Leslie Massey
Faraway Downs is a six-part miniseries directed by Baz Luhrmann that serves as an expanded version of his 2008 film, Australia. The miniseries features nearly an hour of new footage and a different ending, exploring new perspectives and expanding on existing relationships. While the main plot and central romance remain largely unchanged, the series format allows for a deeper exploration of the connection between Lady Sarah Ashley, played by Nicole Kidman, and Hugh Jackman's Drover.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Format | Faraway Downs: Six-part miniseries |
| Australia: Movie | |
| Duration | Faraway Downs: Six chapters ranging from 25 to 50 minutes (total duration: 3 hours and 44 minutes) |
| Australia: 2 hours and 45 minutes | |
| Plot | Faraway Downs: Focuses on Nullah's perspective |
| Australia: Follows Lady Sarah Ashley's journey to Australia to force her husband to sell his struggling cattle ranch | |
| Ending | Faraway Downs: Different ending from the movie |
| Australia: Ends with the 1942 Japanese attack on Darwin | |
| Narrative Style | Faraway Downs: Episodic |
| Australia: Time-bound screenplay | |
| Character Development | Faraway Downs: Explores relationships and introduces new characters |
| Australia: Focuses on the main plot and central romance |
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What You'll Learn
Faraway Downs is a six-part series
The series centres around Lady Sarah Ashley, a British aristocrat who travels to the Australian outback after her husband's murder to take control of his struggling cattle ranch, Faraway Downs. She enlists the help of a local driver, known only as "The Drover", to protect the property from a greedy cattle baron. The series adds new depth to their relationship and includes an expanded disagreement between Neil and The Drover, which establishes their conflicts early on.
The biggest difference between the series and the film is the perspective. While the film focuses on Lady Sarah's point of view, the series primarily adopts the perspective of Nullah, a local boy who becomes integral to the story. The series also delves into the history of Australia and the racism faced by Aboriginal Australians at the hands of colonisers.
With a runtime of three hours and 44 minutes, the series format allows for a slower exploration of the connection between Lady Sarah and The Drover, whose dying revelation of his name as Jack Clancy in the series differs from the film. The series format also allows for more time to be spent with new characters and to expand on existing relationships, such as that between Lady Sarah and Nullah, who unite against great odds during the 1942 Japanese attack on Darwin.
Faraway Downs provides a new take on Luhrmann's original film, offering a deeper exploration of its themes, characters, and the Australian setting.
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The film's ending was changed
Faraway Downs is a six-part miniseries by Baz Luhrmann that is based on his 2008 film Australia. The miniseries features an hour of new footage and a different ending from the film.
In the film, Jackman's character is only known by his profession as The Drover. However, in Faraway Downs, as he lays dying in his final scene, he reveals his name to be Jack Clancy.
The final act of the film Australia plays out against the 1942 Japanese attack on Darwin, a real Australian town near the fictional Faraway Downs. In the chaos, Lady Ashley, The Drover, and Nullah reunite against great odds before letting Nullah go with King George.
The biggest difference between the film and the miniseries is that the show primarily focuses on Nullah's (Brandon Walters) perspective. The episodic format allows Luhrmann to take more time to explore the central romance between Lady Sarah and The Drover slowly.
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The series has an extra hour of footage
Baz Luhrmann's "Faraway Downs" is a six-part miniseries based on his 2008 film "Australia". The series includes an extra hour of footage, bringing the total runtime to three hours and 44 minutes. This additional footage allows the series to explore new perspectives and nuances to the original story, enriching the narrative and character relationships.
The plot of "Faraway Downs" remains faithful to the film, with Lady Sarah Ashley, a British aristocrat, travelling to her husband's struggling cattle ranch in Australia. After her husband's murder, she enlists the help of a local driver, known only as "The Drover", to protect the ranch from a greedy cattle baron. The central romance between Sarah and the Drover is retained, including their iconic first kiss.
