All the Rivers Run

All the Rivers Run is an Australian television miniseries from 1983, starring Sigrid Thornton and John Waters. The miniseries is based on the Australian historical novel by Nancy Cato, first published in 1958. The mini-series is marketed with the tagline A sweeping saga of one woman's struggle for survival.

A sequel, All the Rivers Run II, was produced in 1989.

Story

All The Rivers Run follows the life of English girl, Philadelphia Gordon, from the time when she is shipwrecked and orphaned off the coast of Victoria in 1890. She spends most of her life around Echuca, on the Murray River, and invests some of her inheritance in the paddle steamer called PS Philadelphia. Her life is changed forever when she meets paddle steamer captain Brenton Edwards. She is torn between the harsh beauty of life on the river with its adventures, and the society life in Melbourne with her blossoming career as a painter. It is an adventure and a love story: between her, the men in her life, and the river.

Main cast

• Sigrid Thornton - Philadelphia Gordon
• John Waters - Brenton Edwards
• Charles Tingwell - Uncle Charles
• Dinah Shearing - Aunt Hester
• Adrian Wright - Alistair Raeburn
• Diane Craig - Miss Barrett
• Gus Mercurio - Tom Gritchley
• John Alansu - Ah Lee

Production

Both mini-series were shot on location in Echuca.^[1] as well as locations in Melbourne.

The paddle steamer PS Pevensey was filmed as the PS Philadelphia. Today visitors to Echuca can take short trips on it.^[2]

Release

Versions

The first series comprises 4 two-hour episodes first broadcast in October 1983,^[3] the second series comprises 2 two-hour episodes first broadcast on 18 March 1990.^[4] In the US, the miniseries was shown on the premium channel, HBO premiering on 15 January 1984.^[5][6]

All the Rivers Run: The Definitive Collection DVDs contains both mini-series, as Parts I and II.^[7] The Part 1, All the Rivers Run I, is on 3 DVDs, with 8 episodes of approximately 48 minutes each (even though it is advertised as 1 hour episodes). Disc 1 contains episode 1 (51 minutes 28 seconds) and episode 2 (45:58). Disk 2 contains episode 3 (46:25), episode 4 (47:37) and episode 5 (48:57). Disk 3 contains episode 6 (50:14), episode 7 (48:01), episode 8 (48:30), a three-minute interview with John Waters, an eight-minute interview with Sigrid Thornton and a trailer/promotion for the mini-series. The Part 2, All the Rivers Run II, is on 2 DVDs. The first disc containing episode 1 (1 hour 36 minutes 34 seconds) and the second disc containing episode 2 (1:37:47). It also includes an audio CD with the soundtrack from the mini-series.

Reception

The series was a massive ratings success in Australia and was sold to over 70 countries, including the USA, where it was screened by HBO premiering on 15 January 1984 on the network.^[5][6][8]

Sequel

The sequel follows on with the same main characters, but with actress Nikki Coghill replacing Sigrid Thornton in the leading role. New characters include Cyrus P. James, a handsome American, and Arthur Blackwell (Tim Robertson), a rich villain who wants to buy out the PS Philadelphia.

References

External links

• All the Rivers Run at the National Film and Sound Archive
• Source of novel title
• All The Rivers Run at the Internet Movie Database
• All the Rivers Run at Australian Screen Online