Escape from Singapore

Escape from Singapore
Written by	John Power
Directed by	John Power
Starring	Don Crosby John Meillon Martin Vaughan Peter Gwynne
Music by	Richard Connolly
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
Production
Producer	John Power
Cinematography	Geoff Burrowes
Editor	Stewart Young
Running time	90 mins
Production company	ABC
Original release
Network	ABC
Release	26 September 1973 (1973-09-26) (Sydney)
Release	18 October 1973 (1973-10-18) (Melbourne)

Escape from Singapore is a 1973 Australian TV dramatised documentary about General Gordon Bennett and his escape from Singapore in World War II.[1]

It was a number of dramatised documentaries Power made for Australian TV. He spent ten months researching it, accessing papers provided by Bennett's widow. Power said "I was interested in the dilemma of a man, an undoubtedly a brave man, facing a great personal crisis... should he or should he not leave his troops?.. It goes down as one of the great crises in Australian history."[2]

The film won Best Documentary at the 1974 TV Week Logie Awards.[3]

The show was repeated in 1975.[4]

Cast

• Don Crosby as General Gordon Bennett
• John Meillon as narrator
• Don Philps as Mr Dovey QC
• Martin Vaughan as Boots Callaghan
• Peter Gwynne
• Gordon Glenwright
• Max Osbiston

Reception

The Sun Herald praised it saying "a medal for this one."[5]

The Bulletin said "It deserves a massive audience... smooth, compelling and totally involving. "[6]

References

1. Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p29
2. "Wartime general caught in a trap". Sydney Morning Herald. 23 September 1973. p. 41. accessed 26 June 2013
3. TV Week Logie Awards 1974 Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine accessed 26 June 2013
4. "Black and white's big 4 repeated". The Age. 20 February 1975. p. 36.
5. "A medal for the general". The Sun Herald. 30 September 1973. p. 81.
6. "TELEVISION Flesh on history's bones", The Bulletin, 095 (4872), Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 22 September 1973, nla.obj-1635240814, retrieved 5 March 2024 – via Trove

External links

• Escape from Singapore at IMDb