December Boys
Encyclopedia
December Boys is a 2007 Australian film directed by Rod Hardy
and written by Marc Rosenberg and adapted from the 1963 novel of the same name by Michael Noonan
. It was released on 14 September 2007 in the UK and US and 20 September 2007 in Australia. December Boys is Daniel Radcliffe
's first non-Harry Potter
film role since 2001's The Tailor of Panama
.
picture for the four main characters, and how their lives can change over one holiday. The film is set in 1960s Australia. Four orphan boys from a Roman Catholic
orphanage
in the outback of Australia
- Maps, Misty, Spark and Spit - were all born in the month of December, and for their birthday, they are sent on a holiday to the beach to stay with Mr. and Mrs. McAnsh. While there, they meet Fearless, a man who claims to be the risk motorbike rider in the nearby carnival, and his wife, Teresa. Misty, Spark and Spit instantly become closer to Teresa, but Maps, the eldest of the four, is still reluctant to talk to her. He instead finds more fun in spending time with a teenage girl named Lucy, who had come to the beach to stay with her uncle. He often goes up to a place with strange rocks, and meets her there.
A few days later, the orphans peek through a window in Fearless' house to see Teresa undressing, but Misty, being the most religious of the four, throws a rock at the wall to make them go away. Misty runs back to Mr. McAnsh's house and looks through the small opening of a door to see someone in the shower, only to find that it is the sickly body of Mrs. McAnsh. They soon realise that she has breast cancer
.
One night, Misty overhears Fearless talking to his friends about the possibility of adopting
one of the orphans. Excited about the opportunity to finally have parents, he keeps it to himself until he decides to reveal it to a priest who has driven to the beach for the orphans' confessions. The other boys realise that he is taking too long, and once he is finished, they force it out of him with the threat of Spit spitting on him while he is pinned to the ground. Misty, Spark and Spit are eager to compete for the love of the seemingly perfect Fearless and Teresa, but Maps is less than excited, even saying to Lucy, "What's the big deal about parents, anyway?" Maps experiences his first kiss with Lucy, and soon loses his virginity
to her in one of the caves of the Remarkable Rocks.
There, she tells him to promise that he will always remember her as his first. The next day, he goes up to the Remarkable Rocks, only to realise that Lucy is not there. Her uncle tells him that she's left the beach to return to her father, and will not be back until next summer. Heartbroken, he goes to the carnival to find Fearless and talk to him, but discovers that he is not a motorbike rider there, and instead cleans up after the animals. Furious that he'd lied all along, he finds a painting made by Misty of him as the son of Fearless and Teresa, and destroys it. Misty attacks him and hits him with the fragments of the frame he'd put the painting in, and the bond between the four orphans is broken.
Fearless finds Maps in the cave of the Remarkable Rocks, and explains to him what had really happened. It is revealed to the audience that Fearless was formerly a bike rider, and did all of the stunts with Teresa riding in the back. Then, there was an accident that kept Teresa in the hospital for nearly a year, making her unable to have children. That was the reason they had wanted to adopt one of the orphans.
Maps returns to the beach and finds out from Spark and Spit that Misty had gone into the water, and was drowning. Maps goes after him despite the fact that he cannot swim. Both he and Misty nearly drown. Underwater, they open their eyes to see a vision of the Virgin Mary, possibly meaning that they are dying. Before they can reach out to it, the two boys are grabbed by Fearless and brought back to the shore. Maps and Misty reconcile with each other and the four are friends again.
The next day, the boys are called to Fearless' and Teresa's house for an announcement. There, they reveal the couple is going to adopt Misty. He take leave of his friends and he watches on the front porch with Fearless and Teresa as the three orphans leave and begin playing on some of the rocks. Misty realises that they were his true family all along, and asks Fearless and Teresa if he can stay with them instead. They accept, and he returns home with the orphans.
Several decades later, Misty, as an old man, drives to the same beach with Spark and Spit, along with the ashes of Maps and Lucy's ring that she gave to him, who had died as a priest in Africa helping refugees. They let the ashes loose in the wind, remembering their time there.
was considered to play Maps but got replaced by Radcliffe
because he could not leave the United Kingdom due to his sick grandmother.
reported that 42% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 67 reviews. Metacritic's score was 56/100 based on 21 reviews. In Australia several newspapers remarked that December Boys was a commercial bomb due to its relatively large distribution and advertisement versus its small box office return.
