Cult filmmaker meets cult musician in a documentary that is hard to pin down
ELLIS PARK ★★★
(M) 105 minutes
There's a limit to what a film can tell you about anyone in a couple of hours, but where the musician Warren Ellis is concerned, I'll venture this much: part of him wants to hide, while another part wants to be noticed (and perhaps to be noticed hiding).
That ambivalence is apparent in his frenzied way of playing the violin with his back to the audience as part of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds or Dirty Three.
In Justin Kurzel's intriguing though not especially coherent documentary, he's mostly a solo act. Still, he remains torn between candour and concealment – as we can see from the moment he appears, a skinny, swaying apparition whose swagman's beard, aviator sunglasses and rock star jewellery all form part of the most eye-catching kind of disguise.
Ellis' contradictions must be partly what attracted Kurzel, who's better known for his fiction features, though he has a recurring interest in 'true stories' (sometimes grim ones, as in Snowtown and Nitram).
The film is wilfully hard to pin down in its own right, employing some of the visual tricks Kurzel has used elsewhere to induce a feeling of instability, such as having backgrounds slide in and out of focus.
It's not a conventional music documentary: Ellis is often shown playing, but rarely in public, and there's no attempt to cover the whole of his career, which took off in Melbourne in the early '90s. Nor do we see a great deal of his everyday life in Paris, where he's lived for decades.
Nor is this a straightforward environmentalist tract, although the title derives from the Sumatran wildlife sanctuary Ellis co-founded in 2021, allowing animals rescued from traffickers to live out what remains of their lives in peace.
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Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Cult filmmaker meets cult musician in a documentary that is hard to pin down
ELLIS PARK ★★★ (M) 105 minutes There's a limit to what a film can tell you about anyone in a couple of hours, but where the musician Warren Ellis is concerned, I'll venture this much: part of him wants to hide, while another part wants to be noticed (and perhaps to be noticed hiding). That ambivalence is apparent in his frenzied way of playing the violin with his back to the audience as part of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds or Dirty Three. In Justin Kurzel's intriguing though not especially coherent documentary, he's mostly a solo act. Still, he remains torn between candour and concealment – as we can see from the moment he appears, a skinny, swaying apparition whose swagman's beard, aviator sunglasses and rock star jewellery all form part of the most eye-catching kind of disguise. Ellis' contradictions must be partly what attracted Kurzel, who's better known for his fiction features, though he has a recurring interest in 'true stories' (sometimes grim ones, as in Snowtown and Nitram). The film is wilfully hard to pin down in its own right, employing some of the visual tricks Kurzel has used elsewhere to induce a feeling of instability, such as having backgrounds slide in and out of focus. It's not a conventional music documentary: Ellis is often shown playing, but rarely in public, and there's no attempt to cover the whole of his career, which took off in Melbourne in the early '90s. Nor do we see a great deal of his everyday life in Paris, where he's lived for decades. Nor is this a straightforward environmentalist tract, although the title derives from the Sumatran wildlife sanctuary Ellis co-founded in 2021, allowing animals rescued from traffickers to live out what remains of their lives in peace.
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
Cult filmmaker meets cult musician in a documentary that is hard to pin down
ELLIS PARK ★★★ (M) 105 minutes There's a limit to what a film can tell you about anyone in a couple of hours, but where the musician Warren Ellis is concerned, I'll venture this much: part of him wants to hide, while another part wants to be noticed (and perhaps to be noticed hiding). That ambivalence is apparent in his frenzied way of playing the violin with his back to the audience as part of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds or Dirty Three. In Justin Kurzel's intriguing though not especially coherent documentary, he's mostly a solo act. Still, he remains torn between candour and concealment – as we can see from the moment he appears, a skinny, swaying apparition whose swagman's beard, aviator sunglasses and rock star jewellery all form part of the most eye-catching kind of disguise. Ellis' contradictions must be partly what attracted Kurzel, who's better known for his fiction features, though he has a recurring interest in 'true stories' (sometimes grim ones, as in Snowtown and Nitram). The film is wilfully hard to pin down in its own right, employing some of the visual tricks Kurzel has used elsewhere to induce a feeling of instability, such as having backgrounds slide in and out of focus. It's not a conventional music documentary: Ellis is often shown playing, but rarely in public, and there's no attempt to cover the whole of his career, which took off in Melbourne in the early '90s. Nor do we see a great deal of his everyday life in Paris, where he's lived for decades. Nor is this a straightforward environmentalist tract, although the title derives from the Sumatran wildlife sanctuary Ellis co-founded in 2021, allowing animals rescued from traffickers to live out what remains of their lives in peace.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
