Oscar and Lucinda

This unconventional romantic drama has some of the most memorable performances and imagery of any Australian film, as Gillian Armstrong and screenwriter Laura Jones bring Peter Carey’s sprawling, unruly novel to the screen. Glass-obsessed heiress Lucinda (Cate Blanchett, already extraordinary in one of her first films) and guilt-ridden naif priest Oscar (Ralph Fiennes, in a role unlike any other in his career) are inveterate gamblers, and lifelong misfits until they meet one another. But even then neither can resist an all-or-nothing bet.

Note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned this film may contain images and voices of people who have died.

Directed by Gillian Armstrong.

Stars Cate Blanchett, Ralph Fiennes, Tom Wilkinson, Ciarán Hinds, and Richard Roxburgh.

Australia.

Rated M.

Released 1997.

Runtime 132 minutes.

AACTA Awards, won for Cinematography, Costume Design, Production Design, Sound, and Original Music Score, and nominated for Best Actress (Blanchett). Academy Awards, nominated for Costume Design.