The back of the DVD box read something like this: What will this sweet housewife do when she finds herself lustful for the new town bartender?
The above description missed the mark, to me, about what the real themes of the story are: appreciating what you have versus what you don’t, appreciating what you have versus what you think you’re missing or have missed in life by making commitments when you did, and with whom you did. These are internal conflicts anyone can feel once they’ve made a commitment, for love or for money. And in a marriage, if one partner reveals their doubts, whether discussing them openly, or behaving unusually, where does that leave the other partner? Is the relationship forever changed? Is that change for better or for worse?
The story takes place in Corrimandel, Australia, 1939. This is an area of flat land and a fairly sunny climate. There are small farms as far as the eye can see. Corrimandel is a town of less than 1000, everyone knows each other’s business and casts judgement accordingly. Not much changes here. When it does, it can sweep some people up in its wake.
Sonny (played by Brian Brown) has a pretty good life –a house, steady employment, and a beautiful, sweet-natured wife, Madge (Rachel Ward). His only stressor is his rebellious younger brother, called Sugar (played by Steven Vidler), who works with him and resides at his home.
Sugar , by contrast, has a lot of growing up to do. He used to live in a boardinghouse downtown, but it didn’t last. Sonny let Sugar move in with the hopes that his example could rub off on the young man, but it doesn’t really work. Sugar sees his older brother as a boring, lackluster example to follow. Sugar wants status, the good life, women, but he expects to get away with reckless behavior and he squanders opportunities.
Sugar runs errands and helps with housework in addition to working as a lumberjack. Madge soon becomes his first crush. One night he spies (through the porch curtains) Sonny and Madge making love. Within days, Sugar boldly asks Madge why can’t they do the same? Madge coyly responds with another question, but knows exactly what he’s asking about. She may even be a little gleeful that someone besides Sonny finds her attractive. She tells Sugar that he should ask Sonny if it’s okay for their rendezvous, she’s indifferent, and that all men are the same, they like to think their different, but they aren’t. (These ideas come back later).
Sugar confronts Sonny a minute later, Madge follows him. Sugar asks if he can have sex with Madge. Sonny asks how Madge felt, Madge claims to have said nothing. Sugar counters, Oh no she didn’t, she said all men are the same. Sonny, not visibly angry or disturbed by this conversation, tells Madge that if that’s the way you feel, then go ahead and find out if that’s true. She steps into the bedroom with Sugar. Once they are undressed, he reaches climax almost immediately.
Madge talks with Sonny after her encounter. He asks well, what do you think now? She admits it wasn’t that great, and she still loves him (Sonny) more than anyone else. There’s the false assurance that this disappointment may have taught her something, but it didn’t. Sonny can tell Madge has grown dissatisfied with her current life, and he lets her make her own mistakes. He is a steady presence, is truly dedicated to Madge, and doesn’t react violently to her wandering. Madge admits later that she doesn’t deserve Sonny’s love, he reminds her that he has no one else to give it to.
Unlike his brother and her husband, Sugar feels no loyalty or sense of obligation to anyone but himself. Sugar publicly lets it slip that he’s seen Madge nude and they had sex at least once. The first time it happens, Madge is there and instantly humiliated, she runs out of the ladies store where she was trying on dresses. Unfortunately, it becomes an endless topic for ridicule among townsfolk. Townsfolk who turn out to be hypocrites with their infidelities, but the point driven home is this–you can misbehave, but as long as its not publicized, and its not with another town regular, its allowable. No one’s talking because chances are, they’re in on the same game.
A new bartender arrives in town to work at the hotel bar. This man, Neville Griffith (played by Sam Neill), is an object of fascination for both Madge and Sugar. Both are very naive and not the best judges of character; their relations with Neville reveal that. Madge’s first meeting with Neville occurs when he arrives at the train station. She happens to be walking by; she is carrying her parasol and looking elegant. Neville embraces Madge forcefully and tells her to meet up with him later at the hotel. Madge rejects him. Neville accepts a car ride from his new boss, the hotel owner, and tells Madge she only gets one chance with him. This plants a seed in Madge’s mind that she might have another chance, when Neville meant quite the opposite. She starts dressing sexier, wearing more bold colors, and going to town more, and drinking alcohol. If Neville appears anywhere, she sees him, then pretends not to notice. Neville, meanwhile, is busy trying to seduce every 18-35 year old in town, married or not. He becomes a bit of a celebrity, and is amused by it.
One afternoon, Madge is waiting at the hotel door to watch him. Neville, sauntering in with his latest conquest, tells her–”I told you. You aren’t as special as you think you are.” Madge is undaunted, she doesn’t seem to grasp the karma in this statement: Neville’s told her what she basically told Sonny (via Sugar) that night awhile back. It isn’t until Neville is forced out of town and she attempts to follow that Madge is forced to accept the life she has instead of one that seemed so tantalizing.
Neville also became on object of fascination for Sugar. His romances, his stories, and his fistfighting skills with drunks made him a legend in the younger man’s eyes. Neville is amused by Sugar’s admiration. Sugar is amused to hear Neville call Madge a *itch and an object of pity for being obsessed with him. Sugar learns later that he too is seen as pathetic by this hero of his, and that stings. Sugar, never really loyal to anyone but himself, decides to foil Neville’s final and biggest conquest yet: Mrs. Fielding, a rich man’s wife.
Sure enough, Mr. Fielding shows up that same evening to retrieve his wife and inform Neville he has a paid one way train ticket out of town. Neville knows exactly who tattled, but lackadasically brushes the local dust of his feet. He heads to a new town and surely, a new set of women seeking his charm and affections.
Sugar goes home to Sonny and reiterates, verbatim, what Neville said about Madge. Sugar naively talks to his brother as if he were Neville, and gets a rude awakening. Sonny gives his brother the beating of his life, and throws him out on his ear, he tells Sugar he never wants to see him ever again and doesn’t care what happens to him. Sugar disappears into the darkness with only the clothes on his back.
Additional notes: The only reminders that it is the 1930s is the ladies fashion, their wavy bob hairdos, and the jazz music played when the family heads to the town hotel for a night out. The rest of the soundtrack is sci-fi sounding keyboards. Perhaps it is meant to hint at Rachel’s inner wistful world, not happy with her life, yearning for the future. (The shopgirl featured in the movie seemed to be wearing more eye makeup, which was contemporary for the 1980s.) Or, the music was intended solely to create mood for the story, without adhering to what music was available or popular at the time of the story. Ideally, a film picks one music concept and commits to it, though. Case in point: Dirty Dancing, great film, awesome soundtrack of 1960s oldies. Except it wasn’t 100% oldies–”Time of My Life” and “Yes!We’re Gonna Make Love” were contemporary tracks, not even trying for a retro 1960s sound. It can really annoy music buffs to fast forward 2 decades in a matter of minutes.
Other films that explore the unfulfilled housewife and how she reconciles these feelings (or not): The Bridges of Madison County, The Hours, Far From Heaven, Pleasantville. Foreign Films: Belle du Jour (France), Dark Night (Taiwan). This is by no means a complete list.
Pure trivia: Brian Brown and Rachel Ward are married in real life, and have been for years.
The USA also has a contemporary show called “Desperate Housewives”, the first six seasons are available on DVD, this spawned reality series like “Real Housewives of (insert county).”
