Paradise Road is a 1997 film which tells the story of a group of English, American, Dutch and Australian women who are imprisoned in Sumatra during World War II. It was directed by Bruce Beresford and stars Glenn Close as beatific Adrienne Pargiter, Frances McDormand as the brash Dr. Verstak, Pauline Collins as missionary Margaret Drummond , Julianna Margulies as American socialite Topsy Merritt, Jennifer Ehle as British doyenne and model Rosemary Leighton Jones, Cate Blanchett as Australian nurse Susan McCarthy and Elizabeth Spriggs as dowager Imogene Roberts. Basing his picture on real... events, Bruce Beresford tells the story of a vocal orchestra created by the women in a Japanese P.O.W. camp, a classic survivors' tale extolling women's ability to survive hardship and atrocity through perseverance, solidarity and creativity. The story is based on the testimonies of Helen Colijn and Betty Jeffrey written in their books Song of Survival and White Coolies. It represents an alternative take on female imprisonment by the Japanese during World War II compared with BBC's dramatic offering from the early 1980s, Tenko.
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| Release date: | April 11, 1997 |
| Directed by: | Bruce Beresford |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 122 Minutes |
| Producer: | Greg Coote, Sue Milliken |
| Editor: | Tim Wellburn |
| Music by: | Ross Edwards |
| Cinematography: | Peter James |
| Screenplay by: | Bruce Beresford |