''Gone to Ground'' is a 1977 Australian TV movie about a man pursued by a killer.
[Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p69]
It was one of a series of TV movies Bruning made for Channel 7. Although he sold them to Paramount for worldwide distribution, he found making them was not profitable, so sold his company to Reg Grundy.
Plot
Jimmy Flemming, the owner of a surfing supply store has been receiving death threats. After he is beaten up by surfers he "goes to ground" with his wife Angela and the house of an old friend. However they are followed there by a mysterious motorcyclist.
Harry Ferguson is married to Grace but is sleeping with his secretary Kathleen.
Cast
*
Eric Oldfield as Jimmy Flemming
*
Bud Tingwell
Charles William Tingwell AM (3 January 1923 – 15 May 2009), known professionally as Bud Tingwell or Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, was an Australian film, television, theatre and radio actor. One of the veterans of Australian film, he acted in his ...
as Harry Ferguson
*
Elaine Lee
Elaine Lee is an American actress, playwright, producer, and writer, who specializes in graphic novels. She has also received recognition and awards for her work as a creator and producer of audio books and dramas.
Her comics have been illust ...
as Grace Ferguson
*Robyn Gibbes as Angela Flemming
*Marion Johns as Ma Bishop
*Dennis Grosvenor as Bart
*
Judy Lynne
Judy Lynne is an Australian former actress
Lynne had roles in numerous TV serials including '' Number 96'', '' Spyforce'', ''Ryan'', '' Boney'' and ''Alvin Purple''
However she was best known for the serial ''The Young Doctors
''The You ...
as Kathleen
*Allan Penney as Peters
*Marcus Haleas as Anderson
*
John Orcsik
John Orcsik (born 3 May 1945) credited also variously as Jon Orcsik, John Orschik, John Orscik and John Crosik is an Australian actor, screenwriter, director and producer of Hungarian descent, known for his television roles starting from the l ...
Production
The film was shot in Sydney,
including some night scenes at
Luna Park
Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Island parks. Luna parks are small-sc ...
.
Reception
The ''Sydney Morning Herald'' said that "Eric Oldfield conies off exceptionally well" and the script has "more twists than a corkscrew" but the direction "involves a conglomeration of quick scene changes, flashbacks and slow motion that does nothing more than confuse. So swiftly do the scenes change that dialogue often overlaps into the next frame. It takes about 40 minutes to get some idea of what the film is about."
Another review in the same paper said the script "reduces a taut thriller to a limp farce" where the dialogue was "ineffably silly."
References
External links
''Gone to Ground''at Peter Malone site
*
''Gone to Ground''at the
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
*
''Gone to Ground''at Screen Australia
''Gone to Ground''at
AustLit
AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource (also known as AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway; and AustLit: The Resource for Australian Literature), usually referred to simply as AustLit, is an internet-based, non-profit collaboration betwee ...
Australian television films
1977 television films
1977 films
Australian thriller films
1970s thriller films
Films directed by Kevin James Dobson
1970s English-language films
{{1970s-thriller-film-stub