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

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

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 ...

and starring

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

, Jane Merrow 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 port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

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 ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia, where he engages in 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 an Irish woman, Bess, and together 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 attempts to escape but is arrested. Bess pleads his case, and Adam ultimately receives a full pardon.

Cast

– Adam Beecher * Jane Merrow – 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. He is best known for his role as Private Henry Hook in '' Zulu.'' ''Variety'' called him "a punchy b ...

– 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 ...

– O'Shea * Tracy Reed – Duchess * Peter O'Shaughnessy – Barrett * John Warwick Croyden * Harry Lawrence – Muir * Katy Wild – Millie *

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

– Nobby * Harold Hopkins – Cosh * Doreen Warburton – Anne * Clarissa Kaye-Mason – Matron * Peter Collingwood – Chaplain *

Tom Oliver Tom Oliver (born 12 June 1938) is a British naturalised Australian retired actor. Oliver is best known locally and internationally for his long-running role in TV soap opera ''Neighbours'' as Lou Carpenter, a role he played for 25 years bec ...

– Stacey * Stewart Ginn – Williams

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 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 he died i ...

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 stream, perennial river that rises from the Southern Tablelands and flows into an open mature wind wave, wave dominated estuary#Lagoon-type or bar-built, barrier estuary near Nowra on the South Coast, New Sou ...

, and in the studio of Ajax Films.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'' and ''

Ned Kelly Edward Kelly (December 185411 November 1880) was an Australian bushranger, outlaw, gang leader, bank robber and convicted police-murderer. One of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing armour of the Kelly gang, a suit of bulletproof ...

''.

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 English-language drama films English-language historical drama films