Great Expectations: The Untold Story

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Great Expectations: The Untold Story
Genre Period drama
Based on Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens
Written by Tim Burstall
Story byTom Burstall
Directed byTim Burstall
Starring John Stanton
Sigrid Thornton
Robert Coleby
Anne-Louise Lambert
Ron Haddrick
Noel Ferrier
Danny Simmons
Todd Boyce
Music byGeorge Dreyfus
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers Antony I. Ginnane
Ray Alchin
ProducersTom Burstall
Ray Alchin
Production location Sydney
CinematographyPeter Hendry
EditorsTony Kavanaugh
Lyn Solly
Running time50 minutes
102 minutes (film version)
Production companies Hemdale Film Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
International Film Management
BudgetA$5,970,077 [1] [2]
Original release
NetworkABC
Release7 February 1987 (1987-02-07) 
March 14, 1987 (1987-03-14)

Great Expectations: The Untold Story is a 1987 Australian period drama miniseries, which was later re-edited as a feature film. [3]

Contents

It is based on an account of what happened to Magwitch from Charles Dickens' 1861 novel Great Expectations when he was in Australia. [4]

Plot

Magwitch is sentenced to life in New South Wales. He is put on a chain gang run by Solomon Tooth and eventually amasses a fortune.

Cast

Production

The project was the idea of Tom Burstall, who made it with his director father Tim. Tim Burstall says in the writing of it he was influenced by a book by Price Waring, Tales of the Old Convict System. [5] It was filmed in Sydney from 9 March to 11 July 1986. [3]

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References

  1. "Australian Productions Top $175 million", Cinema Papers, March 1986 p64
  2. "TIMESTYLE tv radio chess Nuclear attack drama most powerful yet". The Canberra Times . Vol. 59, no. 18, 164. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 23 June 1985. p. 13. Retrieved 14 February 2017 via National Library of Australia.
  3. 1 2 Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p70, 201-202
  4. David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p187-188
  5. Interview with Tim Burstall, 30 March 1998 Archived 15 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 14 October 2012