Recently in Film Adaptations Category

Film Adaptation of The Riders

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News has been released that Tim Winton's novel, The Riders, is set for a film adaptation.  The project will feature Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans, Man on a Ledge) in the lead role as Scully, with director duties going to Robert Connolly (The Bank, Three Dollars, The Slap).  Also slated to appear are Charles Dance, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Timothy Spall.

Filming is due to commence in February 2013.

Film Adaptation of Waltzing Matilda Creation

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"The Courier-Mail" is reporting that a film is to be made about the writing of Banjo Paterson's poem "Waltzing Matilda".  The film, to be titled Banjo and Matilda, is currently set to be filmed in Broken Hill, in NSW, rather than in Winton, Queensland, where the original poem was reportedly penned.  Needless to say the Queenslanders are not too happy about it - the location, not the film itself.  Though how or why you'd want to bring in the Rugby League State-of-Origin football series I cannot say, but they did.

Television Adaptation of The Broken Shore by Peter Temple

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The Media and Entertainment company Hopscotch/eOne has announced that the company has "secured worldwide sales and distribution rights" for the upcoming television adaptation of Peter Temple's novel The Broken Shore.  The Internet Movie Database now has a page for the production but no details other than that it will be directed by Jeffrey Walker (who also directed the Jack Irish tele-movies), and written by Andrew Knight.

You can read more about this and other films/television based on Peter Temple works here.

PL Travers Film

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There is word doing the rounds that Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson are to feature in a film about the making of the film Mary Poppins.  Hank will portray Walt Disney and Thompson PL Travers.

Travers didn't want her film to be made into an animated feature and held out for 14 years before allowing Disney to make the Julie Andrews version.  She hated it.

Sonya Hartnett Film Adaptation

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Strange how I come across little snippets of Australian literary news out on the interweb that either skips by me or the Australian media, or both.  The latest thing I'd never heard of is the film adaptation of Sonya Hartnett's novel Of a Boy.  Not such a strange thing really, except that the film is to be titled "Weight of Elephants" and is to be made in New Zealand. 

I'm guessing the name change came about due to the similarilty between the novel's title and the 2002 Hugh Grant film "About a Boy", but who really knows.  I sure don't remember any elephants in the book.  There doesn't appear to be any mention of the film on the "International Movie dataBase".

Film Adaptation of The Turning by Tim Winton

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Tim Winton's The Turning, which Austlit refers to as comprising "...seventeen overlapping stories of second thoughts and mid-life regret set in the brooding small-town world of coastal Western Australia," is to be adapted into a film with each story to be directed by a different director. 

There are some rather interesting names attached to the project including Cate Blanchett, David Wenham and Mia Wasikowska.  But film?  And seventeen directors?  I would have thought a television series might have been a better option.

And to show you how confusing this all is, the Internet Movie DataBase has an entry for the film but with the three listed above slated for acting roles rather than anything directorial. IMDb only has 10 directors listed.  Well, that's a relief.

TV and Film Adaptations of Peter Temple Novels

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It's been a bit remiss of me not to have mentioned the proposed television adaptations of two Peter Temple novels featuring his Fitzroy lawyer Jack Irish.  There is a bit more information out about these now, namely that production has just started on the telemovies with airing on ABC1 scheduled for some time in 2012.  The two novels to appear are Bad Debts and Black Tide, the first and second novels in the series.

Guy Pearce will appear as Jack Irish, with the adaptations being written by Andrew Knight and Matt Cameron, with Jeffrey Walker directing. 

Andrew Knight is also adapting Temple's novel The Broken Shore into a telemovie for ABC TV with production due to commence next year.

This follows the announcement earlier this year that Temple's Miles Franklin Award-winning novel, Truth, is being filmed, though there appears to have been little in the media about this adaptation since February.

Australian Books to Film #57 - Red Dog

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Red Dog (2011)
Directed by Kriv Stenders
Screenplay by Louis de Bernières and Daniel Taplitz from the novel of the same name by Louis de Bernières
Featuring Josh Lucas, Rachel Taylor and Noah Taylor

Television Adaptation of Greenwood Mystery Series

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ABC Television in Australia is about to start filming a series of programs based on the popular "Phryne Fisher" mysteries by Melbourne author Kerry Greenwood.  According to the Every Cloud production company website, filming of 13 x 1 hour program will start in July with the screenings to commence in 2012.

The Age newspaper reported last week that Essie Davis (Cloudstreet, The Slap) will feature as Phryne Fisher, along with Nathan Page, Miriam Margoyles and Hugo Johnstone-Burt and will be produced by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger.

Television Adaptation of Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

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Foxtel's adaptation of Cloudstreet by Tim Winton started on their pay TV Showcase channel on Sunday night, May 22.  By all accounts it was well-received.  I haven't watched it as yet as I seem to find Sunday nights difficult to pin down.  But I have every intention of getting to it when I can.

Reviews
Herald-Sun: "Cloudstreet is a big, risky move for Showcase. To ensure their survival, subscriber channels simply have to go the extra metre, producing original material good enough to belong on an even bigger screen and that's what Showcase has done. At the same time, it has taken on a novel so loved across a couple of generations of Australians that it potentially has set itself up for a fall.  It won't happen this time, though."

The Australian: "The 1999 stage production brilliantly captured it in a very literal transformation. This miniseries does just as well not to be sucked into easy options -- cheesy nostalgia, overwrought visual effects or you-beaut Australiana -- that could have spoiled the visual rendering of a classic. Cloudstreet is fine, involving filmmaking that will meet impossible expectations, those of our own imaginations. The six hours begins grimly in the first two-hour episode, as it must, but soon opens into a delight that justice has been done to a grand novel."

You can read an interview with Tim Winton, conducted by ABC Radio in Perth, here.

Australian Books to Film #56 - The Tree

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The Tree (2010)
Directed by Julie Bertucelli
Screenplay by Julie Bertucelli from the novel Our Father Who Art in the Tree by Judy Pascoe
Featuring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Morgana Davies, Marton Csokas and Aden Young.

Peter Temple on Film

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The word is that Peter Temple's Miles Franklin Award winning novel, Truth, is heading for a film adaptation some time soon.  Filmmaker John Polson has announced that the film will be made in Melbourne, and Temple seems pretty adamant that the main part of Stephen Villani should go to an Australian actor.  But as we all know, there's many a slip between book and screenplay, and screenplay and screen.  Polson, with TV credits such as Lie to Me, The Good Wife and Flash Forward to his name, should have as good a chance as anyone of bringing this off.

