Australia Page #5

Synopsis: In northern Australia at the beginning of World War II, an English aristocrat inherits a cattle station the size of Maryland. When English cattle barons plot to take her land, she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn stock-man to drive 2,000 head of cattle across hundreds of miles of the country's most unforgiving land, only to still face the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by the Japanese forces that had attacked Pearl Harbor only months earlier.
Director(s): Baz Luhrmann
Production: 20th Century Fox
  Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 35 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.6
Metacritic:
53
Rotten Tomatoes:
55%
PG-13
Year:
2008
165 min
$49,420,849
Website
4,701 Views


- Yes. [Chuckles]

Well, listen up. [Clicks Tongue]

I'm only gonna say this once.

I run the show.

Everybody does exactly...

as she's told.

- Understood?

- Understood.

No matter your experience

or your age, you pull your weight.

Yes, boss.

And above all,

the Drover's law: no grog.

- [Horse Blusters]

- Now...

if there's a rush and the cattle

are stampeding towards you...

it's not much good prancing

and dancing about on your show pony.

There's only one thing cattle fear

more than a man on a horse...

and that's a man standing

on his own two feet...

staring 'em right between the eyes.

Now, you sure you mob

are still up for it?

Mm-hmm.

You can count on us.

Oh, crikey.

Well, we're what we are.

Gotta get to Darwin

before the ship sails.

Let's get cracking.

[Aboriginal Language]

The rest of you jokers follow me.

- Hyah!

- Hyah!

[Drover] I'll get the gate.

Stay back. Don't let 'em scatter.

[Braying]

There, mate. Push 'em over.

Don't let 'em go down there.

- That's it.

- Get 'em up!

- Whoo!

- Hyah!

Get up there!

[Chanting In Aboriginal Language]

[Nullah Narrating]

So we start cracking them whips...

and driving them cheeky bulls

all the way across the land...

to that place they call'em Darwin.

All right.

We'll push 'em straight across here.

Ho!

Very good. Keep 'em movin'.

Nice and steady.

- [Lowing]

- [Drover] Go on!

- Go on!

- Hyah!

[Drover]

Keep 'em moving.

Giddyup! Giddap!

## [Film:
Instrumental

Newsreel Theme]

[Man Announcing] While the war rages on

in Europe, the Japanese are on the march.

There are reports of an alliance

between the warmongers...

of Germany, Italy and Japan...

which threatens to expand World War II

to the shores of Australia.

This is a war of the air,

but on the ground...

the War Office will announce

who has won the army's contract...

to supply good Aussie beef to the troops.

[Carney] Couple of days

won't make any difference, Captain.

Might as well sign

the contract now, eh?

I wouldn't be too sure of that,

Mr. Carney.

Air force chaps just spotted a big mob of cattle,

1,500 head, crossing the Marmont River.

Marmont River?

That's Faraway Downs.

Are you, uh, running cattle

out of Faraway Downs, Mr. Fletcher?

Uh, no, no.

I don't work there anymore.

Well, I suppose Lady Ashley's droving

the cattle herself. [Chuckles]

- [Laughs]

- Someone must be helping her.

That's right, Neil.

Someone must be helping her.

[Cattle Lowing]

[Nullah Narrating]

When Mrs. Boss first come to this land...

she look but she not see.

Now she got her eyes open

for the first time.

Some places got spirits.

White fellas don't know.

Some places no good to go.

You gonna sing'em

them cattle tonight?

No, Nullah. Not me.

I'm the orchestra.

That's why I always carry this-

the famous J. Albert & Son

boomerang harmonica.

Can you play that rainbow song?

Well, I've got the latest 100 songs

of the hit parade here.

## [Harmonica:
"Over The Rainbow"]

[Nullah]

I like that rainbow song.

It's all about the dreaming.

Gulapa not teach me that yet.

Who's gulapa?

[Whispers]

He's my grandfather, King George.

King George... is your grandfather?

He teach me sing a fish song.

He teach me sing down fear.

Fear, evil spirit, wild beast.

Gulapa teach me plenty songs.

[Whispers] Gulapa teach me

that day down the billabong.

- [Cattle Lowing]

- [Chanting In Aboriginal Language]

[Aboriginal Language]

- [Exhales]

- Mr. Drover, what is that chanting?

Goolaj and Magarri singing the cattle.

Just keeps them calm at night.

