Is There Anybody There? (film)

Is There Anybody There? is a 1976 Australian TV movie directed by Peter Maxwell and produced by Robert Bruning. It has been called the first colour tele movie made in Australia and its success led to Bruning being commissioned to make a series of TV movies, including The Newman Shame which also starred Lazenby.[4]

Is There Anybody There?
Directed byPeter Maxwell
Written byBruce A. Wishart
Produced byRobert Bruning
executive
David Hannay
StarringWendy Hughes
George Lazenby
Charles Tingwell
CinematographyRussell Boyd
Edited byColin Waddy
Music byBob Young
Production
company
Gemini Productions
Distributed byParamount
Release dates
24 June 1976 (Melbourne)[1]
11 August 1976 (Sydney)[2]
Running time
74 mins
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$90,000[3]

Synopsis

A fragile woman, Kate, is released from a sanatorium run by a man called Redwood into the arms of her husband John. While she was away John has begun an affair with Kate's sister Marianne.

The two sisters live together in an apartment block while John is away, and find themselves stalked by some mysterious strangers, Rosa and Duncan.

Marianne believes that she is being confused with Kate - but it turns out the whole thing is a plot by Kate to revenge herself on Marianne and John.

Marianne accidentally shoots John to death and then Kate shoots Marianne and escapes with John's money and her lover, Duncan - who has murdered Rosa.

Cast

Production

Robert Bruning had previously made a TV movie for Channel 9 called Paradise (1975) which he later called "terrible". That was a pilot for a series that never eventuated; Bruning calls this film "the first of the true-all film tele features".[5] It was the first of an initial order of four films for Channel Seven made through Bruning's Gemini Productions.[3]

"There is no way it will develop into a series," said Bruning of the movie. "It was written and produced as a complete feature."[3]

The film was shot in Sydney.[3]

Reception

Critical

A writer from the Sydney Morning Herald praised the "superb cast" and said the story had them "on the edge of my seat, horrifically hypnotised."[3]

Ratings

The film rated very well on Channel 7 and was picked up by Paramount to distribute internationally.[6]

The success of the film enabled Bruning to make a series of TV movies for Australian TV. In particular, Channel 7 bought three more movies off Bruning, Mama's Gone A-Hunting (1977), The Alternative (1977) and Gone to Ground (1977).[5][7]

Bruning later sold Gemini to Grundy Productions and the film would be the first in a series of eleven telemovies from Grundys that were syndicated.[8]

Awards

Bob Young's score won a Sammy Award for Best Theme music in 1976.[9]

References
  1. "Our TV film from Cannes". The Age. 18 June 1976. p. 33.
  2. "TV Guide". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 August 1976. p. 23.
  3. "First Look for a Thrill". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 August 1976. p. 89.
  4. Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p90
  5. Beilby, Peter; Murray, Scott (September–October 1979). "Robert Bruning". Cinema Papers. p. 5179.
  6. Anderson, Chris (23 March 1976). "Germaine Greer Film Grant". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 20.
  7. "Gather around for a 'woman's picture'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 April 1977. p. 105.
  8. Moran, Albert (2013). TV Format Mogul: Reg Grundy’s Transnational Career. Intellect Books.
  9. "Sammy Award Winners Named". Sydney Morning Herald Archive. 8 October 1976. p. 19.
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