was an incredibly talented and prolific Australian artist, sculptor, writer, editorial cartoonist, scale modeler, and boxer (Wickipedia). Examples of his paintings may be seen at (...)"Sirens" is a quirky, humorous, fictionalized story that accurately portrays the controversies and consternation resulting from Lindsay's work. I don't know if Lindsay was an atheist or not, but he accurately cast "The Church" in the role of self-righteous destroyer of all things sensual, sexual, and oppressor and suppressor of the most beautiful creation in all of God's Creation: The nude, sensual, borderline (and not-so-borderline) erotic female body. I am most certainly not an atheist, but I fully agree with Lindsay's philosophy about organized religion.The story has an envoy from the Church of England (Hugh Grant) and his wife (Tara FitzGerald) who are tasked with visiting artist Norman Lindsay (Sam Neill) and trying to talk him into withdrawing one of his paintings (Crucifixian of Venus) from an art exhibition. Lindsay welcomes the opportunity to have a rousing debate on the subject of religious censorship.Australian supermodel Elle MacPherson plays one of his nude models in her film debut, and I understand she had to put on weight for the role. Kate Fischer is another saucy model (and an obnoxious Stalinist at a time when the airheads of the world thought Communism was the foundation for paradise), and Pamela Rabe plays Lindsays wife, who also models for him. Portia de Rossi plays a maid who has been invited to pose as well, and Mark Gerber plays a mute (maybe) and mostly blind (maybe) odd job man who also poses. The movie is really about Estella (Tara FitzGerald) and her awakening to a much larger world of sensuality and passion.BTW: In an example of crass hyperbole, the DVD jacket quotes Playboy as describing the movie as "The most EROTIC movie of the year!" NONSENSE! There is nothing erotic about it. There are no sex scenes beyond suggestive inferences. However, casual nudity and sensuality is a prominent feature of the movie, and yes, the ladies are ravishing. The ladies in the audience might also consider Mark Gerber to be ravishing. But erotic? Sexual? No.I won't say any more for fear of spoiling the plot, but if you are like me you will watch the movie again and again to catch all the extrfa little nuances that make it so fascinating. I just wish the particular version I bought had subtitles.

The film is about a clash of values between Victorian morality and an artist's sensual perspective. I enjoyed the film and how it portrays the artist's sensual sensibility in a conservatively minded community. It portrays a Lawrencian sensuality (as in D.H. Lawrence) in terms of nature and the relations between men and women. Beautifully done esp. in how it portrays repressed sensuality surfacing in even among those subscribing to a firm conservative perspective.

いささか冗長なストーリーではあるが、あのエル・マファーソンのヌードが随所で観られるので満足できた。

il bello a volte è vedere l'opera originale e questa è da vedere così come è stata fatta, bel film, tratto dal telefilm e dal libro

An amusingly delightful fun film of whimsical fictional fantasy served on a platter of historical fact. It is set in rural Australia's beautiful Blue Mountains in 1930. The action takes place mostly in Springwood - the homestead of Norman Lindsay (who is now regarded, somewhat ironically, as one of Australia's greatest artists).Provincial vicar, Anthony Campion (Hugh Grant) - accompanied by his wife Estella, (Tara Fitzgerald) - is sent by his Bishop from England to persuade the nonconformist Lindsay (Sam Neil) to withdraw a controversial painting from a forthcoming exhibition.Hugh Grant plays his usual affable rather bumbling middle class Englishman to perfection. One could imagine his idea of naughtiness being an additional scone with afternoon tea! So it is with increasing disconcertment that he and his sexually repressed wife are exposed to the alternative bohemian lifestyle of Lindsay and his outrageous entourage!However this film is not about Lindsay per se, but the gradual sensual enlightenment of Estella.There is fairly prolific nudity, which is tasteful and whereas it might raise the eyebrows of a maiden aunt, it's unlikely to cause a frown. The naked magnificence of Lindsay's voluptuous free thinking models, including Elle Macpherson, project naïve innocence, rather than raunchy exhibitionism.The unfolding sensual awakening of Estella is handled with earthy humorous sensitivity, as she is gradually immersed into the erotic guilt-free surroundings. Ultimately she begins to question her own unbending beliefs and moral constrictions.There was some poetic licence as, the film was supposedly set in May / June, and the Blue Mountains would not have been nearly as warm and sultry as depicted! Lindsay's home in Springwood has been preserved as a museum, and was used for some of the movie scenes. And having recently visited it, the house and grounds are readily recognisable, adding for me a degree of realism.Overall, I greatly enjoyed the film, an erotogenously cheeky dig at the social establishment of its (and our) time. Oh that life could be like that...

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