Australian Identity

The Divinity of Australian Identity

From the fabricated tale of mystery in Peter Weir’s ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’, to the prototypical portrayal of Australian principles and behaviour in ‘Crocodile Dundee’, directors and audiences alike have been fastidiously and attentively representing their beliefs about how true Australian’s should behave in film for decades. With the recurring themes and values of courage, mateship, resourcefulness, and the toughness of the Australian people as the centre of many of these films, the idea of a ‘true-blue Australian’ has transcended the boundaries of a single movie, accommodating and changing for each new development in the Australian spirit. Yet it is Russel Crowes tale of a fathers’ relentless drive to
‘The Water-Diviner’ carefully constructs various principles and qualities that embody the Australian spirit as a whole, including aspects such as perseverance, resourcefulness, toughness and other qualities that are generally associated with the Australian people. One of the first scenes depicts the main character strenuously and arduously building a well in the middle of the Australian desert. The film uses the imagery of the main character painstakingly breaking through the rigid and unyielding ground to find water, with the connotations of tenacity and endurance, to position the viewer to regard the Australian people as persevering and determined. This connection between men, which is subconsciously noticed by the viewers, is also played advantageously through the film's portrayal of the iconic Australian desert with the connotations and subsequent feelings of harshness and heat to subtly yet unequivocally position the viewer in a way that impresses upon them the toughness and grit of the Australian environment and, by association the people who live there. Therefore, the combination of these two examples found throughout the film have been used expertly to depict the Australian character as persistent and tough, both crucial elements of the Australian
Throughout the film there is great emphasis upon a myriad of values, attitudes and behaviours of the characters, particularly the main character and his family. The most prevalent depiction of the Australian identity is found within the main character, Joshua Connor who effectively portrays the Australian identity from his perseverance in continuing the search for his sons, his strong Australian accent and muscular build. This obvious construction of Australian identity is further evidenced during a scene where, upon being told that the Australians invaded Turkey for land, Connor disagrees, stating that it was “for-principles”. The word ‘principle’ with its connotations of order and morality is used to position the viewers of this motion picture to associate Australians with righteousness and honourability, common archetypes of the Australian identity. ‘The Water-Diviner’ also uses the imagery of the three brothers dying together in the harsh battlefield of Gallipoli due to their refusal to leave each other’s side. With the connotations of unity and comradery associated with such loyalty the viewer is positioned to deem Australians as loyal and devoted. Therefore, the amalgamation of the overtly Australian protagonist and the unity of the brothers have been used expertly to depict the Australian character tough and loyal, serving as embodiments of