DramaRomance

Oscar and Lucinda

- They dared to play the game of love, faith, and chance.

After a childhood of abuse by his evangelistic father, misfit Oscar Hopkins becomes an Anglican minister and develops a divine obsession with gambling. Lucinda Leplastrier is a rich Australian heiress shopping in London for materials for her newly acquired glass factory back home. Deciding to travel to Australia as a missionary, Oscar meets Lucinda aboard ship, and a mutual obsession blossoms. They make a wager that will alter each of their destinies.

Release Date : 1997-12-31

Language :FrenchEnglish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Fox Searchlight PicturesDalton FilmsAustralian Film Finance Corporation

Production Country : AustraliaUnited KingdomUnited States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Oscar Hopkins

Original Name : Ralph Fiennes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lucinda Leplastrier

Original Name : Cate Blanchett

Gender : Female

Character Name : Reverend Dennis Hasset

Original Name : Ciarán Hinds

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hugh Stratton

Original Name : Tom Wilkinson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Jeffries

Original Name : Richard Roxburgh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Tomasetti

Original Name : Christian Manon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Theophilus

Original Name : Clive Russell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wardley-Fish

Original Name : Barnaby Kay

Gender : Male

Character Name : Betty Stratton

Original Name : Linda Bassett

Gender : Female

Character Name : Narrator (voice)

Original Name : Geoffrey Rush

Gender : Male

Character Name : Elderly Parishoner

Original Name : Basil Clarke

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miss Shaddock

Original Name : Andrea Moor

Gender : Female

Character Name : Percy Smith

Original Name : Bille Brown

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miriam Chadwick

Original Name : Josephine Byrnes

Gender : Female

Character Name : Jimmy D'Abbs

Original Name : Barry Otto

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Lucinda

Original Name : Polly Cheshire

Gender : Male

Character Name : Elizabeth Leplastrier

Original Name : Gillian Jones

Gender : Female

Character Name : Abel Leplastrier

Original Name : Robert Menzies

Gender : Male

Character Name : Young Oscar

Original Name : Adam Hayes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Williams

Original Name : Matyelok Gibbs

Gender : Female

Character Name : Fanny Drabble

Original Name : Sonia Ritter

Gender : Female

Character Name : College Student

Original Name : Will Barton

Gender : Male

Character Name : College Student

Original Name : Jonathan Markwood

Gender : Male

Character Name : College Student

Original Name : Nicholas Tennant

Gender : Male

Character Name : George Loxwood

Original Name : Sam Newman

Gender : Male

Character Name : College Student

Original Name : Nicholas Fordham

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Ahearn

Original Name : Peter Whitford

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Ahearn

Original Name : Lynette Curran

Gender : Female

Character Name : Steamer Captain

Original Name : Ron Blanchard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Frazer

Original Name : Colin Taylor

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hotel Maid

Original Name : Michelle Doake

Gender : Female

Character Name : Society Gossip

Original Name : Karen Vickery

Gender : Male

Character Name : Society Gossip

Original Name : Elspeth MacTavish

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miss Malcolm

Original Name : Leverne McDonnell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Charley Fig

Original Name : Geoff Morrell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dog Pit Caller

Original Name : Douglas Hedge

Gender : Male

Character Name : Belgian Boy

Original Name : Tobias Saunders

Gender : Male

Character Name : Belgian Grandmother

Original Name : Marianne Borgo

Gender : Female

Character Name : Belgian Mother

Original Name : Vanessa Seydoux

Gender : Male

Character Name : Glassworks Foreman

Original Name : Leslie Dayman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miss Mary Hasset

Original Name : Lucy Bell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Publican's Wife

Original Name : Kim Hillas

Gender : Female

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2023-08-27

This is a wonderfully good looking film with two strong performances from Ralph Fiennes ("Hopkins") and Cate Blanchett ("Lucinda"). The former is a bit of a loner being raised by his rather puritanical Pentecostal father. He absconds into the care of Anglican "Stratton" (Tom Wilkinson) who arranges for him to obtain an university education. Thing is, this brightly red haired lad doesn't really fit in, and is soon far more focussed on his rather effective system of gambling. Meantime, the latter, an Australian, has inherited a substantial fortune and invested it in a glass making factory (glass still being a bit of a luxury in 1850s Australia). When the two meet on a boat they realise that their isolation from society at large (and their fondness for a turn at the cards) gives them plenty in common and their relationship burgeons. When the two come up with a fairly outrageous wager between them - that they can build a church entirely of glass and ship it up-country to the remote town inhabited by preacher "Hassett" (Ciarán Hinds) the adventure elements hot up a little. The problem for me here, is that though the film looks lovely - and plenty of attention to detail has been payed to the costumes and general aesthetic, the story is really pretty weak. It tries to tackle issues of lonesomeness, religious bigotry and of the somewhat un-emancipated role of women in both Britain and Australia at the time, but somehow the thing never quite catches fire. It is paced very gently, and there are just too many characters to try to keep track of - the focus meanders a little too much, and the ending didn't make too much sense to me. I did quite enjoy watching it, and Blanchett is on good form - but I don't know that I would bother again.