High Tide (1987 film)
Encyclopedia
High Tide is a 1987 Australia
n film, from a script by Laura Jones, about the mother-daughter bond, directed by Gillian Armstrong
. Lili (Judy Davis
), is a back-up singer for an Elvis Presley
imitator and living on the edge of show business. She gets stranded in a small, coastal town and befriends a teenage girl, Ally (Claudia Karvan
), without knowing she is the daughter Lili left as an infant, after her husband suddenly died.
Armstrong reported that when she began work on High Tide she pinned a note above her desk: "Blood ties. Water. Running Away."
, (Sybylla in My Brilliant Career
, and Adela Quested in A Passage to India
) plays Lilli, one of three backing singers for a touring Elvis impersonator. She is fired, and she's left alone at the beginning of winter in a ramshackle beach town on the windswept coast of New South Wales
. This remote, working class, tourist-town Australia has a pervasive sense of rootlessness and movement. The people survive by changing their occupations with the seasons and work hard in small businesses. Here , stuck in the Mermaid Caravan Park, she encounters her teenage daughter Ally (Claudia Karvan
). When Lilli's young surfer husband had died, she felt lost; she gave up her baby to her mother-in-law Bet (Jan Adele
in her film debut). Lilli has been drifting ever since, and getting wasted. Bet is a rowdy, belligerent woman, and she's devoted to Ally - she has taken care of her for thirteen years but she has no idea how unhappy the girl is. Lilli has an immediate rapport with the lonely Ally even before she knows that Ally is her daughter, and after she knows, she can't take her eyes off her. They belong with each other. But Lilli's terrified of taking on the responsibilities of motherhood, and Bet tells her she's riff-raff. When we first see Ally she is in the water; surfing is - "her refuge from the noisy junkiness of life with Bet. Bet isn't a monster, she's simply the wrong person to be raising the pensive Ally, whose emotions are hidden away, like her mother's. The drama is in our feeling that Lilli must not leave her daughter in the embrace of this raucous old trouper."
(Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress x 2, Best Sound) and won in the Best Actress in a Lead Role (Judy Davis) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Jan Adele) categories. In 1989 Judy Davis won the NSFC Best Actress award for her role.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n film, from a script by Laura Jones, about the mother-daughter bond, directed by Gillian Armstrong
Gillian Armstrong
Gillian May Armstrong is an award-winning Australian director of feature films and documentaries.- Career :Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Gillian Armstrong grew up in the eastern suburb of Mitcham. She graduated from Swinburne Technical College in 1968 where she studied theatrical costume design and...
. Lili (Judy Davis
Judy Davis
Judy Davis is an Australian actress best known for her roles in Husbands and Wives, Barton Fink, A Passage to India and in the TV miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows....
), is a back-up singer for an Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
imitator and living on the edge of show business. She gets stranded in a small, coastal town and befriends a teenage girl, Ally (Claudia Karvan
Claudia Karvan
Claudia Karvan is an Australian actress popular for her roles in the television series The Secret Life of Us and Love My Way. She is also a producer and writer on Love My Way. She currently stars in the drama series Spirited...
), without knowing she is the daughter Lili left as an infant, after her husband suddenly died.
Armstrong reported that when she began work on High Tide she pinned a note above her desk: "Blood ties. Water. Running Away."
Synopsis
Two-time Academy Award nominee Judy DavisJudy Davis
Judy Davis is an Australian actress best known for her roles in Husbands and Wives, Barton Fink, A Passage to India and in the TV miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows....
, (Sybylla in My Brilliant Career
My Brilliant Career (film)
My Brilliant Career is a 1979 Australian drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong and based on the book of the same name by Miles Franklin....
, and Adela Quested in A Passage to India
A Passage to India (film)
A Passage to India is a 1984 drama film written and directed by David Lean. The screenplay is based on the 1924 novel of the same title by E. M. Forster and the 1960 play by Santha Rama Rau that was inspired by the novel....
