short takes (2)

Australia gave us "The Last Wave" and "My Brilliant Career," and now comes another winner called The Getting of Wisdom, directed by Bruce Beresford. As in many Australian films, the subject is youth. The heroine finds herself in Melbourne at a ritzy turn-of-the-century boarding school, where stuffiness and snobbishness practically suffocate her high spirits and budding musical talents. Splendidly acted and sparklingly filmed, it looks like another solid hit from Down Under.