Update: I've fixed an error in this piece, thanks to Melva from Canberra for picking it up.

An additional piece of information in The Age article above states that Temple's earlier novel, The Broken Shore, is being developed as a three-part television mini-series for the ABC by the same people who produced Rake earlier this year. Previous mentions of this have only related to a feature film production.

Shaun Tan and Oscar

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the_lost_thing.jpg   Shaun Tan's short animated film, The Lost Thing, based on his book of the same name, has been nominated for an Oscar. This, of course, puts Tan into rather rarefied company.

The nominees in this category are:

"Day & Night" Teddy Newton
"The Gruffalo" Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
"Let's Pollute" Geefwee Boedoe
"The Lost Thing" Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
"Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)" Bastien Dubois

Gerard Elson, from Readings bookshop, interviewed Tan back in November about the making of the film. The interview page contains a link to the film's trailer.


The Awards will be presented in Los Angeles on 27th February.

Film Adaptation - John Marsden Novels

The film adapatation of John Marsden's novel, Tomorrow, When the War Began, has done extremely well at the Australian box-office and, this morning, The Age newspaper is reporting that the film's director, Stuart Beattie, is working on the next in the sequence.  No title or other details have been announced as yet.  And the Internet Movie database (IMDB) doesn't have a listing for any such film.

Australian Books to Film #55 - Mary Poppins

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Mary Poppins 1964
Directed by Robert Stevenson.
Screenplay by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi from the Mary Poppins novels by P. L. Travers.
Featuring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson and Glynis Johns.

Film Adaptations of Australian Novels

Australian author Max Barry recenty noted that the possible film adaptation of his novel Machine Man looks like being a little closer to actually happening.  The deal now has director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) and writer Mark Heyman (Black Swan) on board.  Barry is quietly confident but realises there are still a lot of hurdles to jump over yet.  An earlier novel, Jennifer Gvernment, was optioned by George Clooney's production company sometime back in 2002, and that film has yet to get off the ground.

Kathy Charles's first novel, Hollywood Ending, has been optioned by producers Ralph Singleton and Joan Singleton.  The title has been changed to John Belushi is Dead, which was the title of the book's US edition.

Australian Books to Film #54 - The Green Helmet

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The Green Helmet, 1961
Directed by Michael Forlong.
Based on the novel by Jon Cleary.
Featuring Bill Travers, Ed Bedley, Sid James, and Nancy Walters.

Australian Books to Film #53 - High Road to China

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High Road to China, 1983
Directed by Brian G. Hutton.
Screenplay by S. Lee Pogostin and Sandra Weintraub Roland, from the novel by Jon Cleary.
Featuring Tom Selleck, Bess Armstrong, Jack Weston and Wilfred Brimley.

Australian Books to Film #52 - The High Commissioner

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The High Commissioner, 1968 (aka Nobody Runs Forever)
Directed by Ralph Thomas.
Screenplay by Wilfred Greatorex, from the novel by Jon Cleary.
Featuring Rod Taylor, Christopher Plumer, Lilli Palmer and Camilla Sparv.

Australian Books to Film #51 - You Can't See Round Corners

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You Can't See Round Corners 1969
Directed by David Cahill.
Screenplay by Richard Lane from the novel by Jon Cleary.
Featuring Ken Shorter, Rowena Wallace, Carmen Duncan and Judith Fisher.

Australian Books to Film #50 - Dad and Dave: On Our Selection

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Dad and Dave: On Our Selection 1995
Directed by George Whaley.
Screenplay by George Whaley and Geoffrey Atherden, from the stories by Steele Rudd.
Featuring Leo McKern, Joan sutherland and Geoffrey Rush.

Australian Books to Film #49 - Tomorrow, When the War Began

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Tomorrow, When the War Began, 2010
Directed by Stuart Beattie.
Screenplay by Stuart Beattie, from the novel by John Marsden.
Featuring Caitlin Stasey, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Lincoln Lewis and Deniz Akdeniz.

Australian Books to Film #48 - Mao's Last Dancer

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Mao's Last Dancer 2009
Directed by Bruce Beresford.
Screenplay by Jan Sardi, based on the autobiography by Cunxin Li.
Featuring Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood, Kyle MacLachlan and Joan Chen.

Dirt Music Film Adaptation

We've reported on this before, and probably will again.

Philip Noyce, out doing the publicity rounds for his latest film Salt is also talking about his adaptation of Tim Winton's novel Dirt Music.  It appears that Russell Crowe is definitely on board as the male lead - replacing a role originally slated for Heath Ledger - and, according to Noyce, has been producing music for the film for the past few years.  And, no, I won't comment on that last piece of news.

The Internet Movie DataBase has a listing for the film but all details about cast and crew are behind their paywall.

Film Adaptation of The Eye of the Storm by Patrick White: Update

Back in February I posted about Fred Schepisi's film adaptation of Patrick White's novel The Eye of the Storm. At that time the production was in the planning stages and final filming wasn't actually guaranteed.  Now, according to Peter Craven in "The Australian", filming is currently underway with Charlotte Rampling, Judy Davis and Geoffrey Rush in the main roles.

Like all of White's novels The Eye of the Storm is intensely dramatic and like some of them (The Tree of Man, Voss) -- though less obviously -- the medium it calls out for is film because White, like Thomas Hardy long before him, and William Faulkner in the middle distance, had the kind of dramatic imagination that wasn't confined to the bare boards of the theatre. Everyone will know the stories of how Joseph Losey wanted to film Voss, with Maximilian Schell or Max von Sydow as the self-immolating and Schopenhaurian explorer, and how he failed to get the money, so that White was reduced to rages in which he would overturn tables like a latter-day Lear in Sarsaparilla.

In fact, The Eye of the Storm is a kind of King Lear story and White toyed with the idea of calling it "Darker Purpose" in honour of the old dominator who wants to crawl unburdened towards death but who provokes two of his children to throw him out into the storm and, indeed, to seek his death.

