The Shiralee

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The Shiralee (1957)
Directed by	Leslie Norman
Written by	D'Arcy Niland (novel) Leslie Norman
Starring	Peter Finch Dana Wilson Elizabeth Sellars
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	1957
Running time	99 min.
Country	U.K.
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Shiralee (1987)
Directed by	George Ogilvie
Starring	Bryan Brown Rebecca Smart Noni Hazelhurst
Release date(s)	1987
Running time	100 min.
Country	Australia
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Shiralee is a 1957 film made by the British Ealing Studios, directed by Leslie Norman and based on the novel by D'Arcy Niland. Although all exterior scenes were filmed in Australia and Australian actors Charles Tingwell, Bill Kerr and Ed Devereaux played in supporting roles, the film is really a British film made in Australia, rather than an Australian film.^[1]^[2] The Shiralee is also a 1987 Australian TV film directed by George Ogilvie, based on the same novel.

[edit] Plot summary

The Shiralee tells the story of the itinerant rural worker Macauley —sometimes described as a “swagman” or “swaggie”—who suddenly finds himself taking responsibility for his child. Having returned from “walkabout”, he finds his wife entwined in the arms of another, and so he takes the daughter, Buster, with him. The child is the “shiralee”, an Aboriginal word meaning “burden.” In their time together, father and daughter explore new depths of understanding and bonding. The barren landscapes of the outback provided both a backdrop to the richness of the relationship, as well as explaining the swagman’s love for the country.

[edit] Notes

^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 224. ISBN 0-19-550784-3
^ Albert Moran and Errol Vieth, Historical Dictionary of Australian and New Zealand Cinema, Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2005.