''The Echo of Thunder'' is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

family

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

film, released for television in 1998. It is based on the novel ''Thunderwith'' by Australian children's author

Libby Hathorn Elizabeth Helen Hathorn (born 1943) is an Australian writer for children, and a poet who works with schools, institutions and communities. She has received many awards for her books, some of which have been translated into several languages. In ...

. It was aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

in the United States as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. The film is a story of a man Larry Ritchie, who lives with his second wife and three kids on an

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

in the Wallingat Forest NSW. He learns about the fatal illness of his first wife which leaves his eldest daughter, Lara, alone in the world. Larry decides to take the girl into his home, but his new family doesn't like the idea. The mother Gladwyn is possessive of Larry and their three children, Pearl, Opal and Jasper. Lara seeks solace with a mysterious dog she names Thunderwith that appears from time to time on the

property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, r ...

. The dog seems to the girl to be a link to her beloved mother and an important companion. The story concentrates on the relationship between mother Gladwyn and stepdaughter, as Lara is slowly accepted into the family. The film was shot in

Mount Beauty, Victoria Mount Beauty is a small town in north-eastern Victoria, Australia. The town lies alongside the Kiewa River, at the junction of the Kiewa Valley Highway and Bogong High Plains Road in the Alpine Shire local government area. History The town was ...

and directed by

Simon Wincer Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies a ...

produced the movie and the story undertook several changes for example the four Ritchie children became only three on the set.

Judy Davis Judith Davis (born 23 April 1955) is an Australian actress in film, television, and on stage. With a career spanning over 40 years, she has been commended for her versatility and regarded as one of the finest actresses of her generation. Frequen ...

, who played the mother Gladwyn was nominated for an Emmy for her performance in the movie.

Starring

Jamey Sheridan James Patrick Sheridan (born July 12, 1951) is an American actor known for playing a wide range of roles in theater, film, and television. He's best known for Randall Flagg in '' The Stand'' (1994), Captain James Deakins on '' Law & Order: Crimin ...

as Larry Ritchie *

as Gladwyn Ritchie * Lauren Hewett as Lara Ritchie *Chelsea Yates as Pearl Ritchie * Emily Browning as Opal Ritchie *Ben and James Hanson as Jasper Ritchie *

Michael Caton Michael Caton (born 21 July 1943) is an Australian television, film and stage actor, comedian and television host, best known for playing Uncle Harry in the Australian television series '' The Sullivans'', Darryl Kerrigan in 1997's low-budget h ...

as Bill Gadrey

References

External links

* 1998 television films 1998 films 1998 drama films Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes Australian drama television films Films directed by Simon Wincer Films scored by Laurence Rosenthal 1990s English-language films 1990s Australian films {{1990s-Australia-film-stub