Alice to Nowhere
1986 miniseries by John Power From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alice to Nowhere is a 1986 Australian miniseries set in the outback in 1954. The setting for much of the action is the Birdsville Track.
| 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
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 "Alice", a mail truck operated by Johnny Parson in a service similar to that provided by the real-life Tom Kruse. After failing to extract the stolen goods, they hijack the truck by threatening the nurse and Johnny's off-sider Ivan.[2] Johnny has little choice but complete his journey, appeasing the gangsters in an attempt to avoid bloodshed. As the truck nears its destination the crew encounter various difficulties and situations, while Dave progressively reveals himself as a sadistic killer and Frog his hapless accomplice.
Cast
- 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
- Joy Smithers as Betty Spencer
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
Summarize
Perspective
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 [sic] and Frog were a pair of incompetent outback psychopaths in search of a better mini-series script."[10] The Mercury News' David N. Rosenthal[who?] 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]
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.