''The Getting of Wisdom'' is a 1977

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n film directed by

Bruce Beresford Bruce Beresford (; born 16 August 1940) is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 50-year career, both locally and internationally in the United States. Beresford's notable films he has directed include ''Br ...

and based on the 1910 novel of the same title by

Henry Handel Richardson Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson (3 January 187020 March 1946), known by her pen name Henry Handel Richardson, was an Australian author. Life Born in East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, into a prosperous family that later fell on hard tim ...

. The film is set in 1890s

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, when Laura ( Susannah Fowle) enters an exclusive

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

ladies' college based on Methodist Ladies' College. The film follows her struggle for acceptance, conformity, romance, friendship and achievement over the next four years. Lesbian overtones between a schoolgirl and a music teacher are made explicit in the film, more so than in Richardson's novel. It also starred

Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film prod ...

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his Cinema of Transgression, transgressive cult films, including ''Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), ''Pink Flamin ...

and Terence Donovan, and featured early career appearances by

Kerry Armstrong Kerry Michelle Armstrong (born 12 September 1958) is an Australian actress and author. She is one of only two actresses to win two Australian Film Institute Awards in the same year, winning Best Actress in a Leading Role for ''Lantana'' and B ...

Sigrid Thornton Sigrid Madeline Thornton (born 12 February 1959) is an Australian film and television actress. Her television work includes ''Prisoner'' (1979–80), ''All the Rivers Run'' (1983), ''SeaChange'' (1998–2019) and ''Wentworth'' (2016–2018). S ...

Noni Hazlehurst Leonie Elva "Noni" Hazlehurst , (born 17 August 1953) is an Australian actress, director, writer, presenter and broadcaster who has appeared on television and radio, in dramas, mini-series and made for television films, as well also on stag ...

Maggie Kirkpatrick Margaret Anne Kirkpatrick (née Downs; born 29 January 1941) is an Australian stage and screen actress who starred in the cult TV series ''Prisoner'' (otherwise known as ''Prisoner: Cell Block H'' in the UK and North America), where she was bes ...

and

Julia Blake Julia Blake (born 1936) is an English–born Australian actress. She is known for her small screen role as Nancy McCormack on the Australian drama series ''Prisoner'' (''Prisoner: Cell Block H''), for which she appeared during the final season ...

. A musical theme runs through the story, with piano works by

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

and

Thalberg Thalberg or Talberg is a surname of German origin, which means "valley hill". It may refer to: *Irving Thalberg (1899–1936), American film producer * Irving Thalberg Jr. (1930–1988), American philosopher * Norma Thalberg (1902–1983), Canadian ...

played by Sarah Grunstein.

Plot

Laura Rambotham is sent to attend boarding school in Melbourne at the turn of the century. During her second year she tells everyone about a made-up romance between herself and the school's minister, Reverend Shepherd. She forms an attachment with her music teacher, Evelyn. When Evelyn leaves, Laura throws herself into her studies and wins the school literary and music prizes.

Cast

* Susannah Fowle as Laura Tweedle Rambotham *Hilary Ryan as Evelyn * Terence Donovan as Tom McNamara *

Patricia Kennedy Patricia Helen Kennedy Lawford (May 6, 1924 – September 17, 2006) was an American socialite, and the sixth of nine children of Rose and Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. She was a sister of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Senator ...

as Miss Chapman * Sheila Helpmann as Mrs. Gurley *

Candy Raymond Candida Raymond (born 1950) is an Australian actress of film and television during the 1970s and early 1980s. She attended St Ives High School in Sydney. Professional career As a teenager she played small guest roles in Australian televisio ...

as Miss Zielinski *

as Rev. Strachey *

as Rev. Shepherd *

as Isabella Shepherd *Diana Greentree as Maisie Shepherd *

Monica Maughan Monica Cresswell Maughan (née Wood, 15 September 1933 – 8 January 2010) was an Australian actor with roles in theatre, radio, television, film and ballet over a career spanning 52 years. Early life and education She was born Monica Cresswell ...

