The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLeah Purcell
Screenplay byLeah Purcell
Produced by
  • Bain Stewart
  • David Jowsey
  • Angela Littlejohn
  • Greer Simpkin
  • Leah Purcell
Starring
CinematographyMark Wareham
Edited byDany Cooper
Music bySalliana Seven Campbell
Production
companies
  • Oombarra Productions
  • Bunya Productions
Distributed byRoadshow Films
Release dates
  • 18 March 2021 (2021-03-18) (SXSW)
  • 5 May 2022 (2022-05-05) (Australia)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7.2 million[1]

The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson, or simply The Drover's Wife, is a 2021 Australian revisionist Western film directed, written, and co-produced by Leah Purcell in her feature directorial debut. It is an adaptation of Purcell's 2016 play and a reimagining of Henry Lawson's 1892 short story. The film stars Purcell, Rob Collins, Sam Reid, and Jessica De Gouw. It tells the story of a woman and her stubborn determination to protect her family from the harshness of a life in 1893, Snowy Mountains.

The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on 18 March 2021, and was released in Australia on 5 May 2022, by Roadshow Films. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Purcell's direction and screenplay, as well as the performances of the cast (particularly those of Purcell, Collins, and De Gouw). It garnered thirteen nominations, including Best Film, at the 12th AACTA Awards, with Purcell winning Best Lead Actress.

Plot

The film opens with a scene in which Molly Johnson, heavily pregnant, shoots a stray bull which has wandered near her home, after ensuring that her four children are safe. Shortly afterwards the new sergeant of the district, Sergeant Klintoff, turns up with his sickly wife, Louisa, asking if they could share some of the meat that they smelt cooking, as they had lost all of their provisions when crossing the river. She gives them food in exchange for their taking her children to the settlement for safekeeping while her new baby is born.

Cast

Origin

The plot is a reworking of Henry Lawson's 1892 short story The Drover's Wife, but deviates significantly from the original story as developed in Purcell's earlier award-winning play and novel of the same name. It tells the story of a woman living with her children in an isolated location in the High Country in the colony of New South Wales near the border of the colony of Victoria.[2]

Purcell reimagines Lawson's story through an Indigenous feminist lens, inspired by her own lived experience and the stories of her ancestors.[3] The character of Yadaka was inspired by Purcell's great-grandfather, Tippo Charlie Chambers.[2]

Production

The story is set in the Snowy Mountains and much of the filming was done there, mostly around Adaminaby. Cinematography was by Mark Wareham.[2]

It is Purcell's debut film as director and writer. It is the first Australian feature film to be written and directed by an Indigenous woman who also stars in the lead role.[3] Her husband, Bain Stewart, is lead producer and executive producer on the film.[4]

The original soundtrack is by Salliana Seven Campbell.[5]

Release

After being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic,[4] the film had its world premiere at South by Southwest (SXSW) on 18 March 2021.[6] It also screened at the Warsaw International Film Festival,[7] Cinefest Oz, the Melbourne International Film Festival, the Brisbane International Film Festival[8] and the Sydney Film Festival[9] before being released in Australia on 5 May 2022[10] and in the United Kingdom on 13 May 2022.[11]

International sales were handled by Memento Films International.[12] In March 2021, it was announced that Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired North American distribution rights to the film.[13] It was released in the United States on 19 August 2022.[14]

Reception

The film opened to generally positive reviews. The acting, cinematography and Salliana Seven Campbell's score were praised by several critics.[5][15][16][17][18][9][11]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 61 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson occasionally struggles to cohere, but writer-director-star Leah Purcell offers a unique, compelling perspective on historic myths."[19]

Accolades

At the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, The Drover's Wife won the Jury Grand Prix and Purcell was nominated for the Best Actress award.[7]

The film was also a nominee for the following awards:[7]

Awards

Award Category Subject Result
AACTA Awards
(12th)[20]		 Best Film Bain Stewart, David Jowsey, Angela Littlejohn, Greer Simpkin, Leah Purcell Nominated
Best Direction Leah Purcell Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Actor Rob Collins Nominated
Best Actress Leah Purcell Won
Best Supporting Actor Malachi Dower-Roberts Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Jessica De Gouw Nominated
Best Cinematography Mark Wareham Nominated
Best Costume Design Tess Scofield Nominated
Best Production Design Sam Hobbs Nominated
Best Original Score Salliana Seven Campbell Nominated
Best Sound Liam Egan, Nick Emond, Leah Katz, Robert Sullivan, Tom Heuzenroeder, Les Fiddess Nominated
Best Hair and Makeup Beth Halsted, Simon Joseph, Jennifer Lamphee Nominated
APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards
(2022)[21][22]		 Feature Film Score of the Year Sallianna Seven Campbell Won

References

  1. ↑ Hornery, Andrew (10 July 2022). "Our film industry may be booming but we're not telling Australian stories". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Carrigy, Megan (9 November 2021). "The Drover's Wife: the Legend of Molly Johnson brings a Black woman's perspective to Australian frontier films". The Conversation. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  3. 1 2 "The Drovers Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson – Now in cinemas". Balnaves Foundation. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  4. 1 2 Gbogbo, Mawunyo (3 May 2022). "The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson is a compelling story weaving in present and historical truths". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  5. 1 2 First, Alex (7 May 2022). "The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson - movie review". The Blurb. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  6. ↑ "Film Grid". SXSW. 13 March 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 "The Drover's Wife the Legend of Molly Johnson". IMDb. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  8. ↑ "The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson (2022)". Screen Australia. The Screen Guide. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  9. 1 2 Zhou, Debbie (8 November 2021). "The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson review – riveting but heavy-handed outback western". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  10. ↑ "The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson: behind the scenes". Screen Australia. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  11. 1 2 "The Drover's Wife review — an Australian period drama of widescreen confidence". Financial Times. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  12. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (20 February 2020). "Memento Films Intl. Boards Leah Purcell's Aussie Revenge Tale 'The Drover's Wife' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  13. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (10 March 2021). "Leah Purcell's SXSW-Bound 'The Drover's Wife' Acquired by Samuel Goldwyn For North America (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  14. ↑ "THE DROVER'S WIFE THE LEGEND OF MOLLY JOHNSON" (PDF) (Press release). Samuel Goldwyn Films. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  15. ↑ "Five-star movie review / 'The Drover's Wife'". Canberra CityNews. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  16. ↑ Knight, Aimee (11 May 2022). "The Drover's Wife review – A harrowing ode to womanhood in the Outback". Little White Lies. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  17. ↑ York, Keva (5 May 2022). "The Drover's Wife the Legend of Molly Johnson review: Henry Lawson tale turns revisionist western in Leah Purcell's hands". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  18. ↑ Russell, Stephen A. (4 May 2022). "The Drover's Wife review: the legend of Molly Johnson is more riveting than ever". Time Out Worldwide. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  19. ↑ The Drover's Wife at Rotten Tomatoes
  20. ↑ "Winners & Nominees". AACTA. 23 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  21. ↑ "Screen Music Awards: Full List of Winners & Nominees". APRA AMCOS Australia. 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  22. ↑ "2022 Screen Music Awards Winners Announced". APRA AMCOS Australia. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2023.

Further reading

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