''Seven Deadly Sins'' is a 1993 Australian television drama

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

aired by

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

. The stories examine the dark side of human nature in seven episodes: "Lust", "Pride", "Wrath", "Sloth", "Greed", "Envy", and "Gluttony" — the

seven deadly sins The seven deadly sins (also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins) function as a grouping of major vices within the teachings of Christianity. In the standard list, the seven deadly sins according to the Catholic Church are pride, greed ...

. A soundtrack was released by

ABC Music ABC Music is Australia's largest independent record label. It operates under the ABC Commercial division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It covers a wide range of music genres, including classical, children’s and adult contempo ...

, featuring vocals by artists Paul Kelly,

Renée Geyer Renée Rebecca Geyer (11 September 195317 January 2023) was an Australian singer who was an acclaimed jazz, soul and R&B musician.* 1st edition nline * 2nd edition rint She released 15 studio albums with '' Moving Along'' (1977) and ...

, Vika Bull, and

Deborah Conway Deborah Ann Conway (born 8 August 1959) is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and had a career as a model and actress. She was a founding member of the 1980s rock band Do-Ré-Mi with their top-5 hit "Man Overboard". Conway pe ...

. In the same year, ABC TV screened a series of short films under the same name, produced and directed by Stephen Burstow, comprising dance works commissioned from leading contemporary

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

Cast

Lust

* Andy Anderson as Colin *

Hugo Weaving Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is a British actor. He is the recipient of six Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (AACTA) and has been recognised as an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia. Born in Colonia ...

as Eric * Victoria Longley as Deirdre * Heather Mitchell as Belinda * David Roberts as Alistair

Pride

Colin Friels Colin Friels (born 25 September 1952) is an Australian actor of theatre, TV, film and presenter. Early life Friels was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland.Interview with Colin Friels, ''George Negus Tonight'' (ABC Television), 26 August 200 ...

as Roger Pascoe * Elizabeth Alexander as Jill Pascoe * Linden Wilkinson * Beth Champion

Sloth

Steve Bisley Steve Bisley (born 26 December 1951) is an Australian writer, film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the films ''Mad Max'' (1979) and ''The Great Gatsby'' (2013). On television, some of his better-known roles include Dete ...

as Meadowvale Supervisor *

Vince Colosimo Vincenzo Colosimo is an Australian stage, television and screen actor. He has worked in both Australia and the United States. He is of Italian descent and lives in Melbourne, Australia. He was previously married to Australian actress Jane Hall ...

as Tony *

Robyn Nevin Robyn Anne Nevin (25 September 1942) is an Australian actress recognised with the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards and the JC Williamson Award at the Helpmann Awards for her outstanding contributions to Australian theatre performance art. F ...

as Margot *

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 ...

as Elliot *

Monica Maughan Monica Cresswell Maughan (née Wood, 15 September 1933 – 8 January 2010) was an Australian actor with roles in theatre, radio, television, film and ballet over a career spanning 52 years. Early life and education She was born Monica Cresswel ...

as Lorna *

Bob Baines Bob Baines (born 1952) is an Australian actor. He has starred in many television shows including '' State Coroner'' opposite Wendy Hughes as Clive Trimble, '' Water Rats'' and ''Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (''H&A'') is an Australian ...

as Ray

Greed

Pamela Rabe Pamela Rabe (born Pamela June Koropatnick; 30 April 1959) is a Canadian–Australian actress and theatre director. A graduate of the Playhouse Acting School in Vancouver, Rabe is best known for her appearances in the Australian films '' Sirens ...

as Laura * Marshall Napier as Tom *

Kim Gyngell Kim Gyngell, sometimes also credited as Kym Gyngell, is an Australian comedian and film, television and stage actor. Gyngell won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1988 for his role as Ian McKenzie in ''B ...

as William * Caroline Gillmer as Rachel *

Claudia Black Claudia Lee Black (born 11 October 1972) is an Australian actress, best known for her portrayals of Aeryn Sun in ''Farscape'', Vala Mal Doran in ''Stargate SG-1'' and Sharon "Shazza" Montgomery in the film '' Pitch Black''. She has had promi ...

Gosia Dobrowolska Małgorzata Dobrowolska (born 2 June 1958, in Kamienna Góra), known as Gosia Dobrowolska, is a Polish-born Australian actress. Biography She has one brother, Janusz Dobrowolski, who also made a minor appearance in the 1984 film, '' Silver C ...

Envy

Belinda McClory Belinda McClory (born 1968) is an Australian film, television and stage actress, mainly known for her role as Switch in ''The Matrix''. McClory was born in Adelaide, Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a c ...

