The Shiralee (1987/Australian TV Mini-Series/Acorn Media DVD)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: C- Episodes: C
Bryan
Brown was on the upswing when he made the Australian TV Mini-Series The Shiralee (1987) and as usual, he is
authentic. Sadly, it is because the F/X films did not develop into a
franchise that Hollywood did not give him the credit he deserved. Here, we get a family melodrama with mixed
results as
he plays
a loner with a daughter he now has to take care of because he is also a widow.
From the
late 1930s to the 1950s, we follow their lives and though there are good
set-ups, locations, a reliable cast and some interesting moments, it does not
sustain the long 190 minutes of a show broken up into the equivalent of two TV
movies in length. Long TV movies. However, if this is your kind of
storytelling, you may have more patience.
The title means burden, which is ironic in this case.
The 1.33 X
1 image is soft and fuzzy throughout with poor color and if it were any worse,
I would lower the rating. Though filmed,
this is an old analog master and needs badly updated. The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is
barely stereo and down a few generations.
The only extras include text cast filmographies.
- Nicholas Sheffo
