We acknowledge the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the Country on which the Art Gallery of New South Wales stands.

Film series: Straight-laced and scandalous 21 June – 10 September 2017

By Robert Herbert, curator, film (until June 2017)
An older woman in a dress stands next to a piano. A younger person in a hite dress sits on top of the piano. The piano is on the shoreline of a beach.

Still from The piano, 1993

Stories from the Victorian era

Stories from the Victorian era (1837–1901) have provided a remarkably rich resource for the cinema, and filmmakers have revisited this paradoxical era as fertile ground for contemporary storytelling. In many ways it can be seen as an optimistic period which witnessed the beginning of modern times: the Victorians promoted the middle class, developed a global vision, fostered legal justice and attempted to eradicate poverty and child-labour. Conversely, it can be seen a time of oppression and hypocrisy.

Victorian society was bound by inflexible rules and social inhibitions. These codes were especially harsh for women. With the institution of marriage often becoming a commercial transaction, most women were financially dependent on husbands and fathers and had few options professionally. Up until the outbreak of the First World War, the class system, with its subtle gradations, was maintained throughout the British Empire. The rise of the middle class saw a subsequent drive for material success. Victorians enjoyed economic progress – from a boom in manufacturing, to the first railways, to widespread urbanisation – but the price was poverty and exploitation for the working class and a physical landscape scarred by industry. Towards the end of the era the costs of Empire became increasingly apparent, and England was confronted with growing threats to its military and economic pre-eminence.

Encapsulating the fundamental paradoxes of Victorian life, the collection of feature films in Straight-laced and scandalous includes works by some of the most significant directors of the 20th century, including David Lean, Martin Scorsese, George Cukor, Mike Leigh and David Lynch. Screening at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from 21 June to 10 September 2017, in conjunction with the exhibition Victorian watercolours, the series reflects the morals, rituals, etiquette and political consciousness of late 19th-century society. Many of the stories are drawn from the literature of Charles Dickens, Henry James, Edith Wharton and Oscar Wilde; writers renowned for holding a mirror to society and the aristocracy while displaying a mastery of wit and paradoxical wisdom.

Films

  • 21, 25 June – Oliver Twist (director David Lean, UK, 1948, 35mm)

  • 28 June, 2 July – Great expectations (director David Lean, UK, 1946, 35mm)

  • 5, 9 July – The innocents (director Jack Clayton, UK, 1961, 35mm)

  • 12, 16 July – The elephant man (director David Lynch, US, 1980, 35mm)

  • 19, 23 July – Gaslight (director George Cukor, US, 1944, 35mm)

  • 26, 30 July – The picture of Dorian Gray (director Albert Lewin, US, 1945, 35mm)

  • 2, 6 August – The importance of being earnest (director Anthony Asquith, UK, 1952, 35mm)

  • 9, 13 August – Topsy-turvy (director Mike Leigh, UK, 1999, 35mm)

  • 16, 20 August – The age of innocence (director Martin Scorsese, US, 1993, 35mm)

  • 23, 27 August – The piano (director Jane Campion, Aotearoa, 1993, 35mm)

  • 30 August, 3 September – My brilliant career (director Gillian Armstrong, Australia, 1979, 35mm)

  • 6, 10 September – The secret garden (director Agnieszka Holland, US, 1993, 35mm)

A close-up of thorny branches silhouetted against a cloudy sky.

Still from Oliver Twist, 1948

A man holding a candle is gazing at a woman sitting in a chair. The woman does not return his gaze.

Still from Great expectations, 1946

A person with light skin and long hair looks to their side. Next to them are 3 lit candles.

Still from The innocents, 1961

A bald person with light skin scowls gently into the camera.

Still from The elephant man, 1980

A man grasps at the elbow of a woman. The woman has her back against the wall.

Still from Gaslight, 1944

Two people are looking at an open book of sheet music. Behind them is a clock.

Still from The picture of Dorian Gray, 1945

Two couples are embracing and standing next to a fireplace.

Still from The importance of a being earnest, 1952

A person with light skin, a beard and moustache in a bowler hat holds a paper fan to their face.

Still from Topsy-turvy, 1999

A man kisses the neck of a woman. Both are seated on an ornate sofa.

Still from The age of innocence, 1993

An older woman in a dress stands next to a piano. A younger person in a hite dress sits on top of the piano. The piano is on the shoreline of a beach.

Still from The piano, 1993

Two people gaze into each other's eyes. The person on the righ is smiling faintly.

Still from My brilliant career, 1979

Three children are striding across a gravel pathway. One child sits in a wheelchair. In the foreground are three geese.

Still from The secret garden, 1993