My First Wife (1984)

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80%

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Movie Info

Classical music DJ John Hargreaves neglects his wife Wendy Hughes, who responds by entering into an illicit romance. Upon finding out, Hargreaves leaves Hughes, but doesn't want to tell his parents; they'd never liked Hughes, and he isn't in the mood for a chorus of "I told you so"s. What is already painful for Hargreaves is amplified when his dying father, suspecting that something's wrong, lectures his son on the sanctity of marriage--even a bad one. Director Paul Cox used the Australian My First Wife as a kind of catharsis, to purge himself of ill-will concerning the bust-up of his own marriage. The film won three Australian academy awards, including one for the reluctantly revelatory Cox.
  • Rating:
    PG
  • Genre:
    Drama
  • Directed By:
    Paul Cox
  • Written By:
    Paul Cox, Bob Ellis
  • In Theaters:
     limited
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Dofine

Cast

John Hargreaves
as John
Wendy Hughes
as Helen
Lucy Angwin
as Lucy
David Cameron
as Tom
Julia Blake
as Kirstin
Anna Jemison
as Hilary
Betty Lucas
as Helen's mother
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell
as Helen's Mother
Robin Lovejoy
as John's Father
Lucy Uralov
as John's mother
Xenia Groutas
as John's Sister
Jon Finlayson
as Bernard
Ron Falk
as Psychiatrist
Reg Roddick
as Priest
Renee Geyer
as Barmaid
Sabrina Lorenz
as Barbara
Tony Llewellyn-Jones
as Doctor
Linden Wilkinson
as Doctor
Symonetta Dennis
as Nurse
Jentah Sobott
as Nurse
Neela Dey
as Migrant Teacher
Rex Callahan
as Radio Station Technician
Jay Mannering
as Policeman
Ian Mumby
as Policeman
Tudor Choristers
Bianca Russell
as Girl with Dog
Hartley Newnham
as Quartet
Nehama Patkin
as Quartet
Megan Garner
as Quartet
Patrick Nolan
as Quartet
Christopher Holligan
as Bar singer
Anna Maria Monticelli
as Hilary
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Critic Reviews for My First Wife

All Critics (5)

A disturbing film that takes its soap opera material and makes it into a Mozart opera.

Mar 1, 2005 | Rating: A | Full Review…
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

John Hargreaves gives a tour de force performance as a man unhinged by the collapse of his marriage.

Aug 22, 2004 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…
Spirituality and Practice
View All Critic Reviews (5)

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