* Genevieve Lemon as Envy * Lech Mackiewicz as Andre * Roslyn Oades

Gluttony

Gia Carides Gia Carides (; born 7 June 1964) is an Australian actress. She portrayed Liz Holt in ''Strictly Ballroom'' (1992), Susy Connor in '' Brilliant Lies'' (1996), and Cousin Nikki in the ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' franchise (2002–2023). Early ...

as Gina *

Richard Roxburgh Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including several AFI and AACTA Awards, Logie Awards, and Helpmann Awards. He bega ...

as Mark * Lynne McGranger as Gluttony *

as Party Guest * Paul Kelly as Party Guest * Vincent Gil * Anni Finsterer *

Geneviève Picot Geneviève Picot is an Australian stage, film and television actress. Career Picot is a graduate of the National Institute of Dramatic Art and some of her other performances include '' The Timeless Land'', '' The Sullivans'' and '' Bread and ...

as Eve * Steve Jacobs * Paul Blackwell *

Abe Forsythe Abraham Forsythe (born 26 July 1981) is an Australian film and television actor, director, writer and producer. He is the son of actor and comedian Drew Forsythe. Career He first appeared on the TV series ''The Miraculous Mellops (TV series), T ...

as Dead Child * Diarmid Heidenreich *

as Elliott *

Betty Lucas Betty Helen Lucas (31 May 1924 – 7 April 2015), also known as Betty Lucas Peterson, was an Australian character actress and theatre director, known for her numerous roles on stage and television, starting from the post-WWII years in 1945. Ear ...

* Heather Mitchell

Production

''Seven Deadly Sins'' was pitched to

Penny Chapman Penny Chapman is an Australian television producer. Her work includes the award-winning '' Brides of Christ,'' '' RAN Remote Area Nurse'' and ''My Place''. Penny received the Maura Fay Award for Services to the Industry at the 2013 Screen Produc ...

, then head of drama at the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

, by script editor Barbara Masel. Her idea was to create a series of stories that would "let the moral compass spin". Masel was also interested in encouraging the audience to identify with behaviour they would not normally condone and "that all of the characters in each episode should manifest the sin". With Chapman on board and Bob Weis appointed as series producer, Masel found writers. When outlines and drafts were completed, the directors were brought on board. P. J. Hogan ("Sloth") and

Alison Maclean Alison Maclean (born July 31, 1958) is a Canadian-New Zealand film director of music videos, short films, television (episodes of ''Sex and the City'', ''The Tudors'', '' Homicide: Life on the Street''), commercials and feature films. Her works i ...

("Greed") were selected as directors before their international careers had taken off, while

Gale Edwards Annette Gale Edwards (born 14 November 1954) is an Australian theatre director, who has worked extensively throughout Australia and internationally. She has also directed for television and film. Professional career Edwards began her career at ...

("Pride") had until then had only ever directed for the theatre. The series was broadcast at 9.30pm because of the language used. The series rated well, pulling the biggest audience ever for an ABC drama program in that time slot.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack was released by ABC Music and produced by

Martin Armiger John Martin Armiger (10 June 1949 – 27 November 2019) was an Australian musician, record producer and composer. He was one of the singer-songwriters and guitarists with Melbourne-based rock band the Sports from August 1978 to late 1981, whic ...

. It features vocals by artists Paul Kelly,

, Vika Bull, and

, with arrangements by Derek Williams. The album peaked at number 71 on the ARIA Charts. Geyer's version of "Crazy" was released as the lead single. "He Can't Decide" was released as the second and final single in 1993.

Track listing

Charts

Dance film series

Also in 1993, ABC TV screened seven works by leading contemporary choreographers, with the series title as well as the segments carrying the same title as the miniseries. The series was produced and directed by

Stephen Burstow Stephen or Steven is an English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the firs ...

, and each of the seven films were seven minutes long. The seven works were: * "Lust", choreographed by Graeme Watson with One Extra Company * "Avarice", choreographed by Leigh Warren with

Australian Dance Theatre Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), known as Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1993 to 1999, is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman . The ADT was the first moder ...

* "Sloth", choreographed by

Meryl Tankard Meryl Tankard (born 1955) is an Australian dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker. She started her career at the Australian Ballet in Sydney in 1975, and was principal dancer with Pina Bausch and her Tanztheater Wuppertal in Germany between 1978 ...

with Meryl Tankard Company * "Envy", choreographed by

Paul Mercurio Paul Joseph Mercurio (born 31 March 1963) is an Australian actor, choreographer, dancer, TV presenter and politician. Mercurio is best known for his lead role in the 1992 film ''Strictly Ballroom'' and his role as a judge on TV series ''Danci ...

with Australian Choreographic Ensemble * "Wrath", choreographed by Chrissie Parrott with Chrissie Parrott Dance Company * "Gluttony", choreographed by Kai Tai Chan for

Sydney Dance Company Sydney Dance Company is a contemporary dance company in Australia. They have performed at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Joyce Theater in New York, the Shanghai Grand Theatre in China, and the Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow. His ...

* "Pride", choreographed by Stephen Page for

Bangarra Dance Theatre Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-bor ...

Footnotes

References

External links

* * {{Deborah Conway 1993 Australian television series debuts 1993 Australian television series endings Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Australian English-language television shows Television shows set in Australia Australian anthology television series Seven deadly sins in popular culture