Did Rising Water rise to the occasion?

Rising Water

On the 17th of August, the year 11 literature class ventured out to the Melbourne Arts Centre to watch Tim Winton's first play "Rising Water". Set in a Fremantle marina, the play exposer the lives of three Australians who have their quiet marina lives turned upside down by a drunken British backpacker on Australia day. The audience is forced to sit still and listen as the characters bicker and retell the stories of their past. The slow nature of marina life is reflected in the play, causing the occasional snore to come from the back row of the theatre.

The set is one of the most interesting parts of this play. The three life-size boats docked at the jetty and floating on a shimmering blue floor attract the eye and the imagination, even if the storyline does not. We follow Baxter as he tries to avoid awkwardness and life in general. He was once a school principal who found himself the target of wild accusations involving a young girl. Now living alone on the marina, he once again finds his hands full with a young backpacker who makes herself comfortable on his boat. Meanwhile, neighbors Cole and Jackie continue ton live their uneventful lives. Jackie, a lesbian alcoholic in rehab plays a minor role in the plot line and could have been missed. Cole, an ex accountant, lives his simple life, lacking direction and remaining forever where he is.

Overall the play explored the simple lives of an Australian on the marina, however the entire play lacked direction, much like the characters, and the lack of excitement in the plot was much better suited to the elderly citizens in the theatre than the class of teenage girls.

Only the good die young

Come out Virginia, don't let me wait
You Catholic girls start much too late
aw But sooner or later it comes down to fate
I might as well be the one

well, They showed you a statue, told you to pray
They built you a temple and locked you away
Aw, but they never told you the price that you pay
For things that you might have done.....
Only the good die young
thats what i said
only the good die young x2

You might have heard I run with a dangerous crowd
We ain't too pretty we ain't too proud
We might be laughing a bit too loud
aw But that never hurt no one

So come on Virginia show me a sign
Send up a signal and I'll throw you the line
The stained-glass curtain you're hiding behind
(you know)
Never lets in the sun
darlin only the good die young
woah
i tell ya
only the good die young x2

You got a nice white dress and a party on your confirmation
You got a brand new soul
mmmm, And a cross of gold
But Virginia they didn't give you quite enough information
You didn't count on me
When you were counting on your rosary
(oh woah woah)

They say there's a heaven for those who will wait
Some say it's better but I say it ain't
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
the sinners are much more fun...

you know that only the good die young
thats what i said
i tell ya
only the good die young, X2


well your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation
Aww She never cared for me
But did she ever say a prayer for me? oh woah woah

Come out come out come out virgina dont let me wait,
You Catholic girls start much too late
Sooner or later it comes down to fate
I might as well be the one,
You know that only the good die young

I'm telling you baby
You know that only the good die young
Only the good die young
Only the gooooooooooooooood
Only the good die young
Only the gooooooooooooooood
Only the good die young
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooo oooooooooo...

All-time Favourite Movie Scene

My favorite film scene is from the movie 'Never Back Down', and is a fight scene. This scene is filmed with very dark lighting to create mystery and suspense. The camera moves sporadically around the two boys involved and flashes up close ups of faces, arms and hands. The music at this time is very fast speed and causes the heart to race without even seeing the image. The actors portray their characters very well and make the scene believable and very memorable.

The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg ~ Michel Legrand 1964

This film extract is of two lovers and the boy goes off to war and asks the girl not to forget him. The entire film is sung in French which is refreshingly different and amusing. The colours are fairly bland whilst in the cafe before he leaves, this shows their sorrow over him leaving. The image of the girl on the platform as the train moves on is lonely and effects the audience emotionally. This film is touching as you can see their love for each other and how hard it is for the two of them to separate. Overall, I enjoyed this extract because of it's French style.

Bande A Parte ~ Jean Luc Godard 1964

This clip is of a few people dancing in a restaurant in France. The clip goes for 6 minutes and contains no dialogue from the actors, but instead has a narrator commenting on their thoughts every few moments by pausing the action.
The extract doesn't send out a particular point without the context of the entire film, however it captures the audience's attention due to how bizarre the action is.

Superman and Paula Brown's New Snowsuit

This short narrative gave us an insight into the war from a young girl's point of view, showing the innocence lost during this time.
The little girl is safe and secure in her world of innocence, surrounded by her own daydreams. The small girl's world slowly crumbles as she is exposed to images of the war and has all the other children gang up on her after being wrongly accused of pushing Paula into the mud and ruining her new snowsuit. The young girl feels victimized when even her own mother and uncle don't believe her.
The girl's adoration for her uncle is obvious as she looks up to him and enjoys spending time with him. To her, Uncle Frank is superman and is holding her world together.

They're not your husband

They're not your husband

They're not your husband is about a man who is dissatisfied by his wife's appearance and is seeking approval by strangers to improve his own confidence in her looks. The man pressures his wife into losing weight to the point where she becomes ill. His forceful actions are due to his own insecurities with himself and his own social appearance.

The author writes very straight to the point with little fuss over extra details. The repeated use of the word 'said' shows the lack of expression used by the characters, which goes hand in hand with the writer's style. The author writes in a very realistic manner, causing the reader to feel as though the story is real. Whilst the narrative is not dark, the issue is quite confronting and realistic.