The difference is that White, in life, saw himself and his sister as Goneril and Regan, the murdering children, wanting the parent (their mother) dead. And if Elizabeth Hunter has a vision of "the mystery of things", as if she were God's spy, it comes from the calm at the heart of the storm, the eye, not from the maddening grief that finds in the storm its objective correlative.

So The Eye of the Storm is an antipodean King Lear writ gentle and tragicomic, almost Chekhovian, with a female protagonist and "wicked" siblings who might be two halves of a Jungian wholeness (though they are sharply enough characterised in themselves).

A Film Adaptation That Never Was

Following on from yesterday's post about the Australian Book Review's list of the favourite Australian novels, and the second place position of Henry Handel Richardson's novel sequence, The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, I came across the following this morning:

AUSTRALIAN NOVEL TO BE FILMED

OUR STAFF CORRESPONDENT.

NEW YORK. Dec 11 - A film based on "The Fortunes of Richard Mahony," by the Australian woman author Henry Handel Richardson (Mrs. I G. Robertson) will be made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, says Hedda Hopper. Hollywood columnist for the "New York Daily News."

Material will be taken from the novels "Australia Felix," "The Way Home," and "Ultima Thule," and made into one script.

Rumours are that Greer Garson and Gregory Peck are in line for the principal roles.

First published in The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 December 1945

Film Adaptation of The Eye of the Storm by Patrick White

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It appears that Australian film director Fred Schepisi is attempting to make a film adaptation of Patrick White's novel The Eye of the Storm.  Trouble is he's run into trouble with financing and, according to Peter Craven in "The Age", unless the money is in place soon the delicate balancing act that is film pre-production will all come tumbling down.

This film production had completely slipped past me, as so many do, but I was tempted to run a bit of a search on the director and the proposed film.

Schepisi's IMDb entry doesn't list The Eye of the Storm as being in either development or pre-production. Although, interestingly enough, it does indicate that Schepisi is developing a film version of Grenville's The Secret River, and one other film that doesn't ring any bells.

The Screen Australia website lists two funding entries for the film: one in September 2001, when Jon Hewitt was lined up as director, Jon Hewitt, Anthony Waddington and Belinda McClory as writers and Anthony Waddington as producer;  and the most recent in April 2007 with Schepisi on board as director, Waddington still as producer, and Judy Morris as writer.

Not that the two attempts are a problem, you'd expect this to be a difficult project requiring a fair degree of lead-up work to get it off the ground.  Some of those attempts are just not going to make it.  But Peter Craven obviously doesn't think that the film will be made without direct senior government intervention.  And given the fact that we're now in an election year, I can't see the Federal Government ponying up a few millions to make it happen.  It would just be too easy a target for the Opposition.

I'll keep an eye on developments.

Film Adaptation of Tomorrow Novels by John Marsden

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In June this year I posted about the upcoming film adaptation of John Marsden's Tomorrow series of novels. Now things have progressed and a website dedicated to the films and the books is available.

"The Herald" is reporting that filming has begun in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, which will probably mean that the first in the series will be hitting our screens at the end of 2010, at the earliest.




TV Adaptation of The Slap: Update

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Back in May this year I posted about a possible TV adaptation of Christos Tsiolkas's novel, The Slap.  At that time I said that it was early in the development process and just because it was being looked at didn't indicate that it definitely would go ahead.

Now, however, it appears that the book is certain to appear on our television screens next year as ABC TV's Acting Head of Drama, Amanda Higgs, has indicated that development will commence in November.

As the article points out: "This year, The Slap has won the Commonwealth Writer's Prize, the Australian Book Industry Book of the Year award, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award, the ABA Book of the Year and the Association for the Study of Australian Literature Gold Award."

Film Adaptation of John Marsden Novels

The “Monsters and Critics” website is reporting that a series of films is to be produced based on the “Tomorrow” series of young-adult novels written by John Marsden. The first film is to be written and directed by Stuart Beattie who previously worked on the screenplays for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” and “Australia”.

The plan is to make a series of three films based on the first three novels in the seven-volume series, and then to follow this up with a TV series if the films are well-received. It is hoped production will commence in September.

TV Adaptation of The Slap

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"The Age" is reporting that Christos Tsiolkas's latest novel, The Slap, is set to be adapted for the small screen by Matchbox Pictures. The current aim is for the book to be adapted over eight episodes - one for each major character in the book - and for it to be screened on ABC TV. Two pluses in my view.

But it's early days yet and just because a film project has been announced is only the first of many steps along the way to it appearing on the crystal tube. 

Film Adaptation of Mao's Last Dancer Update

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In the midst of an interview with Mao's Last Dancer author, Li Cunxin, in "The Australian", Pia Akerman reveals that the film adaptation of the book wil be released in October.  Accord to the Internet Movie DataBase, the film will be directed by Bruce Beresford, from a script by Jan Sardi, and featuring Bruce Greenwood, Alice Parkinson, Kyle MacLachlan and Chi Cao.  And, in keeping with the unwritten rule that all Australian films must have a part for Jack Thompson, he appears here as a US Federal Judge. 

TV Adaptation of Cloudstreet

"The Daily Telegraph", out of Sydney, is reporting that Screentime, the television production company reponsible for "Underbelly", is aiming to produce a television adaptation of Cloudstreet by Tim Winton.

The TV adaptation has been commissioned by Foxtel for the network's Showtime channel and author Winton says it was important his 1991 released novel maintained its typically Australian feel. "For me it's always been important for Cloudstreet to be a homegrown production and I'm really pleased to know that, through (this) collaboration, it can be made here in Australia," he says. "As the book's twentieth anniversary approaches, this is happy news."

Australian Books to Film #47 - FernGully: The Last Rainforest

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FernGully: The Last Rainforest 1992
Directed by Bill Kroyer
Screenplay by Jim Cox from the book FernGully by Diana Young
Featuring the voices of Tim Curry, Samantha Mathis, Christian Slater, and Robin Williams.

Australian Books to Film #46 - Death in Brunswick

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Death in Brunswick 1991
Directed by John Ruane.
Screenplay by John Ruane from the novel of the same name by Boyd Oxlade
Featuring Sam Neill, John Clarke, Zoe Carides and Yvonne Lawley.

Australian Books to Film #45 - Australian Rules

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Australian Rules 2002
Directed by Paul Goldman
Screenplay by Paul Goldman from the novel Deadly, Unna? by Phillip Gwynne
Featuring Nathan Phillips, Luke Carroll, Lisa Flanagan, and Tom Budge.

