Man of Flowers

Man of Flowers is a 1983 Australian film about an eccentric, reclusive, middle-aged man, Charles Bremer, who enjoys the beauty of art, flowers, music and watching pretty women undress. Werner Herzog has a cameo role as Bremer's father. The film was directed by Paul Cox and was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.[2]

Man of Flowers
Directed byPaul Cox
Produced byJane Ballantyne
Written byPaul Cox
Bob Ellis
StarringNorman Kaye
Alyson Best
Chris Haywood
Sarah Walker
CinematographyYuri Sokol
Edited byTim Lewis
Distributed byInternational Spectrafilm
Palace Academy Home Video
Roadshow Entertainment
Release date
1983
Running time
91 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetA$240,000[1]
Box office$396,041 (Australia)

Plot

Charles Bremer (Norman Kaye) is a wealthy, reclusive man. He finds erotic satisfaction in the beauty of art, flowers, and a young woman (Alyson Best), who undresses for him. During the undressings he listens to operatic music such as Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.[3] Throughout the film, he reads letters he has sent to his mother. His mother had long since died, and the letters, it is later revealed, are addressed to himself.

Cast
Actor Role
Norman KayeCharles Bremer
Alyson BestLisa
Chris HaywoodDavid
Sarah WalkerJane
Julia BlakeArt Teacher
Bob EllisPsychiatrist
Barry DickinsPostman
Patrick CookCoppershop Man
Victoria EaggerAngela
Werner HerzogThe Father
Hilary KellyMother
James StratfordYoung Charles
Eileen JoyceAunt
Marianne BaillieuAunt
Lirit BiluFlorist
Juliet BacskaiFlorist
Dawn KlingbergCleaning lady
Tony Llewellyn-JonesChurch warden

Production

The idea for the film came out of a discussion between Paul Cox and Chris Haywood where they decided to make a low budget erotic film, along with Haywood's then-girlfriend Alyson Best. Bob Ellis was brought on to work on the script. (Ellis says he spent nine hours on it because Cox didn't want to spend any more time.[4]) The movie was shot over three weeks.[1]

Reception

The film was an art house hit around the world. It grossed $396,041 at the box office in Australia,[5] which is equivalent to $1,045,548 in 2009 dollars.

Awards
Result Award Recipients(s)
Winner Australian Film Institute - Best Actor in Lead Role Norman Kaye
Winner Valladolid International Film Festival - Golden Spike Award Paul Cox
Nominated Australian Film Institute - Best Achievement in Cinematography Yuri Sokol
Nominated Australian Film Institute - Best Director Paul Cox
Nominated Australian Film Institute - Best Film Jane Ballantyne
Nominated Australian Film Institute - Best Original Screenplay Paul Cox, Bob Ellis
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See also

References
  1. David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p124-125
  2. "Festival de Cannes: Man of Flowers". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
  3. https://www.youtube.com/embed/H9GW8lAP4lI
  4. Interview with Bob Ellis, 13 August 1996 accessed 14 October 2012
  5. "Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
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