The Last of the Ryans | |
---|---|
Directed by | George Ogilvie |
Written by | Graeme Farmer |
Produced by | Richard Brennan |
Starring | Richard Roxburgh Zoe Bertram Ian Mune |
Cinematography | Jaems Grant |
Edited by | Vicki Ambrose |
Music by | Bruce Smeaton |
Running time | 95 minutes |
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
The Last of the Ryans is a 1997 Australian biopic TV film about Ronald Ryan. [1]
A biopic following the escape, re capture and hanging of Ronald Ryan for the murder of prison guard George Hodson.
The film came about through the research of Janne Dennehy, in part looking at the family Ryan left behind. It was picked up by Crawfords and the Nine Network who produced and screened the telemovie. [2] It went into production at the end of 1996. [3]
Hodson's daughter criticised the movie for its portrayal of her father, "I don't think my father was portrayed in the correct light at all. They've made him look a bit silly." [4] She said it was disappointing and disrespectful to show him as "a bit of a clown". [5]
The Last of the Ryans did poorly in the ratings where it lost over 100,00 viewers after the first 15 minutes. [6]
Peter Weiniger of The Age chose it as his pick of the week, concluding "'The Last of the Ryans' takes a while to get its rhythm, but once it outlines the various aspects - legal, political and personal - to the Ryan case, it becomes a moving and tense drama that provides a fresh perspective on a traumatic episode from our not-too-distant past." [7] Also in the Age Simon Hughes was not as positive, saying "there is something lifeless about the whole production. Like a room that has had the air sucked from it, there is an atmosphere here antithetical to the senses." [8]
Sir Henry Edward BolteGCMG was an Australian politician who served as the 38th premier of Victoria from 1955 to 1972. He held office as the leader of the Victorian division of the Liberal Party of Australia (LPA) and was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the division of Hampden from 1947 to 1972. He is the longest-serving premier in Victorian state history, having been in office for over 17 consecutive years.
Ronald Joseph Ryan was the last person to be legally executed in Australia. Ryan was found guilty of shooting and killing warder George Hodson during an escape from Pentridge Prison, Victoria, in 1965. Ryan's hanging was met with public protests by those opposed to capital punishment. Capital punishment was abolished in all states by 1985.
HM Prison Pentridge was an Australian prison that was established in 1851 in Coburg, Victoria. The first prisoners arrived in 1851. The prison closed on 1 May 1997.
The Amityville Horror is a 2005 American supernatural horror film directed by Andrew Douglas, and starring Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, and Philip Baker Hall. It also featured the debut of actress Chloë Grace Moretz. Written by Scott Kosar, it is based on the novel The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson, which was previously adapted into the 1979 film of the same name, while also serving as the ninth film in the Amityville Horror film series, and was also served as inspiration for The Conjuring 2, which documents the experiences of the Lutz family after they move into a house at 112 Ocean Avenue, Long Island. In 1974, real-life mass murderer Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed six members of his family at the same house in Amityville, New York.
Ryan Christian Kwanten is an Australian actor and producer. He played Vinnie Patterson from 1997 to 2002 in the Australian soap opera Home and Away. After his stint ended, he joined the American teen drama series Summerland, portraying Jay Robertson. From 2008 to 2014, he played Jason Stackhouse in True Blood. From 2018 to 2019 he produced and starred in the crime drama series The Oath as Steve Hammond. In 2021 he starred in season one of the horror drama anthology series Them as George Bell. In 2022, he portrayed Thomas Weylin in Kindred, a series adaptation based on Octavia E. Butler's celebrated 1979 novel of the same name.
Oliver Twist is a 2005 drama film directed by Roman Polanski. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood adapts Charles Dickens's 1838 novel of the same name. It is an international co-production of the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and France.
The following lists events that happened during 1966 in Australia.
