Diana Craig Movies
- 1989
This is a political thriller about a woman who plans to become the first female prime minister of Australia, no matter what she has to do to get there. Diane's (Diane Craig) chief rival for the top spot is Barry Robbins (Gary Day) the (married) government minister with whom she is having an affair. Meanwhile, her best friend is a newspaperwoman who works for a paper owned by a ruthless media magnate (with the initials "R. M."). While Diane plots her course to the Prime Ministership, she also has plans to ruin the career of the media magnate. This, she thinks, would be proper revenge for causing the death of her father. Oddly, all these shenanigans take place in a city every Australian will recognize as Adelaide rather than in Canberra, which is that country's capital. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Craig, Gary Day, (more)
- 1984
All the Rivers Run is a four-part miniseries set in the Australia of the early 1900s. Sigrid Thornton stars as Philadelphia Gordon, an English artist who undertakes a tragic move to Australia with her family. During their voyage to the new continent, a shipwreck occurs, killing all but Philadelphia and one of the ship's crewmen. She is then shuttled off to live with her aunt and uncle on their farm, and uses her inheritance to fund a paddleship business with the crewman from the vessel who saved her life. Philadelphia's life is forever altered when she meets handsome frontier paddleboat skipper Brenton Edwards (the Australian actor John Waters -- not to be confused with the iconoclastic American director of the same name). Our heroine marries Edwards, but the union begets trouble when their paddlesteamer catches fire, destroying the craft altogether and forcing Brenton to take another job. Later, an accident that renders Brenton lame forces Philadelphia to work hard and support the couple; she then decides to rebuild the vessel while doubling up her efforts as a painter. Scripted by George Miller (the director of Man from Snowy River), All the Rivers Run was released in the U.S. over the HBO Cable service; it first aired January 15 through 18, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sigrid Thornton, John Waters, (more)
- 1984
This unexciting story is about a woman who leaves her husband for an interlude of illicit romance and crime. The film begins with two parallel sequences: the fashion model Christine (Angela Punch McGregor) is at home, bored with her married life to Peter (Louis Jourdan) a wealthy businessman, and while those scenes play out, a silver-suited biker is on the prowl. Soon the biker steals a Rolls and follows Christine home, where in quick order they trash her house, take off together, and later rob a post office dressed as clowns. As the film cuts between Peter, Christine, the biker, and Peter's secretary, it is difficult to tell who really has the upper hand, who is actually in control, and who is being manipulated. Unfortunately, this guessing game becomes less interesting as the events in the film become less plausible, and the lack of surprises or shocking scenes -- especially to modern audiences with well-constructed shock absorbers -- makes for a dull 90 minutes. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Craig
- 1989
Debuting in May 1989, the Australian TV soap opera E Street was designed as a "hip," youth-oriented variation of the long-running continuing drama A Country Practice, featuring one of the stars of the earlier series, Penny Cook. Set in the inner-city community of Westside, the daily 50-minute series cast Cook as dedicated general practitioner Dr. Ellie Fielding. Other regulars included beat cop George Sullivan (Les Dayman); George's rebellious teenaged daughter Alice (Marianne Howard); feisty legal-aid lawyer Sarah McKillop (Katrina Sedgwick), who was abruptly killed off six months into the series; Sarah's rather sexier replacement, Jennifer St. James (Virginia Hey); social worker Martha O'Dare (Cecily Polson); pub keeper Ernie Patchett (Vic Rooney) and his hotheaded son Chris (Paul Kelman), who was forced via an unwanted pregnancy to wed snooty socialite Megan Bromley (Lisabeth Kennaly); and the series' most popular character, "cool" Reverend Bob Brown (Tony Martin), who like most of the adults on the program was saddled with a contentious offspring, namely his son Harley (Malcolm Kennard). Whenever the ratings flagged -- as they did when Ellie Fielding was written off the series -- the producers hauled in another Country Practice alumnus, notably Kate Raison as rich-bitch dowager Sheridan Sturges and Joan Sydney as Ernie Patchett's sister Mary. The series also indulged in the time-honored practice of sweeping the boards clean by having several characters killed off at once in a single tragedy (an explosion, an auto accident, etc.) so that a whole new flock of younger, prettier regulars could be introduced. By the time the series entered the home stretch, most of the stories focused on a crippled rock singer named Wheels (Marcus Graham) and his entourage. Created by Forrest Redlich, E Street chalked up 404 episodes before its cancellation in 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
The title of this Australian drama series was slightly misleading. There was plenty of family around and about, but friends were scarce. Focusing on a pair of star-crossed lovers trapped in the middle of a long-standing feud between an English and an Italian family, the weekly, hour-long series was primarily designed as a comeback vehicle for Australian singer and soap-opera diva Abigail. Assembled by Crawford Productions for the Nine Network, Family and Friends briefly aired in 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
