Alice to Nowhere

Last updated

Alice to Nowhere
Directed by John Power
Screenplay byDavid Boutland
Based onnovel by Evan Green
Produced by Brendon Lunney
Starring John Waters
Steven Jacobs
Rosey Jones
Esben Storm
Cinematography David Connell
Edited byRalph Strasser
Music by Peter Best
Production
company
Release date
  • 30 June 1986 (1986-06-30)
Running time
2 × 2 hours
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2.8 million [1]

Alice to Nowhere is a 1986 Australian miniseries set in the outback in 1954. The title refers to Alice Springs, a town in the centre of the country. The plot involves a nurse and a pair of ruthless jewel thieves.

Contents

Plot

Jewel thieves Dave and Frog plant a stolen opal necklace in the luggage of Barbara, a bush nurse. They follow her to Marree in an attempt to retrieve the jewellery, then towards Birdsville on a mail truck, similar to that operated by the real-life Tom Kruse, which they hijack, [2] by threatening the nurse and Johnny's off-sider Ivan. The thief Dave turns out to be a sadistic killer and Frog his hapless accomplice.

Cast

Production

Alice to Nowhere is based on the Evan Green novel of the same name. It was made by Crawford Productions with a projected budget of $2.8 million. [3] Much of the film was shot in the Flinders Ranges, Simpson Desert and Broken Hill. [4]

DVD release

It has been announced by Crawford Productions that this miniseries will be released on DVD in 2025. [5]

Reception

The show enjoyed reasonable ratings when it aired. [6] Albert Moran praised the film for its "drive, pace and nervous involvement" as displayed by such American directors as Raoul Walsh or Nicholas Ray. [7]

The Age's Barbara Hooks says the series "has some simply splendid attributes in terms of production and performance. Unfortunately, they seem to throw its silly and avoidable mistakes into stark relief." [8] Suzanne Borlase of the Sydney Morning Herald praised the mini-series saying it "is a gripping action-packed drama set in the vast emptiness of the Australian Outback. At once an adventure, a tale of madness and a love story, it is worth watching for the scenery alone." [4] Helen O'Neil, also from the Sydney Morning Herald reviewed it positively when it was repeated in 1990. She finished "Alice to Nowhere is a nicely handled, gruelling watch - and an argument, if ever there was need of one, for having more than 10 minutes between ad breaks. Repeat runs of this quality can't be missed. [9]

Also commenting on the 1990 repeat, Paul Leadon of the Sydney Morning Herald gave it a bad review writing that "Johnny and Frog were a pair of incompetent outback psychopaths in search of a better mini-series script." [10] The Mercury News ' David N Rosenthal was also critical. He writes "What this 1986 miniseries, which stars no one you ever heard of, demonstrates all too vividly is that Australian television may not be Down Under's finest export -- at least in every instance." [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Brown</span> Australian actor (born 1947)

Bryan Neathway Brown AM is an Australian actor. He has performed in over eighty film and television projects since the late 1970s, both in his native Australia and abroad. Notable films include Breaker Morant (1980), Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984), F/X (1986), Tai-Pan (1986), Cocktail (1988), Gorillas in the Mist (1988), F/X2 (1991), Along Came Polly (2004), Australia (2008), Kill Me Three Times (2014) and Gods of Egypt (2016). He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for his performance in the television miniseries The Thorn Birds (1983).

<i>Return to Eden</i> Australian drama and soap opera television series

Return to Eden is an Australian television drama series starring Rebecca Gilling, James Reyne, Wendy Hughes and James Smillie. It began as a three-part, six-hour mini-series shown on Network Ten on September 27–29, 1983. Gilling and Smillie reprised their roles, with Peta Toppano replacing Hughes, for a 22-part weekly series that began airing on 10 February 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Phelan</span> Australian actress (1948–2019)

Anne Mary Phelan was an Australian actress of stage and screen who appeared in many theatre, television and film productions as well as radio and voice-over.

