Australian
Screen

Clip description

Tess Silverman (Kym Wilson) is looking for Drover’s Run when her car breaks down and is surrounded by a herd of cattle being mustered by none other than Jack McLeod (Jack Thompson), the father she hasn’t seen in 20 years. Upon realising who she is, Jack takes her back to Drover’s Run, where she meets some of his staff: Patrick (Robert Mammone), Meg (Kris McQuade), Rosa (Mercia Deane-Johns) and Jodie (Simone Kessell). It seems like a warm welcome – that is, until Tess is reintroduced to her half-sister, Claire McLeod (Tammy MacIntosh).

Curator’s notes

This clip efficiently and effectively establishes the setting and the heroine of McLeod’s Daughters. An opening confrontation between Tess and her father draws in the viewer, and Kym Wilson’s fiery performance promises more conflict to come. With characters’ emotions running high from the get-go, McLeod’s Daughters is quick to show its hand as rural melodrama. Her estranged sister, Claire, refuses to embrace Tess at the end of the clip, setting up the family rift that Tess will need to overcome over the course of the story.

The filmmakers introduce Drover’s Run with an overhead crane shot to emphasise the size of the property, backed by a grand orchestral score. There is a touch of Gone With the Wind (1939) about this sequence, with the old homestead and its staff greeting their boss. Jack Thompson makes a strong impression as the patriarch Jack, who dominates the farm as Thompson does this clip. The old-fashioned music and setting also generate a stronger contrast with city girl Tess. It’s unclear how she will cope on the cattle station and establish a connection with Claire, which makes you want to see more.