In this slightly downbeat film about the history of working women in Australia, the tone is somber although each well-won step forward is highlighted. Clips from newsreels and feature films (not identified) are enhanced by narration, and even the underprivileged aboriginal women are considered - along with many other topics. Divided into four parts, the first segment examines the influx of female prisoners into Australia at the end of the 18th century and their demonstrations in the prisons against deplorable conditions. The story of women's rights continues up to 1914, including the fight for the right to vote. The second part covers the role of women in World War I and before World War II. The third segment continues through the second World War with the role of women in a diminished work force and considers the issue of equal pay for equal work in the years up to 1969. The last segment traces the feminist movement up to contemporary times (early 1980s). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Clifton, Diana Craig, (more)
- 1982
Some of the complexities involved in the murder of 5,000 Chinese in Singapore during World War II are considered in this joint Japanese-Australian film. After the British surrendered Singapore to the Japanese, the Imperial Japanese Army unit known as the kempei-tai or a kind of military police, were responsible for most of the brutality against captured Allied forces and the "ethnic cleansing" of Chinese based on the claim that their guerrilla forces were a threat. The hero of the film is Minoru Tamiya (Atsuo Nakamura) who worked as an information officer at the Japanese mission in Singapore before the outbreak of World War II. In this story, Tamiya was educated at Cambridge and argued for the humane treatment of prisoners of war against the harsh, often fatal, and degrading methods used by the kempei-tai. The difficulties of his position come to a climax in a melodramatic ending, in which the fate of a group of Allies and the fate of the Japanese themselves are symbolically bound together. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Atsuo Nakamura, Kinya Kitaoji, (more)
- 1989
Prince Mikos (Jeremy Angerson), the 16-year-old heir to the throne of an Asian kingdom, is targetted for assassination by his uncle Ki (James Shigeta). To cover his tracks, Ki has arranged for the murder to take place during Mikos' traditional "Test of Kings" ritual. The IMF shows up to make certain that Mikos --- or "Mike", as he is known to the agents --- is given a fair chance to complete the endurance test, and to expose Ki for the scoundrel that he is. First telecast on February 4, 1989, "The Lions" was scripted by David Philips, from a story by James Crown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Thaao Penghlis, (more)
Ned Kelly (Mick Jagger) is the legendary outlaw of the Australian outback sought by authorities for stealing horses. At age 20, Ned has already served a three-year prison term at hard labor. When Ned's mother (Clarissa Kaye) is arrested and jailed on a bogus murder charge, Ned offers to surrender in exchange for his mother's freedom. When the authorities refuse, the Kelly brothers go on a robbing rampage. Cornered by the law in a saloon, Ned's brothers commit suicide rather than be taken alive. Shel Silverstein wrote the music performed by Waylon Jennings, Jagger and Glen Tomasetti. Australian folk songs are also included in this story taken from a popular 19th-century ballad. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Allan, Claire Balmford, (more)
- 1977
When this middle-aged mom becomes a widow she decides to spice up her social life, even if her kids disapprove. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1977
This growing-up story, set in Australia during the '20s, features a young man (Christopher Pate) who gains from his wise grandmother's experience (Geraldine Fitzgerald). The 1977 film was produced and written by Michael Pate, who cast his son as the lead. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geraldine Fitzgerald, Robert Helpmann, (more)
- 1977
In this in mystery, an former police officer and his girlfriend begin investigating the suicide of a friend. The soon find themselves involved in a blackmail ring connected to underground porno movies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
John Lithgow sets aside his patented drooling villainy to play the sympathetic title character in Traveling Man. Beset by business and marital problems, salesman Lithgow feels as though he's at the end of his rope. But it's at this point that he avoids the Willy Loman syndrome by realizing that there's more to life than a smile and a shoeshine. Fade-out salvation arrives in the lovely form of Margaret Colin. Jonathan Silverman co-stars as Lithgow's eager-beaver assistant, while John Glover is slime personified as the sales manager. Written for television by David Taylor, Traveling Man debuted June 24, 1989, over the HBO Cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- PG13
Director Carl Schultz and screenwriter David Williamson's character study of an aging Australian man's second marriage boasts a robust performance by Leo McKern. McKern plays Frank, a man in his seventies, who used to be something of a firecracker, but who now, his best days behind him, prefers to putter-around, play chess, and get under the skin of his new wife Frances (Julia Blake). Frances, forsaking her old family ties (which her family resents her for), marries Frank and agrees to move with him to Queensland. Frank and Frances pack their things and head north, settling into an easy life of fishing and relaxation. They immediately make friends with a lonely neighbor, Freddie (Graham Kennedy) -- and also the local doctor, Saul (Henri Szeps), who informs Frank that he has a bad heart and hasn't much longer to live. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo McKern, Julia Blake, (more)
