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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
Mini-series dramatising the breakout of Japanese prisoners of war from a camp in the New South Wales town of Cowra, which led to the deaths of 231 Japanese prisoners. Moran notes, in his Guide to Australian TV Series, that it 'became a Bridge on the River Kwai in reverse, with the strategy of the mini-series being to stress heroism, as well as stupidity and cowardice, both on the Japanese and the Australian side.'
Moran notes that this mini-series employed the same approach as previous Kennedy Miller productions (including 'intensive workshops for actors, directors and parts of the crew'), but was 'the least dramatically successful of the Kennedy Miller series'. Nevertheless, it was sold to both Great Britain and Japan.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Leaving Home : Kennedy Miller in Melbourne
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , December no. 85 2017;Kennedy Miller has been located in Sydney since the early 1980s, when its reputation as Australia’s most successful production house was established. But its origins and trajectory as a company are intimately tied to Melbourne. Drawing on textual, historical, and archival sources, I argue that Melbourne’s screen culture and industry at the time of the Australian film revival played a fundamental key role in shaping the abilities and sensibilities of the company’s founders, George Miller and Byron Kennedy.
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What Do Mad Max's Six Oscars Mean for the Australian Film Industry?
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 1 March 2016; 'The career of Dr George Miller reminds me of that of Charles Chauvel, one of the greatest showmen of the Australian cinema. Both men – though separated by many decades – have employed epic cinematic forms and nationalistic themes. ...' -
The Power of Film Captures Our Lives in War
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 25 April 2012; (p. 3) -
The Cowra Breakout
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Making Film and Television Histories : Australia and New Zealand 2011; (p. 133-137)
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The Power of Film Captures Our Lives in War
2012
single work
column
— Appears in: The Age , 25 April 2012; (p. 3) -
The Cowra Breakout
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Making Film and Television Histories : Australia and New Zealand 2011; (p. 133-137) -
What Do Mad Max's Six Oscars Mean for the Australian Film Industry?
2016
single work
column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 1 March 2016; 'The career of Dr George Miller reminds me of that of Charles Chauvel, one of the greatest showmen of the Australian cinema. Both men – though separated by many decades – have employed epic cinematic forms and nationalistic themes. ...' -
Leaving Home : Kennedy Miller in Melbourne
2017
single work
essay
— Appears in: Senses of Cinema , December no. 85 2017;Kennedy Miller has been located in Sydney since the early 1980s, when its reputation as Australia’s most successful production house was established. But its origins and trajectory as a company are intimately tied to Melbourne. Drawing on textual, historical, and archival sources, I argue that Melbourne’s screen culture and industry at the time of the Australian film revival played a fundamental key role in shaping the abilities and sensibilities of the company’s founders, George Miller and Byron Kennedy.
Awards
- 1985 winner New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Betty Roland Prize for Scriptwriting Television writing.
- Cowra, Cowra area, Blayney - Cowra - Grenfell area, Central West NSW, New South Wales,
- 1939-1945