Women of the Sun
Women of the Sun | |
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SBS Television | |
Release | July 1981 |
Related | |
Women of the Sun is an Australian
Plot
The first episode, titled "Alinta: The Flame", dealt with the first contact between tribal
"Maydina: The Shadow" takes place in the 1860s and follows a young Aboriginal woman, Maydina, who lives with a group of seal-hunters. It is revealed that she was abducted by the hunters as a child and, after years of abuse by her captors, she attempts to escape with her half-caste daughter Biri. They are taken in by Mrs. McPhee, founder and head of a church mission, where mother and daughter are separated when Maydina is employed into service with the church. While there, she and another Aboriginal man fall in love and attempt to leave with Biri so that can return to their traditional life and culture in the
"Nerida Anderson" is the third episode in the series and is based on the real-life events of the "
The fourth and final segment, "Lo-Arna", is set in the then-present 1980s and focuses on 18-year-old Ann Cutler, who lives with her adoptive parents, Doug (
Characters
1: Alinta: The Flame
- Young Alinta (Naykakan Munung)
- Alinta (Yangathu Wanambi)
- Murra (Gordon Lunyupi)
- McNab (William Zappa)
- Towradgi (Gatja Munyarryun)
- Turuga (Garrala Gurruwiwi)
- Morrorra (Walumarri Wunungmurra)
- Kiah (Wurrandilngawuy)
- Finlay (Adam Joseph)
- Waroo (Nippuranydja Munungurr)
- Young Wonda (Beyawuy Murawili)
- Goodman (Tony Hawkins)
- Fisher (David Scott)
- Bosun (Ken Grant)
- Stuckey (Reg Evans)
2: Maydina: The Shadow
- Maydina (Mawiyul Yanthaluway)
- Mrs. McPhee (Julia Blake)
- Charlie/Joala (Freddie Reynolds)
- Rev. Bligh (Bill Johnson)
- Biri (Sonia Pozzana)
- Little Johnny (Doug Briggs)
- Edward (James Laurie)
- Maggie (Essie Coffey)
- Matilda (Anne Saward)
- Mr. Johnson (Roger Oakley)
- Old Tommy (Wandjuk Marika)
- Old Timothy (Alfred Austin)
- Muller (Michael Duffield)
- Alf (Chris Heywood)
- Joe (Tommy Dysart)
3: Nerida Anderson
- Nerida Anderson (Justine Saunders)
- Mr. Felton (Graham Rouse)
- Mrs. Felton (Felicity Gordon)
- Grannie Anderson (Minnie Patten)
- Ivy Anderson (Lorraine Mafi-Williams)
- Bill Anderson (Stan Roach)
- Ron Anderson (Paul Pryor)
- Auntie Rachel (Joyce Johnson)
- Andy (Monty Prior)
- Maisie (Yvette Isaacs, a.k.a. Maroochy Barambah)
- Frank Reilly (Ed Thurley)
- Mr. Short (Robin Cuming)
- Mr. Watson (Geoff Parry)
- Peter (Jack Charles)
- Eddy (Wesley Williams)
- Alma (Phemie Day)
4: Lo-Arna
- Ann Cutler (Michelle Lanyon)
- Doug Cutler (Max Phipps)
- Joy Cutler (Fiona Spence)
- Alice Wilson (Eva Birrit)
- Val Pearce (Mollie Dyer)
- Nick (David Cameron)
- Jimmy Randle (Bob Maza)
- Peter Randle (Michael Cockatoo)
- Jamie Randle (Gordon Edwards)
- Grannie Johnson (Margaret Tucker)
- Secretary (Amanda Muggleton)
- Receptionist (Adele Lewin)
- Public Servant (James Wright)
- President (Osvaldo Maione)
Production
The original concept for the series, in which the
A television series was eventually commissioned by
When the series was first commissioned by SBS I'd read the script, loved it, made a commitment to the writers to make it, sent the scripts to SBS and I got a phone call one week later from Bruce Gyngell (SBS' founding manager) who, fortunately, had been in Canberra the week before.
Someone asked him in a senate committee hearing "what are you doing about Aboriginal Australia?" And he replied, "I just got these scripts that I'm going to do". He rang me and said, "Bob, I love the scripts, we're going ahead".[3]
The series was directed by
Reception
The series was aired on
The series, more importantly, for the first time provided the opportunity to tell the Aboriginal story through the eyes of its women, in their own language, and made available to national audience. It also had a significant impact on Aboriginal communities as the series brought up key issues affecting its culture.[3]
In 2006, series producer Bob Weis interviewed the leading actresses who appeared in each of the four episodes. He then discussed with them the impact it had had on their lives, as well as on his own, and the issues facing them and the Aboriginal culture today. A feature-length documentary was released based on these interviews titled Women of the Sun: 25 Years Later and which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival.[3]
The series was presented by Macleay Museum at the University of Sydney's Old Geology Lecture Theatre on 25 January 2007, the day before the anniversary of Australian colonization. It was accompanied by the final viewing of the Macleay Museum's "Living Water" art exhibition which featured "artistic expressions of Aboriginal identity".[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e Thorpe, Sally Campbell (20 July 2006). "Women of the Sun...25 Years Later: A Study Guide By Sally Campbell Thorpe" (PDF). MuseumsAndGalleries.act.gov.au.
- ^ a b c O'Brien, Katrina (22 January 2007). "Women of the Sun at the Macleay Museum". University of Sydney. USYD.edu.au.
- ^ a b c d Kalina, Paul (3 August 2006). "Return to women of the sun". The Age.
- ^ a b c d e f Zuk, T. (15 April 2002). "Australian Television: Women of the Sun". Australian Television Information Archive. AustralianTelevision.net.
- ^ a b c d e f Ronin Films (2009). "Women of the Sun". Shop for a film. RoninFilms.com.
- The Australian Women's Register. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
First created 18 May 2005
External links
- Women of the Sun at IMDb