Secret City Series 1
Reading Time: 2 minutes
I stumbled across ‘Secret City’, an Australian TV political drama/thriller six-part mini-series, and was hooked instantly.
Released in Australia in 2016, and internationally earlier this year, this intelligent and beautifully produced series has been a resounding success. Consequently, a second series is currently in production and is expected to be released in Summer 2018/2019.
What I like most about the mini (first) series is not the intriguing, original and very contemporary story line. Nor is it the believable acting of so many well cast actors – including Anna Torv, Dan Wyllie and Jacki Weaver. But rather, it is the manner in which the series’ Canberra setting is portrayed. This production presents Canberra as a modern city in a beautiful natural setting. Numerous scenes highlight attractions such as the lake, surrounding parklands, and nearby forests. It also portrays iconic buildings and monuments, as well as the city’s grand design, and the unique hill top replacing Parliament House.
Because the development of the storyline is clever and one to be savoured, I won’t sum up the story, but will mention some of the themes. While our central character is Harriet Dunkley (Anna Torv) an investigative political newspaper journalist stationed in Parliament House, the story line deals with Australia’s attempts to reconcile our relationship with China and the United States in the context of the South China Sea standoff. It also addresses freedom of the press and suppression of information in the name of national security, implications of sexual reassignment, politically ordered killings, the operation of Australia’s security agencies, diplomatic immunity, political manoeuvrings and resulting appointments and sackings, and to relieve the stress of all this activity, rowing on the lake and some energetic sex.
But I come back to the portrayal of Canberra, with its backdrop of the Brindabellas, it’s modern lakeside high rise apartment living, and the garden campus of the ANU. If the beautifully framed outdoor scenes were edited together and used in promotional materials, they would undoubtedly serve to dispel many Australian’s misconceptions of Canberra. Such exposure would also be likely to introduce the world to our vibrant, modern and attractive Capital, its beautiful natural setting and its distinct seasons.
Finally, I must draw attention to the series’ scriptwriting, which has ensured that the characters speak genuine and not contrived Australian English, and that we’re not bored by any unnecessary pontification – except of course, from the politicians, as we would expect.
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