) plays Lilli, one of three backing singers for a touring Elvis impersonator. She is fired, and she's left alone at the beginning of winter in a ramshackle beach town on the windswept coast of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. This remote, working class, tourist-town Australia has a pervasive sense of rootlessness and movement. The people survive by changing their occupations with the seasons and work hard in small businesses. Here , stuck in the Mermaid Caravan Park, she encounters her teenage daughter Ally (Claudia Karvan
Claudia Karvan
Claudia Karvan is an Australian actress popular for her roles in the television series The Secret Life of Us and Love My Way. She is also a producer and writer on Love My Way. She currently stars in the drama series Spirited...
). When Lilli's young surfer husband had died, she felt lost; she gave up her baby to her mother-in-law Bet (Jan Adele
Jan Adele
Jan Adele was a circus, vaudeville, theatre, film and television entertainer and actor best known for her recurring role of Trixie O'Toole in the 1970s television soap opera Number 96....
in her film debut). Lilli has been drifting ever since, and getting wasted. Bet is a rowdy, belligerent woman, and she's devoted to Ally - she has taken care of her for thirteen years but she has no idea how unhappy the girl is. Lilli has an immediate rapport with the lonely Ally even before she knows that Ally is her daughter, and after she knows, she can't take her eyes off her. They belong with each other. But Lilli's terrified of taking on the responsibilities of motherhood, and Bet tells her she's riff-raff. When we first see Ally she is in the water; surfing is - "her refuge from the noisy junkiness of life with Bet. Bet isn't a monster, she's simply the wrong person to be raising the pensive Ally, whose emotions are hidden away, like her mother's. The drama is in our feeling that Lilli must not leave her daughter in the embrace of this raucous old trouper."
Awards
In 1987 the film was nominated for 7 AFI AwardsAustralian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award, known as the AACTA Award , is an accolade presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts . The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors,...
(Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress x 2, Best Sound) and won in the Best Actress in a Lead Role (Judy Davis) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Jan Adele) categories. In 1989 Judy Davis won the NSFC Best Actress award for her role.
Cast
- Judy DavisJudy DavisJudy Davis is an Australian actress best known for her roles in Husbands and Wives, Barton Fink, A Passage to India and in the TV miniseries Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows....
as Lillie - Jan AdeleJan AdeleJan Adele was a circus, vaudeville, theatre, film and television entertainer and actor best known for her recurring role of Trixie O'Toole in the 1970s television soap opera Number 96....
as Bet - Claudia KarvanClaudia KarvanClaudia Karvan is an Australian actress popular for her roles in the television series The Secret Life of Us and Love My Way. She is also a producer and writer on Love My Way. She currently stars in the drama series Spirited...
as Ally - Frankie J. Holden as Lester
- John ClaytonJohn Clayton (actor)John Clayton was an Australian actor.He was best known for his television work, with credits including: Division 4, Rush, The Outsiders, Chopper Squad, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, E Street, Police Rescue, Blue Heelers, Water Rats, Wildside, Farscape, Grass Roots and All...
as Col - Colin FrielsColin Friels-Background and training:Friels was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland. His mother was a mill worker and his father a joiner. He lived in Kilbirnie until 1963, when his family moved to Australia, arriving in Darwin, Northern Territory before settling in the Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows...
as Mick - Toni ScanlanToni ScanlanToni Scanlan is an Australian actress best known for her role in the Australian television police drama Water Rats as Helen Blakemore. She is one of the only three actors to appear in the series from when it started to when it ended....
as Mary - Monica TrapagaMonica TrapagaMonica Trapaga is an Australian entertainment presenter, jazz singer and actress, best known for her work on the Australian series Play School. Trapaga appeared on Better Homes and Gardens from 1997-2003 in segments related to decorating. She worked as a presenter on the children's television...
as Tracey - Barry Rugless as Club manager
- Bob Purtell as Joe
Box Office
High Tide grossed $206,185 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $414,432 in 2009 dollars.External links
- High Tide at the NFSA