The extra hour of footage in "Faraway Downs" serves to expand upon the world of "Australia". The episodic format allows Luhrmann to delve deeper into the characters and their relationships. New scenes are introduced to push the narrative forward, and the series explores the history of Australia and the racism faced by Aboriginal Australians. The series also shifts the focus to Nullah's perspective, adding new layers to the epic love story.
The additional footage in "Faraway Downs" also results in a different ending compared to the film. In the series, the Drover's character, Jack Clancy, reveals his name before dying, a detail that was absent from the original film. The final act of "Australia" unfolds during the 1942 Japanese attack on Darwin, where Lady Ashley, the Drover, and Nullah reunite before Nullah departs with King George. "Faraway Downs" reimagines this conclusion, offering a fresh take on the story's resolution.
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The series focuses on Nullah's perspective
Faraway Downs is a six-part miniseries by Baz Luhrmann that is a re-edited and reimagined version of his 2008 film, Australia. The series adds nearly an hour of new footage and a completely different ending to the original film. While the narrative and the central romance remain the same, the series format allows for a deeper exploration of the characters and their relationships.
In the film Australia, Lady Sarah Ashley, played by Nicole Kidman, is an English aristocrat who travels to Australia to force her husband to sell his struggling cattle ranch, Faraway Downs. After her husband is murdered, she enlists the help of a local driver, played by Hugh Jackman, to protect the property from a greedy cattle baron. The driver is only known by his profession as "The Drover".
The series format of Faraway Downs allows for a deeper exploration of the characters and their relationships. New scenes and plotlines were added to push the narrative forward and expand on existing relationships. For example, in the series, there is an expanded disagreement between Neil and The Drover, which establishes the trio's conflicts early on.
By focusing on Nullah's perspective, the series highlights the experiences of Aboriginal Australians during this time period and adds a new layer to the epic love story between Lady Sarah and The Drover.
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The series explores existing relationships
Faraway Downs is a six-part miniseries directed by Baz Luhrmann, based on his 2008 film Australia. The series expands on the original plot of the film, adding nearly an hour of new footage and a different ending. The series primarily focuses on Nullah's perspective, allowing the writers to explore existing relationships in more depth and introduce new characters.
The narrative of Faraway Downs remains largely the same as the film. Set shortly before World War II, Lady Sarah Ashley, an English aristocrat, travels to Australia to force her husband to sell his struggling cattle ranch, Faraway Downs. After her husband is murdered, she enlists the help of a local driver, known only as "The Drover", to protect the property from a greedy cattle baron. Despite the similarities in the main plot and central romance, the series diverges with unexpected plot twists and added layers to the epic love story.
The series format allows Luhrmann to explore the connection between Lady Sarah and The Drover more slowly and in greater detail. For example, an expanded disagreement between Neil and The Drover in "Chapter One: The Land" establishes the trio's conflicts early on and provides insight into their dynamics. Additionally, the series includes new scenes and plotlines that push the narrative forward, such as The Drover revealing his name to be Jack Clancy as he lays dying in his final scene.
The added runtime also enables Luhrmann to delve into themes such as the history of Australia and the racism faced by Aboriginal Australians at the hands of colonizers. This exploration of existing relationships and themes demonstrates Luhrmann's intention to "go deeper" and find new perspectives within the original film. The series format provides a different pace and episodic structure that enhances the storytelling and allows for a more nuanced portrayal of the characters and their relationships.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Faraway Downs is a six-part miniseries or TV show based on the movie Australia.
Baz Luhrmann is the creator of both Faraway Downs and Australia.
Faraway Downs is a six-part miniseries with a total duration of three hours and 44 minutes. Australia is a movie with a duration of two hours and 45 minutes.
Both Faraway Downs and Australia tell the epic love story of Lady Sarah Ashley, an English aristocrat, and a local driver, Drover, against the backdrop of World War II in Australia.
Yes, there are some differences between Faraway Downs and Australia. Faraway Downs has a different ending, explores new characters and expands on existing relationships, and includes unexpected plot twists. It also focuses more on the perspective of Nullah, a character who is central to both narratives.
