Fortress (1985)

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

Director:

Arch Nicholson

Writers:

Everett De Roche (screenplay), Gabrielle Lord (from the novel by)

Stars:

Sean Garlick, Rachel Ward, Elaine Cusick

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Garlick	...	Sid
Rachel Ward	...	Sally Jones
Elaine Cusick	...	Mrs. O'Brien
Laurie Moran	...	Mr. O'Brien
Marc Aden Gray	...	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

Storyline

"Fortress" explores a shocking concept which shows how easily a borderline between a victim and an attacker can be crossed. The children and the teacher, calm and peaceful by nature, when driven beyond their limits by the kidnappers, eventually respond with a cruelty and fury extending that of their oppressors.

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Plot Keywords:

teacher | school | human hunting a human | teenage girl | corpse with eyes open | 

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Taglines:

The innocents have tasted blood ... and they liked it!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 November 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Fortaleza

Filming Locations:

Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Crawford Productions, HBO Premiere Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A TV movie made for the HBO network.

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Goofs

During the shots of the youngest girl (Sarah) underwater, she is shown with the markings on her face that she puts in place later in the movie as war paint.

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Quotes

Leanne: Hey, that's like us; WE'VE got a trophy, too.

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Connections

Remade as The Fortunate

User Reviews

Creepy, Based On A True Story

I loved watching this movie growing up as a kid, and every time I watched it I was freaked out yet I couldn't get enough of it. I knew the movie was based on a true story, and the country school setting reminded me of a place where I used to go camping. I haven't seen it in years but remember the whole movie back to front.

Set in a small country town, a class of students comprising the entire school and their teacher are kidnapped. The kidnappers wear masks that the viewer will remember forever. The teacher and kids are left to try and plan an escape from their captors.

Hardly anyone in the world is going to see this movie, and they are all missing out. See if you can find it, it's pretty good.