The Eye of the Storm
The Eye of the Storm is a blow back to 1972 in the environs of Sydney Australia where dowager Elizabeth Hunter (Charlotte Rampling) is at death’s door in her rural mansion attended by two nurses and her Cabaret performing housekeeper. She anxiously awaits the arrival of her princess daughter Dorothy de Lascabanes (Judy Davis) from France and knighted actor son Basil Hunter (Geoffrey Rush) from England. They do show up but not exactly on time and not really out of love so much as due to a lack of funds - he being between acting gigs and she being royalty in name only. Through flashbacks we not only find out the irony of the movie’s title but also that Basil and Dorothy may have come by their mercenary affections honestly. Some of the cast fare better than others flashing through time – Rush and Davis not so much but Rampling is convincing as the current mother of Basil even though in real life she’s just five years Rush’s senior and again as long ago competitor for Col (Dustin Clare) one of Dorothy’s younger day suitors yet the Rampling and Davis are actually only nine years apart in age. The Eye of the Storm was partly responsible for author Patrick White winning a Nobel Prize. Although well done I’m not seeing a lot of awards upcoming for the movie.