The Last Bastion
The Last Bastion | |
---|---|
Genre | War |
Written by | Denis Whitburn David Williamson |
Directed by | Chris Thomson George Miller |
Starring | Michael Blakemore John Wood Timothy West |
Theme music composer | Colin Stead |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 3 × 2 hours |
Production | |
Producers | Brian Rosen Denis Whitburn David Williamson |
Cinematography | Louis Irving |
Editor | Sara Bennett |
Running time | 360 min. |
Budget | $3.6 million[1][2] |
Original release | |
Network | Network Ten |
The Last Bastion is a television mini-series which aired in Australia in November 1984. It is a docudrama telling the story of Australia's involvement in World War II, and its often strained relations with its two main allies, Great Britain and the United States.[3]
The running time of the series is reported as 360 minutes (6 hours) on the IMDb page, that is the screening time with ads. Each part runs for approx 90 minutes, both on VHS tape and DVD, is approximately 160 minutes implying they are heavily edited versions, as they've compressed 3 episodes into one 2 hour 40 minute film.
The 3 episodes still remain in the Screensound Archive.
Cast
- Michael Blakemore ... John Curtin
- John Wood ... Robert Menzies
- Timothy West ... Winston Churchill
- Robert Vaughn ... General Douglas MacArthur
- Warren Mitchell ... Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Ray Barrett ... General Thomas Blamey
- Peter Whitford ... H. V. "Bert" Evatt
- Max Cullen ... Eddie Ward
- Jon Ewing ... Billy Hughes
- Nancye Hayes ... Elsie Curtin
- Neil Fitzpatrick ... Frederick Shedden
- Bill Hunter ... Ben Chifley
- Reg Gillam ... General George C. Marshall
- Tim Robertson
- Colin McEwan as Frank Forde
Production
The series was the result of two years work for Williamson. It was his first work for television and his first effort as producer.[4]
Kristian Williamson helped with the research and wrote a book with the same title.[5]
References
- ^ Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p209
- ^ Lewes, Jacqueline Lee (5 June 1983). "Million$ of Viewing". Sydney Sun Herald. p. 47.
- ^ "We are the last bastion". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 5 November 1984. p. 1 (SPORTS SECTION). Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Being his own master: David Williamson". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 5 November 1984. p. 1 (SPORTS SECTION). Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "FEATURES Fruit of the FIG TREE". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 19 August 1995. p. 43. Retrieved 8 May 2020 – via Trove.
External links
- The Last Bastion at IMDb
- 1984 films
- Australian drama films
- 1980s Australian drama television series
- World War II television drama series
- 1984 drama films
- Australian World War II films
- Films set in the Australian Capital Territory
- 1980s Australian television miniseries
- 1984 Australian television series debuts
- 1984 Australian television series endings
- 1984 television films
- Films directed by Chris Thomson (director)
- 1980s English-language films
- Australian television show stubs