| Essington | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Thomas Keneally |
| Directed by | Julian Pringle |
| Starring | Chris Haywood Hugh Keays-Byrne |
| Music by | Peter Sculthorpe |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Alan Burke |
| Cinematography | Lloyd Shiels |
| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | 26 November 1974 (1974-11-26) |
Essington is a 1974 TV film about a convict named Squires who arrives with a detachment ofRoyal Marines atPort Essington.[1]
According to theCanberra Times "it is both an historical narrative and an allegorical treatment of Australian history."[2]
In the 1840s, the settlement of Port Essington is run by Governor Macarthur. The inhabitants include Macarthur's wife, Private Evans, and a convict, Bob Squires, who has good relations with the local aboriginal population.
Private Evans falls for an aboriginal woman and goes missing from the settlement.
Thomas Keneally won Best Script at the1976 Logie Awards. Chis Haywood won Best Performance by an Individual Actor.[3]
Michael Craig called it "a wonderful script; macabre, funny, tragic and optimistic, and extremely well directed by Julian Pringle."[4]
The music score was written by Peter Sculthorpe with Michael Hannan and David Matthews. It was adapted from an Aboriginal melody "Djilile" (whistling-duck on a billabong) from a recording collected in northern Australia in the late 1950s. Sculthorpe further developed the music as a 15-minute, six-part piece titled "Port Essington" which was commissioned byMusica Viva Australia for theAustralian Chamber Orchestra and first performed at the University of Queensland in August 1977.[5][6][7]
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