Faraway Downs
Spoilers are ahead for bothAustralia(2008 ) andFaraway Downs .
Summary
It ’s no secret that director Baz Luhrmann changed the conclusion ofFaraway Downs , the 2023 miniseries that serves as a recut of the movieAustralia . Perhaps surprisingly , however , Faraway Downs ' ending is unlike from the feature film filmin several crucial way . Thenew Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman showisn’t really that new . During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 , Luhrmann had to hesitate production onElvis , leading him to research a trove of fresh footage fromAustralia , his 2008 epic adventure love story film that clocks in at a bloated 165 - minute runtime . Leveraging the melodrama ’s occasional nature and fresh sequences , Luhrmann remake his imagination .
The premise ofFaraway Downsremains the same asAustralia : Kidman ’s Lady Sarah Ashley , an English aristocrat , treks to Australia to convert her womanize husband to sell his faltering cattle station — the titular Faraway Downs . Before she make it , Lady Ashley ’s husband is murder , leading Jackman ’s fibre , have it off simply as The Drover , to teach her about cattle driving . The headliner - crossed pair soon meetFaraway down ' Nullah ( Brandon Walters ) , a mixed - race primaeval male child who ’s in danger of becoming part of the tragical " Lost Generation . " Set against the background of World War II and the displacement of Australia ’s First Nation peoples , Faraway Downssees Lady Ashley fight to forge ahead .
Hugh Jackman’s Drover Dies At The End Of Faraway Downs
While witness will recognize many familiar plot trounce inFaraway Downs , the six - part miniseries completely rewritesAustralia ’s conclusion . Interestingly , Luhrmann did n’t shoot any newfangled footage for the show , which means he already had the substitute ending in thinker 15 age early . At the prison term , he could n’t go through with the tragical version of events , but , inFaraway Downs , Luhrmann kills off Hugh Jackman ’s Drover fictional character . At the end of the series ( and the 2008 movie ) , Japanese forces attack Australia ’s Mission Island as well as the town of Darwin . Lady Ashley , who has been working as a World War II radio operator , fear Nullah was killed in the flack .
All six episodes ofFaraway Downsare cyclosis on Hulu in the U.S.
Although she and Drover have split after not seeing eye - to - optic on Nullah ’s futurity , Jackman ’s grapheme head to Darwin after get a line of the attack . Amid the chaos of the assault and subsequent voidance , the triad wield to find each other . soon after the attack , however , Drover is kill . Initially , Lurhmann thought the movie ’s final act was an unforgiving showcase of tragedy . Given room to breathe , the rendering of the story in the miniseries allowed the film maker to " really go there " and without " pulling any poke " ( viaVariety ) . While Drover ’s dying is upsetting in its own right wing , the tragedy has a massive impact on the quietus ofFaraway John L. H. Down ' ending .
Lady Ashley Realizes She Can’t Stop Nullah From Leaving
In bothAustraliaandFaraway down feather , Lady Sarah Ashley add up to see Nullah as an take over boy of sorts . For her , the narration seems to be about discovering find home — but the same is n’t alone true for the other character . An outsider to Aboriginal tradition , Lady Ashley learns the importance of letting Nullah thug Walkabout and be with his grandfather , the Indigenous senior known in the movie as " King George . " finally , Kidman ’s graphic symbol get wind to see her white savior mind-set for what it is , thanks in large part to Drover .
" Most people care to own things . You know — land , luggage , other mass , " Drover say her . " In the final stage , the only affair you really own is your level . " The yoke ’s engagement over Nullah ’s future causes a rift between them . When Nullah leaves Faraway Downs , Drover heads out on his own too . When Nullah is kidnapped and take to Mission Island to undergo a variety of forced assimilation process , Lady Ashley follows him , hoping to aid . At the end ofAustralia , Nullah finally rejoins King George , leaving Drover and Lady Ashley at Faraway Downs . The miniseries does the same — minus the Drover part .
Nicole Kidman’s Lady Ashley Is Alone At The End Of Faraway Downs
Unlike inAustralia , Lady Ashley is completely on her own at the end ofFaraway Downs . In Luhrmann ’s feature - length film cut , Drover and Lady Ashley ’s romance finish merrily , with the two of them settling in at the cattle post , keep an eye on contently as Nullah heads to his grandfather . With Jackman ’s Drover gone and drained before Nullah ’s leaving , Lady Ashley weather condition this last minute of loss alone . It ’s both a sad and reaffirming here and now ; while she ’s upset to be separate from Nullah , she heeds Drover ’s words about living her own story and not trying to control anyone else ’s .
Catherine Martin was nominate for a Best Achievement in Costume Design Academy Award for her work onAustralia .
The Drover’s Real Name Was Never Spoken In Australia (But It’s Revealed In Faraway Downs)
For 15 eld , Australiaviewers wondered if The Drover had a given name . If so , it ’s never spoken in the original plastic film . rather , Jackman ’s character is defined by his occupation through - and - through . After miss his wife before the events of the write up , he became a nobody . InFaraway Downs , however , Jackman ’s Drover share his name withNicole Kidman ’s movie characterin his final moments . As he dies , Drover reveals he ’s actually Jack Clancy . It ’s a meaningful turn of events that only hammers home the miniseries ' focus on claim one ’s chronicle . For romantics , Luhrmann frames it well : Jack wants to " call back forever " the phone of Lady Ashley saying his name .
Faraway Downs Makes Lady Ashley Claim Her Own Story
in the end , Lady Ashley is on her own at the end ofFaraway down . Although devotee of Kidman and Jackman ’s on - blind chemistry will be disappointed by the miniseries ' departure fromAustralia , the new conclusion actually better complements the story ’s themes . Upon arrive in Australia , Lady Ashley was alone . In fact , she was alone long before her married man died , but did n’t quite accept it . When her story intersects with those ofFaraway down feather ' cast of characters , Lady Sarah Ashley learns some valuable lessons about life , love , and , most importantly , herself .
When talking about how no one possess anything or anyone else , Drover points out that ownership and control make mass find " secure . " It ’s the sort of lifestyle Lady Ashley is accustomed to as well . As Jackman ’s lineament put it , everything can be taken aside , including people . In the miniseries ' final act , Lady Ashley has to learn to allow go of two crucial relationships as they were for a time and learn to live her own story . Drover tell her to " live a skillful one , " and , at the end ofFaraway Downs , that ’s all Lady Ashley can do — it ’s all that ’s left .
