The Sapphires glitter bright

Inspired by a an extraordinary true story about four extraordinary Aboriginal women: sisters Laurel Robinson, Lois Peeler and their cousins Beverley Briggs and Naomi Mayers, who regularly sang together during the 1960s and 70s, it is based on writer/actor Tony Briggs' play, which he wrote to tell the story of his mother, who performed with the troops during the Vietnam War. The play won the Helpmann Award.

The film, written and directed with heartfelt passion and significant sincerity by Waine Blair, is a true testament to Briggs' play in which Blair played the lead role, until he was invited to the Berlin Film Festival with his short film The Djarns Djarns (ironically, Briggs took over his role on stage). When Blair returned from Berlin, with the Crystal Bear Award for Best Short Film in hand, the emerging idea of directing a feature film based on The Sapphires was in action.

The Sapphires is one of those amazing windows into the humanity of a small community who live along the Murray River in Australia. Sisters Laurel and Lois toured Vietnam in the late 1960s, singing to the American troops - an extraordinary achievement for two young Aboriginal women, considering that Aboriginal people had just received the right to vote.

A different face of Vietnam

The film is set in 1968 and poignantly shows us a different face of the Vietnam we grew accustomed to in films like the harrowing Full Metal Jacket and Casualties of War. It is in this unimaginable nightmare where the The Sapphires become unlikely stars.

Besides Blair' first-rate direction, which he infuses with a gritty and raw documentary style, the crackling and witty script adaptation by Keith Thompson (an eight-time Australian Writers' Guild AWGIE Award-winning screenwriter) truly brings the vibrant characters to life. The performances are superb, with Chris O'Dowd delivering an astounding performance as an Irish musician with a propensity for autobiographical embellishment and a knack for getting himself in trouble, who ultimately becomes their guardian angel. In the roles of The Sapphires, Deborah Mailman, Miranda Tapsell, Jessica Mauboy and Shari Sebbens are sensational and you will applaud their courage and determination.

It is films like The Sapphires that really show what going to the movies is all about; where you can wholeheartedly escape into the lives of people that will definitely change your life and perceptions, and not be numbed by contextual extravagance. It is when you reach the end of their journey that your journey is destined to begin.

The Sapphires is an emotional and rewarding journey that shows how important it is for you to stay true to who you are and those in your life, and not be blinded by the aphrodisiac of reality talent shows that rip the heart and soul out of humanity. It is not a musical in the tradition of Dreamgirls, and not a film about war victims, but a triumphant celebration of life at its most challenging and rewarding. Make sure the see The Sapphires, it's a must-see experience that will be treasured forever.

Behind the scenes

"When I read this script I feel the energy and emotion pulsing in my veins," said director Waine Blair. "The Sapphires are four black 20-something women who, for one brief period of time, have an opportunity to transcend beyond the circumstances they're born into and reach their full potential not only as musical talents, but more so as human beings. In Australia in 1968, the racial divide was significant. Aboriginal people had just got the right to vote. My own nana died in 1966 - she died in her own country classed as an outsider. In our film, these outside girls match their talent with sheer will and through the eyes of an Irish man, and on the heartbeat of soul music, they get plucked from obscurity to sing for the soldiers in Vietnam. Through this chance of a lifetime they find themselves momentarily free. The Sapphires is inspired by a true story and it possesses all the qualities of ordinary people achieving amazing things in extraordinary circumstances. Four sexy, young, talented, black, strong women, make a decision and take a chance. A chance my nana never had, but through her tenacity and strength of character, now, I do."

Read more at www.writingstudio.co.za/page4649.html