The Sentimental Bloke Film

The "Filmschatten" website has available a copy of the 1919 silent film version of The Sentimental Bloke, from the book by C.J. Dennis. The quality isn't that flash, and I'm not sure if it's the full version, but it is of interest.

Australian Books to Film #44 - Bliss

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Bliss 1985
Directed by Ray Lawrence
Screenplay by Ray Lawrence and Peter Carey from the novel of the same name by Peter Carey
Featuring Barry Otto, Lynette Curran, Helen Jones and Gia Carides.

Australian Books to Film #43 - The Great McCarthy

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The Great Macarthy 1975
Directed by David Baker
Screenplay by David Baker from the novel A Salute to the Great Macarthy by Barry Oakley
Featuring John Jarratt, Judy Morris, Kate Fitzpatrick and Barry Humphries.

Australian Books to Film #42 - Bush Christmas

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Bush Christmas 1983
Directed by Henri Safran
Screenplay by Ted Roberts from the novel by Ralph Smart and Mary Cathcart Borer
Featuring John Ewart, John Howard, Mark Spain and Nicole Kidman.

Australian Plays to Film #10 - Cosi

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Cosi 1996
Directed by Mark Joffe
Screenplay by Louis Nowra from his own play.
Featuring Ben Mendelsohn, Barry Otto, Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths.

Australian Books to Film #41 - Nim's Island

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Nim's Island 2008
Directed by Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin
Screenplay by Joseph Kwong, Paula Mazur, Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett from the novel by Wendy Orr
Featuring Abigal Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler, and Michael Carman.

Film Adaptations the Hard Way

Rodney Chester, in "The Courier-Mail", talks to Matthew Reilly who has had a few of his novels optioned by film studios. His second novel, Ice Station, certainly looked like getting made, until the executive who championed it left the studio.

Another one of his novels, Hover Car Racer, has a much better chance of getting made into a film, as Disney has purchased the movie rights outright, rather than taking out an option for a few years. "But again, now the screenplay -- not being written by me; it's being done by Al Gough and Miles Millar (Spider-Man 2, Shanghai Noon) -- has to fight all the battles, since it's the screenplay that will be shot," Reilly says.
Wendy Orr's, Nim's Island, has already been made into a film and for the author it was a case of pure serendipity.
For Orr that serendipitous moment came when freelance film producer Paula Mazur contacted her in 2003. Mazur's seven-year-old son had borrowed the book from the local library and he, along with the rest of the family, were entranced by the tale of a girl who calls on the help of an author of adventure stories when her father goes missing. When the film, starring Abigail Breslin and Jodie Foster, was shot on the Gold Coast last year, Orr discovered Mazur wasn't the only fan. Foster loved the story because it had drawn in her reluctant-reader son. "Nim was the book that showed her son that he could love reading," Orr says. "That's the most powerful compliment you can pay an author."

Film Adaptation: The Drowner by Robert Drewe

"The West Australian" newspaper is reporting that Mel Gibson is aiming to produce a film adaptation of Robert Drewe's novel The Drowner. At this time, Gibson has not indicated whether or not he will direct the film, but he is attempting to get the following actors on board: "James McAvoy to play the part of the English engineer..., Emily Blunt, Cate Blanchett and Barry Humphries." The film will be financed by Andrew Forrest, the Fortescue Metal mining magnate, and Australia's richest man.

Film Adaptation of Mao's Last Dancer

Various sources are referring to a "Variety" magazine report that Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin is being filmed by Bruce Beresford. The script has been adapted by Jan Sardi, who previously wrote the screenplay for "Shine". "Mao's Last Dancer" will feature Kyle McLachlan, Bruce Greenwood, Joan Chen and Jack Thompson. Filming starts in China later this month. More details are available on the Internet Movie Database.

Australian Plays to Film #9 - Travelling North

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Travelling North 1987
Directed by Carl Schultz
Screenplay by David Williamson from his own play
Featuring Leo McKern, Julia Blake, Henri Szeps, and Graham Kennedy.

Australian Books to Film #40 - Ned Kelly

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Ned Kelly 2003
Directed by Gregor Jordan
Screenplay by John Michael McDonagh from the novel Our Sunshine by Robert Drewe
Featuring Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, and Naomi Watts.

Australian Plays to Film #8 - Dimboola

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Dimboola 1979
Directed by John Duigan
Screenplay by Jack Hibberd from the play by John Power
Featuring Bruce Spence, Natalie Bate, Max Gillies and Bill Garner.

Australian Books to Film #39 - Blue Fin

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Blue Fin 1978
Directed by Carl Schulz
Screenplay by Sonia Borg from the novel by Colin Thiele
Featuring Greg Rowe, Hardy Krüger, Liddy Clark and John Jarratt.

Australian Books to Film #38 - Storm Boy

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Storm Boy 1976
Directed by Henri Safran
Screenplay by Sonia Borg and Sidney L. Stebel from the novel by Colin Thiele
Featuring Greg Rowe, Peter Cummins, David Gulpilil and Judy Dick.

Australian Books to Film #37 - Candy

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Candy 2006
Directed by Neil Armfield
Screenplay by Neil Armfield from the novel by Luke Davies
Featuring Abbie Cornish, Heath Ledger, Geoffrey Rush and Tom Budge

Film Adaptations: My Brilliant Career

Kevin Lee, proprietor of the weblog "Shooting Down Pictures", has a short-term (!) project dedicated to watching all 1000 of the greatest films of all time, as listed on the "They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?" website.

Coming in at number 939 is My Brilliant Career, adapted from the Miles Franklin novel. This is a pretty comprehensive coverage of the film, including links to the novel's text and Eleanor Whitcombe's screenplay, reviews of the novel and comparisons to the film version, reviews of the film and career reviews of the cast and crew. If you're at all interested in this film then this webpage looks like the place for you.

