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Jon English and Mary Larkin in Against the Wind (screen cap)
form y separately published work icon Against the Wind series - publisher   film/TV   historical fiction  
Issue Details: First known date: 1978... 1978 Against the Wind
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

In 1798, young Irish girl Mary Mulvane is convicted of stealing by the British court and sentenced to transportation to Australia. During the journey, she falls for fellow convict Jonathan Garrett, and the pair attempt to start a new life in the brutal penal colony.

Adaptations

y separately published work icon Against the Wind Richard Butler , Melbourne : Transworld Australia , 1978 Z809271 1978 single work novel historical fiction

'A triumphant saga that sweeps from embattled Ireland to the struggling new world of Australia! (Based on the TV Series!)

'Mary Mulvane—an Irish beauty, as proud and passionate as the rebellious land of her birth. When Ireland rose up against British tyranny, Mary Mulvane was swept up in the bold fight. Cruelly wrenched from home and family, she was seized and sentenced to the harsh penal colony in Australia. A beautiful young girl, an outcast haunted by a tragic past and an uncertain future, Mary would need a woman's strength to endure bitter hardship, and courage to face humiliation and heartbreak. In a raw world of savage lust and violence, she would struggle to survive, to pursue her search for lasting love, her dream of a new life established in freedom and dignity, safe for the unborn generations yet to come.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Notes

  • Individually published or award-winning episodes are indexed on AustLit.

Includes

1
form y separately published work icon The Seeds of Fire Bronwyn Binns , Ian Jones , 1978 single work film/TV
— Appears in: Against the Wind [Episodes 1, 8, 13] 1978; (p. 1-53)

In this opening episode of the television series Against the Wind, Mary Mulvane and her boyfriend Michael are harrassed by British soldiers while out walking. In response to the troops taking over a nearby farm as a supply store, Michael and his mates burn down the house. When the Mulvane family can't pay rent and church tax, the British troops take their cow away as payment. Mary and Michael are discovered as they attempt to retrieve the cow. Michael is shot dead, leaving Mary to stand trial.

Melbourne : Pegasus Productions Seven Network , 1978
8
form y separately published work icon When Kings Go Forth in Battle Bronwyn Binns , Ian Jones , 1978 single work film/TV
— Appears in: Against the Wind [Episodes 1, 8, 13] 1978; (p. 57-104)

The uprising gathers momentum, but the convicts are eventually betrayed. With the British troops too powerful, the uprising fails and retribution begins.

Melbourne : Pegasus Productions Seven Network , 1978
10
form y separately published work icon A Matter of Life and Death Tony Morphett , Melbourne : Pegasus Productions Seven Network , 1978 25705260 1978 single work film/TV Melbourne : Pegasus Productions Seven Network , 1978
13
form y separately published work icon The Windfall Summer Bronwyn Binns , Ian Jones , 1978 single work film/TV
— Appears in: Against the Wind [Episodes 1, 8, 13] 1978; (p. 108-160)

In the final episode in the series, Ensign Greville uses Mrs Wiltshire's affection for him to gain power in the colony. Jonathan is sentenced to six months' jail for writing a letter to the governor exposing the corruption of the overseers, after he refuses to do as the new 'government' orders. Will is still imprisoned after being turned in for his whiskey making.

Melbourne : Pegasus Productions Seven Network , 1978

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Works about this Work

Colonialism and Indigenous Dispossession in Against the Wind Catriona Elder , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Continuum : Journal of Media & Cultural Studies , vol. 24 no. 3 2010; (p. 399 - 409)
'This article undertakes a revisionist reading of the mini-series Against the Wind (1979) in order to explore the absence of a narrative of Indigenous dispossession. In doing so it seeks to explore the type of history about land, belonging, and nation that was produced in this late 1970s historical Australian television drama. The analysis focuses on a reading of a particular set of publicity materials and the DVD of the series and considers carefully the role of the single Indigenous character in the series. The place of this character, Ngilgi, is examined in relation to the series' characterization of national trauma.' (Author's abstract)
Colonialism and Indigenous Dispossession in Against the Wind Catriona Elder , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Continuum : Journal of Media & Cultural Studies , vol. 24 no. 3 2010; (p. 399 - 409)
'This article undertakes a revisionist reading of the mini-series Against the Wind (1979) in order to explore the absence of a narrative of Indigenous dispossession. In doing so it seeks to explore the type of history about land, belonging, and nation that was produced in this late 1970s historical Australian television drama. The analysis focuses on a reading of a particular set of publicity materials and the DVD of the series and considers carefully the role of the single Indigenous character in the series. The place of this character, Ngilgi, is examined in relation to the series' characterization of national trauma.' (Author's abstract)
Last amended 30 Aug 2017 12:50:03
Settings:
  • c
    United Kingdom (UK),
    c
    Western Europe, Europe,
  • c
    Australia,
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  • 1798-1799
  • 1800-1899
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