A Cry in the Dark

Introduction

Welcome to my corner! This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film A Cry in the Dark. The TCM television channel played A Cry in the Dark as part of their 'When Darkness Falls' lineup on October 9. Enjoy!

A Cry in the Dark

Evil Angels (released as A Cry in the Dark outside Australia and New Zealand) is a 1988 drama film directed by Fred Schepisi. The screenplay by Schepisi and Robert Caswell is based on John Bryson's 1985 nonfiction book of the same name. It chronicles the case of Azaria Chamberlain, a nine-week-old baby girl who disappeared from a campground near Uluru in August 1980, and the struggle of her parents, Michael Chamberlain and Lindy Chamberlain, to prove their innocence to a public convinced that they were complicit in her death. Meryl Streep and Sam Neill star as the Chamberlains.

The film was released less than two months after the Chamberlains were exonerated by the Northern Territory Court of Appeals of all charges filed against them. The film received generally favorable reviews, with Streep's performance receiving high praise and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, but it was a box office disappointment, grossing only $6.9 million against its $15 million budget.

Plot: While on vacation in the Australian outback, Seventh Day Adventist priest Michael Chamberlain (Sam Neill) and his wife, Lindy (Meryl Streep), discover that their baby, Azaria, is missing from the tent where she was sleeping. Lindy claims she saw a dingo leave the tent with something in its mouth. Initial evidence supports the Chamberlains, but negative media coverage and unfounded rumors create a shift in public opinion as people begin to suspect the couple of murdering their baby.

Acting: I know this movie was released in 1988 and times were different then, but I still wish that an actual New Zealand/Australian actress was cast rather than Meryl Streep (Sam Neill is a New Zealand actor). Don't get me wrong, she did a marvelous job in this role, but I feel stories and characters should be accurately represented. Things are finally changing now within the film and television industries, casting actors that actually share nationalities with the characters they're supposed to be portraying.

Meryl Streep played Lindy Chamberlain. We all know how great of an actress Meryl Streep is, right? So, I shouldn't need to go into how great she was in this role. I don't know any Australians/New Zealanders personally so I can't directly comment on her accent work, but I believed it. After some researching, apparently Streep is well known for her accent work, so that tracks. Not related to her acting, but dark brown/black is not a good hair color on her, in my opinion. Also, that hairstyle didn't work for anyone, not even for the real Lindy Chamberlain. Those bangs. Yikes.

Like many of you I'm sure, I've seen many Meryl Streep movies. Her four most notable titles (currently) are Out of Africa, Sophie's Choice, August: Osage County and The Devil Wears Prada. There's a lot of titles to choose from as my favorite. Of the ones I've seen, my favorite is Mamma Mia!.

Sam Neill played Michael Chamberlain. He was good too. It's pretty hard to compete with Meryl Streep though. She stole the show. His four most notable titles (currently) are Jurassic Park, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jurassic Park III and Memoirs of an Invisible Man. I haven't seen many of Neill's movies. Of the few that I have seen, my favorite is Bicentennial Man.

Of course, there were other cast members, but Meryl and Sam were the meat and potatoes of the movie; everyone else were just the side dishes.

Technical Aspects: John Bryson's book Evil Angels was published in 1985 and film rights were bought by Verity Lambert, for Thorn EMI who had planned to co-produce it with Thorn EMI's Australian distribution partner Greater Union, who got the interest of Meryl Streep. Robert Caswell wrote a script and Fred Schepisi agreed to direct. The movie was one of the most expensive and elaborate ever shot in Australia, with 350 speaking cast and 4,000 extras.

Evil Angels grossed $3,006,964 at the box office in Australia. This was considered a disappointment considering the publicity and subject matter.

From TCM: Both the book and the film focus on how the suspicion surrounding the Chamberlains escalated due to bigotry and ignorance about their "otherness": both Chamberlains were New Zealand-born, their religion was perceived by some as a "cult," and Lindy's brusque demeanor and stubborn refusal to break down in public meant she was at least guilty, or at worst, a "witch.' Throughout the film, ordinary Australians form a Greek chorus of sensation-seekers, commenting on the proceedings in workplaces, restaurants, living rooms, and outside the courtroom.

Over the years, Lindy's horrified cry in the film, "the dingo's got my baby!" has become a much-ridiculed meme. It began with an episode of Seinfield, in which a character misquotes the phrase as "dingo ate my baby," and it even became an Australian euphemism for abortion. But the horrifying experience was no joke to the Chamberlains, whose ordeal was a least partly to blame for their 1991 divorce. However, they remained united in their efforts to legally determine what happened to their infant daughter. It took until 2012 for another inquest to declare once and for all that baby Azaria was killed by a dingo, and the death certificate was amended to show that cause of death.

Final Thoughts: Boy do I have thoughts on this movie, far too many to write out here. There's not enough room. I was so flabbergasted at all of it. First, the dingo stealing the baby. Then, despite all of the campground witnesses, this poor family, specifically the mother, had to endure multiple inquests and accusations that they murdered their baby. The media took advantage of the wild story and the viewers ate it up and demonized the victims.

Azaria, a nine-week-old, died on August 7, 1980. Two years later on October 29, 1982 her mother, Lindy Chamberlain, was convicted of her murder despite virtually no evidence and given a life sentence. Lindy was also pregnant at the time of her conviction and gave birth in prison. Her husband, Michael, was charged with being an accessory to Azaria's death. Lindy was released from prison on February 2, 1986 (nearly four years after conviction) after new evidence was discovered to support the Chamberlain's defense.

What a story. If nothing else, you should watch this movie just to learn about the even. It's bizarre, but it happened. It didn't know anything like this had ever happened. I also wasn't alive when it happened...

Where to watch it: According to Google, A Cry in the Dark is currently available on The Roku Channel. You can also purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Public Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.

That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!