Australian Books to Film #36 - Head On

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Head On 1998
Directed by Ana Kokkinos
Screenplay by Andrew Bovell, Ana Kokkinos, and Mira Robertson from the novel Loaded by Christos Tsiolkas
Featuring Alex Dimitriades, Paul Kapsis, Julian Garner, and Elena Mandalis

Australian Books to Film #35 - Romulus, My Father

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Romulus, My Father 2007
Directed by Richard Roxburgh
Screenplay by Nick Drake, from the book by Raimond Gaita
Featuring Eric Bana, Franka Potente, Marton Csokas and Kodi Smit-McPhee

Australian Books to Film #34 - The Man from Snowy River

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The Man from Snowy River 1982
Directed by George Miller
Screenplay by Cul Cullen, from the poem by A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson
Featuring Tom Burlinson, Terence Donovan, Kirk Douglas, and Tommy Dysart

Australian Books to Film #33 - Monkey's Mask

The Monkey's Mask 2000
Directed by Samantha Lang
Screenplay by Anne Kennedy, from the novel by Dorothy Porter
Featuring Susie Porter, Kelly McGillis, Marton Csokas, and Abbie Cornish

Australian Books to Film #32 - We of the Never Never

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We of the Never Never 1982
Directed by Igor Auzins Screenplay by Peter Schreck, from the novel by Aeneas Gunn
Featuring Angela Punch McGregor, Arthur Dignam, Martin Vaughan, and Lewis Fitz-Gerald

TV Adaptation of Animalia by Graeme Base

In the middle of a profile of "Photon VFX, one of Australia's most innovative visual effects companies and the stomping ground for its founder, Dale Duguid", by Jonathan Nash, comes the news that the company has created an animated TV series based on Animalia by Graeme Base. The 40-episode series is being shown on Channel 10, and made its debut on November 11.

Australian Books to Film #31 - Turtle Beach

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Turtle Beach 1992
Directed by Stephen Wallace
Screenplay by Ann Turner, from the novel by Blanche D'Alpuget
Featuring Greta Scacchi, Joan Chen, Jack Thompson and Art Malik

Australian Books to Film #30 - Puberty Blues

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Puberty Blues 1981
Directed by Bruce Beresford
Screenplay by Margaret Kelly, from the novel by Gabrielle Carey and Kathy Lette
Featuring Nell Schofield, Jad Capelja, Geoff Rhoe and Tony Hughes

Australian Plays to Film #7 - Hotel Sorrento

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Hotel Sorrento 1995
Directed by Richard Franklin Screenplay by Peter Fitzpatrick
and Richard Franklin from the play by Hannie Rayson
Featuring Caroline Goodall, Caroline Gillmer, Tara Morice, and Joan Plowright

Australian Books to Film #29 - A Cry in the Dark

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A Cry in the Dark (aka "Evil Angels") 1988
Directed by Fred Schepisi
Screenplay by Robert Caswell and Fred Schepisi, from the novel Evil Angels by John Bryson
Featuring Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, Dale Reeves, Maurie Fields, and Charles "Bud" Tingwell

Australian Books to Film #28 - He Died with a Felaffel in his Hand

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He Died with a Felafel in His Hand 2001
Directed by Richard Lowenstein
Screenplay by Richard Lowenstein, from the novel by John Birmingham
Featuring Noah Taylor, Emily Hamilton, Romane Bohringer and Alex Menglet

Bruce Beresford and Mao's Last Dancer

Australian director Bruce Beresford is preparing a film based on Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin, a Chinese peasant-turned-ballet dancer who defected to the US and ultimately settled in Australia. The screenplay is being written by Joh Sardi, who previously scripted "Shine".

Australian Books to Film #27 - Schindler's List

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Schindler's List 1993
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Screenplay by Steven Zaillian, from the novel Schindler's Ark by Tom Keneally
Featuring Liam Neeson, Ben Kinglsey, Ralph Fiennes, and Caroline Goodall

Film Adaptation of Tim Winton's Dirt Music

We've mentioned the possible film adaptation of Tim Winton's Dirt Music here a few times in the past. The production will be directed by Phillip Noyce and feature Rachel Weisz. Now it appears that the filming has been put back to 2009. Noyce, who is currently in Canada, said that "it's a story that needs the right performers." Which, really, might mean anything. Remember that Heath Ledger was originally lined up for a major role before dropping out to play The Joker in the upcoming Batman film.

Australian Books to Film #26 - December Boys

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December Boys 2007
Directed by Rod Hardy
Screenplay by Marc Rosenberg, from the novel by Michael Noonan
Featuring Daniel Ratcliffe, Lee Cormie, Christian Byers, James Fraser, and Jack Thompson

Film Adaptation Nim's Island by Wendy Orr, Update

In May this year, we reported on the upcoming film adaptation of Nim's Island by Wendy Orr. That adaptation has moved on according to Michele Gierck in "The Courier-Mail" as she chats to author Wendy Orr about the book, the film and how the two came together. The other piece of news is that filming has started on Queensland's Gold Coast.

Australian Books to Film #25 - Playing Beattie Bow

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Playing Beatie Bow 1986
Directed by Donald Crombie
Screenplay by Peter Gawler and Irwin Lane, from the novel by Ruth Park
Featuring Peter Phelps, Imogen Annesley, Mouche Phillips, and Nikki Coghill

Australian Books to Film #24 - Age of Consent

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Age of Consent 1969
Directed by Michael Powell
Screenplay by Peter Yeldham, from the novel by Norman Lindsay
Featuring James Mason, Helen Mirren, Jack MacGowran and Frank Thring

Australian Plays to Film #6 - Lantana

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Lantana 2001
Directed by Ray Lawrence
Screenplay by Andrew Bovell from his play
Featuring Anthony LaPaglia, Kerry Armstrong, Geoffrey Rush, and Rachael Blake

Australian Books to Film #23 - Tai-Pan

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Tai-Pan 1986
Directed by Daryl Duke
Screenplay by John Briley, from the novel by James Clavell
Featuring Bryan Brown, Joan Chen, and John Stanton

Australian Books to Film #22 - Walkabout

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Walkabout 1971
Directed by Nicolas Roeg
Screenplay by Edward Bond, from the novel by James Vance Marshall
Featuring Jenny Agutter, Luc Roeg, David Gulpilil and John Meillon

Film Adaptation of The Secret River

"The Australian" is reporting that Fred Schepisi, best known for such films as The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith, Evil Angels and Last Orders, is slated to direct a film adaptation of Kate Grenville's novel The Secret River. The screenplay will be written by Jan Sardi, who wrote the script for Shine. No cast members have yet been named.

