Roger Oakley Movies

In this follow-up to the second-season episode "King for a Day," series regular Michael Hurst again essays the dual role of the heroic Iolaus and his lookalike cousin, King Orestes. When he announces plans to establish a lasting peace by creating a league of nations, Orestes is murdered by the warmongering King Xenon (Roger Oakley). It falls to Iolaus to impersonate Orestes at the upcoming peace conference -- and along the way, he rekindles his romance with Orestes' consort, Queen Niobe (Lisa Ann Hadley). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Running neck and neck with Neighbors as Australia's most popular TV soap opera, Home and Away debuted January 17, 1988. Set in the resort town of Summer Bay, New South Wales, the series originally concentrated on the lives of the Fletcher family, who had set up a tourist trailer park in the community. Like most other continuing dramas, however, the longer Home and Away remained on the air, the more it focused on younger, more attractive characters than the comparatively middle-aged Fletchers. Created by Alan Bateman, Home and Away was telecast weeknights at 7:00 p.m., attaining the 3,000-episode mark in March 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Two people trying to leave ugly memories behind them find life and love anew in Australia in this made-for-television adaptation of the novel by Nevil Shute. Carl Zlinter (Michael York) was a doctor who was drafted into the German Army during World War II and forced to serve the Axis war effort. After the fall of the Third Reich, Carl becomes a displaced person and in time emigrated to Australia, where he tries to build a new life for himself and forget his horrific past. Jennifer Morton (Sigrid Thornton), meanwhile, is a woman from Great Britain who has her own grim memories of the toll the war took upon her nation, and has decided to visit Australia in search of sunshine and fresh scenery. Carl and Jennifer meet, and they soon fall in love, but it becomes obvious that they must reconcile their very different pasts if they are to make a future together. Originally produced for Australian television, The Far Country first aired as a two-part miniseries. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director Roger Donaldson's directorial debut was also a breakthrough film for New Zealand filmmakers, being the first film from New Zealand to open in the United States. Sam Neill stars as a man named Smith who lives in a near future of economic collapse in New Zealand. Smith is a husband who discovers that his wife has been having an affair. Unable to deal with it, he decides to move out and live by himself. But the precarious political chaos in New Zealand has created a right wing backlash, with repressive government forces murdering opponents to the government's policies. Smith finds himself joining a group of freedom fighters that sets out to preserve democracy. Opposing Smith and the freedom fighters are the government thugs and an apolitical soldier of fortune named Willoughby (Warren Oates). ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi