''Rusty Bugles'' is a 1981 Australian television film based on the stage play of the same name.

Production

Sumner Locke Elliot announced in the late 1970s he wanted the play to be filmed. The ABC filmed it in 1981. It was the second last in a series of play adaptations on the ABC. By this stage the play was established as a modern classic – it had been published by Currency Press in 1980 – and the Herald called it "a wry, rich and intensely Australian comedy peopled by Australian soldiers who chafe at the boredom of life in an out of the way camp while their mates are off fighting a real war." Alan Burke was again associated with the production as producer, although John Matthews was the director.

Cast

* Graham Corry * Gary Files as Andy Edwards *

Ian Gilmour Ian Hedworth John Little Gilmour, Baron Gilmour of Craigmillar, (8 July 1926 – 21 September 2007) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was styled Sir Ian Gilmour, 3rd Baronet from 1977, having succeeded to his fat ...

as Rod Carson * Harold Hopkins as Vic Richards * Mark Hembrow *

Jeremy Kewley Jeremy Leo Kewley (born 16 August 1960) is an Australian former actor, writer, and producer. He made his professional acting debut as an adolescent in the feature film '' The Devil's Playground'' (1976). Early life Kewley was born 16 August ...

Serge Lazareff Serge Constantine Lazareff (7 August 1944 – 20 August 2021) was an Australian actor and screenwriter/editor, who was born in Shanghai, China. He appeared in 54 roles from the late 1960s until 1999, before starting a second career as a writer ...

* Stephen Thomas as Eric Otford * Graham Rouse *

Tony Barry Tony Barry (28 August 1941 – 21 December 2022) was an Australian actor and activist best known for his television and film roles. Personal life Barry was born in Ipswich, Queensland, on 28 August 1941. He had one son. Barry was an environmen ...

Sean Scully Sean Scully (born 30 June 1945) is an Irish-born American-based artist working as a painter, printmaker, sculptor and photographer. His work is held in museum collections worldwide and he has twice been named a Turner Prize nominee. Moving fro ...

* Jack Allen as Mac

Reception

The ''Sydney Morning Herald'' called it "one of the more enjoyable programs" of the week, in which the performances "could not be bettered... enjoyed it immensely." The ''Age'' called it "heady stuff for expatriate Australians and those who have an ear for local slang... the letdowns and character development are predictable, if well done and amusing. What I enjoyed was the throwaway lines." The critic from the ''Woman's Weekly'' complained about the "quaint, old-fashioned dialogue" and "some quaint, old-fashioned direction" in which "the viewer was never certain he was watching a photographed stage play or a badly re-enacted documentary... A study of boredom, became studiously boring." ''

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in 1 ...

'' called the 1981 production "the sort of entertainment that makes satire redundant." Another writer for the ''Age'' thought the ABC had "revived ''Rusty Bugles'' without bothering to work out what it was about" and complained about the historical accuracy of the uniforms.

References

External links

*
1980 TV play
at

Screen Australia Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry, created under the ''Screen Australia Act 2008''. From 1 July 2008 Screen Australia took over the functions of its predecess ...

''Rusty Bugles'' 1980 TV play
at

Australian Screen Online The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting, and providing access to a national c ...

{{Sumner Locke Elliott Australian films based on plays 1981 television films 1981 films Australian television plays Works by Sumner Locke Elliott Australian plays adapted for television