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Screen cap from promotional trailer
form y separately published work icon Muriel's Wedding single work   film/TV   humour   satire  
Issue Details: First known date: 1994... 1994 Muriel's Wedding
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Muriel is a shy young woman living in the seaside resort of Porpoise Spit, a suburban wonderland of shopping malls, marine parks, and holiday homes. The excessive expectations of her 'friends' and family cause her to take refuge in a dreamworld of ABBA songs. She also dreams of a Prince Charming who will rescue her from her dull and boring life. Then one day, she steals some money and goes on a tropical vacation where she meets a wacky friend, changes her name to Mariel, and turns her entire world upside down.

Adaptations

y separately published work icon Muriel's Wedding Amanda Midlam , Ringwood : Penguin , 1994 Z486821 1994 single work novel humour satire
Muriel's Wedding : The Musical P. J. Hogan , Kate Miller-Heidke (composer), Keir Nuttall (composer), 2017 single work musical theatre

'Muriel Heslop is back! In this highly-anticipated world premiere, the iconic Australian film is set to become an equally iconic laugh-out-loud musical.

'Stuck in a dead-end life in Porpoise Spit, Muriel dreams of the perfect wedding – the white dress, the church, the attention. Unfortunately, there’s one thing missing. A groom. Following her dreams to Sydney, Muriel ends up with everything she ever wanted – a man, a fortune and a million Twitter followers. That’s when things start to go really wrong.

'The film’s original writer-director PJ Hogan has updated his screenplay into a dazzling new stage show, bringing the story into the present but keeping all the irreverence and naughtiness of the film along with its dark edge.' (Production summary)

Notes

  • Study guide, braille, and sound recordings have also been published.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 1994
Form: screenplay
    • Paddington, Kings Cross area, Inner Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales,: Currency Press , 1995 .
      Extent: 80p.p.
      Description: illus. , ports., [2] p. of plates.
      Reprinted: 2001
      Note/s:
      ISBN: 0868194298
    • London,
      c
      England,
      c
      c
      United Kingdom (UK),
      c
      Western Europe, Europe,
      :
      Fourth Estate ,
      1995 .
      Extent: viii, 131p.p.
      Description: illus., ports
      ISBN: 1857023676 (pbk)
    • Richmond, East Melbourne - Richmond area, Melbourne, Victoria,: House and Moorhouse Films , ca. 1995 .
      Extent: 118 leavesp.
      Description: Photographic reproduction of script
      Note/s:
      • Print on demand.
      • Revised draft of script (29 April 1992).

Works about this Work

Shoestring Budgets and Disaffected Youth : Why Australian Film Is Ripe for a Mumblecore Revival Michael Sun , 2021 single work column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 12 November 2021;

'From Friends and Strangers to Hot Mess, there’s a new wave of self-funded films that celebrate the mundane and tap into ‘a national malaise’'

Great Aussie Female Movie Characters Erin Free , 2019 single work column
— Appears in: FilmInk , 8 March 2019;
Muriel's Wedding Inspires Pop Art Exhibition by Brisbane Artist Nordacious Jessica Hinchliffe , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , July 2016;
'Famous quotes from one of Australia's most popular films have been transformed into artworks that aim to celebrate self-acceptance. ...'
Character Piece : Muriel's Wedding Erin Free , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: FilmInk , 21 March 2016;
Great Australian Directorial Debuts Erin Free , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: FilmInk , 14 March 2016;
Culture Vulture Greg Callaghan , 2003 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian Magazine , 25-26 October 2003; (p. 8)

— Review of Muriel's Wedding P. J. Hogan , 1994 single work film/TV
Untitled Rebecca Coyle , 2000 single work review
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , September-October no. 9 2000;

— Review of Muriel's Wedding P. J. Hogan , 1994 single work film/TV
Cultural Comparisons Constantine Santas , 2000 single work review
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , September-October no. 9 2000;

— Review of Muriel's Wedding P. J. Hogan , 1994 single work film/TV ; The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Stephan Elliott , 1994 single work film/TV
Muriel Hides Barbs in Bouquet Evan Williams , 1994 single work review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 1-2 October 1994; (p. rev 11)

— Review of Muriel's Wedding P. J. Hogan , 1994 single work film/TV
Romp On the Bridal Path Stan James , 1994 single work review
— Appears in: The Advertiser Magazine , 1 October 1994; (p. 26)

— Review of Muriel's Wedding P. J. Hogan , 1994 single work film/TV
The Young and the Desperate Lynden Barber , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: The Australian , 4 November 2009; (p. 19)
Battlers Take Top Spot in Movie Poll Rosemary Lentini , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 7 October 2010; (p. 13)
Tripping on the Light Fantastic : A Bit of a Look at Australian Film Adrian Mitchell , 1997 single work criticism
— Appears in: Sydney Studies in English , vol. 23 no. 1997;
'In the beginning is the word: there has to be a script. But even before a word is said there's light, and camera, and action. Films are before all else about light, and about what can be realised through light. That pre-eminence of light was acknowledged in the old-time movie theatres, in the custom, now regrettably lapsed, of having the projection illuminating the screen before the curtains were drawn open, so that the promised world of light could be glimpsed before revelation, symbolically seen through a veil which then parted — and behold, a new heaven and a new earth. Those who arrived late, after the houselights had gone down, followed their own little subdued pool of light, the usherette's torch, down the carpeted aisles.' (Author's abstract)
Australian Screen Comedy : An Overview David McKie , R. J. Thompson , Sue Turnbull , 1996 single work criticism
— Appears in: Continuum : Journal of Media & Cultural Studies , vol. 10 no. 2 1996; (p. 7-10)
See the Girl, Watch that Scene : Fantasy and Desire in Muriel's Wedding Jane Landman , 1996 single work criticism
— Appears in: Continuum : Journal of Media & Cultural Studies , vol. 10 no. 2 1996; (p. 111-122)

Awards

1996 nominated Writers Guild of America Award Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
1995 nominated British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards Best Original Screenplay
1994 nominated Australian Film Institute Awards Best Screenplay, Original
1994 won Australian Film Institute Awards Best Film
Last amended 29 Mar 2017 13:45:53
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