My Brilliant Career

A modest classic from Australia, My Brilliant Career showcases the acclaimed debut of Judy Davis, who would soon become one of the world's most respected and versatile actresses. Also marking the feature bow of director Gillian Armstrong, this was an early entry in the magnificent New Australian Cinema movement--that yielded such classics as Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock and Gallipoli, and Bruce Beresford's Breaker Morant--and then-27-year-old Armstrong (who would later direct the popular 1994 version of Little Women starring Winona Ryder) brought just the right feminist touch to this stately adaptation of the 1901 semi-autobiographical novel by Miles Franklin. A romantic and highly observant drama of personal dilemma and free-spirited conviction, the film stars Davis (who was 23 at the time) as 16-year-old Sybylla Melvyn, on the verge of womanhood in turn-of-the-century Australia and determined to have a "brilliant career" as an independent writer and lover of life. But she's also drawn to a wealthy bachelor (Sam Neill, charming as always), and feels pressure from her family to lead a conventional life of devoted domesticity. After being long out-of-print on video, My Brilliant Career arrives in a double-disc "special edition" DVD release boasting a pristine transfer that faithfully restores the film to its original warmth and beauty, and includes some noteworthy extras (including Armstrong's delightful audio commentary, interviews, Cannes Film Festival premiere footage, a featurette on Franklin, and a DVD-ROM-accessible teacher's study guide). Recommended. (J. Shannon) [Blu-ray Review—Dec. 8, 2009—Blue Underground, 100 min., G, $28.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1979's My Brilliant Career sports a great transfer with DTS-HD 7.1 sound. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Gillian Armstrong, interviews with Armstrong (8 min.) and producer Margaret Fink (8 min.), 'The Miles Franklin Story' featurette on the author (4 min.), a Cannes Film Festival premiere segment featuring Armstrong, Fink, and star Judy Davis, and trailers. Bottom line: a wonderful Blu-ray debut for this flagship film in the Australian New Wave.] [Blu-ray/DVD Review—May 7, 2019—Criterion, 100 min., not rated, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1979’s My Brilliant Career features an excellent transfer with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include a 2009 audio commentary with director Gillian Armstrong, a 2018 interview with Armstrong (25 min.), a 1980 interview with star Judy Davis (25 min.), a 2018 interview with production designer Luciana Arrighi (14 min.), Armstrong’s 1973 student short 'One Hundred a Day' (9 min.), and an essay by critic Carrie Rickey. Bottom line: featuring much more natural color than the earlier Blue Underground release, the Criterion edition of this Australian New Wave classic is the preferred one.]