Sirens (1993)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

John Duigan

Writer:

John Duigan (written by)

Release Date:

3 November 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Love, Lust, Art and Religion [Australia Theatrical]

Plot:

When a painting is termed blasphemous, a young minister and his wife visit the artist... and the three sexually playful models living with him.

Plot Keywords:

Artist | Painter | Painting | Train | Sexual Repression

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Hugh Grant	...	Anthony Campion
Tara Fitzgerald	...	Estella Campion
Sam Neill	...	Norman Lindsay
Elle Macpherson	...	Sheela
Portia de Rossi	...	Giddy (as Portia De Rossi)
Kate Fischer	...	Pru
Pamela Rabe	...	Rose Lindsay
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Lewis
John Polson	...	Tom
Mark Gerber	...	Devlin
Julia Stone	...	Jane
Ellie MacCarthy	...	Honey
Vincent Ball	...	Bishop of Sydney
John Duigan	...	Earnest Minister
Lexy Murphy	...	British Bulldog Girl

Runtime:

98 min | Canada:94 min

Country:

Australia | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:MA | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Norway:15 | Argentina:16 | Ireland:18

Filming Locations:

Art Gallery Of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

British Screen Finance Ltd.

Trivia:

The movie was filmed primarily at the real Norman Lindsay's home and 49 acre property, where he lived until his death in 1969. It is now a museum and art gallery.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the first dining room scene, as Norman leaves the table, Giddy offers Estella some tea. Moments later in the scene, as Tony is speaking, Giddy and Estella can be seen repeating the action in the background.

Quotes:

Norman Lindsay: [reading from newspaper] The repetitious excesses of Norman Lindsay have long been a source of consternation to clean-living citizens of this country. For many years he has painted men and women who seem to be slaves of cocaine or a similar drug which has reduced them to frenzied and shameless morbidity. Today, however, not content with scorning all standards of public decency, he has chosen to profane the most sacred image of the Christian church, the Crucifixion.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Starz Inside: Fashion in Film (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

GREY FUNNEL LINE

...almost everyday for 1 1/2 years, I watched "Sirens"...

I personally believe this film is "so" subtle that it cruises under the scope of the average person - no insult intended! So many say they "liked this film but..." just goes to show how subtle this film really is. The photography is absolutely breathtaking. Film stills would make such a collage - oy! The acting is so right on and precise from each and every actor - the characters so well defined. The story is so exquisitely told...! During the whole movie, I kept expecting that statue (you know the one!) to take off walking. At the end, in the dream sequence when the statue stepped down from her pedestal and walked off into the mist, it nearly blew my mind! The way the story switches back & forth between conscious & unconscious day-to-day experiences so seamlessly amazes me. I fell totally in love w/this movie. I went thru a stage of watching it at least once a day for about 1 1/2 years - almost w/out fail! I am married to an artist. I have been his model. I am a woman. This film speaks to these matters with such clarity it's truly amazing. The transition Tara Fitzgerald's character goes thru in waking up to her womanhood is also an integral and major part of the story. The symbolism of the painting of the dual woman - and her being awakened each night by something in the natural/instinctive world calling her to consciousness. Lucid dreaming - becoming conscious thru internal knowledges calling forth her true nature. Please forgive me for not writing in complete proper syntax. I'm usually much better at expressing myself than this. But my relationship with this film is so very personal as to be abstract in tho't. Plus, I've never tried to express my feelings about "Sirens" before. I am almost shocked when I read that some of you think it was less than a "10"! "Predictable"?! Maybe you are more on the ball than I am and than I am giving you credit for. Pardon me please! This is "one" of the all time best movies ever - for me anyway! And - really! - when the preacher & his wife arrive - one of the first people to greet them on their mission is the old fella on the car bumper with,"Get f***ed!" Ya gotta love that!