Arch Nicholson

Good Thing Going, A (Arch Nicholson, 1978) telemovie; John Hargreaves, Chris Haywood, Veronica Lang, Miles Buchanan; won four Logies 1980

Deadline (Arch Nicholson, 1981) telemovie; Barry Newman, Bill Kerr, Trisha Noble, Bruce Spence, Alwyn Kurts, John Ewart, Willie Fennell; apparent minor earthquake in outback Australia sets journalist Barney Duncan (Newman) on the trail of a story of nuclear extortion

Buddies (Arch Nicholson, 1983) prod. wr. John Dingwall, dp David Eggby, design Phillip Warner, ed. Martin Down; Colin Friels, Harold Hopkins, Kris McQuade, Bruce Spence, Norman Kaye, Simon Chilvers, Lisa Peers, Dennis Miller; two miners searching for sapphires in Qld; AFI Best Original Screenplay 1983; Eastman colour, 35mm Panavision, 97 min.

Return to Eden (Karen Arthur, Rod Hardy, Arch Nicholson & Kevin Dobson (series 1) 1983 (series 2) 1986), mini-series, prod. Jim & Hal McElroy; Rebecca Gilling, James Reyne, Phillip Avalon

Fortress (Arch Nicholson, 1985) telemovie; wr. Everett de Roche, novel Gabrielle Lord; Rachel Ward, Dennis Miller; shot in Victoria; hostage drama

Perhaps best known as a major starring role of Rachel Ward - also Mrs Bryan Brown, and also now emerging as a director, with Beautiful Kate (2009) and An Accidental Soldier (2013).

Dark Age (Arch Nicholson, 1987) wr. Sonia Borg, novel Grahame Webb; John Jarratt, Nikki Coghill, Max Phipps, Burnum Burnum, David Gulpilil, Ray Meagher; crocodile hunter after big croc, cf. Jaws; NT

This is Jaws in the Outback, a giant croc film, thus preceding Rogue (Greg Mclean, 2007) and Black Water (David Nerlich, Andrew Traucki, also 2007). It stars none other than John Jarratt (who is also in Rogue, by the way).

Weekend with Kate (Arch Nicholson, 1991) aka Depth of Feeling; wr. Henry Tefay, Kee Young; dp Dan Burstall; Colin Friels, Catherine McClements; romcom

The writers only got to write one more film, Pauline Chan's Little White Lies (1996). Colin Friels carries the film - which he's perfectly capable of doing. Catherine McClements is lovely to look at. Jerome Ehlers went off to work in TV. And the director died very young, only 48, of ALS (motor neurone disease) and actually before the film was released.

Garry Gillard | New: 1 October, 2012 | Now: 4 April, 2020