Man of Flowers

1983 Australian film
  • Paul Cox
  • Bob Ellis
Produced byJane BallantyneStarring
  • Norman Kaye
  • Alyson Best
  • Chris Haywood
  • Sarah Walker
CinematographyYuri SokolEdited byTim LewisDistributed by
  • International Spectrafilm
  • Palace Academy Home Video
  • Roadshow Entertainment
Release date
  • 1983 (1983)
Running time
91 minutesCountryAustraliaLanguageEnglishBudgetA$240,000[1]Box office$396,041 (Australia)

Man of Flowers is a 1983 Australian film about an eccentric, reclusive, middle-aged man, Charles Bremer, who enjoys the beauty of art, flowers, music and watching pretty women undress. Werner Herzog has a cameo role as Bremer's father in flashbacks. The film was directed by Paul Cox and was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.[2]

Plot

Charles Bremer (Norman Kaye) is a wealthy, reclusive man. He finds erotic satisfaction in the beauty of art, flowers, and a young woman (Alyson Best), who undresses for him. During the undressings he listens to operatic music such as Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.[3] Throughout the film, he reads letters he has sent to his mother. His mother had long since died, and the letters, it is later revealed, are addressed to himself.

Cast

  • Norman Kaye as Charles Bremer
  • Alyson Best as Lisa
  • Chris Haywood as David
  • Sarah Walker as Jane
  • Julia Blake as Art Teacher
  • Bob Ellis as Psychiatrist
  • Barry Dickins as Postman
  • Patrick Cook as Coppershop Man
  • Victoria Eagger as Angela
  • Werner Herzog as The Father
  • Hilary Kelly as Mother
  • James Stratford as Young Charles
  • Eileen Joyce as Aunt
  • Marianne Baillieu as Aunt
  • Lirit Bilu as Florist
  • Juliet Bacskai as Florist
  • Dawn Klingberg as Cleaning lady
  • Tony Llewellyn-Jones as Church warden

Production

The idea for the film came out of a discussion between Paul Cox and Chris Haywood where they decided to make a low budget erotic film, along with Haywood's then-girlfriend Alyson Best. Bob Ellis was brought on to work on the script. (Ellis says he spent nine hours on it because Cox didn't want to spend any more time.[4]) The movie was shot over three weeks.[1]

Reception

The film was an art house hit around the world. It grossed $396,041 at the box office in Australia,[5] which is equivalent to $1,045,548 in 2009 dollars.

Awards

Result Award Recipients(s)
Winner Australian Film Institute - Best Actor in Lead Role Norman Kaye
Winner Valladolid International Film Festival - Golden Spike Award Paul Cox
Nominated Australian Film Institute - Best Achievement in Cinematography Yuri Sokol
Nominated Australian Film Institute - Best Director Paul Cox
Nominated Australian Film Institute - Best Film Jane Ballantyne
Nominated Australian Film Institute - Best Original Screenplay Paul Cox, Bob Ellis

See also

References

  1. ^ a b David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p124-125
  2. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Man of Flowers". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
  3. ^ "YouTube". YouTube.
  4. ^ Interview with Bob Ellis, 13 August 1996. Retrieved 14 October 2012
  5. ^ "Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2010.

External links

  • Man of Flowers at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • Man of Flowers at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Man of Flowers at Oz Movies
  • Article on Man of Flowers at Senses of Cinema 28 November 2009
  • Man of Flowers at New York Times
  • v
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  • e
Films directed by Paul Cox
Features
Documentaries
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  • All Set Backstage (1974)
  • We Are All Alone My Dear (1975)
  • For a Child Called Michael (1979)
  • The Kingdom of Nek Chand (1980)
  • Underdog (1980)
  • Death and Destiny (1984)
  • Vincent (1987)
  • The Hidden Dimension (1997)
  • The Remarkable Mr. Kaye (2005)
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Works of Bob Ellis
Theatre
Screenplays
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