Lockie Leonard on TV

Some time back we mentioned that Tim Winton's trilogy of books about Lockie Leonard, young blonde surf-rat, had been turned into a television series. Now Channel 9 in Australia will start screening the 26-part series from today. The network will broadcast three episodes a week, from Tuesday to Thursday, at 4:00pm for the next nine weeks. "The Australian" interviewed Tim Winton about the whole enterprise over the weekend.

Richard Flanagan Film Adaptation

Over the past few months we've mentioned, from time to time, the rather peculiar difference in review tone associated with Richard Flanagan's latest novel The Unknown Terrorist. Basically, non-Australian reviews have tended towards the very enthusiastic, while those published in Australia have been, well, rather more lethargic. You'll remember that the novel made this year's Miles Franklin Award longlist - though not the shortlist - which gave us some sort of benchmark.

And now "The Sydney Morning Herald" is reporting that Steven Spielberg's production company Dreamworks has purchased film rights to the novel. While we need to be well aware that such a transaction means nothing more than an increased income for the novelist, at this time, it does continue this dichotomy of acceptance. I must read it and find out why.

Film Adaptation of Nim's Island by Wendy Orr

The children's novel Nim's Island by Wendy Orr is to be adapted into a film featuring Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin who received an Oscar nomination this year for her role in "Little Miss Sunshine", which also featured Toni Collette. Filming is expected to start on the Gold Coast in July this year, ahead of an April 2008 US release.

Film Adaptation of Romulus, My Father

Eric Bana, who has appeared in such films as Blackhawk Down, Munich and Chopper, is to feature in a film adaptation of an Australian memoir.

"ROMULUS, MY FATHER is based on Raimond Gaita's critically acclaimed memoir. It tells the story of Romulus, his beautiful wife, Christina, and their struggle in the face of great adversity to bring up their son, Raimond. It is a story of impossible love that ultimately celebrates the unbreakable bond between father and son. "Developed with director Richard Roxburgh over seven years, ROMULUS, MY FATHER has been adapted for the screen by poet and playwright, Nick Drake. It is both Richard and Nick's first feature film and is produced by Arenafilm; a partnership between Robert Connolly and John Maynard, with credits that include most recently THREE DOLLARS, THE BANK, Rowan Woods' THE BOYS, Jane Campion's SWEETIE and Vincent Ward's THE NAVIGATOR."

Tim Winton's Lockie Leonard

Worldscreen.com is reporting that Jetix U.K. has acquired broadcast rights to the "Australian show 'Lockie Leonard', produced by Essential Viewing. It will premiere on Jetix U.K. on April 14 and follows the adventures of quick-witted surf-rat Lockie as he battles life as a 12-and-three-quarters-year-old. Based on the award-winning novels by Booker Prize nominated author Tim Winton, 'Lockie Leonard' offers viewers a roller-coaster ride of friends, family and a truly mixed up yet very normal life."

From Wikipedia: "Jetix is a children's television programming brand owned by The Walt Disney Company broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was previously known as Fox Kids." There is no word at this time as to when the series will be screened in Australia.

Film Adaptation of Dirt Music by Tim Winton

Further to our continuing saga regarding the film adaptation of Tim Winton's Dirt Music, the latest news is that Rachel Weisz and Colin Farrell will feature in Phillip Noyce's version of the novel. Luckily enough, Noyce has been with the project since the beginning, which bodes well for the enterprise.

Monster Blood Tattoo Goes to the Movies

News is just in from movie-land concerning a particular Australian young adult novel that I enjoyed so much last year: "Jim Henson Co. is launching development on a trio of literary properties -- The Boggart by novelist Susan Cooper ("The Dark is Rising"), The Doubtful Guest by Edward Gorey and the fantasy adventure trilogy Monster Blood Tattoo by D.M. Cornish..."Monster Blood Tattoo" is a series of three books, Foundling, Lamplighter and a third untitled novel, set in the world of the Half Continent, a magical Victorian realm where an orphaned boy embarks on a perilous quest to become an apprentice to a line of monster bounty hunters. No writer or director is attached; Henson Co. hasn't decided how many features it will adapt from the trilogy."

Update on Film Version of Dirt Music by Tim Winton

"The West Australian" newspaper is reporting that Heath Ledger has dropped out of Phillip Noyce's film version, of Tim Winton's novel Dirt Music. It seems he's to play the joker in the new Batman film and, given the nature of that project, is unsure whether he will be available to film in Western Australia in the middle of 2007. Rachel Weisz is still slated for the main female role.

Australian Plays to Film #5 - Brilliant Lies by David Williamson

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Brilliant Lies 1996
Directed by Richard Franklin
Screenplay by Peter Fitzpatrick and Richard Franklin from the play by David Williamson
Featuring Gia Carides, Anthony LaPaglia, Zoe Carides, Ray Barrett and Michael Veitch.

Phillip Noyce and Dirt Music

A couple of weeks back I posted a comment from Phillip Noyce about his upcoming adaptation of Tim Winton's Dirt Music. Noyce is now back in Australia promoting his latest film, "Catch a Fire", and in the midst of a profile in "The Australian" there is the following paragraph: "Dividing his time between Los Angeles, London and Sydney, Noyce's future
projects include Tim Winton's Dirt Music -- 'It is a hard one, very much a literary invention, the texture and everything' -- and Philip Roth's American Pastoral. 'That one is easier. So we will see which one gets it together out.'" Good to see he's so busy, and also good to see that he's working both here and overseas.

Australian Books to Film #21- Tim

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Tim 1979
Directed by Michael Pate
Screenplay by Michael Pate from the novel by Colleen McCullough
Featuring Mel Gibson, Piper Laurie, Alwyn Kurts, Pat Evison and Peter Gwynne.

Australian Books to Film #20 - Hating Alison Ashley

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Hating Alison Ashley 2005
Directed by Geoff Bennett
Screenplay by Chris Anastassiades from the novel by Robin Klein
Featuring Saskia Burmeister, Tracey Mann, Richard Carter, Rachael Carpani and Delta Goodrem.

Film Adaptation of Dirt Music by Tim Winton

At the end of an interview on the "Coming Soon" website, Phillip Noyce is asked the question: Q: Have you started working on your next movie yet? to which he answers A: It's called "Dirt Music," it's a love story set in Western Australia. It's contemporary based on a novel by Australia's most beloved contemporary novelist Tim Winton. We won't start shooting for a year. [The script is done by] an Australian writer you've never heard of, Justin Monjo.