as Miss Day *

Dorothy Bradley Dorothy Maynard Bradley (born February 24, 1947) is an American former politician from Montana. She was elected to eight terms in the Montana House of Representatives, serving from 1971 to 1978 and 1985 to 1992. Bradley now lives in Clyde Park, M ...

as Miss Hicks *Kay Eklund as Mrs. Rambotham *

as Sarah *

Phillip Adams Phillip Adams, Philip Adams, or Phil Adams may refer to: Sports * Phillip Adams (American football) (1988–2021), American football cornerback * Phillip Adams (sport shooter) (born 1945), Australian pistol shooter * Phil Adams (cricketer) (born 1 ...

, cameo role as mathematics teacher *

as Kate, one of the worldly-wise students *

as Maria, one of the worldly-wise students * Celia De Burgh as M.P. *Kim Deacon as Lilith *Alix Longman as Chinky *Jo-Anne Moore as Tilly *Amanda Ring as Cupid *Janet Shaw as Bertha *Karen Sutton as Pin, Laura's sister

Production

Bruce Beresford wanted to make the film after ''

The Adventures of Barry McKenzie ''The Adventures of Barry McKenzie'' is a 1972 Australian comedy film directed by Bruce Beresford and starring Barry Crocker, telling the story of an Australian 'yobbo' on his travels to the United Kingdom. Barry McKenzie was originally a chara ...

'' (1972) and tried to get finance from

Reg Grundy Reginald Roy Grundy (4 August 1923 – 6 May 2016) was an Australian entrepreneur and media mogul, best known for his numerous television productions. He was the producer of various Australian game shows, such as '' Blankety Blanks'' (based on ...

. Grundy said he would think about it if Beresford made a McKenzie sequel. Beresford made ''

Barry McKenzie Holds His Own ''Barry McKenzie Holds His Own'' is the 1974 sequel to the 1972 Australian comedy film ''The Adventures of Barry McKenzie''. Returning from the original film is Barry Crocker in the title role, as well as Barry Humphries in the role of Barry's ...

'' (1974) but Grundy declined to make ''Wisdom''.David Stratton, ''The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival'', Angus & Robertson, 1980 p46 The film was the first production from the newly formed Victorian Film Corporation, who provided $100,000 with additional funding from the

Australian Film Commission The Australian Film Commission (AFC) was an Australian government agency was founded in 1975 with a mandate to promote the creation and distribution of films in Australia as well as to preserve the country's film history. It also had a producti ...

and the Nine Network. Six thousand girls were interviewed for the school pupil roles. It was shot at the Methodist Ladies' College and in the town of Eddington in January and February 1977.

Production crew

*Bruce Beresford – Director *Michael Lake- Assistant Director *Russel Karel – Production Manager *Donald Alpine – Director of Photography *John Stoddart – Production Designer *William Anderson- Editor *Anna Senior – Costume Designer *Desmond Bone-Sound Recording *Gary Wilkins- Sound Recording *Peter Fenton-Sound Mixing *Moya Iceton – Continuity

Box office

''The Getting of Wisdom'' grossed $982,000 at the box office in Australia,''Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office''
/ref> which is equivalent to $4,517,200 in 2009 dollars.

Awards

''The Getting of Wisdom'' was nominated for five AFI Awards in 1978 and won in the Best Adapted Screenplay (Eleanor Witcombe) category.

References

External links

* *''The Getting of Wisdom'' at th
Australian screen''The Getting of Wisdom''
at Oz Movies {{DEFAULTSORT:Getting of Wisdom, The 1977 films 1977 drama films Australian drama films Films shot in Melbourne Films about classical music and musicians Films based on Australian novels Films directed by Bruce Beresford Films set in Melbourne Films set in the Victorian era Films set in colonial Australia 1970s English-language films