All the photos from the dress rehearsal for Star Struck 2025
Dress rehearsals for the biggest showcase of student-led creative arts in the Hunter kicked off on Wednesday, as the cast of Start Struck - some 4000 students from the Hunter and Central Coast - made final preparations before opening night on Friday. The annual arts extravaganza has been reignited in 2025 as organisers tip this year's performance, including a combined choir of 400 students, to be bigger and better than ever. "This year's theme, Remixed: Volume 33, invites audiences on a dynamic journey through a reimagining of music, movement and meaning, highlighting a fresh take on past and present influences in the performing arts," organisers said in a statement. "From high-energy dance and powerful vocals to moving drama pieces and a full live orchestra, Remixed promises a sensory celebration like no other." The two-night performance opening Friday and Saturday, which will have four renditions of the show in a matinee and evening roster apiece, will stage 400 Indigenous dancers across two casts, organisers said, alongside the mass choir performance. Celebrated conductor and composer George Ellis will return to lead the orchestra. Ellis, who is known for his work across symphonic, choral, opera, musical theatre, jazz and pop genres, has appeared in major venues from Paris to New York and every Australian capital city. Organisers say the show, which will be emceed by NewFM breakfast host Joel Gosper. Dress rehearsals for the biggest showcase of student-led creative arts in the Hunter kicked off on Wednesday, as the cast of Start Struck - some 4000 students from the Hunter and Central Coast - made final preparations before opening night on Friday. The annual arts extravaganza has been reignited in 2025 as organisers tip this year's performance, including a combined choir of 400 students, to be bigger and better than ever. "This year's theme, Remixed: Volume 33, invites audiences on a dynamic journey through a reimagining of music, movement and meaning, highlighting a fresh take on past and present influences in the performing arts," organisers said in a statement. "From high-energy dance and powerful vocals to moving drama pieces and a full live orchestra, Remixed promises a sensory celebration like no other." The two-night performance opening Friday and Saturday, which will have four renditions of the show in a matinee and evening roster apiece, will stage 400 Indigenous dancers across two casts, organisers said, alongside the mass choir performance. Celebrated conductor and composer George Ellis will return to lead the orchestra. Ellis, who is known for his work across symphonic, choral, opera, musical theatre, jazz and pop genres, has appeared in major venues from Paris to New York and every Australian capital city. Organisers say the show, which will be emceed by NewFM breakfast host Joel Gosper. Dress rehearsals for the biggest showcase of student-led creative arts in the Hunter kicked off on Wednesday, as the cast of Start Struck - some 4000 students from the Hunter and Central Coast - made final preparations before opening night on Friday. The annual arts extravaganza has been reignited in 2025 as organisers tip this year's performance, including a combined choir of 400 students, to be bigger and better than ever. "This year's theme, Remixed: Volume 33, invites audiences on a dynamic journey through a reimagining of music, movement and meaning, highlighting a fresh take on past and present influences in the performing arts," organisers said in a statement. "From high-energy dance and powerful vocals to moving drama pieces and a full live orchestra, Remixed promises a sensory celebration like no other." The two-night performance opening Friday and Saturday, which will have four renditions of the show in a matinee and evening roster apiece, will stage 400 Indigenous dancers across two casts, organisers said, alongside the mass choir performance. Celebrated conductor and composer George Ellis will return to lead the orchestra. Ellis, who is known for his work across symphonic, choral, opera, musical theatre, jazz and pop genres, has appeared in major venues from Paris to New York and every Australian capital city. Organisers say the show, which will be emceed by NewFM breakfast host Joel Gosper. Dress rehearsals for the biggest showcase of student-led creative arts in the Hunter kicked off on Wednesday, as the cast of Start Struck - some 4000 students from the Hunter and Central Coast - made final preparations before opening night on Friday. The annual arts extravaganza has been reignited in 2025 as organisers tip this year's performance, including a combined choir of 400 students, to be bigger and better than ever. "This year's theme, Remixed: Volume 33, invites audiences on a dynamic journey through a reimagining of music, movement and meaning, highlighting a fresh take on past and present influences in the performing arts," organisers said in a statement. "From high-energy dance and powerful vocals to moving drama pieces and a full live orchestra, Remixed promises a sensory celebration like no other." The two-night performance opening Friday and Saturday, which will have four renditions of the show in a matinee and evening roster apiece, will stage 400 Indigenous dancers across two casts, organisers said, alongside the mass choir performance. Celebrated conductor and composer George Ellis will return to lead the orchestra. Ellis, who is known for his work across symphonic, choral, opera, musical theatre, jazz and pop genres, has appeared in major venues from Paris to New York and every Australian capital city. Organisers say the show, which will be emceed by NewFM breakfast host Joel Gosper.
