This is one of those stories that as a South Australian I basically grew up with. Actually, this is one of the things I like about Australian cinema, and that is that they will actually fund the production of films which basically means that money doesn't mean as much as opposed to the entertainment value. But then again this is a classic Australian story by the late Colin Theile when as a child many of us read and watched the original movie. In a way it is good timing to bring another version out now to capture a much younger audience, particularly since the original film has probably been forgotten.
The story is about a boy that lives on a lonely stretch of coast in South Australia known as The Coorong. There is literally nothing along that stretch of coast (though it does smell rather badly) and is a home to a huge number of birds. At the time the film was set, the region wasn't a conservation park, which meant that hunters would go out and simply shoot the birds for no particular reason than to simply kill birds. The boy finds some baby pelicans whose mother has been killed, and decides to raise them himself. He then forms a special attachment with the weakest of the pelicans, Mr Pervical.
The original story had much more to do with the relationship between the father and the son, however this movie has taken a more environmentalist approach. The boy has grown up to be a very wealthy pastoralist who is considering allowing a mining company to come into the land to mine for minerals. However, his granddaughter is appalled by this, and she appeals to him by getting him to tell her the story of the birds.
This is the key point in this version of the film, and that is about setting aside conservation, and also pursing things not for money, but for sustainability. In the background of the story is a vote as to whether to set the Coorong aside as a nature reserve, and of course the hunters are opposed to it. However, through a series of events, the boy manages to capture the hearts of the people of the town through the actions of Mr Percival. This also has a flow on effect to the decision as to whether to allow the miners access to the farms.
Another thing that really captured me about this film was the character of Finger Bone Bill. He was an aboriginal that moved into the area as well and formed a friendship with the boy. What I thought was great was how the father came to also develop a friendship with Bill. Bill is a beautiful character, not only showing respect to nature, but also to their house. It was clear that the father at first was hesitent with having this aboriginal around, but as the movie progressed, so did their friendship.
This film was actually very moving, and it is certainly one of those tear jerkers. It was beautifully put together, and it certainly was not over the top. In a way it is bringing a classic story and giving it a new lease of life.
