The Widower is a 2004 Australian film based on the poetry of Les Murray and directed by Kevin Lucas. It has no dialogue, instead using operatic-style music in it place. Lyndon Terracini wrote the screenplay and performed the vocals with Slava Grigoryan on guitar. The score was composed by Elena Kats-Chernin. When the film first opened many of the screenings were accompanied by live music.
Plot
A woodcutter mourns his dead wife.
Cast
Chris Haywood as Neville
Frances Rings as Mary
Matt Dyall as Blake
Blake Pittman as Young Blake
Djakapurra Munyarryun
Jay Bailey
Tony Barry
Ben Harkin
Reception
The Age's John Slavin writes "I don't think it has made up its mind whether it is a poetic elegy for bush life or a character study of the bushman. Haywood's superb performance emphasises the second approach.". The Herald Sun gave it 2 stars finishing "Director Kevin Lucas often settles for a far-too-literal interpretation of his source, which only invites the unwelcome (but not totally unwarranted) accusation that this isn't much more than a pretentiously highbrow music video." Paul Lepetit of the Daily Telegraph gave it 3 stars saying "Almost contemplative at times, The Widower exercises a mesmerising effect upon its audience; for the most part, it is a delicate combination of high art and fine cinema." Reviewing in the Australian Evan Williams gives it 3 1/2 stars stating "The film as a whole, however -- fragmentary, impressionistic, essentially plotless -- never quite lives up to its high ambitions."