John Power

John Beresford Power (1930-2016) was a director, some of whose work is set out below. He directed many telemovies and miniseries, but has also made the two features, The Picture Show Man, and Father (which has the distinction of the presence of the great Ingmar Bergman actor, Max von Sydow).

He also wrote the plays on which the films The Last of the Knucklemen (Tim Burstall, 1979) and Dimboola (John Duigan, 1979) were based (the latter with Jack Hibberd as first author).

The Picture Show Man (John Power, 1977) prod. Joan Long for Limelight Productions, wr. Joan Long from Penn's Pictures on Tour by Lyle Penn, dp Geoff Burton, music Peter Best, design David Copping; Tony Barry, Patrick Cargill, Sally Conabee, Jeanie Drynan, John Ewart, Harold Hopkins, Garry McDonald, John Meillon, Judy Morris, Grant Page, Rod Taylor; Melbourne, colour, 35mm, 98 min.

Sound Of Love (John Power, 1978) John Jarratt, Celia de Burgh, George Ogilvie, Don Barker; Eileen and Dave meet when their affliction brings them together in a clinic for the deaf

Dismissal, The (Dr George Miller, Phillip Noyce, Carl Schultz, George Ogilvie, John Power, 1983) prod. Kennedy Miller; TV docudrama; Max Phipps (Gough Whitlam), John Stanton (Malcolm Fraser), John Meillon (John Kerr), John Hargreaves (Jim Cairns)

Great Gold Swindle, The (John Power, 1984) telemovie shown on Channel 10 1984; John Hargreaves, Bill McCluskey; 95 min. (cf. The Great Mint Swindle (Geoff Bennett, 2012))

Alice to Nowhere (John Power, 1986) mini-series, cf. The Back of Beyond (John Heyer, 1954, documentary): this series follows the same route; mailman is held hostage

Dirtwater Dynasty (Michael Jenkins & John Power, 1988) mini-series; Hugo Weaving, Ernie Dingo, Peter Phelps; multi-generational saga about Londoner from the wrong side of the tracks who makes his fortune in Australia

All the Rivers Run 2 (John Power, 1990) mini-series; John Waters, Nikki Coghill

Father (John Power, 1990) wr. Tony Cavanaugh, Graham Hartley, dp Dan Burstall, prod. Damien Parer, Tony Cavanaugh, Graham Hartley, Paul D. Barron; Barron Films, Leftbank Productions, Transcontinental Films, music Peter Best; Max von Sydow, Carole Drinkwater, Julia Blake, Steve Jacobs, Simone Robertson, Kahli Sneddon, Nicholas Bell, Tim Robertson, Bruce Alexander; Joe Mueller (Max von Sydow) may have committed war crimes as Franz Kessler, SS, 1945; reviewed Jan Epstein, Cinema Papers, 81, December 1990: 28-31

Garry Gillard | New: 19 November, 2012 | Now: 12 August, 2020