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Wills & Burke

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Wikipedia article




'Wills & Burke' (also known as 'The Wacky World of Wills & Burke' and 'Wills & Burke: The Untold Story') is a 1985 Australian black comedy film about the Burke and Wills expedition. It opened a week before 'Burke & Wills', a serious drama about the expedition.Nick Roddick, "History Lessons", 'Cinema Papers', November 1984 p22-24

Plot



In 1860, Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills are chosen to explore the Australian continent from south to north and back again. Just before the expedition departs, Burke proposes to young actress Julia Matthews, who has trouble remembering who he is. John Macadam tries to sustain public interest by staging a musical play about the expedition. Julia demands the lead role and grows a beard to prove she can play Burke. The play opens around the time Burke and Wills die in the desert. John King survives the expedition and is found by a search party in 1861.

Cast



* Garry McDonald as Robert O'Hara Burke

* Kym Gyngell as William John Wills

* Nicole Kidman as Julia Matthews

* Peter Collingwood as Sir William Stawell (Coincidentally, Collingwood also appeared in the drama 'Burke & Wills', which this film mocks. Collingwood portrayed Dr. William Wills, William John Wills' father.)

* Mark Little as John King

* Jonathan Hardy as John Macadam

Production



Philip Dalkin first wrote the story as a stage play, which Bob Weis read in 1978. He enjoyed it and at one stage thought of making it as a television miniseries before deciding on turning it into a feature film. It was shot over six weeks in and around Melbourne on a budget of $1.7 million."Facts and Figures", 'Cinema Papers', May 1985 p64-65

Release



The film was not a success at the box office.David Stratton, 'The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p34

References




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