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Man of Flowers is a 1983 Australian film about an eccentric, reclusive, middle-aged man, Charles Bremer, who enjoys the beauty of art, flowers, music and watching pretty women undress. Werner Herzog has a cameo role as Bremer's father in flashbacks. The film was directed by Paul Cox and was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2010) |
| Man of Flowers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Paul Cox |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | Jane Ballantyne |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Yuri Sokol |
| Edited by | Tim Lewis |
| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | A$240,000[1] |
| Box office | $396,041 (Australia) |
Charles Bremer (Norman Kaye) is a wealthy, reclusive man. He finds erotic satisfaction in the beauty of art, flowers, and a young woman (Alyson Best), who undresses for him. During the undressings he listens to operatic music such as Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.[3] Throughout the film, he reads letters he has sent to his mother. His mother had long since died, and the letters, it is later revealed, are addressed to himself.
- Norman Kaye as Charles Bremer
- Alyson Best as Lisa
- Chris Haywood as David
- Sarah Walker as Jane
- Julia Blake as Art Teacher
- Bob Ellis as Psychiatrist
- Barry Dickins as Postman
- Patrick Cook as Coppershop Man
- Victoria Eagger as Angela
- Werner Herzog as The Father
- Hilary Kelly as Mother
- James Stratford as Young Charles
- Eileen Joyce as Aunt
- Marianne Baillieu as Aunt
- Lirit Bilu as Florist
- Juliet Bacskai as Florist
- Dawn Klingberg as Cleaning lady
- Tony Llewellyn-Jones as Church warden
The idea for the film came out of a discussion between Paul Cox and Chris Haywood where they decided to make a low budget erotic film, along with Haywood's then-girlfriend Alyson Best. Bob Ellis was brought on to work on the script. (Ellis says he spent nine hours on it because Cox didn't want to spend any more time.[4]) The movie was shot over three weeks.[1]
The film was an art house hit around the world. It grossed $396,041 at the box office in Australia,[5] which is equivalent to $1,045,548 in 2009 dollars.
| Result | Award | Recipients(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Australian Film Institute - Best Actor in Lead Role | Norman Kaye |
| Winner | Valladolid International Film Festival - Golden Spike Award | Paul Cox |
| Nominated | Australian Film Institute - Best Achievement in Cinematography | Yuri Sokol |
| Nominated | Australian Film Institute - Best Director | Paul Cox |
| Nominated | Australian Film Institute - Best Film | Jane Ballantyne |
| Nominated | Australian Film Institute - Best Original Screenplay | Paul Cox, Bob Ellis |
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