''Curtin'' is a 2007 television film about

John Curtin John Curtin (8 January 1885 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Australia from 1941 until his death in 1945. He held office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), having been most ...

, the

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The film won the

Australian Screen Sound Guild The Australian Screen Sound Guild is a professional association for people working in audio engineering and post-production in film, television, multimedia, and related industries across Australia. It recognises excellence in the industries by a ...

Award in 2007 for its sound team.

Plot

The film covers the period from just before Curtin becoming Prime Minister in October 1941 until the return of the 6th and 7th Divisions to Australia (''Operation Stepsister'') at the start of the Pacific war in March 1942. The film concludes with a montage of footage of Curtin's funeral in 1945.

Cast

* William McInnes as

Noni Hazlehurst Leonie Elva "Noni" Hazlehurst is an Australian actress, director, writer, presenter, and broadcaster who has appeared on television and radio, in dramas, mini-series, and made for television films, as well also on stage and in feature films ...

Elsie Curtin Elsie Curtin (' Needham; 4 October 1890 – 24 June 1975) was the wife of John Curtin, the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Biography Curtin was born in Ballarat, Victoria, to parents Annie and Abraham Needham. From 1898 to 1910, she lived ...

* Asher Keddie as Elsie Jnr * Ben Esler as John Jnr * Geoff Morrell as

Ben Chifley Joseph Benedict Chifley (; 22 September 1885 – 13 June 1951) was an Australian politician and train driver who served as the 16th prime minister of Australia from 1945 to 1949. He held office as the leader of the Labor Party (ALP), and was n ...

* Bille Brown as

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

*Paul English as

H. V. Evatt Herbert Vere "Doc" Evatt, (30 April 1894 – 2 November 1965) was an Australian politician and judge. He served as a justice of the High Court of Australia from 1930 to 1940, Attorney-General of Australia, Attorney-General and Minister for For ...

Frank Gallacher Frank Gallacher (7 April 1943 – 23 February 2009) was a Scottish-Australian actor. Early life Gallacher was born in Glasgow in 1943. In 1962, aged 19, he was working in London when his parents and younger sister decided to emigrate to Austra ...

Jack Beasley John Albert Beasley (9 November 1895 – 2 September 1949) was an Australian politician who was a member of the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives from 1928 to 1946. He served in the Australian War Cabinet from 1941 ...

* William Zappa as General Vernon Sturdee * Shingo Usami as

Tatsuo Kawai was a Japanese diplomat and author. He was a leading proponent of expansionism in Japan before World War II but later became a pacifist and was Japan's first Minister to Australia. Early years Kawai was born in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture ...

Robert Grubb Robert Grubb (born 31 January 1950) is an Australian actor. He studied acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), where he graduated"Local star's flying high" by Craig Wellington, '' Sunday Tasmanian'' (21 Feb, 2010) Retrieved from ...

Percy Spender Sir Percy Claude Spender (5 October 18973 May 1985) was an Australian politician, diplomat, and judge. He served in the House of Representatives from 1937 to 1951, including as a cabinet minister under Robert Menzies and Arthur Fadden. He was ...

* Tony Rickards as

Eddie Ward Edward John Ward (7 March 189931 July 1963) was an Australian politician who represented the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in Parliament of Australia, federal parliament for over 30 years. He was the member for Division of East Sydney, East Sydn ...

* Drew Lindo as

Arthur Fadden Sir Arthur William Fadden (13 April 189421 April 1973) was an Australian politician and accountant who served as the 13th prime minister of Australia from 29 August to 7 October 1941. He held office as the leader of the Country Party from 1940 ...

* Alethea McGrath as Mrs. Needham * Dan Wyllie as Don Rodgers *Brian Meegan as

Frederick Shedden Sir Frederick Geoffrey Shedden (8 August 1893 – 8 July 1971) was an Australian public servant who served as Secretary of the Department of Defence from 1937 to 1956. Background and early life Frederick Shedden was born 8 August 1893 in Kyne ...

Roz Hammond Rosalind Hammond, often credited as Ros or Roz, is an Australian actress and writer who has worked in theatre, film, and television. Hammond's television appearances include the role of Heather in ABC's '' Bay of Fires'', Claudia in '' The Hei ...

as Gladys Joyce * Nicholas Opolski as Fred McLaughlin * Hunter Perske as Don Whitington

Production

Much of the film was made in Victoria, with the exception of scenes filmed at

Old Parliament House, Canberra Old Parliament House, formerly known as the Provisional Parliament House, was the seat of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. The building began operation on 9 May 1927 after Parliament's relocation from Melbourne to the new capit ...

References

External links

*
''Curtin''
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 ...

'' 2007 drama films 2007 television films 2007 films 2000s war drama films Australian biographical films Australian war drama films Australian drama television films Biographical films about prime ministers Cultural depictions of Australian people Films set in the Australian Capital Territory Films set in Western Australia Films set in 1941 Films set in 1942 Pacific War films World War II films based on actual events {{war-drama-film-stub