Australian Books to Film #19 - A Town Like Alice

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A Town Like Alice 1956
Directed by Jack Lee
Screenplay by W.P. Lipscomb and Richard Mason from the novel by Nevil Shute
Featuring Peter Finch, Virginia McKenna, Kenji Takaki, Tran Van Khe and Jean Anderson.

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The Year of Living Dangerously 1982
Directed by Peter Weir
Screenplay by C.J. Koch and Peter Weir from the novel by C.J. Koch
Featuring Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hunt, Michael Murphy and Bill Kerr.

Australian Books to Film #17 - Robbery Under Arms

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Robbery Under Arms 1985
Directed by Donald Crombie and Ken Hannam
Screenplay by Michael Jenkins, Graeme Koetsveld, and Tony Morphett from the novel by Rolf Boldrewood
Featuring Sam Neill, Steven Vidler, Christopher Cummins, Liz Newman, and Jane Menelaus.

Australian Books to Film #16 - The Odd Angry Shot

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The Odd Angry Shot 1979
Directed by Andrew Dominick
Screenplay by Tom Jeffrey from the novel by William L Nagle
Featuring Graham Kennedy, John Hargreaves, John Jarrett, Bryan Brown and Graeme Blundell.

Australian Books to Film #15 - Chopper

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Chopper 2000
Directed by Andrew Dominick
Screenplay by Andrew Dominick from the books by Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read
Featuring Eric Bana, Vince Colosimo, Simon Lyndon, David Field, and Daniel Wyllie.

Australian Plays to Film #4 - The Boys

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The Boys 1997
Directed by Rowan Woods
Screenplay by Stephen Sewell from the play by Gordon Graham
Featuring David Wenham, Toni Collette, Lynette Curran, John Polson, and Jeanette Cronin.

Austalian Books to Film #14 - Looking for Alibrandi

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Looking for Alibrandi 2000
Directed by Kate Woods
Screenplay by Melina Marchetta from her own novel
Featuring Elena Cotta, Anthony LaPaglia, Greta Scacchi, and Kerry Walker

Australian Plays to Film #3 - The Club

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Don's Party 1980
Directed by Bruce Beresford
Screenplay by David Williamson from his own play
Cast: Jack Thompson, Graham Kennedy, Frank Wilson, Harold Hopkins and John Howard.

Australian Books to Film #13 - Picnic at Hanging Rock

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Picnic at Hanging Rock 1975
Directed by Peter Weir
Screenplay by Cliff Green from the novel by Joan Lindsay
Cast: Rachel Roberts, Helen Morse, Jacki Weaver and Anne-Louise Lambert.

Australian Plays to Film #2 - Don's Party

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Don's Party 1976
Directed by Bruce Beresford
Screenplay by David Williamson from his own play
Cast: Ray Barrett, Claire Binney, Graham Kennedy, Pat Bishop, and Graeme Blundell.

Australian Plays to Film #1 - Breaker Morant

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Breaker Morant 1980
Directed by Bruce Beresford
Screenplay by Jonathan Hardy, David Stevens and Bruce Beresford from the play by Kenneth Ross.
Cast: Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, Bryan Brown, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, and Terence Donovan

Australian Books to Film #12 - The Brush-Off

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The Brush Off 2004
Directed by Sam Neill
Screenplay by John Clarke from the novel by Shane Maloney
Cast: David Wenham, Mick Molloy, Bruce Spence and Steve Bisley

Australian Books to Film #11 - The Shoes of the Fisherman

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The Shoes of the Fisherman 1968
Directed by Michael Anderson
Screenplay by James Kenneway and John Patrick from the novel by Morris West
Cast: Anthony Quinn, Lawrence Olivier, Oskar Werner, David Janssen, Leo McKern and John Geilgud

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Regular correspondent Ron writes to inform me that The Book Thief, the popular new novel by Markus Zusak, has been optioned by Fox 2000 for film adaptation. No further details available as yet. It just gets better and better for him.

Australian Books to Film #10 - Stiff

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Stiff 2004
Directed by John Clarke
Screenplay by John Clarke from the novel by Shane Maloney
Cast: David Wenham, Mick Malloy, Sam Neill, and Alan Hopgood

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

"The Guardian", and just about everyone else, is reporting that Peter Weir has quit the director's chair on the film adaptation of Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. Seems he had a difference of opinion, with star Johnny Depp and the film studio, about how to approach the story of the ex-heroin addict, prison escapee and Melbourne author.

Australian Books to Film #9 - Wake in Fright

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Wake in Fright 1971
Directed by Ted Kotcheff
Screenplay by Evan Jones from the novel by Kenneth Cook
Cast: Donald Pleasance, Gary Bond, Chips Rafferty, Sylvia Kay and Jack Thompson

Australian Books to Film #8 - They're a Weird Mob

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They're a Weird Mob 1966
Directed by Michael Powell
Screenplay by Emeric Pressburger from the novel by Nino Culotta (John O'Grady)
Cast: Walter Chiari, Clare Dunne, Chips Rafferty, Alida Chelli and Ed Devereaux

Australian Books to Film #7 - Oscar and Lucinda

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Oscar and Lucinda 1997
Directed by Gillian Armstrong
Screenplay by Laura Jones from the novel by Peter Carey
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Cate Blanchett, Ciarán Hinds, Tom Wilkinson and Richard Roxburgh

Australian Books to Film #6 - The Getting of Wisdom

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The Getting of Wisdom 1978
Directed by Bruce Beresford Screenplay by Eleanor Witcombe from the novel by Henry Handel Richardson
Cast: Julia Blake, Dorothy Bradley, Kay Eklund and Max Fairchild

Australian Books to Film #5 - Careful, He Might Hear You

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Careful, He Might Hear You 1983
Directed by Carl Schulz
Screenplay by Michael Jenkins from the novel by Sumner Locke Elliott
Cast: Wendy Hughes, Robyn Nevin, Nicholas Gledhill, John Hargreaves

Australian Books to Film #4 - The Sundowners

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The Sundowners 1960
Directed by Fred Zinneman
Screenplay by Isobel Lennart from the novel by Jon Cleary
Cast: Robert Mitchum, Deborah Kerr, Peter Ustinov, Chips Rafferty

