Drama/Biopic that follows the interesting (and relatively unknown to me) portion of Ita Buttrose's life, seeing her rise to heady heights in the Australian Print Industry and opening doors to an Australian cultural shift.
Asher Keddie gives a vivid and complex performance as Buttrose and should figure in Australian awards... She somehow managed to escape the obvious comedic association with Ita's famous lisp, whilst providing an interpretation Buttrose would be proud of.
The supporting cast is admirable - Rob Carlton's Kerry Packer is especially clever, culminating in scenes straight out of the Tyrannical Handbook. Carlton also shows us a humorous and touching side to the great man, evoking sympathy for one of Australia's richest men and a renowned HARD MAN. Classy.
The story runs in parallel with the demise of the Whitlam government, an especially politically charged era in Australian history. The meteoric rise of Buttrose is well juxtaposed against Whitlam's eventual downfall. The connections between the crumbling government and the burgeoning women's liberation movement is there for all to see, but it is never driven home - rather, i feel the viewer is asked to look deeper (a decidedly non-American feature).
It's all well written, well shot, well directed and produced. It's actually one of the best Australian productions I've seen in a while. As mentioned by another reviewer, the decision to run Paper Giants as a two part series, rather than a longer format is bizarre. There is more to this story than what we've been shown. This gripe is minor and has not changed my rating of Paper Giants - may we see more great Australian stories...
Asher Keddie gives a vivid and complex performance as Buttrose and should figure in Australian awards... She somehow managed to escape the obvious comedic association with Ita's famous lisp, whilst providing an interpretation Buttrose would be proud of.
The supporting cast is admirable - Rob Carlton's Kerry Packer is especially clever, culminating in scenes straight out of the Tyrannical Handbook. Carlton also shows us a humorous and touching side to the great man, evoking sympathy for one of Australia's richest men and a renowned HARD MAN. Classy.
The story runs in parallel with the demise of the Whitlam government, an especially politically charged era in Australian history. The meteoric rise of Buttrose is well juxtaposed against Whitlam's eventual downfall. The connections between the crumbling government and the burgeoning women's liberation movement is there for all to see, but it is never driven home - rather, i feel the viewer is asked to look deeper (a decidedly non-American feature).
It's all well written, well shot, well directed and produced. It's actually one of the best Australian productions I've seen in a while. As mentioned by another reviewer, the decision to run Paper Giants as a two part series, rather than a longer format is bizarre. There is more to this story than what we've been shown. This gripe is minor and has not changed my rating of Paper Giants - may we see more great Australian stories...