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Australia Hails Dazzling Oscar for 'Shine'
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Reuters
Mar 25, 1997, 3:00:00 AM3/25/97
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<I><A HREF='http://www.clari.net/'>ClariNet</A> <CLARI-ITEM TYPE>story</CLARI-ITEM> <B><CLARI-ITEM SLUGWORD>INTERNATIONAL-OSCARS</CLARI-ITEM></B> from <CLARI-ITEM FROM>Reuters</CLARI-ITEM></I><BR>
<H1><CLARI-ITEM HEADLINE>Australia Hails Dazzling Oscar for 'Shine'</CLARI-ITEM></H1>
<I><B><CLARI-ITEM COPYRIGHT>Copyright 1997 by Reuters</CLARI-ITEM></B></I> / <I><CLARI-ITEM DATE>Tue, 25 Mar 1997 6:02:02 PST</CLARI-ITEM></I><P>
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<P> ADELAIDE, Australia (Reuter) - Australia burst into applause
Tuesday for Oscar-winning actor Geoffrey Rush, a virtual unknown
who became the nation's latest movie hero for his performance in
the film ``Shine.''</P>
<P> Rush, 45, won best actor Oscar at the Academy Awards in Los
Angeles for his portrayal of mentally-troubled concert pianist
David Helfgott, beating off Hollywood heavyweights Tom Cruise
and Ralph Fiennes.</P>
<P> Arts Minister Richard Alston was lavish in his praise,
calling the once-struggling theater actor's achievement a
triumph for the country's small film industry.</P>
<P> He also praised John Seale, a former ranchhand in outback
Australia who won the best cinematography award for his work on
independent film ``The English Patient.''</P>
<P> ``The success of Geoffrey Rush and John Seale in the Academy
Awards is proof positive that Australia now ranks at the very
top of the international table in the film industry,'' a
delighted Alston told reporters in Canberra.</P>
<P> ``This is a gold medal performance from Geoffrey Rush -- he
didn't just shine, he dazzled.''</P>
<P> Rush became only the second Australian to win the award.
Peter Finch, who was born in London but later became a
naturalized Australian, won posthumously for ``Network'' in
1976.</P>
<P> Rush's mother, Merle Kiehne, told reporters after watching
her son's success on television in Brisbane she doubted his
surge to the top of the acting profession would change him.</P>
<P> ``Geoffrey just has a wonderful disposition and a wonderful
nature,'' she said. ``It's like a duck to water for Geoffrey.''</P>
<P> While seen in Hollywood as an overnight sensation, Rush is
highly respected in Australia for his stage work over 25 years.</P>
<P> ``He is an actor's actor, I think,'' said Australian Film
Commission chairman and producer Sue Milliken.</P>
<P> ``He is regarded with great affection and respect,'' she
said.</P>
<P> Based on the uplifting true story of concert pianist
Helfgott's comeback from mental breakdown, ``Shine'' was made on
a budget of around $4 million.</P>
<P> Helfgott, who is making a concert tour of the United States
to packed audiences but merciless critics, played some of the
music from ``Shine'' at the awards ceremony in Los Angeles.</P>
<P> ``Shine'' was the third Australian film to feature strongly
in recent Oscars, following the talking pig ``Babe,'' and the
haunting New Zealand co-production ``The Piano'' that won three
Oscars in 1993, including best actress and best screenplay.</P>
<P> ``It's incredibly exciting,'' Australian Film Institute
executive director Ruth Jones told Reuters in Rush's home town
of Melbourne.</P>
<P> ``The fact that it's a small industry and films are
relatively low budget means that we have been able to take a
different route,'' she said.</P>
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