Kodak/Atlab Cinema Collection

Foley (Jack Thompson) and Tom West (Robert Bruning)

Sunday Too Far Away (1975)

A new 35mm print of feature and trailer is now available.
Courtesy of South Australian Film Corporation, Kodak (Australasia) and Atlab Australia

National Film and Sound Archive National Collection
Title Number 5

Classification: M rating

Synopsis

The title (of the film) comes from the lament of a shearer's neglected wife: 'Friday night, too tired; Saturday night, too drunk; Sunday, too far away.' The setting is an outback sheep station in 1955; Foley (Jack Thompson), the gun shearer, joins a new shearing team and shares a room with Old Garth (Reg Lye), a former top shearer who is now a drunkard and who mirrors a possible future for Foley. As the shearing season progresses, the team battles with the grossly inadequate cook; Old Garth Dies, and Foley befriends the grazier's daughter. When the 'prosperity bonus' of a few pence per hundred sheep is withdrawn from the shearer's entitlements, they go on strike. The film ends as Foley and his team confront the non-union labour brought in by the graziers to complee the shearing.

Summary: Australian Film 1900-1977 by Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper. Oxford University Press

Background

The film was the first feature produced by the South Australian Film Corporation, established in 1972. Made on a budget of $300,000, the film was shot entirely on location near Port Augusta and Quorn in South Australia in 1974 (using the same shearing shed used in the feature film, The Sundowners, 1959).

Won Best Film, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 1974/75 Australian Film Awards. The film was also selected for the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Festival in 1975.

For insight into the making of the feature film, Sunday Too Far Away see the documentary, The Making of 'Sunday'
Title Number: 4945

Director
Ken Hannam

Year of Production 1975
Duration 94 minutes
Format 35mm, (1:1,85) Colour
Soundtrack: Mono, remastered to Dolby® Digital

Production Company
South Australian Film Corporation

Producer
Gil Brealey, Matt Carroll

Screenplay
John Dingwell

Director of Photography
Geoff Burton

Production Design
David Copping

Editor
Rod Adamson

Sound Recordist
Barry Brown

Cast
Jack Thompson (Foley)
Max Cullen (Tim King)
Robert Bruning (Tom West)
Jerry Thomas (Basher)
Peter Cummins (Arthur Black)
John Ewart (Ugly)
Sean Scully (Beresford)
Reg Lye (Old Garth)
Graham Smith (Jim the Learner)
Laurie Rankin (old station stand)
Lisa Peers (Sheila)
Phillip Ross (Mr Dawson)
Gregory Apps (Michael)
Doug Lihou (George)
Ken Weaver (Quinn)
Phyllis Ophel (Ivy)

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