The Getting of Wisdom (1977)
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The suffocating repressiveness of the Victorian era is superbly realized by director Bruce Beresford in The Getting of Wisdom. Thirteen-year-old Laura (Susannah Fowle), an incorrigible free spirit from the Australian outback, is enrolled in a prestigious girl's boarding school. The indoctrination process is a rough one, and Laura very nearly loses her individuality and sense of self-worth. When she does mature, however, it is on her terms, and not the school's. Intriguingly, The Getting of Wisdom is based on the reminiscences of a 19th-century female writer who used the pen name of Henry Handel Richardson. Despite its somber dramatic overtones, the film contains moments of uninhibited humor, a trademark of director Beresford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Complete Cast:
- Susannah Fowle - Laura
- John Waters - Rev. Shepherd
- Patricia Kennedy - Miss Chapman
- Dorothy Bradley - Miss Hicks
- Max Fairchild - Mr. O'Donnell
- Diana Greentree - Maisie Shepherd
- Candy Raymond - Miss Zielinski
- Celia Deburgh
- Amanda Ring
- Kerry Armstrong
- Hilary Ryan - Evelyn
- Kim Deacon - Lilith
- Janet Shaw
- Maggie Kirkpatrick - Sarah, Mrs. Rambotham's companion
- Barry Humphries - Rev. Strachey
- Sheila Helpmann - Mrs. Gurley
- Julia Blake - Isabella Shepherd
- Kay Eklund - Mrs. Rambotham
- Jan Friedl - Miss Snodgrass
- Monica Maughan - Miss Day
- Terence Donovan - Tom Macnamara
- Jo-Anne Moore
- Karen Sutton
- Alix Longman
- Sigrid Thornton - Maria
- Richard Butler
- Gerda Nicolson
- Stephanie Blake
- Director(s):
- Bruce Beresford
- Writer(s):
- Moya Iceton, Eleanor Witcombe
- Producer(s):
- Phil Adams
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