<i>The Flying Doctors</i> Australian 1988-1996 television series

The Flying Doctors is an Australian drama TV series produced by Crawford Productions that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. Tom Callaghan.

All the Way is an Australian television series made by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network in 1988.

Helen Morse is an English-born Australian actress who has appeared in films, on television and on stage. She won the AFI Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the 1976 film Caddie, and starred in the 1981 miniseries A Town Like Alice. Her other film appearances include Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Agatha (1979), Far East (1982) and The Eye of the Storm (2011).

<i>The Thorn Birds</i> (miniseries) 1983 American television miniseries

The Thorn Birds is an American television miniseries broadcast on ABC from March 27 to 30, 1983. It starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Piper Laurie, Jean Simmons, Richard Kiley, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham and Philip Anglim. It was directed by Daryl Duke and based on the best-selling 1977 novel of the same name by Colleen McCullough.

David Ashley Connell is an Australian cinematographer with a career of over 25 years of cinematographic work in films and television to date.

Evan Clifford Symons Green was an Australian motoring publicist, journalist, TV commentator and novelist. He was also a rally driver with international recognition. He wrote many articles about himself and his experiences while rally driving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Alison</span> Australian actress (1925–1992)

Dorothy Alison was an Australian stage, film and television actress.

Sarah Lambert is an Australian writer, director and producer, working primarily in television.

The Last Frontier is a 1986 American-Australian television miniseries starring Linda Evans, Jack Thompson and Jason Robards.

The Shiralee is a 1987 Australian television film directed by George Ogilvie, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by D'Arcy Niland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Storrier</span> Australian artist

Tim Storrier AM is an Australian artist who won the 2017 Doug Moran National Portrait Prize with The Lunar Savant, a portrait of fellow artist McLean Edwards.

A Thousand Skies is a 1985 Australian mini series about the life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.

Cassidy is a 1989 mini series, screened on ABC Television in Australia, based on the 1986 novel of the same title by Morris West. It told the story of Charles Parnell Cassidy, a fictitious premier of New South Wales. It screened on BBC One in May 1990.

<i>Eureka Stockade</i> (miniseries) 1984 Australian miniseries directed by Rod Hardy

Eureka Stockade is a 1984 Australian miniseries based on the battle of Eureka Stockade. It reunited the producer, writer and star of A Town Like Alice.

John Beresford Power was an Australian film and television director, who began his career as a journalist.

Ron McLean (1943–1983) was an Australian screenwriter, producer and executive producer, best known for his work on TV. He wrote most of the episodes for Spyforce, which he helped create. He had a long collaboration with producer Roger Mirams.

Rosey Jones is an Australian actress. For her performance in the film Afraid to Dance Jones was nominated for the 1988 AFI Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Other roles include the 1986 TV mini series Alice to Nowhere and on stage in the 1988 Australian premiere of Unsuitable for Adults at Downstairs at Belvoir Street.

References

  1. ↑ Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p170
  2. ↑ Lee Lewes, Jacqueline (29 June 1986), "Slick thriller has refreshing slant", The Sun-Herald
  3. ↑ Hooks, Barbara (28 October 1985), "Bush hijack makes a new mini-series", The Age
  4. 1 2 Borlase, Suzanne (30 June 1986), "A violent parable of good and evil in the Outback", The Sydney Morning Herald
  5. ↑ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  6. ↑ Albert Moran, Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, AFTRS 1993 p 48
  7. ↑ "AustLit: Alice to Nowhere". The University of Queensland.
  8. ↑ Hooks, Barbara (30 June 1986), "Menace, romance and thrills in a flawed gem", The Age
  9. ↑ O'Neil, Helen (8 January 1990), "Alice to Nowhere", The Sydney Morning Herald
  10. ↑ Leadon, Paul (13 January 1990), "Cast-iron myths of bronzed bushies and true believers", The Sydney Morning Herald
  11. ↑ Rosenthal, David N. (24 April 1988), "Aussie appeal dries up. 'Alice to Nowhere' should have stayed in the outback", The Mercury News


Drama film icon.svg

This 1980s drama film–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.