Fields of Fire (miniseries)
| Fields of Fire | |
|---|---|
| Based on | novel Cane by Robert Donaldson. |
| Written by | Miranda Downes Robert Marchand |
| Directed by | Robert Marchand |
| Starring | Todd Boyce Melissa Docker Kris McQuade Nicholas Hammond |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 2 x 2 hours |
| Production | |
| Producers | David Elfick Steve Knapman |
| Budget | $4 million[1] |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nine Network |
| Release | 14 June – 15 June 1987 |
Fields of Fire is a 1987 Australian mini series about cane cutters in Queensland just prior to and during World War II.
Plot[edit]
In 1938, Englishman Bluey arrives in the north Queensland town of Silkwood. Two sisters are interested in him, Kate and Dusty. Their mother is Silkwood's matriarch.
Production[edit]
The budget was $4 million, $150,000 of which came from the Queensland Film Corporation.[2] It was shot in Harwood Island, Ulmarra, Clarence River.[1]
Fields of Fire II[edit]
| Fields of Fire | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Fields of Fire II |
| Based on | storyline by David Elfick Robert Marchand |
| Written by | Patricia Johnson |
| Directed by | Robert Marchand David Elfick |
| Starring | Todd Boyce Melissa Docker Anne Louise Lambert Joseph Spano Nicholas Hammond |
| No. of episodes | 2 x 2 hours |
| Production | |
| Producers | David Elfick Irene Korol |
| Budget | $3.75 million[1] |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nine Network |
| Release | 22 May 1988 |
Fields of Fire II is a 1988 sequel set in the late 1940s.
Plot[edit]
In 1946 Franco becomes a black marketeer and marries Gina. Bluey marries Dusty after the war.
Fields of Fire III[edit]
| Fields of Fire | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Fields of Fire III |
| Written by | Patricia Johnson |
| Directed by | David Elfick Irene Korol |
| Starring | Peta Toppano Noni Hazlehurst Nicholas Hammond |
| No. of episodes | 2 x 2 hours |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nine Network |
| Release | 16 July 1989 |
There was a third Fields of Fire in 1988 which dealt with the story in the 1950s.[3]
Plot[edit]
In 1951 Gina and her brother Paolo are successful cane growers. Gina is attracted to Rinaldo. The Menzies government holds an anti-communist referendum.
Main cast list[edit]
| Character | Actor | Series | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fields of Fire | Fields of Fire II | Fields of Fire III | ||
| Bluey | Todd Boyce | |||
| Dusty | Melissa Docker | |||
| Burgess | Nicholas Hammond | |||
| Elsie | Kris McQuade | |||
| Kate | Anna Hruby | |||
| Kate | Anne-Louise Lambert | |||
| Tiny | Ollie Hall | |||
| Jacko | John Jarratt | |||
| Whacker | Harold Hopkins | |||
| Chook | Patrick Ward | |||
| Acreman | Paul Bertram | |||
| Dave | Ken Radley | |||
| Albie | Philip Quast | |||
| Red | Jack Mayers | |||
| Lofty | Bill Young | |||
| Franco | Terry Serio | |||
| Franco | Joseph Spano | |||
| Gina | Peta Toppano | |||
| Paolo | Robert Ruggiero | |||
| Shorty | Dan Simmonds | |||
| Shorty | Danny Ruggiero | |||
| Dawn | Noni Hazlehurst | |||
| Rinaldo | Martin Sacks | |||
| Basia | Gosia Dobrowolska | |||
| Iris | Michele Fawdon | |||
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p193-194
- ^ Roan Callick, "AFTER A DECADE, THE FILM CORPORATION FINALLY FADES TO BLACK", Australian Financial Review, 22 October 1987 p 2
- ^ "THE GUIDE". The Canberra Times. Vol. 63, no. 19, 633. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 10 July 1989. p. 25. Retrieved 28 February 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
External links[edit]