Russell Crowe has been promoting his new film The Water Diviner
in Australia. Recently Russell has come out and said that the film is suitable
for children. In an article by new.com.au titled “War film suitable for kids”
Russell Crowe discusses how children should not be ‘spared the brutal truths of
war’. As a parent he has allowed his children Tennyson and Charlie aged around
8 and 10 years old to see the film and attend the world premiere in Sydney tonight.
In Australia children learn about the ANZAC tradition from a very early age. Most schools in Australia are involved in some form of ANZAC
service around April 25 to remember the sacrifice made by Australian soldiers
and others in all wars. Thousands of families and their children attend
services on April 25 including Russell Crowe and his children. Australia at
war, Gallipoli, the ANZAC traditions and the sacrifices the soldiers and others
have made in all wars is embedded into the Australian Curriculum and taught to
children in primary and high school in a way that is appropriate to their age
and development. There are lots of resources about Gallipoli produced to help parents and teachers to help children learn about conflicts and wars like this one.
As a parent it is Russell Crowe’s right (in consultation
with their mother Danielle) to choose what television and movie content is
appropriate for their children. However, Russell Crowe did not mention the
Australian film classification board have chosen to label the film M for mature
audiences. The M for mature audiences is one of three unrestricted classifications.
The other two are G for general admission and PG for parental guidance needed.
The Australian film classification board states about M film
classification “Films and computer games
classified M (for mature) contain content of
moderate impact and are recommended for children 15 years and over…children
15 years and under can legally access this material because it is an advisory
category. However, M classification films and computer games may include
moderate impact that is not recommended for children under 15 years. Parents
and guardians need to find out more about the film’s specific content, before
deciding whether the material is suitable for their child .”
And therefore the decision as to whether children should see this film should be ultimately left up to parents.
And therefore the decision as to whether children should see this film should be ultimately left up to parents.
(from panmacmillian.com.au No copyright infringement intended)
“War film suitable for kids” Crowe at news.com.au published on 2
December 2014.
CHILDREN should not be spared from the brutal
truths of war, according to Russell Crowe, who is taking his two young sons to
the world premiere of his directorial debut in Sydney on Tuesday night.
The Water Diviner which tells the story of a
father (Crowe) who
travels to Gallipoli after the war to properly bury his three sons, includes a
number of graphic battlefield flashbacks.
“It’s definitely a film that you take your kids
to,” said Crowe who won a Best Actor for his role in Gladitor, on Monday.
“Yeah, it’s heavy. Grief is going to be emotionally
heavy. But sex wise there is no nudity and there is no swearing.
“So you have got the space within that to allow
them to learn something a little bit.”
Crowe’s youngest son, eight-year-old Tennyson, has
already had a private viewing of the film, which stars former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, Jai
Courtney(Terminator: Genisys), Ryan
Corr, Jacqueline
McKenzie and Turkish actor Yılmaz Erdoğan, all of whom are scheduled to
attend Tuesday night’s State Theatre premiere.
“You might think it’s a tough lesson but he had a
very romantic view point about war,’’ says Crowe, who describes The Water Diviner as “unashamedly
anti-war”.
On Tuesday night, Tennyson will see the film again,
this time accompanied by brother Charles, who has only seen excerpts.
“So often, we romanticise what things mean. We take
big words like sacrifice and we have no real detail,’’ says Crowe.
“There’s a moment in the film where the two
brothers are lying in the battlefield. The camera descends down to where they
are and you can hear hundreds of voices in that no man’s land between the two
trenches calling out for their mother, for water, for God.
“That’s the reality.”
After screening the film in Melbourne on Wednesday
night in another red-carpet premiere, Crowe and Kurylenko, who plays a Turkish
widow, and Erdogan will travel to Turkey to introduce the film there.
On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the battle
of Gallipoli, Crowe felt it was important to canvas both sides of the story.
“To me the level of respect the Turkish have shown
us far outweighs what we have reciprocated with,’’ he said.
“Our boys still lie in their soil, in marked
graves, in an area that they have decided is a national park.”
For Crowe,
it’s important to redress the imbalance, even in small ways.
“Small things can have great resonance. We should
be teaching our children that when we say Gallipoli, the Turks say Canakkale,
for instance.
“Those two words should be completely connected.
It’s not a big thing but but it’s the beginning of a reciprocation
of respect.”
