Film Review: "Three Thousand Years of Longing" (2022).

"What would you wish for?" This is Three Thousand Years of Longing. This fantasy film directed by George Miller, adapted by Miller and Augusta Gore, and based on the 1994 short story The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A. S. Byatt. Dr Alithea Binnie is an academic...a creature of reason. While in Istanbul, she happens to encounter a Djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. At first, she doubts that he is real and she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. But the Djinn pleads his case, and eventually she is beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both!

In October 2018, it was announced that Miller had set his next directorial effort, which was described as being "epic in scope", and was expected to begin filming in 2019. Furthermore, it was announced that it was a film adaption of Byatt's short story, The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye, with Gore penning the adaptation with Miller, and Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton attached to star. Byatt's short story is included her 1994 collection of five mythical short stories. The stories included in the titular short story adopt many of the conventions of folk or fairy tales to examine contemporary society with many of the common themes in Byatt's work. The novella-length title story is highly intertextual, including a "rich collage of fairy tale motifs", referencing folk tales from One Thousand and One Nights, the works of Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and the myth of Cybele. Originally, Nick Enright was set to co-write the script with Miller, but he died from cancer in 2003 before he was to begin writing. Before his death, Enright suggested Augusta Gore, Miller's daughter and Enright's godchild, to take over writing. In a July 2019 interview, Miller stated that pre-production would begin on the film in late 2019, with filming beginning on March 2, 2020, in Australia, Turkey and the United Kingdom. However, it was delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and thus caused the London and Istanbul filming to be cancelled. In late November 2020, with a budget of $60 million, principal photography commenced and wrapped in January 2021. Filming took place entirely in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia doubling for those locations. The film was shot by cinematographer John Seale, who came out of retirement for the second time to shoot the film. He'd previously done so in 2012 to shoot Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), also directed by Miller. The film was originally scheduled for an August 31, 2022 release date, before it was moved up to August 26.

The film stars Elba and Swinton. Despite the inclusion of Elba and Swinton, both terrific performers, the performances were pallid at certain points throughout the film.

Though not emotionally involving, the film is visually beautiful and the stories have a dazzling magical appeal. Mildly erotic, slightly deranged, and beautifully entertaining, this is one of the Australian director's finest works.

Simon says Three Thousand Years of Longing receives:

Also, see my review for Mad Max: Fury Road.