Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

Mabel Munoz Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

MartinHafer Sybylla Melvyn (Judy Davis) is a very odd woman who just doesn't fit in to the times in which she lives. The film is set in Australia around 1890 and Sybylla has all sorts of very modern feminist notions...which weren't exactly practical or expected back in the day. Unlike the average lady who was looking to snag a good husband, Sybylla wants to be independent...to write and see the world. But she isn't rich nor is she particularly attractive and her family urges her to accept the marriage offers she's received. She, on the other hand, doesn't mind telling these men 'no'. What's to become of Sybylla and her notions of life?This is a lovely film to look at with the lovely costumes and outdoor settings. However, it's also a bit slower paced and deliberate than many films...so you might want to consider this when you think about watching the movie. It also is quite melancholy and if you expect a nice, happy ending...you'll likely be disappointed. Still, I enjoyed the film and its message of a woman desperately wanting more out of life is striking to watch.

banshee-liam An overlooked masterpiece. Not only did Gillian Armstrong's direction serve the material superbly, but Judy Davis's Sybilla was one of the boldest film debuts I've ever seen. The gasps heard all over the theater when Sam Neill is first seen (from Sybilla's POV in the tree) also made an indelible impression.Perhaps most impressive is the screenplay, which greatly improves on what turned out to be a good novel so dated that it is all the more amazing that anyone ever thought to make it into a film. The musical score was also a delight.Most confusing to me is that it has taken so long for it to be released on home video. A major addition to any thinking film-goer's home library.

taknesbay I just bought the Australian DVD release of My Brilliant Career. All I can say it was worth every penny. I don't need to go into the specifics of the plot. There are plenty of comments listed on IMDb already. But the peformances, by then new and upcoming actors Judy Davis and Sam Neill, are beautifully timeless!! It's everything I'd hoped for and more. It just gets better with repeated viewings.Made on a shoestring budget by new director Gillian Armstrong, the commentary provided by her on the recently released Australian DVD in widescreen is a real treat to listen to! You'll chuckle at the stories she tells on how cast and crew achieved what you see on screen when little or no money was left in the budget. And you'll realize how lucky and fortunate Armstrong and producer Margaret Fink were at landing Judy Davis to play Sybylla.My Brilliant Career is currently out-of-print in the USA. Don't know why, but currently a DVD is out in Australia and the UK only. If only the Criterion Collection would select this film for a DVD release in the USA.....

jkesney My Brilliant Career offers viewers an obviously strong female main character - Judy Davis who is the proverbial radical with a cause. Her feminist stance is not well received in the early 1900's patriarchal society. Davis' character, Sybylla is quintessentially balanced by a debonair leading man, Sam Neill as Harry Beecham, who is up for her feminine challenge. The couple reflects a dance with daring, in what initially appears to be an amorous destiny. Sam's failure to recognize Sybylla's long-term determination ends in broken-hearted failure to their potential relationship. But what does all of this mean? How can we view this story in retrospect, and receive the value of current interpretation of feminism today? To begin considering these questions, the filmmaker takes a risk in begging the questions in the first place. In a more equitable society - similar to today - it takes far more that a gutsy, intelligent, determined woman to make a feminist mark. The lack of political, economic, and social ideologies, which support feminist thinking today is not apparent in this film. The social impact of the patriarchal society is heavily contrasted, but it does not necessarily reflect it's opposite. To view this story in retrospect, by assuming the culture of the day, and in light of this contrast, Sybylla is truly outstanding woman: physically, psychologically, and definitely mentally! Though her character is not representative of a archetypal feminist, but rather, one of a philosophical dreamer, with a very strong will and determination. If Sib's character is symbolic in some similar feminist manner, it may only be that she would eventually become a respected, foundational influence on other budding independent, female writers. And while Sib was challenged by other main characters, it is not clear that she actually changed their minds or values, and hence her impact was minimal at best. As an independent women, not feeling a need to be supported by a man, and in additional to her high determination, we might consider Sib a compatriot of Virginia Wolf - women who were coming into their own, but still very uncertain of the social and political climate of their day - not ours. While this movie is both charming and humorous, I definitely would have enjoyed seeing the outcome: an intelligent, strong headed woman succeeding in her writing, developing her sense of self - in conflict with her environment, and likely, the realization that a woman can have her Brilliant career and her man too!