Fortress (1986) (TV)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Arch Nicholson

Writers:

Everett De Roche (screenplay)
Gabrielle Lord (novel)

Release Date:

31 July 1986 (Australia)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

For one teacher and nine children, the lesson of the day is kill or be killed.

Plot:

An Australian school teacher and her students are kidnapped. She and the children fight for their lives and try to escape from their captors.

Plot Keywords:

Teacher | School | Violence | Body Part | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Sean Garlick	...	Sid
Rachel Ward	...	Sally Jones
Elaine Cusick	...	Mrs. O'Brien
Laurie Moran	...	Mr. O'Brien
Marc Aden	...	Tommy (as Marc Gray)
Ray Chubb	...	Publican
Bradley Meehan	...	Richard
Rebecca Rigg	...	Narelle
Beth Buchanan	...	Leanne
Asher Keddie	...	Sue
Anna Crawford	...	Sarah
Richard Terrill	...	Toby
Vernon Wells	...	Dabby Duck
Peter Hehir	...	Father Christmas
David Bradshaw	...	Pussy Cat

Runtime:

85 min | USA:88 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Germany:16 | Norway:18 (video premiere)

Filming Locations:

Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Crawford Productions

Trivia:

Loosely based on the 1972 Faraday School kidnapping of a teacher and her class by Edwin John Eastwood and Robert Clyde Boland. Eastwood later escaped from prison and repeated the crime with another teacher and her class in 1977.

Goofs:

Continuity: The Father Christmas mask is definitely burned, but later, Tommy wears it.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Sally Jones: You'll be leaving school soon, I s'pose.
Sid: Aww, you bet!

Movie Connections:

References "Hill Street Blues" (1981)

Another movie from my childhood that has stayed with me...

I had the same experience other members had with this film. I saw it on HBO when I was eight and it's since become part of me. Like them, I Googled, queried, etc. Unfortunately, my memory failed on the major points and I came up empty-handed. Finally, another member of IMDb came through. Anyway, this film is a lost jewel. It scared the hell out of me as a kid and I hope to see it again if I can find a used copy of the VHS somewhere. The premise is pretty simple. A group of Aussie thugs take a young teacher and her charges hostage, their escape and subsequent fight for survival turns bloody at the end. I still recall holding my breath during the underwater cave scene and never quite being able to hold it long enough. If you get a chance to watch this flick do so. Its ultra-rare and unforgettable.