Australian Books to Film #3 - Three Dollars

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Three Dollars 2005
Directed by Robert Connolly
Screenplay by Robert Connolly from the novel by Elliot Perlman
Cast: David Wenham, Frances O'Connor, Sarah Wynter

Australian Books to Film #2 - On the Beach

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On the Beach 1959
Directed by Stanley Kramer
Screenplay by John Paxton (and James Lee Barrett) from the novel by Nevil Shute
Cast: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins

Australian Books to Film #1 - My Brilliant Career

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My Brilliant Career 1979
Directed by Gillian Armstrong
Screenplay by Eleanor Witcombe from the novel by Miles Franklin
Cast: Judy Davis, Sam Neill, Wendy Hughes, Robert Grubb, Max Cullen

Spielberg and Mary Poppins

For a while there, at the end of 2005, it was being reported that Steven Spielberg was interested in remaking "Mary Poppins", based on the original book by PL Travers and the 1964 Disney film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. And now it seems that some cold water has been thrown on the idea.

PL Travers was born Helen Lyndon Goff in Maryborough, Queensland, on 9th August 1899; she died in London in 1996. She is reported have to been very upset by the Disney version, considering it too sentimental. She'll be spinning widdershins if Spielberg gets hold of the material. A musical based on the film/book has been running in the West End of London since December 2004 and is due to open on Broadway in October 2006.

"The Book was Better"

The list of Australian novels undergoing film production seems to be getting longer and longer. Susan Wyndham, in "The Age", provides an overview of the current scene and explains: "... Australian novels are in demand as both Hollywood and the local film industry bemoan a shortage of strong original screenplays." The article has been written as Elliot Perlman returns home to Melbourne for the premiere of the film adaptation of his first novel Three Dollars. And Wyndham goes on to detail some of the other Australian novels currently under consideration or treatment: Dirt Music by Tim Winton, Moral Hazzard by Kate Jennings, and The Drowner by Robert Drewe, being just some of them.

The problem is going to be, of course, that Australian stories need directors and writers attuned to the basic culture for the works to be successfully translated. Which is why I for one am glad to see Phillip Noyce directing the Winton and Jennings films. If world-class Australian directors return home to develop adaptations of these novels then the whole of the industry gains from the process. Which can only lead to an increased interest in the original source material. And that surely can't be a bad thing.

Film Adaptation: Eucalyptus by Murray Bail Part 2

"The Australian" today reports further on the suspension of production on the film adaptation of the Murray Bail novel Eucalyptus. Obviously matters have progressed somewhat since my previous note regarding the fracas. Now we find that writer-director Moorhouse has left the project, and that Nicole Kidman's schedule will not permit her to be involved in the film later in the year. So she's out as well. Crowe is now reported to be attempting to contact either Bruce Beresford or Fred Schepisi. Though neither has been approached so far according to their agents.

To bring this back to the script side of things: it appears that the disagreement between Moorhouse and Crowe concerned the dialogue. Crowe wanted changes, Moorhouse did not. And we thought this only happened in Hollywood. No, hang on. This is a Hollywood film. It's just being filmed here.

Film Adaptation: Eucalyptus by Murray Bail

Just a few days before shooting was due to start on the film adaptation of Murray Bail's Eucalyptus, production was halted. Exact reasons are sketchy at this time, but the general consensus is that problems with the script are the base cause.

"The Australian" reports that there have been "creative differences" between Russell Crowe, the executive producer, and Jocelyn Moorhouse, the writer-director. Added to that, Murray Bail has been a little bemused by the casting of Nicole Kidman in the lead female role: Kidman is 37 and the novel's character Ellen is 19.

I really don't have a big problem with Kidman in the lead: good make-up, judicious lighting and she could look like she was in her early twenties - no nose required. Anyway it might be said (but not by me, of course) that Kidman has had some "image enhancements" over the years which have helped her look younger. The problem I find is with the roles of Crowe and Moorhouse. I've always thought the executive producer was the person who either put up the money or got the package together to bankroll the production. Having that person in one of the main roles in the film strikes me as a possible conflict of interest: the executive producer wants the best for the film as that will help ensure they get their money back, and the actor wants their role to be bigger, always bigger, even if it hurts the balance of the script in the process. If those two roles work well together, or if one player plays against their role, then things might work out. I'd say that most times they won't.

Writer-directors either work very well or fall in a heap. Woody Allen is able to undertake both roles because he gets the script done first, and then employs an ensemble cast for his films, working to his own timetable. And for a long time he worked outside the studio system, or at least arranged standard funding. M. Night Shyamalan also works as a writer-director and is a perfect example of why this doesn't always work. His first film, "Sixth Sense" was a huge hit because he had time to get the script right before moving into director-mode. Each subsequent film shows a dilution of quality which I would put down to script problems, caused by Shyamalan having too much to do in too little time, and consequently falling short. We really won't know what his true abilities are until he writes a script for someone else, or directs a film without writing it.

In the case of Eucalyptus, the film is being financed by Fox Searchlight Pictures, and features two Oscar-winning actors, and it might have been three if Geoffrey Rush hadn't pulled out due to scheduling problems.

[Just as an aside: what was the last film with three Oscar-winners in the lead roles? I can't think of any.]

So the pressure was on. Crowe hasn't been making more than one film a year lately which seems a good schedule, but Kidman seems to be the female equivalent of Jude Law at present - she's everywhere. Her schedule must be a nightmare to organise. So more time pressure was applied to fit the film production into her calendar. And then the studio wants it finished and in the theatres by the end of the year to make it eligible for the 2006 Oscars, and the house of cards starts to get very shakey. If it all slots into place, well and good. But you wouldn't want to bet the bank on it.

I have no idea which of these possible problems caused the final collapse. The script seems the easiest to blame, ego- and creative-wise. At this time the main players intend the production to go ahead later in the year, with a November date being mentioned. I sincerely hope it does. Eucalytus was, in my opinion, one of the best Australian books of the 1990s. If the film does nothing other than bring people back to the original source novel, then it will have served its purpose. And as a last thought: I wonder if Geoffrey Rush will be free then?

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This page is an archive of recent entries in the Film Adaptations category.

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