UNFOLDING FLORENCE.
Director: Gillian Armstrong Documentary
Reviewed by GREG KING
This documentary offers a revealing portrait of Florence Broadhurst, an acclaimed designer whose patterned prints were widely used on wallpaper, who was brutally murdered in 1977. That crime has remained unsolved.
In this documentary, Gillian Armstrong is less concerned with the details of the crime than in teasing out a revealing portrait of this complex, enigmatic and flamboyant woman and exploring her life, legacy and influence. An acclaimed director of dramas, Armstrong has made the occasional foray into documentaries, most notably with Not Fourteen Again, one of a short-lived local series that attempted to replicate Michael Apted’s acclaimed 7 Up series, in following the lives of three South Australian girls. Throughout her career Armstrong has been drawn to stories featuring strong female protagonists (My Brilliant Career, etc), and so it is easy to see her attraction to the intriguing story of the life and death of Broadhurst.
She interviews a number of Broadhurst’s friends, colleagues, employees, and even some experts to provide insights into her personality. Some amusing anecdotes emerge about Florence and her early life throughout the film that paint her as an independent woman ahead of her time. Many of these subjects hint at reasons behind the crime – financial mismanagement, etc – but the film doesn’t come close to providing a definitive solution.
The subtitle of this film, The Many Lives Of Florence Broadhurst, provides an indication of the true intention of this documentary. Broadhurst went to great pains to hide or distort her humble origins. Broadhurst spent a 25 years overseas working at various careers, including a couturier in London and a singer/dancer Shanghai, before returning to Sydney where she forged a new career in designing, the arts and social activities. At one point it was widely believed that she was born in England and had royal ties. Armstrong reveals the less glamorous truth, which was that she was born in a small country town in Queensland, and explores the numerous contradictions in her brilliant career.
Armstrong uses some amusing directorial flourishes and animation to bring to life those scenes exploring Florence’s early history in Queensland. She also uses actors in a dramatised recreation of Broadhurst’s final hours
Given that much of what is depicted here occurred over 25 years ago, Unfolding Florence may not hold much relevance for audiences today. Despite the quality of the production values and the intriguing approach towards the subject matter adopted by Armstrong, this is a nonetheless a fairly dry film of limited interest and appeal.
**1/2