Fortress (1985 film)

Fortress is a 1985 Australian made-for-TV thriller film directed by Arch Nicholson and written by Everett De Roche, and starring Rachel Ward, based on Gabrielle Lord's 1980 novel the Fortress.

Fortress
Film poster
Based onFortress
by Gabrielle Lord
Written byEverett De Roche
Directed byArch Nicholson
StarringRachel Ward
Vernon Wells
Music byDanny Beckermann
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerRaymond Menmuir
CinematographyDavid Connell
EditorRalph Strasser
Running time91 minutes
Production companyHBO Premiere Films
DistributorHBO (US; 1985-current)
BudgetA$4.4 million[1]
Release
Original release24 November 1985 (US TV)
26 June 1986 (Australia)

Plot

Sally Jones, a teacher, and her students at a small rural school in Australia are kidnapped and held for ransom by a band of violent shotgun-wielding masked thugs wearing Christmas character masks. Held for ransom in a cave, she and the children escape from their captors, are pursued, establish a stronghold, and fight for their lives.

Cast

Production

The novel Fortress by Gabrielle Lord was inspired by the 1972 Faraday Primary School kidnapping of an isolated rural single teacher school and was influenced by William Golding's 1954 novel Lord of the Flies. At one stage it was thought the novel would be filmed by Murdoch and Stigwood's R & R Films as a follow up to Gallipoli (1981). However this never eventuated.[2] The film rights were purchased by Crawford Productions who intended to make a feature film for local release and a telemovie for HBO in the US. Half the budget was from HBO who insisted the lead be played by an actress who was familiar to the American public.

Everett De Roche wrote the script and originally Bruce Beresford was announced as director. He dropped out and then Arch Nicholson was hired. Crawfords and HBO wanted Bess Armstrong to play the lead. Actors Equity objected, so Sigrid Thornton was accepted as a compromise. However two months prior to shooting Thornton fell pregnant and HBO and Crawfords insisted on Armstrong. Actors Equity would not relent and the film shut down, despite the fact $700,000 had already been spent.[3] The project was later re activated when Rachel Ward (a British actress who had moved to Australia) was approved.[4] The movie was then shot in Australia during 1985 over 12 5-day weeks at Hillside, the school they used in the film was the Rosehill primary school, near Bairnsdale, East Gippsland and in the Grampians.[4]

Release

The film was initially released directly to cable television by the HBO channel in the United States on 24 November 1985.[5] It contains scenes of graphic violence unusual for TV productions of the time. It was released to cinemas in Australia on 26 June 1986.

It won the American Cinema Editors for direction of Photography in 1986.

References
  1. "Production", Cinema Papers, March 1986 p62
  2. "Production Blues", Cinema Papers, Oct-Nov 1980 p312
  3. Hector Crawford, "The Rules of the Game", Cinema Papers, September 1985 p20-22
  4. David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p266-268
  5. O'connor, John J. (27 November 1985). "Tv Review; 'fortress,' Film on Hbo". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
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