The Alice

The Alice outdoor scenes certainly were filmed in and around the real Alice Springs, and I enjoyed seeing some familiar places (Todd Mall, Anzac Hill, the John Flynn Memorial Church, the mural on the wall of Kmart, the Gap, the Macdonnell Ranges, Alice Springs railway station), as well as some great shots of the Central Australian scenery.

The railway scenes appeared to be shot north of Alice Springs, on the new line to Darwin - an anomaly, since the character on (and off, LOL) the train was traveling from Adelaide to Alice Springs and these events should have taken place to the south of the town. The passenger lounge on board The Ghan looked authentic, as did the exterior shots of the train.

The Adelaide station scenes were apparently shot somewhere other than at the station The Ghan uses, and the hotel into which the truck was driven was just a facade built for the film.

Yes, it was a bit quirky, but I enjoyed it a lot.

This is a telemovie that spawned an Australian TV series. The draw for me was Jessica Napier (MCLEOD'S DAUGHTERS) but what captured me was the wonderful weaving of the stories of 5 disparate strangers into a cohesive centre. The characters are all just a little off centre but in a captivating way. Great performances. I'm looking forward to seeing the series, now. I give this telemovie a 7 (good) out of 10. {Drama}

The mix of excellent acting with the Australian outback as a backdrop (or was it the other way around ?), together with a musical score supporting a quirky script can only bode well for the Australian film industry. And it was the quirkiness which made this movie a success.

Good to see Anne-Louise Lambert again, not sighted since Changi. Erik Thomson and Caitlin McDougall stole the show, but were ably supported by Brett Stiller, Simon Burke and Jessica Napier. And not to forget the the sheep, which could fall asleep on cue !(or did they use one of Mark Latham's policy speeches to put the beast to rest?)

"The Germans" may have been straight out of Fawlty Towers, preparing for their worshiping of the Eclipse, shot in the beautiful Rainbow Valley, discovered only in the 1970s by Europeans. Let's hope this was the pilot of a series with many episodes to come ! Black comedy, under the Eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus phenax), perhaps not understood by many viewers, passion and compassion in the bush, with characters from all walks of life - a must see - even for people from South Australia.

Australian Drama. Hmmmm.... It may seem so corny because this is where I live, but surely Aussie drama can do a bit better than this.... the scenery is real, the characters a little unbelievable. As a mini series? Doubt you would pull the viewers on the second night. As a series (as I have heard may happen), doubt much would be shot locally in the future. Very average performances all round I thought.... Nice to see my local town on Tele tho..... The spectacular scenery is shot well, giving an idea of what the area has to offer.

What more can I say .... take in the beauty of the scenery and half an eye on the actors.

I really enjoyed The Alice, seen as a serial on TV1 New Zealand. From the start: the introduction of the characters and why they landed up or were in Alice. I loved the colour of the location; the music, the script and the acting. The story lines gave good scope for further and/or new developments. The actors "grew: as the serial continued,and I cared about them. There was a kindliness about it: a relief from crime/mayhem, murder, nastiness; but not soft, not sloppy. We had a real sense of loss when the programme was suspended during the Commonwealth Games. The time slot was later than peak viewing even at the start, then was moved to 11.10pm! Thank goodness for video recording! Very much better viewing than Blue Heelers, a serial that continued for years. A real shame The Alice was canned!