"Heartland" (1994) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

Paul Faint
Scott Hartford-Davis

Writers:

John Cundill (writer)
Ernie Dingo (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Police | Australia | Australian Aboriginal | Interracial Relationship | Culture Clash

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Ernie Dingo	...	Vincent Burunga
Cate Blanchett	...	Elizabeth Ashton
Justine Saunders	...	Millie Carmichael
Bob Maza	...	Alf Dyer
Steven Vidler	...	Phil McCarthy
David Ngoombujarra	...	Mujadi Burunga
Paul Caesar	...	Macka Hargreaves
Rachel Maza	...	Leila Sutton
Nicholas Papademetriou	...	Harry Bradshaw
Wesley Patten	...	Chris Dyer
David Kennedy	...	Robert Sutton
Bradley Byquar	...	Ricky Dyer
Luke Carroll	...	Jason Sutton
Kevin Smith	...	Shorty Carmichael
Mark Fitzpatrick	...	Dennis

Also Known As:

Burned Bridge (Australia) (alternative title)

Runtime:

50 min (13 episodes)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Company:

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Burning Bridges...And Building New Ones

This story centers around a black community in Australia and particularly Vincent (played by Ernie Dingo) who works for the local police department as a liaison officer and Beth (played by Cate Blanchett) who moves into the community with the intention of fixing up and selling her late grandfather's house. As Beth becomes more involved in the community, she develops relationships that are more important to her than she would have though possible. Throughout the many important events played out in the series (divorce, murder, traditions, newfound relatives, friendship, and love) a theme of awareness about strained relationships and inequalities between white and black people living in Australia is ever present as the characters face hardships and burn the bridges of their pasts.

Ernie Dingo has an instant charm that shines through in this miniseries. Cate Blanchett has been called a human chameleon with the face of an angel, but her hearty laugh and incredibly endearing child-like quality shows through in everything she does. All of the actors in this series are very impressive and easily make the viewer want to invest themselves in the characters' fates. The story plays out like a good book, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good story as well as a challenge to think outside their own "boxes" to see a different view.