Skip to main content

If you're going to have a scenery-chewing crone, it may as well be Judy Davis. In this adaptation of Rosalie Ham's bestselling period gothic, she's Molly – the mother of the titular headstrong prodigal daughter (Kate Winslet, never better than when she's wicked, even if here justifiably so). And what scenery – not just the wardrobes but the Australian wheat belt, lensed by Don McAlpine. The story of fashion-mad eccentrics (a cross-dressing constable) and mean-spirited townsfolk who engage in competitive fifties-couture one-upmanship has the quality of a fairy tale. It's as well dressed as the novel but diluted for the screen, so the simplifications yield an only lightly barbed, almost cozy satire. No less satisfying, it's a beautiful one where revenge is a dress best sewn draped on the bias. Think: Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris with The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, by way of Peyton Place.

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe