Coming-of-age stories don't get much more intelligently told than this extraordinary Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Jill Ker Conway's best-selling memoir about growing up on the austere, lovely Australian plains. Raised by an indomitable mother (Juliet Stevenson) who maintained the family sheep farm after her husband's death, Conway spends her childhood trying to free herself from maternal shackles. Her amazing journey from a desolate ranch named “Coorain”--the Aboriginal word for “windy place”--to become the first female president of Smith College (the adult Jill Conway is played by Katherine Slattery) is a forged-by-fire experience well worth watching. Presented in the widescreen format, the stunning cinematography lends a palpable presence to the land which emerges as a character unto itself. Highly recommended. (T. Rich)
The Road from Coorain
WGBH, 120 min., not rated, VHS: $19.95 Volume 17, Issue 5
The Road from Coorain
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