I very much enjoy watching certain films and TV series so often that I have no idea how many times I have actually seen them. Bogart Films ... 12 Angry Men ... are examples. This is one of the TV series. I would watch it more often if it was available in a more convenient format -- I only have the poor quality video tape. I am also a big fan of Nevil Shute and have read this book and No Highway in the Sky many times. As an engineer/scientist, I like a lot of how he portrays people like me. He is somewhat better than most authors, but still flawed. He often strays from being rational and his politics are not particularly well hidden. Because I like his writing, I do wish the series had more of the engineering theme (in this case, building Jean's businesses) from the second part of the book. However, there is still a lot from the first part (how the women and children managed to survive) and Helen Morse is spectacular.Bryan Brown and Gordon Jackson are good and I do understand why their stories were modified for TV because of their popularity. I did not mind those changes and thought a few actually added to the story arc. What this series improved significantly over what Shute never really did well in any of his books, was develop the real chemistry between the main characters, most likely because Helen Morse is so good. My biggest disappointment in watching this many times is that, since I do not live in Australia, I have not gotten to see her act more.
Review of A Town Like Alice
