| Television, which can be so awful, can also be magnificent, breathtaking, and memorable. "Far Pavilians" is such a work of television art. So is "Kings in Grass Castles," a brilliantly well-acted, stunningly photographed study of the westward movement of white settlers into the aboriginal lands in the 19th century. All the main characters are a marvelously charismatic lot of Irish peasants who brought their wits and charm to the new lands. The dynamics of the native population in conflict with the new settlers is at times tragic, but the film makers bring enormous compassion and intelligence to the subject. It is a drama, not a sentimental tirade against whites, nor a reactionary celebration of the civilized against the savage. It is a human drama, well told, against the background of the seemingly endless Australian landscape. |
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