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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Carrie Fairchild" data-source="post: 275333" data-attributes="member: 673">Return to Eden - 1986 <img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2945/215/1600/group2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Crocodiles! Plastic surgery! Plane crashes! Return to Eden was one of the most successful Australian miniseries ever made but it's road to the screen was far from smooth. Twin producers Hal and Jim McElroy (of Picnic At Hanging Rock fame) were sure it would be a hit, yet were turned down by twelve different Australian directors that they approached to make it. "They were completely contemptuous about it, as were most of the agents" remembers Hal McElroy. Failing to raise interest Down Under, they shopped it around in the UK but were met with a similar response. In desperation, McElroy flew home via the US to meet director Karen Arthur. She loved the script and finally the ball got rolling on bringing the sordid saga to life.The story opened with frumpy mining heiress Stephanie Harper (Rebecca Gilling) getting married to the much younger third husband, tennis pro / sleazebag Greg Marsden (James Reyne). They headed off on their honeymoon to the Harper family estate Eden, in the Northern Territory, joined by Stephanie's "best friend" and Greg's secret lover Jilly (Wendy Hughes). When the threesome headed out on a moonlight crocodile safari, Greg took the opportunity to toss his new bride to her supposed death in order to make off with her fortune and her best friend. Little did Greg and Jilly know, Stephanie had actually survived, had her face reconstructed by plastic surgeon / love interest Dan Marshall (James Smillie) and had re-emerged under the guise of supermodel Tara Welles, who went around making statements like "I want you to get me on the cover of Vogue in six months" while plotting revenge against her merry widower and former best friend. The series was shot on location in Sydney, Orpheus Island and Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, under the guidance of future Oscar winning cinematographer Dean Semler (Dances With Wolves).[MEDIA=youtube]pw7U-rKrnII[/MEDIA]Critics were mostly dismissive of the upcoming series with Hal McElroy saying "It was so different from everything else Australia was doing in miniseries at the time, being a bold, unabashed melodrama instead of a historical piece or social realism." Ten however were completely behind their new show and threw a flashy launch party with a stuffed crocodile in the foyer. Airing over three nights in September 1983, it's opening night exceeded expectations and by night two and three, it had set record ratings in Australia. Talks of a sequel began almost immediately, with rumours in TV Week suggesting that Greg would return to seek revenge having undergone his own plastic surgery. This didn't come to pass but when it was sold to Worldvision for over $4m for US distribution, solid plans for a follow up began to take shape. As the miniseries enjoyed success worldwide in places as varied as Chile, Jordan, Panama and Monaco, Hal McElroy and Worldvision came together to plot a 22 part follow on series that they pre-sold to the US and the UK. No expense was to be spared on the $8m production, with $2m being spent on sets while luxury cars were bought rather than rented and well known designers would provide the flashy wardrobes.Airing in 1986, the action picked up seven years after Jilly had been sent off to prison. Stephanie and Dan were still happily married while her kids were now adults, hotheaded Dennis (Peter Cousens) and wannabe fashion designer Sarah (Nicki Paull). Wendy Hughes had turned down the offer to return as Jilly, so Peta Toppano took over. Fresh from prison, a seemingly reformed Jilly re-entered Stephanie's life, only to discover that they were actually sisters. "Two beautiful sisters fighting is much better than two beautiful women" said Hal McElroy. The revelation gave Jilly a foot in the door of Stephanie's new Sydney mansion Eden and it wasn't long before she was out for revenge. With Greg dead, Jilly's new partner in crime would be Jake Sanders, Greg's secret brother who was also seeking retribution for his brother's fiery death. James Reyne wasn't interested in returning, so the role was offered to his brother David Reyne. Possibly scarred by having just starred in both Skin Deep and Possession, he too turned down the role. The part finally went to British actor Daniel Abineri, who after initial enthusiasm, was described by McElroy as "having his own issues". He said "he had a need to subvert and demonstrate his working class credentials to the audience. It diminished his character somewhat." One of example of this was his refusal to wear his tie properly adjusted which McElroy discussed "His character is a high-powered businessman and when his tie was askew, it reduced his credibility".As the drama unfolded onscreen, much of it seemed very familiar to viewers. At Jilly's bidding, various attempts were made on Stephanie's life including a crocodile being slipped into Stephanie's pool in order to finish the job that the one in the miniseries had failed at. This prompted a mental breakdown, another faked death and another assuming of another identity with Stephanie again masquerading around Sydney in disguise, this time under a veil pretending to be Arab royalty, Princess Talitha. History was also repeating itself for Dan, who reconstructed Jilly's niece Jessica's (Saskia Post) injured face, turning her into a beautiful woman before falling in love with her. While international audiences were lapping up the drama, Australian viewers weren't buying it this time around. In addition to the repetitive plots, comparisons to Dallas and Dynasty also proved to be unhelpful. Hal McElroy was quick to point out at the beginning of the series, that their US counterparts had five times the budget of Return to Eden, however Ten's publicity department persisted in pitching it as "Dynasty Down Under" in order to push it as a much more sophisticated show than Prisoner and Neighbours.It's Australian ratings flagging, Ten decided not to order any more episodes, with the remainder of the series being aired in two hour blocks up against the football. Hal McElroy was unhappy saying that the worldwide distributor Worldvision "was devastated by Ten's decision to axe it" and that "it could have been a huge franchise". With it's run on Ten ending in a shooting cliffhanger, with Stephanie in the frame for murder, McElroy decided to film an alternative ending in order to provide closure for international audiences. With the show petering out, Peta Toppano, Daniel Abineri and Nicki Paull were all critical in the press about their time on the series while the gracious Rebecca Gilling spoke only positively while getting a dig in at her colleagues, stating "Return to Eden wasn't the most demanding material to work on but we were all on a good wicket and succeeded in entertaining people in a tongue in cheek way. If you've taken on a job, I think it helps if you support the project". The show lives on today in reruns and even had an Indian movie remake, Khoon Bhari Maang, in 1988. In 2012, Nine announced that they were to remake Return to Eden as a six hour miniseries with Wentworth writer Pete McTighe, but it was unfortunately shelved due to financial reasons.</blockquote>

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