The Drover's Wife is a classic short story by Australian writer Henry Lawson, first published in 1892 in The Bulletin magazine. Since then, various versions of the story (exploring different aspects) have been written by other writers, also widely adapted in different media from painting to stage and film.
The original story is about a woman with four children living in a small hut in the Australian outback while her husband is away droving (herding livestock). One evening a snake crawls under the house; the woman, worried for the safety of her children, waits for the snake to come out. The snake ultimately emerges at dawn and is killed by the woman. The story highlights a mother's day-to-day struggle and her love and commitment to her children.
In this version of "The Drover's Wife," directed by Leah Purcell (also playing the lead), the snake is metaphorical - misogyny (particularly domestic violence) and racism (against aborigines). Interesting idea, but it didn't work. The screenplay is weak, the characters are poorly developed, terrible editing and everything else is unremarkable except Leah Purcell's portrayal of the woman (Molly Johnson); she did a fine job.
The original story is about a woman with four children living in a small hut in the Australian outback while her husband is away droving (herding livestock). One evening a snake crawls under the house; the woman, worried for the safety of her children, waits for the snake to come out. The snake ultimately emerges at dawn and is killed by the woman. The story highlights a mother's day-to-day struggle and her love and commitment to her children.
In this version of "The Drover's Wife," directed by Leah Purcell (also playing the lead), the snake is metaphorical - misogyny (particularly domestic violence) and racism (against aborigines). Interesting idea, but it didn't work. The screenplay is weak, the characters are poorly developed, terrible editing and everything else is unremarkable except Leah Purcell's portrayal of the woman (Molly Johnson); she did a fine job.