Bastard Boys

Infobox Television Film
name = Bastard Boys


caption =
format = Drama
runtime = 225 mins (110 min + 115 min)
creator =
director = Raymond Quint
producer =
writer = Sue Smith
starring = Jack Thompson
Colin Friels
Dan Wyllie
Geoff Morrell
Rhys Muldoon
Anthony Hayes
Daniel Frederiksen
Justin Smith
music =
country = AUS
language = English
network = Australian Broadcasting Corporation
released = 2007
first_aired = May 13, 2007
last_aired = May 14, 2007
num_episodes = 2
website =
imdb_id = 0772135
tv_com_id =
amg_id =

"Bastard Boys" is an Australian television miniseries broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2007, about the 1998 Australian waterfront dispute.

Plot

The series tells the story of the waterfront dispute from four points of view: "Greg's War" from the point of view of union leader Greg Combet (Daniel Frederiksen), "Josh's War" from the point of view of lawyer Josh Bornstein (Justin Smith), "Sean's War" form the point of view of dock worker Sean McSwain (Anthony Hayes) and "Chris' War" from the point of view of Patrick Stevedores Managing Director Chris Corrigan (Geoff Morrell). Cherie Snape

Cast (in alphabetical order)

*Lucy Bell as Petra Hilsen
*Mike Bishop as Peter Reith
*Justine Clarke as Janine McSwain
*Louis Corbett as Joe Corrigan
*Caroline Craig as Tali Bernard
*Daniel Frederiksen as Greg Combet
*Colin Friels as John Coombs
*Francis Greenslade as Bill Kelty
*Anthony Hayes as Sean McSwain
*Kevin Harrington as Derek Corrigan
*Deborah Kennedy as Gwen Coombs
*Jeremy Kewley as Frank Parry
*Geoff Morrell as Chris Corrigan
*Rhys Muldoon as Julian Burnside, QC
*Anna Lise Phillips as Cherie Snape
*Justin Smith as Josh Bornstein
*Helen Thomson as Valerie Corrigan
*Jack Thompson as Tony Tully
*Dan Wyllie as Brendan Tully
*Debra Hollins as Girl Behind Joe

Degree of fictionalisation

Most of the characters portrayed are real individuals, many of whom were interviewed in the process of writing the drama. However, a number of characters were invented, and events were considerably compressed for dramatic purposes. Notably, the waterside workers portrayed in the drama were composites, based on interviews with many waterside workers. [cite news|title=The Reality of Television|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/the-reality-of-television/2007/05/15/1178995153368.html|publisher=The Age|date=2007-05-16|accessdate=2007-05-16]

Another example of invention was the placing of lawyer Bornstein at a key protest, which would have been illegal because of a court injunction cite news|title=Reloading history|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/reloading-history/2007/05/15/1178995153200.html |publisher=The Age|date=2007-05-16|accessdate=2007-05-16]

Response

Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells said in 2006 (whilst still in production) that the series "smacks of another example of wasteful spending by the ABC, being used to drive an anti-government, pro-left agenda, conveniently timed to appear during an election year". [cite news| url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/waterfront-drama/2007/05/12/1178899162179.html|title=ABC did not influence Boys| author = Rachel Browne| publisher =Sydney Morning Herald| date =2007-05-13|accessdate=2007-05-14] Journalist Michael Duffy described the series as "the most blatant union propaganda" and was critical that "80 per cent of the story is told from the union point of view". [cite news| url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/abc-unloads-a-shipload-of-bias/2007/05/11/1178390549480.html|title=ABC unloads a shipload of bias| author = Michael Duffy| publisher =Sydney Morning Herald| date =2007-05-12|accessdate=2007-05-14] The Age's Debi Enker, however, described it as a "thoughtful, illuminating and superbly cast account of a seminal event in our recent history [which] represents exactly the kind of drama that one would want the national broadcaster to nurture." [cite news| url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/reliving-the-waterfront-war/2007/05/09/1178390320741.html|title=Reliving the waterfront war| author = Debi Enker| publisher =The Age| date =2007-05-10|accessdate=2007-05-15]

Chris Corrigan was heavily critical of the series, stating after its screening that "The program portrays a series of predictable stereotypes and silly caricatures and gives them real names then cleverly claims to be a drama and hence does not explore any inconvenient truths such as the impact of the waterfront rorts on ordinary Australians."

Prime Minister John Howard declared the series "One of the most lopsided pieces of political propaganda I've seen on the national broadcaster in years" and argued that it completely ignored the notorious inefficiency of the Australian waterfront and years of collaborative failures to change this. [cite news| url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1926110.htm|title=Howard hits out at 'lopsided' 'Bastard Boys'| publisher =ABC| date =2007-05-17|accessdate=2007-05-17]

Criticism has also emerged from some members of the union movement. According to Phillip Adams, Bill Kelty was concerned that "no researcher, writer or producer - spoke to him about the dispute or his role in it. Yet they haven't hesitated to put words into their Kelty's mouth that the original Kelty never said". [cite news| url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21730555-12272,00.html|title=Don't lose plot over 'true' stories| author = Phillip Adams| publisher =The Australian| date =2007-05-15|accessdate=2007-05-16] . Chris Corrigan's brother Derek Corrigan has disputed claims that the broadcasting of "Bastard Boys" was timed to support Greg Combet's run for politics ". [cite news| url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1923009.htm|title=Suggestions 'Bastard Boys' timed to Combet election run 'bizarre'| author = ABC News Online| publisher =ABC| date =2007-05-15|accessdate=2007-05-16] .

ee also

* List of Australian television series

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0772135|title=Bastard Boys