Overview
Two misfits find love and adventure in a world of glass and gambling.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- lush
- romantic
- period drama evening
- literary adaptation night
What critics said
Critics generally valued the film's lavish visual design and the strong central performances while finding its sprawling period romance uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Oscar and Lucinda are separately ostracized before forming an emotionally charged partnership.
Both protagonists are passionate gamblers, and Lucinda's wager funds the glass church's perilous journey.
Lucinda imagines and commissions a church made almost entirely of glass for a remote Australian settlement.
Lucinda uses her inheritance and glass factory to challenge male-dominated Australian society.
Films like Oscar and Lucinda, and why
The English Patient
shared period romance, social outsiders, literary adaptation, and emotionally tragic atmosphere
The Piano
shared expansive historical romance, colonial setting, gender tensions, and lush visual presentation
The Age of Innocence
shared nineteenth-century setting, forbidden intimacy, social constraint, and literary melodrama
Bright Star
shared eccentric protagonists, period setting, romantic longing, and visually ornate drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Gillian Armstrong
- Release Date
- 1997-12-31
- Runtime
- 132 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (80)
Cast
- Ralph Fiennes
- Cate Blanchett
- Ciarán Hinds
- Tom Wilkinson
- Richard Roxburgh
- Christian Manon
- Clive Russell
- Barnaby Kay
- Linda Bassett
- Geoffrey Rush
Where to watch in United States
- Buy
- Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Oscar and Lucinda about?
- Two ostracized gamblers stake love, faith, and fortune on carrying a fragile glass church into colonial Australia.
- What is Oscar and Lucinda like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Oscar and Lucinda as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Oscar and Lucinda violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Oscar and Lucinda as mild.
- What did critics think of Oscar and Lucinda?
- Critics generally valued the film's lavish visual design and the strong central performances while finding its sprawling period romance uneven.
- Which films are like Oscar and Lucinda?
- Films with a similar feel include The English Patient, The Piano, The Age of Innocence, and Bright Star.
- How long is Oscar and Lucinda?
- Oscar and Lucinda runs 132 minutes.
- Where can I watch Oscar and Lucinda?
- In United States, Oscar and Lucinda is available to rent or buy from Apple TV Store.
