Actors who want to direct are a dime a dozen here in Hollywood. But, those who actually find a project, get behind it and do everything they can to see it through to release, well that is just rarer than you would think. Russell Crowe had to find the right film to make his directorial debut and he found it with The Water Diviner, which is out now on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download.
The Water Diviner is the story of fathers and sons and the lengths to which a paternal soul will go to ensure his children are at peace.
Crowe is an Australian outback farmer, Joshua Connor. He has raised three sons to believe in Queen and country and even though Australia has just earned its independence, it still owes quite a lot of allegiance to the motherland (Great Britain).
World War I has started in Europe and without flinching his three boys volunteer and head off to fight in the first real battle of that war, the notoriously bloody Gallipoli. When word reaches Australia that all three sons have perished, the tragedy hits Joshua’s wife especially hard and as he buries her, he promises to travel to Turkey and bring their sons home.
A majority of The Water Diviner takes place in and around the battlefields of Gallipoli and although this is primarily a story of fathers and sons, it also drifts into political realms with its post-war complications of Turkish-Greek-British relations. Caught in the middle of it all is Connor, who could care less about the strife that the three countries are embroiled in… he just wants to travel to the battlefields of Gallipoli and find his sons.
It is never quite explained how Connor’s gift for finding water in the baron wastelands of Australia translates to his ability for finding the remains of his sons. But, audiences are expected to simply look past that. The other aspect of The Water Diviner that is interesting is that the Greeks are portrayed to be our villains and for those who know the history of the time and the region know, that is not exactly accurate. It is far too complicated and perhaps Crowe simply wanted to not delve too deep into that aspect of the history.
Audiences can judge whether he glossed over material, insinuated truths where there were none, or simply wanted to tell the tale he told.
The Water Diviner is a pretty solid directorial debut for Crowe. Clearly, as a father, the subject matter spoke to him and we know as an Australian, the first battle of World War I is an emotional powder keg in their history. It is far from a perfect film and in fact has many faults, but it is entertaining on an emotional level and beautiful shot.
When it comes to extras, there are only two. The Making of The Water Diviner is actually almost more compelling than the film itself. Watching Crowe as a first time helmer is a fascinating study in an artist who has learned from some of the best directors of our time over his acting career (Ron Howard, Ridley Scott). How he infuses what he took away from them and forged his own style is an interesting facet of The Water Diviner DVD and Blu-Ray.
What Crowe chose to shot was not easy either. The battle scenes would humble a director with more experience than the Oscar winning actor. Having a front row seat to him telling this story with The Making of The Water Diviner is a true treat.
As we stated previously, the Gallipoli battle is one that profoundly and emotionally resonates in Australian history and the bonus feature The Battle of Gallipoli shows that the years have done nothing to soften that blow. The country lost a lot and this documentary short does an impeccable job at capturing the sacrifice and the profound effect that battle had on shaping Australia’s soul.
Grades:
The Water Diviner Movie: B-
The Water Diviner Bonus Features: A-