| Essington | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Thomas Keneally |
| Directed by | Julian Pringle |
| Starring | Chris Haywood Hugh Keays-Byrne |
| Music by | Peter Sculthorpe |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Alan Burke |
| Cinematography | Lloyd Shiels |
| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | November 26, 1974 |
Essington is a 1974 TV film about a convict named Squires who arrives with a detachment of Royal Marines at Port Essington.[1]
According to the Canberra Times "it is both an historical narrative and an allegorical treatment of Australian history."[2]
Plot
[edit]In the 1840s, the settlement of Port Essington is run by Governor Macarthur. The inhabitants include Macarthur's wife, Private Evans, and a convict, Bob Squires, who has good relations with the local aboriginal population.
Private Evans falls for an aboriginal woman and goes missing from the settlement.
Cast
[edit]- Chris Haywood as Bob Squires
- Jacqueline Kott
- Sandra McGregor
- Wyn Roberts
- Michael Craig
- Cornelia Frances
- Melissa Jaffer
- John Hargreaves
- Ralph Cotterill
- Hugh Keays-Byrne
- Justine Saunders
- Wendy Hughes
- Steve Dodd
- Drew Forsythe
Reception
[edit]Thomas Keneally won Best Script at the 1976 Logie Awards. Chis Haywood won Best Performance by an Individual Actor.[3]
Michael Craig called it "a wonderful script; macabre, funny, tragic and optimistic, and extremely well directed by Julian Pringle."[4]
Music
[edit]The music score was written by Peter Sculthorpe with Michael Hannan and David Matthews. It was adapted from an Aboriginal melody "Djilile" (whistling-duck on a billabong) from a recording collected in northern Australia in the late 1950s. Sculthorpe further developed the music as a 15-minute, six-part piece titled "Port Essington" which was commissioned by Musica Viva Australia for the Australian Chamber Orchestra and first performed at the University of Queensland in August 1977.[5][6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p52
- ^ "COLOUR TV NEW SERIES OF ABC COLOUR PROGRAMS". The Canberra Times. Vol. 49, no. 14, 004. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4 March 1975. p. 15. Retrieved 10 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ 1976 TV Week Logie Awards accessed 27 June 2013
- ^ Craig, Michael (2005). The Smallest Giant: An Actor's Life. Allen and Unwin. p. 183.
- ^ "Port Essington". Leichardt Land.
- ^ "Australian Biography: Interview with Peter Sculthorpe". National Film and Sound Archive.
- ^ Hannan, Michael (2011). "SCORING ESSINGTON: Composition, Comprovisation, Collaboration" (PDF). Screen Sound.
External links
[edit]- Essington at IMDb
- Essington at Screen Australia
- Digitised copy of complete script by Thomas Keneally at National Archives of Australia
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