Charmian Clift – Life Burns High

Hydra served as the epicentre of Charmian Clift's bohemian dream and a crucible for her personal and artistic life. The island provided a backdrop for a celebrated expatriate community, attracting artists and intellectuals, including Leonard Cohen. For Clift and her husband George Johnston, it represented a radical departure from conventional security, offering freedom and inspiration alongside the ensuing challenges of poverty, intense social life, and personal entanglements that defined this significant chapter of her existence.

The film appears to capture a rich blend of nostalgia, intellectual curiosity, and a poignant sense of melancholy. It promises to evoke the sun-drenched, artistic atmosphere of Hydra while unflinchingly examining the darker undercurrents of Charmian Clift's life. Expect a tone that balances admiration for her literary prowess and independent spirit with a sensitive portrayal of the personal struggles and sacrifices she endured, creating a viewing experience that is both illuminating and moving.

Indeed, the documentary explores how Charmian Clift's immersion in the vibrant, sometimes chaotic, world of Hydra profoundly influenced her life and, by extension, her creative output. The film suggests that the very experiences which fuelled her passions—the parties, the relationships, the artistic milieu—also presented challenges. It frames her life as a narrative mirroring her compelling fiction, where the pursuit of an unconventional, artistic existence came with both immense rewards and significant personal costs.

Charmian Clift's enduring legacy as one of Australia's most beloved writers, particularly her popular Sydney Morning Herald column, makes her story inherently significant. The film taps into a national appreciation for her literary talent and the unique trajectory of her life, which saw a prominent Australian artist embrace a famously bohemian lifestyle abroad. Her story offers a compelling, albeit poignant, examination of artistic ambition, personal freedom, and the sacrifices made in pursuit of a life less ordinary.

The documentary highlights Charmian Clift's passionate and complex marriage to fellow Australian writer George Johnston, a central relationship that profoundly shaped their lives and work. It also touches upon her friendships with notable individuals who shared her expatriate life on Hydra, most famously the iconic musician Leonard Cohen. The film suggests these relationships, while enriching, also formed part of the vibrant yet volatile tapestry of her existence.

This documentary delves into the captivating and often tragic life of Charmian Clift, an Australian writer celebrated for her accessible prose and widely read newspaper column. The film explores her journey from literary success to a bohemian existence on the Greek island of Hydra, a period marked by creative passion, famous friendships with figures like Leonard Cohen, and significant personal upheaval. It examines how her pursuit of an unconventional life, intertwined with love affairs and financial struggles, ultimately contributed to her untimely end.