The Films of Peter Weir

by Don Shiach

Paperback

Published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Christopher Dove · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes a detailed and critical look at the films of Peter Weir in an attempt to answer the question whether or not Weir is a true cinema auteur. To do this it analyses each of Weir's films in turn and looks for common themes and approaches. The book was published in 1993, so only goes up to 'Green Card', which was released in 1991. So there is no mention here of 'The Truman Show' and my personal favourite, 'Master and Commander. The Far Side of the World.' I did do a course on film studies many years ago at the British Film Institute and it is probably the first time since then that I have read a book that goes into such detail analysing various components and aspects of films, many of which were made for popular consumption, rather than works of art. It is a while since any film book I've read has mentioned mise-en-scene and auteur quite as much. Indeed, I think the author has probably overanalysed Weir's Hollywood output. I am not sure I care particularly whether Weir is an auteur or not. I know he makes very good films which are usually worth watching. 'Master in Commander', in particular, is one of the finest war films ever made.