Aborigine Spirituality as the Grounding Theme in the Films of Peter Weir" Journal article by Stephanie Gauper; The Midwest Quarterly, Vol. 42, 2001

IT SEEMS THAT MOST Americans know and appreciate Peter Weir's Hollywood works, films such as Dead Poets Society (DP, 1989), Fearless (1993), and the recent The Truman Show. Few among Weir's American audiences, however, know of his early Australian works. Yet all his films hearken back to the Aborigine spirituality and cosmology he learned as he directed Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) and The Last Wave (LW, 1977). Understanding these patterns could be important to American psychic development. This postmodern era needs an understanding of other cultures and especially Aborigine spirituality, untouched for eons by Western concepts. We postmoderns tend to see systems of spirituality as items on a gourmet menu; we need the fullest range of possibilities. Also, Weir deserves recognition as a visionary artist who depicts another nationality's images of mysticism.