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.
| Alice to Nowhere | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Power |
| Screenplay by | David Boutland |
| Based on | novel by Evan Green |
| Produced by | Brendon Lunney |
| Starring | John Waters Steven Jacobs Rosey Jones Esben Storm |
| Cinematography | David Connell |
| Edited by | Ralph Strasser |
| Music by | Peter Best |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 2 × 2 hours |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.8 million[1] |
Plot
editTwo jewel thieves plant a stolen necklace in a nurse's luggage. They then follow her onto Alice Springs and the towards Birdsville to try retrieve the necklace. Along the way they hijack a mail truck.[2]
Cast
edit- John Waters as Johnny Parson
- Steven Jacobs as Dave Mitchell
- Rosey Jones as Barbara Dean
- Esben Storm as Frog
- Slawomir Wabik as Ivan
- Ruth Cracknell as Mrs Spencer
- John Clayton as Sgt Wallace (2 episodes)
- Joy Smithers as Betty Spencer
Production
editAlice to Nowhere is based on a 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]
Reception
editThe show enjoyed reasonable ratings when it aired.[5]
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."[6] 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 in Nowhere is a nicely handled, grueling 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. [7]
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."[8] 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."[9]
References
edit- ^ Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p170
- ^ Lee Lewes, Jacqueline (29 June 1986), "Slick thriller has refreshing slant", The Sun-Herald
- ^ Hooks, Barbara (28 October 1985), "Bush hijack makes a new mini-series", The Age
- ^ a b Borlase, Suzanne (30 June 1986), "A violent parable of good and evil in the Outback", The Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Albert Moran, Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, AFTRS 1993 p 48
- ^ Hooks, Barbara (30 June 1986), "Menace, romance and thrills in a flawed gem", The Age
- ^ O'Neil, Helen (8 January 1990), "Alice to Nowhere", The Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Leadon, Paul (13 January 1990), "Cast-iron myths of bronzed bushies and true believers", The Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Rosenthal, David N. (24 April 1988), "Aussie appeal dries up. 'Alice to Nowhere' should have stayed in the outback", The Mercury News
External links
edit- Alice to Nowhere at IMDb
- Alice to Nowhere at the National Film and Sound Archive
- Alice to Nowhere – Crawfords Australia
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