The Timeless Land
The Timeless Land (1941) is a work of historical fiction by Eleanor Dark (1901–1985). The novel The Timeless Land is the first of The Timeless Land trilogy of novels about European settlement and exploration of Australia.
Contents
Story and characters
The narrative is told from English and Aboriginal points of view. The novel begins with two Aboriginal men watching the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Harbour on 26 January 1788. The novel describes the first years of the colony and the vindictive diplomacy of captain Arthur Phillip, famine and the devastating effects of exotic disease on the previously unexposed Aboriginal population. The novel ends in a dramatic climax when troops encounter an escaped convict. Dark conducted her historical research at the Mitchell Library in Sydney. Watkin Tench, author of The Complete Account of the Settlement at Port Jackson, is a key character in The Timeless Land. The book is regarded as a classic by fans of Australian literature and has been reprinted in 2002 and has a modest following. The novel was on the curriculum for high school students in Australia in the mid-twentieth century.
The subsequent books in The Timeless Land trilogy are Storm of Time (1948) and No Barrier (1953).
Television production
The Timeless Land | |
---|---|
Genre | mini-series |
Based on | Novels by Eleanor Dark |
Written by | Peter Yeldham |
Directed by | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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Starring | <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
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Country of origin | Australia |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Producer(s) | Ray Alchin |
Running time | 8 x 1 hour |
Release | |
Original network | ABC Television |
Original release | 4 September 1980 |
A television series was produced and broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, premiering on 4 September 1980. It was written by Peter Yeldham, based on the Eleanor Dark novels, and starred David Gulpilil as Bennelong and English actress Nicola Pagett (star of the British series Upstairs, Downstairs) as Mrs. Mannion. Other actors included: Bruce Smeaton and John Frawley.[1]
Production of the series had first been announced in 1976 but was postponed due to the large budget required.[2]
International rights to the series were sold to Paramount for $1 million.[3] Shooting took place in Kellyville, an outer suburb of Sydney.[4]
The 8 episodes of The Timeless Land commenced with a movie-length premiere:[5]
- A ship with white wings
- Unsuitable company
- The fabric of liberty
- Double standards
- Smell of rebellion
- A declaration of war
- Prisoner at the bar
- A new order
In 2006 the Australian Broadcasting Commission released the television series on 3 DVDs, the episodes totalling 424 minutes.[6]
Notes and references
- ↑ Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p241
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See also
- Marcus Clarke: For the Term of His Natural Life (1870–1872)
- Robert Hughes: The Fatal Shore (1987)
References
- The Timeless Land, Eleanor Dark. Introduction by Barbara Brooks and Humphrey McQueen. Pymble, NSW. HarperCollins Publishers Australia. 2002. ISBN 0-207-19877-2
External links
- "The Timeless Land" at IMDV
- Varuna: The Writers House
- Use Australian English from September 2013
- All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
- Use dmy dates from January 2011
- Pages using infobox television with alias parameters
- 1941 novels
- Australian novels
- Novels by Eleanor Dark
- Novels set in Sydney
- Australian historical novels
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation shows
- 1980 Australian television series debuts
- Australian drama television series
- Television shows set in colonial Australia