Jen Handley is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Alyce Platt. Jen was introduced at a time when Network Ten was working to relaunch the serial with the addition of new characters and sexier storylines to improve ratings. She made her first on-screen appearance on 14 February 1995. Jen is portrayed as an easy-going, fun loving medical student. Jen embarks upon a relationship with widower Philip Martin, who gives her much-needed stability in her life. Her brother, Luke Handley, was later introduced to the series. Platt believed a storyline in which Jen is asked to donate a kidney to her cousin was a turning point for the character, as it gave her her own identity beyond a supporting role. Jen's final scenes aired on 6 March 1996. Platt later returned to Neighbours as an unrelated character, Olivia Bell, in 2012, 2020 and 2021.
Selina Cook is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Tempany Deckert. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 5 May 1994. Deckert was given the role of Selina after her third audition for the show. In 1996, Deckert fell ill and Louise Crawford played Selina in her absence. In 1997, Deckert decided to leave the serial, however briefly returned in 1998. Her return was filmed in Ironbridge, Shropshire, as part of the serial's first ever overseas location filming. Selina's last appearance to date was on 30 March 1998, where she agreed to marry Steven.
Shane Parrish is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Dieter Brummer. He made his first on-screen appearance on 28 May 1992 and he departed on 13 March 1996.
Dierdre Claire Smart is an Australian actress, model, singer, dancer and painter. After giving up on being a dancer, she rose to prominence portraying Lucinda Croft in the popular soap opera Home and Away from 1991 to 1992. After leaving the show she appeared in a handful of television guest spots, plays and films, including the 1997 comedy Welcome to Woop Woop, and was known for her appearances as Lady Luck on the variety programme The Footy Show before returning to regular television in the police procedural Water Rats, where she portrayed Detective Senior Constable Alex St. Clare from 1999 to 2001. Her more recent roles include having appeared in the 2011 TV movie Panic at Rock Island and the television shows Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries in 2013 and Winter in 2015.
Kris Noble is an Australian retired television executive, best known for his extensive work in the Australian television industry and for his work on American co-productions Moby Dick and Farscape.
Waterfront is a 1984 Australian miniseries about industrial disputes on the Australian waterfront during the Great Depression.
"Friends for Twenty Years" is the 4773rd episode of the Australian television soap opera Neighbours. The episode was written by Ben Marshall, directed by Jovita O'Shaughnessy, and executively produced by Ric Pellizzeri. It first aired on 27 July 2005 on Network Ten in Australia, as part of the soap's 20th anniversary. Planning for the episode began in March 2004, twelve months before the anniversary. Producers decided to celebrate the 20th anniversary on-screen in July, as winter ratings are usually higher.
"Pilot" is the first episode and the series premiere of the American sitcom The Drew Carey Show. It first aired on September 13, 1995, on the ABC network in the United States. The premise of the show revolves around the life Drew Carey would have lived if he had not become a stand-up comedian. The pilot introduces the main characters of Drew (Carey), Kate, Lewis and Oswald, as well as Drew's workplace, the fictional Winfred-Lauder department store, and enemy Mimi Bobeck.
"The Dog and Pony Show" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American sitcom The Drew Carey Show, and the 54th overall. The series focuses on the work and home life of a fictionalized version of actor and comedian Drew Carey. The episode first aired on November 12, 1997 on ABC in the United States. The episode's plot sees Mr. Wick pass off caring for his boss Mrs. Lauder's Hungarian Puli to his employee Drew. When Drew has the prize-winning dog shaved and neutered, he and his friends decide to perform a striptease at the local bar, The Warsaw Tavern, to earn quick cash to buy a replacement.
The Victorian Liberal Party, officially known as the Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division) and branded as Liberal Victoria, is the state division of the Liberal Party of Australia in Victoria. It was formed in 1944. It became the Liberal and Country Party (LCP) in 1949, and simplified its name to the Liberal Party in 1965. The party sits on the centre-right to right-wing of the Australian political spectrum.
Philip Henry Napoleon Opas AM OBE QC was an Australian barrister. He was best known for his unsuccessful attempts to prevent the execution of Ronald Ryan, the last Australian person to be legally executed.
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