At the heart of the script is the same-named book - a classical story written by an Australian "Queen of Melodrama"- Dymphna Cusack and her co-author Florence James.
The scene of action is Australia of the war period and it opens important problems of social, ethic, political system formation of the modern country, painting it through a typical melodrama.
In the centre of the plot are three young women, which work in a beauty salon in a very prestige Sydney hotel, their names are Claire, Guinea and Deb.
In a supporting group there are many secondary women characters. Everybody has her own problems and own story.
About 1944, Sydney is "occupied" by American soldiers, which have love affairs with Australian ladies. Each of them tries to regulate her life as she can.
Guinea, the youngest and most beautiful, lives a full life and looks ahead with confidence, that she will have everything, not like to others.
Claire, a lady about forty, is with sadness observing her wasting away.
Deb decides between love and financial well-being.
Plus many collateral subjects: criminal abortions, forced prostitution, patriarchal family relationship to women, elitism against indigent people and the like and so forth. In short, a very pithy thing.
David?...Hmm...
If we cannot say he has in the movie a key-role, we can insist, he has in it a key-line. At the very end of the film a nameless Australian soldier cries smartly to the camera: "Come in spinner".
Under the in-depth study in the soldier is identified a quite young David Wenham. Final credits verified a fans' guess-work.
Cast:
Lisa Harrow ...Claire Jeffries
Kerry Armstrong ...Deb Forrest
Rebecca Gibney ...Guinea Malone
Rhys McConnochie ...Angus McFarland
Gary Day ...Nigel Carstairs
Jay Hackett ...Kim Scott
Justine Clarke ...Monnie Malone
Kerry Walker ...Mrs. Molesworth
David Wenham ...soldier
and the others...
TV mini-series