Cinematography:
Dean SemlerComposer:
Brian MayCast:
Rebecca Gilling, James Reyne, Wendy Hughes, Sam Bottoms, Chris Haywood, James Smilie, Steve Rackman, Bill Kerr, Phillip Avalon, John Clayton, John Lee (more)Plots(1)
A sensational tale of marriage, deception and the ultimate revenge, miniseries Return To Edencaptured the imagination of Australian and international audiences in 1983, a huge ratings success it spawned a spin-off series and established cult TV status. Stephanie Harper (Rebecca Gilling, The Naked Country) is a rich but insecure 40 year old heiress living the life of luxury in a vast estate in the Northern Territory called Eden. Falling for young tennis pro Greg Marsden (James Reyne, What’s Love Got To Do With It) she naively embarks on her third marriage. But soon after the wedding, Greg begins an affair with Stephanie’s best friend Jilly Stewart (Wendy Hughes, Careful He Might Hear You) and sets in motion a spiral of deceit destined to rock their lives forever. On their fateful honeymoon cold-hearted Greg pushes Stephanie into a crocodile-infested swamp and leaves her to die in a bloody torrent. But Stephanie’s will to survive is formidable – discovered and aided by hermit Dave Welles (Bill Kerr, Gallipoli), given a new lease on life by brilliant cosmetic surgeon Dan Marshall (James Smillie) – Stephanie claws back her existence to establish an entirely new identity, supermodel Tara Welles. But within her heart pounds the desire for revenge and with Greg and Jilly firmly set in her sights it is time for her to return to Eden. (Umbrella Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (1)
This is interesting evidence of how nostalgia can influence the reviews of a mediocre television product. Romantic soap operas don't do well due to the average age of the viewers, but Return to Eden managed to find a large community of fans who will remember even years later how they were once glued to the TV screen. Return to Eden was actually the Australian version of successful American series like Dallas, with the difference being that the producers had enough sense to end the series before the writers ran out of imagination. The later episodes had significantly declining quality. Overall impression: 35%.
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