Rod Hardy
Rod Hardy is an Australian television and film director.His interest in film began before the age of 12, when he shot several short films on his brother’s 8 mm film camera...
and written by Marc Rosenberg and adapted from the 1963 novel of the same name by Michael Noonan
Michael Noonan (writer)
Michael John Noonan was an Australian / New Zealand novelist and radio script writer...
. It was released on 14 September 2007 in the UK and US and 20 September 2007 in Australia. December Boys is Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor who rose to prominence playing the titular character in the Harry Potter film series....
's first non-Harry Potter
Harry Potter (film series)
The Harry Potter film series is a British-American film series based on the Harry Potter novels by the British author J. K. Rowling...
film role since 2001's The Tailor of Panama
The Tailor of Panama
The Tailor of Panama is a 2001 American film based on the 1996 spy novel of the same name by John le Carré, which was inspired by Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana...
.
Plot
This film is a coming of ageComing of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...
picture for the four main characters, and how their lives can change over one holiday. The film is set in 1960s Australia. Four orphan boys from a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church in Australia
The Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Pope.Australia is a majority Christian but pluralistic society with no established religion. There are approximately 5.1 million Australian Catholics . Catholicism...
orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
in the outback of Australia
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
- Maps, Misty, Spark and Spit - were all born in the month of December, and for their birthday, they are sent on a holiday to the beach to stay with Mr. and Mrs. McAnsh. While there, they meet Fearless, a man who claims to be the risk motorbike rider in the nearby carnival, and his wife, Teresa. Misty, Spark and Spit instantly become closer to Teresa, but Maps, the eldest of the four, is still reluctant to talk to her. He instead finds more fun in spending time with a teenage girl named Lucy, who had come to the beach to stay with her uncle. He often goes up to a place with strange rocks, and meets her there.
A few days later, the orphans peek through a window in Fearless' house to see Teresa undressing, but Misty, being the most religious of the four, throws a rock at the wall to make them go away. Misty runs back to Mr. McAnsh's house and looks through the small opening of a door to see someone in the shower, only to find that it is the sickly body of Mrs. McAnsh. They soon realise that she has breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
.
One night, Misty overhears Fearless talking to his friends about the possibility of adopting
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
one of the orphans. Excited about the opportunity to finally have parents, he keeps it to himself until he decides to reveal it to a priest who has driven to the beach for the orphans' confessions. The other boys realise that he is taking too long, and once he is finished, they force it out of him with the threat of Spit spitting on him while he is pinned to the ground. Misty, Spark and Spit are eager to compete for the love of the seemingly perfect Fearless and Teresa, but Maps is less than excited, even saying to Lucy, "What's the big deal about parents, anyway?" Maps experiences his first kiss with Lucy, and soon loses his virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
to her in one of the caves of the Remarkable Rocks.
There, she tells him to promise that he will always remember her as his first. The next day, he goes up to the Remarkable Rocks, only to realise that Lucy is not there. Her uncle tells him that she's left the beach to return to her father, and will not be back until next summer. Heartbroken, he goes to the carnival to find Fearless and talk to him, but discovers that he is not a motorbike rider there, and instead cleans up after the animals. Furious that he'd lied all along, he finds a painting made by Misty of him as the son of Fearless and Teresa, and destroys it. Misty attacks him and hits him with the fragments of the frame he'd put the painting in, and the bond between the four orphans is broken.
Fearless finds Maps in the cave of the Remarkable Rocks, and explains to him what had really happened. It is revealed to the audience that Fearless was formerly a bike rider, and did all of the stunts with Teresa riding in the back. Then, there was an accident that kept Teresa in the hospital for nearly a year, making her unable to have children. That was the reason they had wanted to adopt one of the orphans.
Maps returns to the beach and finds out from Spark and Spit that Misty had gone into the water, and was drowning. Maps goes after him despite the fact that he cannot swim. Both he and Misty nearly drown. Underwater, they open their eyes to see a vision of the Virgin Mary, possibly meaning that they are dying. Before they can reach out to it, the two boys are grabbed by Fearless and brought back to the shore. Maps and Misty reconcile with each other and the four are friends again.
