A pain in the Arts!

A quarter-century slice of cultural life and social change in Australia from the feisty mid-sixties and how the medium of television interpreted the excitement and ferment of those ground-breaking times. It is an 'insider's view' from Brian Adams, the television producer/director who was given carte blanche to create a new cultural identity for Australia's national broadcaster, the ABC. It spans the fledgling days of black and white television up to the highly-acclaimed technological development of live opera and ballet simulcasts. The documentary roll-call included all the major artists of the time, among them, Sidney Nolan, William Dobell, Brett Whitely, Arthur Boyd, John Olsen, interpreted by key commentators like art critic Robert Hughes. Contemporary themes like the Vietnam War, the state of the arts, the controversial construction of the Sydney Opera House and National Gallery, Canberra, plus international events like Florence 10 years after the disastrous flood were all examined in documentary form. Brian Adams also tells of his personal progression from trainee British diplomat to radio and TV newscaster 'Down Under'. He was awarded an OAM of the Order of Australia in 1990 for his services to the arts and Entertainment.