The Cowra Breakout (1984– )

In August 1944, 1104 Japanese prisoners of war at the Australian POW camp at Cowra stage a mass breakout. Four guards are killed in the escape, and 231 prisoners die by wounds sustained or ... See full summary »

Stars:

Alan David Lee, Dennis Miller, Andrew Lloyde

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alan David Lee	...	Stan Davidson
Dennis Miller	...	Mick Murphy
Andrew Lloyde	...	Lieutenant MacDonald
Tony Barry	...	Sergeant Best
Peter Phelps	...	Terry Moyes
Nique Needles	...	Stinky Smith (as Nic Needles)
Peter Hehir	...	Padre
Alex Broun	...	Nobby
David Slingsby	...	Den Den
David Sanford	...	Curtis
Luke Hobbs	...	Athol
Tom Appleton	...	Barnett
Gerry Skilton	...	Spud
Tony Benedict Smith	...	Nugget
Donal Gibson	...	Blackjack Devereaux

Storyline

In August 1944, 1104 Japanese prisoners of war at the Australian POW camp at Cowra stage a mass breakout. Four guards are killed in the escape, and 231 prisoners die by wounds sustained or suicide, while 334 prisoners are recaptured over the subsequent nine days.

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Plot Keywords:

prisoner of war | suicide | escape | breakout | tv mini series | 

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Taglines:

A Powerful Drama of Men and Ideals at War

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

7 June 1991 (UK)

Also Known As:

Breakout

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kennedy Miller Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 50 min (10 episodes)

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This mini-series' closing epilogue states: "On 2nd March 1946, the Japanese ship Daikai Maru steamed out of Sydney Harbour carrying the surviving Cowra prisoners. Three weeks late they disembarked onto an empty wharf in Japan and disappeared into Japanese society. Many have never told their friends, their wives or their children that they were prisoners-of-war [POWs]. Today the 4 Australians and 231 Japanese who died in the breakout lie buried in the War Cemetery at Cowra. In [a] field nearby, cattle graze amongst the ruins of the [Cowra Word War II] Prisoner-of-War Camp."

User Reviews

Very Good

This is one of my favourite mini-series. It is a shame that "Cowra Breakout","The Dirtwater Dynasty" and "Against the Wind' are not put back on Television and/or DVD. All of these are very well acted, very Australian and keeps myself as a viewer,very absorbed. From memory the Cowra Breakout is set during the 2nd world war, in which our two main protaganists meet, during a very bitter battle which I think results in the capture of the japanese actor and the returning of the aussie to a N.S.W town called Cowra. The Japanese are kept as prisoners in POW there camp and our two former enemies become friends. To be captured by the enemy is to be absolutely disgraced and the only honorable thing for a Japanese POW to do is to committ suicide, which some of them try. All in all a very good mini-series with good flow and one which I believe, would be enjoyed by the rest of the world