We do it in shifts. Those boys will

finish up in a couple hours. So, Bandy-

- Yeah?

- You show Mrs. Boss...

- how it's done, all right?

- Right.

Sing Song, you and me are gonna

serenade 'em till 3:00, and, uh...

the safest shift is predawn, so that's

the boy soprano and his orchestra.

- All right? You're on till the sun comes up.

- Yes, boss.

All right.

Everybody get some shut-eye.

Uh, Mr. Drover...

I really don't think it's appropriate

to work a child of Nullah's age like that.

Now, I am more than willing

to take his shift.

- But, Mrs. Boss, I plenty old enough.

- No.

- I'm talking now, hmm? Manners.

- [Drover] Oi, oi, oi. Steady on.

I'm talking.

Look. Just relax, will ya?

The boy's gotta pull his weight

like everyone else.

When I was his age,

I was manning outstations.

- Not everybody's you, Mr. Drover.

- That's right.

Not everyone's me. I'm the boss.

You're on the 3:
00 shift. All right?

Yes, boss.

- Night, boss.

- 3:
00 a. m?

- Relax, lady. He'll be fine. Good night.

- Night, Mrs. Boss.

Oh. Good night.

Good night, Sing Song.

You're on the 12:00 shift.

I suggest you get some sleep.

[Nullah] Night, Bandy.

- Night, Nullah.

- [Nullah] Good night, Flynn.

[Flynn]

Night, Nullah.

[Nullah]

Night-night, Jedda.

[Chanting]

## [Harmonica:
Single Notes]

Lord Ashley was killed

by a glass-tipped spear.

Are you sure?

[Whispers]

You and me secret.

[Cattle Mooing]

- [Whinnies]

- [Mooing]

Rush! Rush!

They're heading towards the cliff face!

A stampede! Where's Nullah?

Get on your horse

and stay with Goolaj.

Come on. Split up and circle the herd

before they go over the edge!

Sing Song, pack the camp.

Get the hell out of there!

[Drover]

Head them off!

Don't let them split!

Get in the front!

Hyah! Hyah!

[Flynn] Good boy! Come on!

Pull them round! Pull them round!

[Mooing]

Nullah!

You're too close to the edge!

[Flynn]

Courage, my boy! Courage!

Well done, my boy!

[Mooing]

Nullah!

We have to turn the herd!

Hyah!

Hey, hey!

Never fear, Flynn is here!

[Laughing]

- Yeah, Flynn!

- Hyah!

[Whinnies]

Flynn!

Flynn!

Nullah, run!

- [Chanting]

- ## [Singing]

Nullah!

- ## [Singing Continues]

- [Chanting Continues]

- [Whimpers Softly]

- [Snorting]

[Cries Quietly]

Nullah!

[Drover]

Nullah!

Oh! Oh.

Oh.

It's all right. You're safe.

I've got you.

You're safe.

You're safe with me.

I'll stay with you.

Hey.

How's the little fella?

- Oh, he's fine. He's fine.

- Yeah.

I have a feeling I might not be able

to complete the next lesson.

Right, old mate.

I'm gonna get you some water, huh?

Water's the last thing I want

at this moment in my life.

Under the wagon-

a bottle of Poor Fella.

I'm sorry, Drover. Just in case.

Of course, mate. Of course.

If you'd all share a drop.

It would be a terrible shame

to waste it.

[Groans]

The spear- Nullah told me.

A glass-tipped spear.

Tell milady I'm sorry.

I was a coward.

We lost just about everything,

except for a few swags and tins of beef.

And this.

I can't believe I was so insistent

upon bringing these...

silly things.

It was Fletcher who did this,

wasn't it?

The last thing Flynn told me

before he died was that-

that your husband was killed by a-

by a glass-tipped spear...

like the ornamental ones

in the homestead.

Glass-tipped is a Kimberley spear.

King George is from Arnhem.

Fletcher was trying to make it

look like King George.

Rate this script:3.5 / 2 votes

Stuart Beattie

Stuart Beattie (born 1972) is an Australian screenwriter and film director. His screenplay for Collateral (2004) earned him nominations for the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay, Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay and Saturn Award for Best Writing. Beattie attended Knox Grammar School, in Sydney, New South Wales, where his mother, Sandra, was a languages teacher; and later Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "Australia" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/australia_3284>.

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