Underplayed Gems

The Getting of Wisdom (1977)

The Getting of Wisdom poster
Directed by
Bruce Beresford
Genre
drama
Country
Australia
Runtime
1h 41m
Rating
5.4 of 10 from 17 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A teenage girl from a poor background enters a strict ladies college in 1890s Australia. She struggles to fit in, make friends, and find her own path through four years of school. The film shows her desires for acceptance and romance, including a subtle attraction between her and a music teacher.

periodrestrainedsocial observationslightly melancholicaustereculturedgrowing uptense undercurrents

What happens

The Getting of Wisdom is a 1977 Australian film directed by Bruce Beresford and based on the 1910 novel of the same title by Henry Handel Richardson. It is regarded as being part of the Australian New Wave of cinema. The film is set in 1890s Victoria, when Laura (Susannah Fowle) enters an exclusive Melbourne ladies' college based on Presbyterian 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 Waters and Terence Donovan, and featured early career appearances by Kerry Armstrong, Sigrid Thornton, Noni Hazlehurst, Maggie Kirkpatrick and Julia Blake. A musical theme runs through the story, with piano works by Beethoven, Schubert and Thalberg played by Sarah Grunstein. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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