Fed: War prime minister Curtin captured in ABC telemovie

AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-2007
Fed: War prime minister Curtin captured in ABC telemovie

Eds: Curtin airs on Sunday, April 22, 8.30pm on ABC.



By Michael Gadd, National Entertainment Writer

SYDNEY, April 13 AAP - It's late 1941 and Australia is a country facing imminent strife.

Pearl Harbour was just attacked, Singapore is soon to fall and Darwin is about to be
flattened by bombs; this island nation is facing the serious risk of being invaded by
the Japanese.

The man charged with the task of getting us out of this mess is the recently elected
Prime Minister John Curtin, a heavy drinker prone to stress-related attacks.

The first six months of Curtin's tenure as prime minister is the kind of material made
for Hollywood movies.

Which makes Andrew Wiseman, producer of the telemovie Curtin, wonder why such a project
hasn't been done sooner.

"It's a curious thought, he was the prime minister in charge of this country during
World War II, arguably the most perilous time in Australia's history in terms of conflict
and a genuine threat from our northern neighbours," Wiseman says.

William McInnes shines as the complex Curtin, supported by stand-out performances from
Noni Hazlehurst as his wife and Geoff Morrell as his rival Ben Chifley.

As a character, Curtin is dramatic gold with his contrasting mix of personal frailties
and bold achievements.

He went toe-to-toe with English Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who furiously objected
to his moving Australian troops in North Africa to the Asia-Pacific region, and changed
conscription policy to increase Australia's capability to defend itself.

He also forged ties with the United States, in particular the decorated General Douglas
MacArthur, creating a strong and significant political bond that remains today.

"He's such a fascinating character, that is the obvious starting point," Wiseman says.

"The confluence of events when he first became PM are just too incredible. He didn't
want to be a wartime leader and early in his career he didn't even believe parliament
was an effective way to solve a country's problems."

A factory worker from age 12, Curtin became an active member of the Australian Labor
Party and the Marxist group, the Victorian Socialist Party.

In 1918 he moved to Perth and became editor of the official trade union newspaper.

After a number of failed attempts, he won the seat of Fremantle in 1928.

His struggles with alcohol are often attributed to his initial run of unsuccessful
attempts to climb the ALP ladder.

After being overlooked for a ministerial post by James Scullin in 1929 he lost his
seat in 1931. He won it back three years later.

Unexpectedly, even to himself, Curtin was elected by a solitary vote to succeed Scullin
thanks to a Labor Party faction deal that saw the left wing and trade union groups take
his side more in protest of his more qualified rival, Frank Forde, than support of Curtin.

In December 1941, two months after he won government on his third attempt as Labor
leader, war broke out in the Pacific.

It is here we meet McInnes's spitting image of Curtin.

"Right at the start of the project we wanted to zero in on this period, the first six
months of his prime ministership, rather than present a broad brush stroke of the period.

This way we could really do justice to the story," Wiseman says.

Landmark incidents at Pearl Harbour, Singapore and Darwin take place in quick succession
as Curtin's tough outer shell is peppered by his personal demons.

"What adds to the story is that on the surface, he truly didn't seem up for it, but
the consensus in hindsight is that he was a great success," Wiseman says.

The portrayal of Curtin is raw, unflinching and, Wiseman says, as close to the truth
as TV drama allows.

"Where we've taken license in any small way we hope it hasn't distorted events but
we certainly don't claim this is a definitive piece on his life," he says.

"I hope more people decide to tell his story and stories of other Australian prime ministers."

AAP mdg/lh/mn

KEYWORD: CURTIN (TV FEATURE WITH PIX) RPT

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