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A Cry in the Dark

International poster
Directed by Fred Schepisi
Produced by Verity Lambert
Written by Robert Caswell
Fred Schepisi
Based on a book by John Bryson
Starring Meryl Streep
Sam Neill
Music by Bruce Smeaton
Cinematography Ian Baker
Editing by Jill Bilcock
Distributed by Warner Bros. (US)
Cannon Films (International)
Release date(s) November 4, 1988 Australia
November 11, 1988 USA
May 17, 1989 France
May 26, 1989 UK
Running time 121 minutes
Country Australia/United States
Language English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

A Cry in the Dark is a 1988 Australian/American docudrama film directed by Fred Schepisi. Fred Schepisi AO (born December 26, 1939) is an award-winning Australian Film director and Scriptwriter. Verity Ann Lambert, OBE ( 27 November 1935 &ndash 22 November 2007) was an English television and Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an award-winning American Actress who has worked in Theatre, Sam Neill, DCNZM, OBE (born 14 September 1947 is a New Zealand film and television actor Bruce Smeaton (born 5 March 1938) is a composer well known for a variety of Australian film and television scores in all genres - features shorts television documentaries Jill Bilcock (b 1948 Melbourne Victoria Australia is a film editor Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and The Cannon Group Inc was a group of companies including Cannon Films which produced a distinctive line of low to medium budget films from 1967 to 1993. Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The cinema of Australia has a long history and has produced many internationally-recognised films actors and filmmakers United States cinema has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Events Michael Jackson 's first film was Moonwalker Top grossing films (U For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A Docudrama is a Dramatization of actual historical events Generalities Docudramas tend to demonstrate some or most of the following characteristics Fred Schepisi AO (born December 26, 1939) is an award-winning Australian Film director and Scriptwriter. The screenplay by Schepisi and Robert Caswell is based on John Bryson's 1985 book Evil Angels, the title under which the film was released in Australia. John Bryson, (born in 1935 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian author and former lawyer It chronicles the case of Azaria Chamberlain, a nine-week-old baby girl who disappeared from a campground near Ayers Rock on August 17, 1980. Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain (born 11 June 1980 in Mount Isa, Queensland) was a ten-week-old Australian baby who disappeared on the night of 17 Uluru, also referred to as Ayers Rock, is a large Sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, Central Australia Events 986 - A Byzantine army was destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar)

Contents

Plot synopsis

Seventh-day Adventist Church pastor Michael Chamberlain, his wife Lindy, their two sons, and their nine-week-old daughter Azaria are on a camping holiday in the outback. The Seventh-day Adventist (abbreviated " Adventist " Church is a Christian denomination which is distinguished mainly by its observance Dr Michael Chamberlain (born 1944 is an Australian teacher and former pastor best known due to the disappearance of his daughter Azaria whilst on holidays near Outback or the Outback refers to remote arid areas of Australia, although the term colloquially can refer to any lands outside of the main Urban areas With the baby sleeping in their tent, the family is enjoying a barbecue with their fellow campers when a cry is heard. barbeque block party Kansas cityjpg|thumb|right|275px|A barbecue on a trailer at a Block party in Kansas City. Lindy returns to the tent to check on Azaria and is certain she sees a dingo with something in its mouth running off as she approaches. Description Appearance Adult dingoes are typically 48–58 cm (19–23 inches tall at the shoulders and weigh on average 23–32 kgs (50–70 pounds though specimens When she discovers the infant is missing, everyone joins forces to search for her, without success. It is assumed what Lindy saw the animal carrying off was the child, and a subsequent inquest rules her account of events is true. An inquest is a judicial investigation usually by a group of court-appointed people ( Jury) in Common law Jurisdictions The most common kind of inquest

The tide of public opinion soon turns against the Chamberlains. For many, Lindy seems too stoic, too coldhearted, and too accepting of the disaster that has befallen her. Gossip about her begins to swell and soon is accepted as statements of fact. The couple's beliefs are not widely practiced in the country, and when the media reports a rumor that the name Azaria means "sacrifice in the wilderness" (when in fact it means "blessed of God"), the public is quick to believe they decapitated their baby with a pair of scissors as part of a bizarre religious rite. Law-enforcement officials find new witnesses, forensics experts, and a lot of circumstantial evidence - including a small wooden coffin Michael uses as a receptacle for his parishioners' packs of unsmoked cigarettes - and reopen the investigation, and eventually Lindy is charged with murder. Circumstantial evidence is a collection of Facts that when considered together can be used to infer a conclusion about something unknown Seven months pregnant, she ignores her attorneys' advice to play on the jury's sympathy and appears emotionless on the stand, convincing onlookers she's guilty of the crime of which she's accused. As the trial progresses, Michael's faith in his religion and his belief in his wife disintegrate, and he stumbles through his testimony, suggesting he's concealing the truth. In October 1982, Lindy is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor, while Michael is found guilty as an accessory and given an 18-month suspended sentence.

More than three years later, while searching for the body of an English tourist who fell from Ayers Rock, police discover a small item of clothing that is identified as the jacket Lindy had insisted Azaria was wearing over her jumpsuit, which had been recovered early in the investigation. She immediately is released from prison, the case is reopened, and all convictions against Lindy and Michael are overturned.

