''Adam's Woman'' is a 1970 Australian-American

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Philip Leacock Philip David Charles Leacock (8 October 1917 – 14 July 1990) was an English television and film director and producer. His brother was documentary filmmaker Richard Leacock. Career Born in London, England, Leacock spent his childhood in the C ...

and starring

Beau Bridges Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor and director. He is a three-time Emmy, two-time Golden Globe and one-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee. Bridges was a ...

Jane Merrow Jane Josephine Meirowsky (born 26 August 1941), known professionally as Jane Merrow is a British actress who has been active from the 1960s in both Britain and the United States. Early years Merrow was born in Hertfordshire to an English mothe ...

and

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

. It has been called a "convict Western".

Plot

In the 1840s, an American sailor ashore in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

is wrongly convicted and sent to the

penal colony A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer to ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia where he enters into a battle of wills with the Governor. The Governor offers him a pardon if he helps pioneer new land for the growing colony. He marries Irish woman Bess and they establish a farm despite the harassment of bushrangers. Opponents of the governor persuade a visiting Crown commissioner, Lord Croydon, to revoke Adam's pardon. Adam tries to escape but is arrested. Bess pleads his case and Adam gets a full pardon.

Cast

– Adam Beecher *

– Bess *

– Sir Philip MacDonald *

James Booth James Booth (born David Noel Geeves; 19 December 1927 – 11 August 2005) was an English film, stage and television actor and screenwriter. Though considered handsome enough to play leading roles, and versatile enough to play a wide variety ...

– Dyson *

Andrew Keir Andrew Keir (né Buggy, 3 April 19265 October 1997) was a Scottish actor who appeared in a number of films made by Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s. He was also active in television, and especially in the theatre, in a professional career t ...

– O'Shea * Tracy Reed – Duchess *

Peter O'Shaughnessy Peter O'Shaughnessy OAM (5 October 1923 – 17 July 2013) was an Australian actor, theatre director, producer and writer who presented the work of playwrights ranging from Shakespeare, Shaw, Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov to modern dramatists, suc ...

– Barrett *

John Warwick John McIntosh Beattie (4 January 1905 – 10 January 1972), known professionally as John Warwick, was an Australian actor, and television dramatist. Early life He was born John McIntosh Beattie (many sources give "Beattle") at Bellingen, New S ...

Croyden * Harry Lawrence – Muir *

Katy Wild Katy or KATY may refer to: People * Katy, a short form of the name Katherine * Katy (given name) * Katy (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a fictional character * Katy Perry Places Serbia * Kać, Serbia ( hu, Káty, link=no) United States * Katy, ...

– Millie *

Mark McManus Mark McManus (21 February 1935 – 6 June 1994) was a Scottish actor. He has played roles in British television series '' Sam,'' '' Bulman, The Brothers, Strangers,'' and ''Dramarama'' and starred in the feature film '' 2000 Weeks''. He was ...

– Nobby * Harold Hopkins – Cosh *

Doreen Warburton Doreen Warburton (22 March 1930 – 19 July 2017) was an Australian actress, director, and theatre co-founder. Biography Evelyn Doreen Warburton was born in London on 22 March 1930. At 18 she began her theatre career with the Theatre Worksho ...

– Anne *

Clarissa Kaye-Mason Clarissa Kaye (2 August 193121 July 1994) was an Australian stage, film and television actress. She was the second wife (1971–1984) of the British actor James Mason. After her marriage, she was often known as Clarissa Kaye-Mason. Biography ...

– Matron *

Peter Collingwood Peter Trevor Collingwood (6 May 1920 – 23 September 2016) was an English-born actor who appeared in theatre roles, films, miniseries and serials from 1938 to 2003 in his native England and Australia. Collingwood was known for his portrayal ...

– Chaplain

Production

The film was originally known as ''The Return of the Boomerang''. It was announced in November 1965 as part of a four film slate by Motion Pictures International, a new company formed by

Steve Broidy Samuel “Steve” Broidy (June 14, 1905 – April 28, 1991) was an American executive in the U.S. motion picture industry. Early life Samuel Broidy was born on June 14, 1905 in Malden, Massachusetts. He attended Boston University, but he w ...

and Louis F. Edelman. In June 1966 it was reported that Lowell Barrington, author of the novel ''Return of the Boomerang'' had been signed by Broidy to write the script for Edelman, with filming to begin in the Australian summer. In March 1967 Broidy said the film would be one of five he would make that year the others being ''The Fox'', ''God's High Table'', ''Ignatz'' and ''The Coasts of War''. In April Edelman said that Lewis Allen would direct from a script by

T. E. B. Clarke Thomas Ernest Bennett "Tibby" Clarke, OBE (7 June 1907 – 11 February 1989) was a film screenwriter who wrote several of the Ealing Studios comedies. Clarke's scripts always feature careful logical development from a slightly absurd premise ...

with filming to begin in October. In February 1968 Eldeman announced that Philip Leacock would direct the film from a script by Clarke. The following month it was reported Richard Fielding was writing the script for Edelman with filming to begin "this fall". By November 1968 the project was being made for Warners-Seven Arts and Beau Bridges, Jane Merrow, James Booth and John Mills were cast. The film was given a three-month schedule in Australia. In December

Chips Rafferty John William Pilbean Goffage MBE (26 March 190927 May 1971), known professionally as Chips Rafferty, was an Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the late 1930s until his death ...

was listed among the cast (but he does not appear in the final film.) The film was titled ''Adam's Woman'' in December 1969.

Filming

The film was shot entirely in Australia with finance from Hollywood. The script, director, cinematographer and star were all imported. The film was shot in late 1968 and early 1969, on location in the small town of Cambewarra, near Nowra and the

Shoalhaven River The Shoalhaven River is a perennial river that rises from the Southern Tablelands and flows into an open mature wave dominated barrier estuary near Nowra on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Location and features The Shoalhaven ...

, and in the studio of

Ajax Films Ajax Films was an Australian production company and studio that operated in the 1960s and 1970s. It was crucial to the revival of the Australian film and TV industry in the 1970s because it was involved in many of the early feature films from tha ...

.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 249 There were a number of movies being shot in Australia at the time including ''

Squeeze a Flower ''Squeeze a Flower'' is a 1970 Australian comedy film directed by Marc Daniels and starring Walter Chiari. Plot Brother George is the only monk at the Italian Monastery who knows the secret recipe of the popular liqueur that is the sole source of ...

'' and ''

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 1854 – 11 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout wi ...

''.

Reception

The film had its world premiere in Canberra in March 1970. ''Adam's Woman'' took $15,000 at the box office in Australia.''Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office''
. Overseas reaction was not strong.

References

External links

* *
''Adam's Woman''
at Oz Movies {{Philip Leacock 1970 films Films directed by Philip Leacock 1970s historical drama films Films set in New South Wales Films set in colonial Australia American historical drama films Films set in the 1840s Australian historical drama films Warner Bros. films 1970 drama films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films