Eliza Fraser

British actors Trevor Howard, John Castle and Susannah York were imported specifically from England to appear in this Australian production. This blew the production budget out to around $200,000 (Australian). Reportedly, the fees for these actors in Australian dollars were $48,000, $32,000 and $125,000 respectively.

PRODUCTION STORY · SOURCED

The shipwreck event depicted in this film, based on a true story, occurred on 22 May 1836 off the coast of the Barrier Reef in the Australian state of Queensland.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

Susannah York signed on to make this film in February 1976, about a month before principal photography began.

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Initially budgeted at $750,000 (Australian), the film went $450,000 over budget, making it the first Australian production with a budget exceeding $1 million.

PRODUCTION STORY · SOURCED

A plaque dedicated to Eliza Fraser at a cottage in Stromness, Orkney, Scotland, reads: "THE HOME OF ELIZA FRASER WHO SURVIVED THE SHIPWRECK ON THE GREAT BARRIER REEF IN 1836 AND WAS CAPTURED BY THE ABORIGINES AND BECAME A LEGENDARY FIGURE IN AUSTRALIAN HISTORY".

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

This film was shot in March, April and May 1976.

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The film was initially intended to have a story structure in which Eliza Fraser's story would be told three times from three different perspectives, like Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950).

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

Delays in casting the female lead between 2 January 1976 and 11 February of the same year cost the production around $50,000 (Australian). Eventually, in February 1976, Susannah York was cast in the lead role of Eliza Fraser.

CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

Eliza Fraser (1976) was actually shot on "Fraser Island", a heritage-listed island off the southern coast of the state of Queensland in northeastern Australia. The island takes its name from Eliza Fraser and Captain James Fraser and the shipwreck survival legend associated with them that is depicted in this film.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

At one point Diane Cilento held talks for the lead role but withdrew because she disliked some of the material.

CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

The production of this film ran for approximately eleven weeks of principal photography.

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This was the seventh film from the Australian production company Hexagon Productions.

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This was the first Australian film to hold its world premiere at the newly opened Hoyts Entertainment Centre in Sydney.

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The April 1970 issue of the Australian film magazine "Movie News" carried a story about a film based on the same event as this one, with Vanessa Redgrave to take the role of Mrs Eliza Fraser and Czech director Jiří Weiss to direct.

CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

Tim Burstall wrote the first draft of this film's screenplay in 1969.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

According to the book "Australian Film 1900-1977", this film "… found competition in a proposed British production that was to star either Vanessa Redgrave or Julie Christie. Because of the apparent prestige of the rival film, [Tim Burstall's] production [this film] was brought forward ahead of schedule".

DEEPER MEANING · SOURCED

The ship the Frasers were travelling on that was wrecked at the start of the film was named "Stirling Castle", while the ship seen at the end of the film was named "Golden Plover".

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

About 120 Aboriginal Australians were cast as extras. Since no Aboriginal people still lived on Fraser Island, the extras were brought to Fraser Island from Mornington Island in North Queensland.

CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

This film was the first major commercial failure for the Australian production company Hexagon Productions. Most of Hexagon's earlier films, such as Alvin Purple (1973), Alvin Rides Again (1974) and the pre-Hexagon Stork (1971), had been box-office successes in Australia.

EASTER EGGS & REFERENCES · SOURCED

Actor John Waters was reportedly paid a salary of about A$2,000 a week.

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It was the fourth of five collaborations between writer David Williamson and director Tim Burstall. Their first three works together were Stork (1971), Petersen (1974) and one segment ("The Child") of the feature film Libido (1973). Their fifth and final collaboration was Duet for Four (1982).

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At one point Australian actor John Waters appears in the film in blackface.

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The film's closing epilogue says: "In fact history shows that it took Eliza eight months to make her fortune. And history also shows that she retired to New Zealand with Captain Green, and that they both lived happily ever after."

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The premiere of this Australian feature film, Eliza Fraser (1976), took place in Australia at a time when Malcolm Fraser was Prime Minister of Australia. His wife's name was not Eliza but Tammy Fraser (her real name was actually Tamara Fraser).

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

The film featured supporting roles for Australian actors Gus Mercurio and Gerard Kennedy, who were well known to Australian audiences at the time from the television series Tandarra (1976) and Cash and Company (1975), and the following year both took leading roles in the Australian feature film Raw Deal (1977).

CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

The real-life full name of Eliza Fraser, on whom the film's main character is based, was Eliza Anne Fraser.

INTERESTING FACTS · SOURCED

Director Tim Burstall initially envisioned the film with Wendy Hughes playing Eliza Fraser and Frank Thring playing Captain James Fraser.

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It was Australia's first million-dollar film.

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The film's opening title card reads: "SYDNEY AUSTRALIA 1836".

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Trevor Howard received a 'special guest appearance' credit.

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Two of the most prominently billed actors on the Australian film posters had the first name "John": John Waters (second billing) and John Castle (third billing).

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Actor Bruce Spence played the character Bruce McIver, who shares his first name.

EASTER EGGS & REFERENCES · SOURCED