Production notes

The film was released less than two months after the Chamberlains finally were exonerated by the Northern Territories Court of Appeals of all charges filed against them [1]. The Court of Appeal of the Northern Territory of Australia is the name given to the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory when it sits as the Territory's Court of Appeal

A Cry in the Dark wasn't the first – or last – project to explore the Chamberlain case. A 1983 Australian television movie, Who Killed Baby Azaria?, starred Elaine Hudson as Lindy and John Hamblin as Michael. Who Killed Baby Azaria? is a 1983 Australian TV Docudrama about the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain. In 2002, Lindy by Moya Henderson was staged by Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House. Lindy is an Opera in two acts by Australian composer Moya Henderson to an English Libretto by Judith Rodriguez Moya Henderson (born August 2 1941 in Quirindi New South Wales) is an Australian Composer. Opera Australia which is based in Sydney, is Australia 's major Opera company The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney New South Wales, Australia The 2004 Australian miniseries Through My Eyes, featuring Miranda Otto and Craig McLachlan as the couple, was based on Lindy's memoir of the same name. A miniseries (also mini-series) in a serial Storytelling medium is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes Miranda Otto (born 16 December 1967 is an Australian actress. Craig Dougal McLachlan aka Hayden Johns (born September 1 1965 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian Actor for other uses see Memoir (disambiguation As a literary Genre, a memoir (from the French: mémoire

Principal cast

Critical reception

In his review in the New York Times, Vincent Canby said the film "has much of the manner of a television docudrama, ultimately being a rather comforting celebration of personal triumph over travails so dread and so particular that they have no truly disturbing, larger application. Vincent Canby ( July 27 1924 &ndash September 15 2000) was an American film critic. Yet A Cry in the Dark is better than that, mostly because of another stunning performance by Meryl Streep, who plays Lindy Chamberlain with the kind of virtuosity that seems to redefine the possibilities of screen acting . . . Though Sam Neill is very good as Lindy Chamberlain's tormented husband, Miss Streep supplies the guts of the melodrama that are missing from the screenplay. Mr. Schepisi has chosen to present the terrible events in the outback in such a way that there's never any doubt in the audience's mind about what happened. The audience doesn't worry about the fate of the Chamberlains as much as it worries about the unconvincing ease with which justice is miscarried. Mr. Schepisi may have followed the facts of the case, but he has not made them comprehensible in terms of the film. The manner by which justice miscarries is the real subject of the movie. In this screenplay, however, it serves only as a pretext for a personal drama that remains chilly and distant . . . As a result, the courtroom confrontations are so weakened that A Cry in the Dark becomes virtually a one-character movie. It's Mr. Schepisi's great good fortune that that one character is portrayed by the incomparable Meryl Streep. " [2]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times observed, "Schepisi is successful in indicting the court of public opinion, and his methodical (but absorbing) examination of the evidence helps us understand the state's circumstantial case. Roger Joseph Ebert (iːbɝt born June 18, 1942) is an American film critic and Screenwriter. The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily Newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. In the lead role, Streep is given a thankless assignment: to show us a woman who deliberately refused to allow insights into herself. She succeeds, and so, of course, there are times when we feel frustrated because we do not know what Lindy is thinking or feeling. We begin to dislike the character, and then we know how the Australian public felt. Streep's performance is risky, and masterful. " [3]

In the Washington Post, Rita Kempley said, "Streep - yes, with another perfect accent - brings her customary skillfulness to the part. The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D It's not a showy performance, but the heroine's internal struggle seems to come from the actress' pores. Neill, who costarred with Streep in Plenty, is quite good as a humble, bewildered sort who finally breaks under cross-examination. For the original David Hare play see Plenty Plenty is a 1985 Drama film directed by Fred Schepisi " [4]

Variety made note of the "intimate, incredible detail in the classy, disturbing drama. Variety is a weekly entertainment trade newspaper founded in New York in 1905 by Sime Silverman " [5]

Awards and nominations

References

Notes

  1. ^ Harper, Dan. Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Direction is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Original Music Score is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Achievement in Editing is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. This page lists the winners and nominees for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture — Drama, since its institution in 1951 The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture - Drama was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951 This page lists the winners and nominees for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, since its institution in 1943 See also Golden Globe Awards 1960s 1966: Robert Bolt, Doctor Zhivago 1967: Robert The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking The Best Actress Award ( French: Prix d'interprétation féminine) is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. The Palme d'Or ( English: Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded to competing films at the Cannes Film Festival. "A Cry in the Dark Review." SensesOfCinema. com, March 2001. Retrieved: April 25, 2008. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
  2. ^ Canby, Vincent. "Reviews/Film; Meryl Streep in 'A Cry in the Dark'." New York Times, nytimes. com, November 11, 1988. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved: April 25, 2008. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
  3. ^ Ebert, Roger. "A Cry in the Dark Review." Chicago Sun-Times, suntimes. The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily Newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. com, November 11, 1988. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved: April 25, 2008. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
  4. ^ Kempley, Rita. "A Cry in the Dark (PG-13) Review." Washington Post, washingtonpost. The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D com, November 11, 1988. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Retrieved: April 25, 2008. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
  5. ^ Variety Staff. "A Cry in the Dark, Australia: Evil Angels Review." Variety, variety. com, 1988. Retrieved: April 25, 2008. Events 1607 - Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

Further reading

External links

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