| The Farm | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Judith Colquhoun David Phillips |
| Directed by | Kate Woods |
| Starring | Colin Friels Greta Scacchi |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Bill Hughes |
| Cinematography | Joseph Pickering |
| Editor | Christopher Spurr |
| Running time | 161 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | 18 March (2001-03-18) – 25 March 2001 (2001-03-25) |
The Farm is a 2001 Australian TV mini series broadcast on the ABC. The three part drama series starred Colin Friels and Greta Scacchi.
Plot
The bank convinces farmer Tom Cooper to take out a foreign currency loan. After conditions change and he is no longer able to repay the loan he takes on the bank over their bad financial advice.
Cast
- Colin Friels as Tom Cooper
- Greta Scacchi as Liz Cooper
- Marton Csokas as Adrian Beckett
- Simon Chilvers as Phil Reynolds
- Melissa Jaffer as Helen Cooper
- Jamie Croft as (Young) Fred Cooper
- Yael Stone as (Young) Sam Cooper
- Ned Manning as Eddie McCormick
- Kris McQuade as Pat McCormick
- Mark Priestley as Johnno McCormick
- Wyn Roberts as George Cooper
- Tim McKenzie as Dan Reynolds
- Bille Brown as Booth
- Paul Chubb as Ron Oakes
- Kelly Butler as Felicity North
- Marshall Napier as Peter Collins
- Christopher Stollery as Walsh
- Rob Steele as Roy
- Craig Elliott as Wayne
- Jan Merriman as Rosemary
- Joe Manning as Fred Cooper
- Sibylla Budd as Sam Cooper
- Peter Carroll as Fenwick
- Helmut Bakaitis as Judge Wescott
- Tim Richards as Danny
Reception
Writing in the Australian Tim Hughes gave the series a positive review, praising the lead actors and saying "It's essential viewing for anyone with a sense of justice and a sense of place." Brian Courtis of The Age gave it 4 stars and wrote " Woods and writers Judith Colquhoun and David Phillips allow their heroes to endure without treading too many well-worn, dusty tracks. " Also in The Age Debi Enker wrote "The Farm is a perceptive snapshot of a period in recent history, a tribute to a fierce spirit and an examination of the ties that bind."
Awards
References
- Austin, Keith (12 March 2001), "Thank God I'm a country boy", The Sydney Morning Herald
- McCabe, Kathy (25 March 2001), "Battlers' tale hits home for Greta", Sunday Mail
- Agostino, Josephine (18 March 2001), "Features", Sunday Mail
- Hughes, Tim (15 March 2001), "Bank on a bitter harvest", The Australian
- Courtis, Brian (18 March 2001), "Rustic - alarm - Talking TV", The Age
- Enker, Debi (15 March 2001), "Farm tills a fertile plot - Preview", The Age
- Enker, Debi (8 November 2001), "Seven flirts with AFI relationship", The Age