Oscar and Lucinda

Oscar and Lucinda is a 1997 Australian-American romantic drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong and starring Cate Blanchett, Ralph Fiennes, Ciarán Hinds and Tom Wilkinson. It is based on the 1988 Booker Prize-winning novel Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey. In March 1998, the film was nominated at the 70th Academy Awards for the Best Costume Design. Plot As a little girl living in Australia, Lucinda Leplastrier is given a Prince Rupert's Drop which sparks a lifelong obsession with glass. Lucinda's parents die and she is left a wealthy heiress after her guardians sell off the vast farmland that was her family's home. She buys a glass factory with her money and takes to gambling after her accountant introduces her to it. Meanwhile, a young Oscar is being reared as a Plymouth Brother by his father but after receiving a sign from God he decides to join the Anglican faith. While studying, he is introduced to gambling and becomes highly successful, using his winnings to fund his studies and giving the rest to the poor. He earns a scholarship to study in New South Wales. On the boat over, he meets Lucinda and hears her confess to gambling, which he denies is a sin. They play cards together until Oscar becomes panicked at the sight of a storm.