Cloudstreet (Showtime 2011, Essie Davis, Emma Booth)

Based on Tim Winton’s much loved novel Cloudstreet is given a prestigious 1980’s mini-series style production by Showtime, it take’s us to Perth in the 1940’s and 1950’s and follows the courses of two families, The Lambs and The Pickles, who following seperate issues and tragedies head to the city and end up sharing the same house – Number 1, Cloudstreet.

Epic of scope and storytelling, sad and joyful, Cloudstreet is clearly going to stand out as one of the highlights of the Australian viewing year. It’s clearly had lots of money spent on it, even if the plane coming in to land in the opening moments does look a little bit too CGI. It stays remarkable faithful to the source material and certainly doesn’t shy away from showing some of the more graphic elements – including Sam Pickles losing his fingers in a work accident. Quite put us off our tea and biscuits that one. And like the novel it takes a while to settle in as it moves around the large cast of characters and picking up the individual threads of their stories.

production details
Australia | Showtime

Running Time: 120 Minutes | Number Of Episodes: 3 | Airdates: 22 May – 5 June 2011

Writer: Tim Winton, Ellen Fontana | Producers: Greg Haddrick, Brenda Pam, Della Churchill / Director: Matthew Saville

cast
THE LAMBS
GEOFF MORRELL as Lester lamb
KERRY FOX as Oriel Lamb
TOM RUSSELL as Young Fish Lamb
HUGO JOHNSTONE-BURT as Fish Lamb
TODD LASANCE as Quick Lamb
ANNIE SMITH as Young Elaine Lamb
AMANDA WOODHAMS as Red Lamb
ADAM SOLLIS as Lon Lamb
FREYA TINGLEY as Young Hat Lamb
CALLAN McAULIFFE as Young Quick Lamb

THE PICKLES
ESSIE DAVIS as Dolly Pickles
STEPHEN CURRY as Sam Pickles
EMMA BOOTH as Rose Pickles
LARA ROBINSON as Young Rose Pickles
SEAN KEENAN as Ted Pickles
WILL MATTOCK as Young Ted Pickles
SHANNON LIVELY as Chub Pickles
REECE SARDELIC as Young Chub Pickles