The next day, the boys are called to Fearless' and Teresa's house for an announcement. There, they reveal the couple is going to adopt Misty. He take leave of his friends and he watches on the front porch with Fearless and Teresa as the three orphans leave and begin playing on some of the rocks. Misty realises that they were his true family all along, and asks Fearless and Teresa if he can stay with them instead. They accept, and he returns home with the orphans.
Several decades later, Misty, as an old man, drives to the same beach with Spark and Spit, along with the ashes of Maps and Lucy's ring that she gave to him, who had died as a priest in Africa helping refugees. They let the ashes loose in the wind, remembering their time there.
Cast
- Daniel RadcliffeDaniel RadcliffeDaniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor who rose to prominence playing the titular character in the Harry Potter film series....
as Maps - Lee CormieLee CormieLee Cormie is an Australian actor in Melbourne, Australia mostly known for his starring roles in number 1 US Box Office hit Darkness Falls and Australian film December Boys alongside Daniel Radcliffe.-Biography:...
as Misty - Christian ByersChristian ByersChristian Byers is an Australian actor born on 31 July 1993 in Sydney, Australia. In 2006, he made his film debut in Opal Dream, before featuring in December Boys alongside Daniel Radcliffe. In 2007, Christian portrayed Jacob in Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger. Christian is also the lead vocalist,...
as Spark - James FraserJames FraserJames Fraser may refer to:*James Baillie Fraser , Scottish author*James A. Fraser , gold miner and Canadian politician*James E. Fraser James Fraser may refer to:*James Baillie Fraser (1783–1856), Scottish author*James A. Fraser (1843–1937), gold miner and Canadian politician*James E. Fraser...
as Spit - Jack ThompsonJack Thompson (actor)Jack Thompson, AM is an Australian actor and one of the major figures of Australian cinema. He was educated at University of Queensland, before embarking on his acting career. In 2002, he was made an honorary member of the Australian Cinematographers Society...
as Bandy McAnsh - Teresa PalmerTeresa PalmerTeresa Palmer is an Australian actress. She made her film debut in the suicide drama 2:37. Palmer was seen in The Grudge 2 in 2006, in December Boys, alongside Daniel Radcliffe, and in the 2008 children's fantasy Bedtime Stories, with Adam Sandler...
as Lucy - Sullivan StapletonSullivan StapletonSullivan Stapleton is an Australian actor, who has appeared in many television series but is best known from his roles in Satisfaction and The Secret Life of Us.-Career:...
as Fearless - Victoria HillVictoria HillVictoria Hill is an Australian actress, writer and producer. She is the daughter of the Chancellor of the University of Adelaide Robert Hill and the Australian president of UNICEF, Diana Hill...
as Teresa - Kris McQuadeKris McQuadeKris McQuade is an Australian actress who has had many film, television and theatre roles.Her film credits include: The Love Letters from Teralba Road, Kostas, Fighting Back, Lonely Hearts, Goodbye Paradise, The Coca-Cola Kid, Strictly Ballroom, Billy's Holiday and December Boys.Television credits...
as Mrs. McAnsh - Ralph Cotterill as Shellback
- Frank Gallacher as Father Scully
Production
Freddie HighmoreFreddie Highmore
Alfred Thomas "Freddie" Highmore is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the films Finding Neverland, Five Children and It, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Arthur and the Invisibles, August Rush, The Golden Compass, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and Toast.-Early life:Highmore was...
was considered to play Maps but got replaced by Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor who rose to prominence playing the titular character in the Harry Potter film series....
because he could not leave the United Kingdom due to his sick grandmother.
