My First Wife

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

80%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 5

Coming soon

Release date: Sep 13, 1984

Audience Score

Ratings: Not yet available

My First Wife Photos

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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:

Sep 13, 1984 limited
Runtime:

95 minutes
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) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (1)

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

Mar 1, 2005 | Rating: A | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
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…

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice