Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Madilyn Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

tomsview "Careful He Might Hear You" is a movie that is hard to forget. Although it enjoyed a certain amount of success when it was released in the mid-1980's, it seems little known today. At the time of writing, this is the seventh review on IMDb. By way of comparison, Mad Max has 220 reviews, but I know which one I think is the enduring Australian classic.The filmmakers had a great starting point, Sumner Locke Elliott's haunting novel. Although many a great book has been mangled when made into a film, that wasn't the case here. The film not only captures the essence of Elliott's work but also recreates an era that is now long gone.Set during the Depression in 1930's Sydney it is the story of six-year old PS, played by Nicholas Gledhill in a heart-wrenching performance. After his mother dies, PS is raised by his Aunt Lila and Uncle George (Robyn Nevin and Peter Whitford). However, when his wealthy Aunt Vanessa returns from England, PS is forced to live with her following a custody dispute. Vanessa, played by Wendy Hughes, is beautiful and sophisticated with upper class manners, but underneath are deep insecurities, which PS discovers in dramatic fashion.Vanessa showers PS with gifts and provides the education the struggling Lila and George can't match, but he is lonely and unhappy. He withholds from Vanessa the one thing she wants most, and the only thing he has power over, his affection. PS emotionally destroys Vanessa, who decides to return to England, allowing PS to return to Lila and George. However PS is sensitive enough to know the unhappiness he has caused Vanessa and regrets it. Then fate intervenes in an unexpected way.Surely the biggest challenge for the filmmakers was in creating a screenplay that translated Sumner Locke Elliott's intimate work to the screen, so much of which centred on PS's thoughts. Without resorting to narration, all was conveyed through the abilities of the actors, a beautifully balanced script and an extraordinary musical score that seemed to express their unspoken thoughts.The score for this film was by Ray Cook, an expatriate Australian who died in 1989. He has one other score to his credit, "Silent Reach", a little known 1983 mini-series, although he was also involved in arranging songs for 1985's "Rebel". His score for "Careful He Might Hear You" is in a similar vein to Vaughan William's "The Lark Ascending" with achingly beautiful violin solos that merge with full orchestra. It is wrong to simply define it as one of the greatest Australian film scores; it is a work that can stand comparison with some of the best scores of all time.Although "Careful He Might Hear You" is almost 30 years old, it hasn't dated. Set in a time 50 years before it was made, there really isn't much that connects it to the 1980's. It did justice to Sumner Locke Elliott's novel, but also stands as a powerful work on its own. It's probably a little hard to find these days, but is well worth the efforts of anyone who does.

PL1981 "Careful He Might Hear You" showcases the full talent and wonderful potential of the Australian film industry and must rank as one of the best Australian movies ever made. The depth of excellence, talent and acting in this movie is second to none and absolutely superb The plot and background to this movie is intriguing and the script and the way that the plot unfolds keeps the viewer engaged and intrigued until the end. Everything is done to a standard of superb excellence down to the scenery and the portrayal of the two very different lifestyles depicted in this movie. The musical score is absolutely beautiful. Everything about the background and setting of this movie works out perfectly.But this all pales in comparison to the acting. I have perhaps never seen a movie so perfectly cast where each of the actors and actresses involved -even the supporting cast -gives a wonderful and creative depth and dimension to their portrayal of the characters. Nicholas Gledhill is an excellent child actor and a maturity in conveying emotions beyond his years. Robyn Niven is perfect in her role as PS's aunt and guardian Lila and Peter Whitford is also wonderfully believable in his role as her loving, affable husband. John Hargreaves gives a breathtaking performance (if only briefly) in his heartbreaking role as PS's father, who obviously deeply loves his son but is incapable of caring for him.But a special mention must go to Wendy Hughes for her portrayal of Vanessa. This character has many complexities to her personality and Wendy Hughes portrays all of the different aspects to her personality flawlessly and with a depth of reality and emotion that really brings the character to life. She is strikingly, breathtakingly beautiful and she is more than perfect for this role. In fact I would perhaps rank this as the best character portrayal I have seen in Australian cinematic history and one of the best character portrayals I have ever seen in any movie.This movie is seriously underrated and I can't recommend it enough. 10/10 and I'd rate it higher if I could

ptb-8 One of Australia's great films of the 80s...big, lavish and crafted for an international audience.......along with GALLIPOLI, THE LIGHTHORSEMEN and MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER, "Careful"..is different in that it is set in Sydney harbourside suburbs of the 1920s......most period films made at this time are set earlier and are rural.....also like the sublime masterpiece THE IRISHMAN. The cast for "Careful" is theater professionals who fit the passionate personalities the extremely emotional and personal roles demand. Their transformation to film is also thanks to the great director Carl Schultz who also made the superb Australian films GOODBYE PARADISE and TRAVELLING NORTH. Much under employed here and almost forgotten ...... Nicholas Gledhill is still in Sydney theater and occasionally appears in fringe productions.Robyn Nevin is the supreme being of the Sydney Theatre Company and the great Wendy Hughes is the goddess of the Australian screen.....see NEWSFRONT for that confirmation. The late great John Hughes such a genuine Australian man in his perfect realisation of the irresponsible but lovable main male character "Logan". This film is Australian screen perfection, however the end credits come too early.

jtur88 Nicholas Gledhill's portrayal of a child is one of the best I've ever seen. He was eight at the time, and the character seems more like five---and a really excellent capture of the body language and expression of a child of that age mystified by the odd grown-up world around him. The worst distraction in the film was the music, which never seemed appropriate, like it had been composed for a different film, in an earlier decade. A few acting performances were overbaked, but in general it was OK. Oddly, Nicholas never appeared in another film.