Bliss (1985)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Ray Lawrence

Writers:

Peter Carey (novel)
Peter Carey (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 February 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

After Harry Joy dropped dead... his life was never the same again.

Plot:

An advertising executive dies and goes to hell... except nothing changes. Well, his daughter is buying drugs with sexual favours from her brother...

Plot Keywords:

Honeybee | Adultery | Surrealism | Paranoia | Crucifix

Awards:

3 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Barry Otto	...	Harry Joy
Lynette Curran	...	Bettina Joy
Helen Jones	...	Honey Barbara
Gia Carides	...	Lucy Joy
Miles Buchanan	...	David Joy
Jeff Truman	...	Joel
Tim Robertson	...	Alex Duval
Bryan Marshall	...	Adrian Clunes
Jon Ewing	...	Aldo
Kerry Walker	...	Alice Dalton
Paul Chubb	...	Reverend Des
Sarah De Teliga	...	Harry's Mother (as Sara De Teliga)
Saskia Post	...	Harry's Daughter (as Saski Post)
George Whaley	...	Vance
Robert Menzies	...	Damien

Runtime:

112 min | Australia:130 min (director's cut)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M (original rating) | Singapore:R21 | Finland:K-16 | New Zealand:R18 | UK:18 | Australia:MA (director's cut) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Iron Cove Bridge, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

New South Wales Film Corp.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in American Beauty (1999)

Give this one a chance.

Ray Lawrence, the director of "Bliss," and Paul Murphy, its cinematographer, were both first-time feature filmmakers when they made "Bliss." I believe the movie swept the Australian "Oscars" in '85, and in my humble opinion, deservedly so.

The tone is somewhat dark, the genre surrealist comedy, the performances deliciously eccentric, and the storytelling masterful. "Bliss" reminds me more of some of my favorite novels than it does any other films. Peter Carey's novel and adaptation have some of the feeling of John Irving's earlier works, but it's not derivative. The cinematography is gorgeous and understated. It has a surprisingly romantic core beneath a fairly jaded surface, which I think is a tough combination to pull off.

It isn't appropriate for kids (it has sophisticated, adult themes and, at moments, a very frank approach to sex) and it has an unexpectedly epic, languorous feel toward the end (so don't watch it when you're sleepy), but if you're serious about appreciating movies, you owe it to yourself to give this one a chance. Enjoy!