''Robbery Under Arms'' is a 1985 Australian

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

adventure film starring

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...

as bushranger

Captain Starlight Frank Pearson (1837–22 December 1899) was an Australian bushranger, operating under the pseudonym ''Captain Starlight.'' Pearson claimed he was the inspiration for a fictional figure of the same pseudonym: the character Captain Starlight in ...

. Joined by bush

larrikin Larrikin is an Australian English term meaning "a mischievous young person, an uncultivated, rowdy but good hearted person", or "a person who acts with apparent disregard for social or political conventions". In the 19th and early 20th centurie ...

, Ben Marston (

Ed Devereaux Edward Sidney Devereaux (27 August 192517 December 2003), better known professionally as Ed Devereaux, was an Australian actor, director, and scriptwriter who lived in the United Kingdom for many years. He was best known for playing the part of ...

), and Ben's two adventure-hungry sons ( Steven Vidler and Christopher Cummins), Starlight leads his gang of wild colonial boys in search of riches, romance – and other men's cattle. There were two versions shot simultaneously – a feature film and a TV mini series. They were based on the 1888 novel of the same name by

Rolf Boldrewood Thomas Alexander Browne (born Brown, 6 August 1826 – 11 March 1915) was an Australian author who published many of his works under the pseudonym Rolf Boldrewood. He is best known for his 1882 bushranging novel '' Robbery Under Arms''. Biog ...

Cast

as Captain Starlight * Steven Vidler as Dick Marston * Christopher Cummins as Jim Marston * Liz Newman as Gracey *

Jane Menelaus Jane Menelaus (born 1959) is an Australian actress who trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England. Stage Jane Menelaus has worked with both the South Australian and Melbourne Theatre Companies. Her stage work has in ...

as Aileen * Andy Anderson as George * Deborah Coulls as Kate * Susie Lindeman as Jeannie * Elaine Cusick as Mum *

as Ben * Tommy Lewis as Warrigal *

Robert Grubb Robert Grubb (born 31 January 1950) is an Australian actor. He studied acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), where he graduated in 1978. There he was a fellow student of actor Mel Gibson. Grubb played the role of Dr. Geoffrey St ...

as Sir Frederick Morringer *

David Bradshaw David Bradshaw (born September 28, 1944) is an American artist based in Cecilia, Louisiana, and East Charleston, Vermont. He is a painter, sculptor, and printmaker. Biography Born in New York City, David Bradshaw was raised in Washington, D ...

as Goring * John Dick as Trooper Fall *

Michael Duffield Michael Duffield (1915 – June 1986) was an English-born character actor who worked in Australia for many decades. He was nominated for the 1979 AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in ''The Last of the Knucklemen'', a r ...

as Mr. Falkland * Keith Smith as Trooper Spring * David Jobling as Rourke Bounty Hunter

Production

Jock Blair first had the idea to remake the story in 1981 when he was working at the South Australian Film Corporation. It was originally envisioned that it would be a mini series but it was budgeted at a million dollars an hour which was felt to be too expensive. So it was decided to make a film as well at the same time, based on separate scripts.Nick Roddick, "Arms and the Men", ''Cinema Papers'', May 1985 pp. 55–58 There were two writers and two directors. Writing the script took two years. The film was shot partly on location in the Flinders Rangers and at the SAFC studios in Adelaide. The two directors collaborated well together, and Ken Hannam was relieved to work with the SAFC again after the difficulties on '' Sunday Too Far Away''. Production took 20 weeks.

Box office

''Robbery Under Arms'' grossed $226,648 at the box office in Australia.''Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office''
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References

External links

* *
''Robbert Under Arms''
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 ...

Mini series version
at Oz Movies
Feature film version
at Oz Movies {{DEFAULTSORT:Robbery Under Arms (1985 Film) Films based on Robbery Under Arms Television shows set in colonial Australia 1985 films Films shot in Flinders Ranges ITC Entertainment films 1980s Australian television miniseries English-language television shows 1985 Australian television series debuts 1985 Australian television series endings Films directed by Ken Hannam Films directed by Donald Crombie 1980s English-language films

Cast

Production

Box office

See also

References

External links