Differences from the book
| Points of difference | Book | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Setting | East coast of Australia in the 1930s after the Great Depression in Australia Great Depression in Australia Australia suffered badly during the period of the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. As in other nations, Australia suffered years of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging incomes, and... and before the outbreak of World War II Military history of Australia during World War II Australia entered World War II shortly after the invasion of Poland, declaring war on Germany on 3 September 1939. By the end of the war, almost a million Australians had served in the armed forces, whose military units fought primarily in the European theatre, North African campaign, and... |
The film was shot on Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long... but was set on an unspecified part of the Australian mainland coast in the 1960s |
| Orphanage | called St Roderick's Saint Roderick Saint Roderick Saint Roderick Saint Roderick (Rudericus, (died March 13, 857 AD) is venerated as one of the Martyrs of Córdoba. Tradition states that he was a Christian priest of Cabra who had two brothers: one was a Muslim, the other had no religion. Once, after his brothers began to fight one... |
called St Gregory's |
| Characters: Orphans | There are five orphans in the book: Spark, Maps, Fido, Misty, and Choker (the narrator). None of the characters in the book smoke. The time frame sticks to the one period of the summer - that is the boys are not shown as adults.
|
There are four orphans: Maps, Sparks, Spit, Misty (often the story is told from Misty's point of view)
|
| Mr and Mrs McAnsh | The visit of the children was paid for by Lady Hodge who paid for their fares and food. The McAnsh are looking after the children and are partial to drink. Mrs McAnsh had worked as a bar maid. Mr McAnsh had been the late Sir Henry Hodge's groom in the first world war and later gardener for the Hodges. Mrs McAnsh retains her health throughout the book. | A retired Petty Officer Petty Officer A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed... and his wife. The McAnsh's are the sponsors of the holiday, paying for the children to come and looking after them. Mrs McAnsh falls ill. |
| Fearless and Teresa | Teresa runs the local shop. She is notable to the children for doing cartwheels and applying lotion to them to protect them from sunburn. Fearless is the head of a gang working on a city underground railway tunnel. On the weekends he is the beltman of the local lifesaving team. Fearless and Teresa do not offer to adopt any of the children. | Fearless works at the circus. Fearless and Teresa offer to adopt one of the children. |
| Socrates | is a grey horse who kills fish to feed a family of wild cats. | is dark brown; cats are not shown. Several reviewers found the inclusion in the film of the wild stallion as a less than successful overtly literary element. |
| Lucy | Lucy does not appear in the book nor do any of the events associated with her | A girl from Darwin Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities... with whom Maps has a relationship |
| Motorbike | Red Indian Indian (motorcycle) Indian is an American brand of motorcycles. Indian motorcycles were manufactured from 1901 to 1953 by a company in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, initially known as the Hendee Manufacturing Company but which was renamed the Indian Manufacturing Company in 1928. The Indian factory team took the... |
Triumph |
| Music | In the book a character, Fingers Galore, plays the piano - mainly classical works but also Rule, Britannia! Rule, Britannia! "Rule, Britannia!" is a British patriotic song, originating from the poem "Rule, Britannia" by James Thomson and set to music by Thomas Arne in 1740... and Painting the Clouds with Sunshine, a song from the 1929 film Gold Diggers of Broadway Gold Diggers of Broadway (film) Gold Diggers of Broadway is a 1929 Warner Bros. comedy/musical film which is historically important as the second two-strip Technicolor all-talking feature length movie . Gold Diggers of Broadway was also the third movie released by Warner Bros... . Also mentioned is another song from that film: Tiptoe Through the Tulips Tiptoe Through the Tulips "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" is a popular song originally published in 1929. The song was written by Al Dubin and Joe Burke .‘Crooning Troubadour’ Nick Lucas’ recording of "Tip-Toe Through The Tulips" hit the top of the charts in May 1929. The song he introduced in the 1929 musical talkie Gold... . |
The film features popular music from the 1960s and 70s including Who'll Stop the Rain Who'll Stop the Rain Who'll Stop The Rain is a 1978 psychological drama film released by United Artists. It was directed by Karel Reisz and produced by Herb Jaffe and Gabriel Katzka with Sheldon Schrager and Roger Spottiswoode as executive producers. The screenplay was by Judith Rascoe and Robert Stone from Stone's... and Have You Ever Seen the Rain? Have You Ever Seen the Rain? "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" is a song written by John Fogerty and released in 1970 on the album Pendulum by American roots rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song charted highest in Canada, reaching number one on the RPM 100 national album chart in March 1971. In the U.S., it peaked at... on the film's trailer. |
Critical reception
Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 42% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 67 reviews. Metacritic's score was 56/100 based on 21 reviews. In Australia several newspapers remarked that December Boys was a commercial bomb due to its relatively large distribution and advertisement versus its small box office return.