Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo (2011)

Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo – an Australian miniseries in two parts – is a historical and biographical drama about the creation of the women’s magazine Cleo and its first editor Ita Buttrose. It was shown on Australian television (ABC) and released on DVD in 2011. Here is some basic information about it:

** Director: Daina Reid
** Writer: Christopher Lee
** Producer: John Edwards
** Run time: 91 + 89 = 180 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Asher Keddie as Ita Buttrose (born 1942) - editor
** Tony Barry as Sir Frank Packer (1906-1974) - “Packer senior”
** Rob Carlton as Kerry Packer (1937-2005) – “Packer junior”
** Matt Day as Daniel Ritchie – a lawyer
** Jessica Tovey as Leslie Carpenter – Ita’s secretary

** Ian Meadows as Andrew Cowell – art director
** Maeve Dermody as Rachel Carr – journalist
** Annie Maynard as Annie Woodham – senior feature writer
** Cheree Cassidy as Ivana Holbrook – sales manager
** Nathan Page as Alasdair “Mac” MacDonald – Ita’s husband

As stated above, there are two episodes:

** Part one covers the time 1972-1973
** Part two covers the time 1973-1975

The miniseries was the subject of a defamation lawsuit: Alasdair “Mac” MacDonald – Ita’s ex-husband – objected to the way in which he is portrayed in the drama. The case was settled out of court in April 2012 when the television company (ABC) issued an official apology, saying that the character “Mac” was untrue.

While this miniseries is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly portrayed in the drama. But the basic story-line is true.

What do reviewers say about it? On IMDb it has a rating of 81 per cent, which corresponds to four stars on Amazon.

The Australian TV-blog “TV Tonight” gave it four out of five stars and added the following comment:

“Whilst [Asher] Keddie may not be a dead ringer for [Ita] Buttrose she has the voice down pat: the tone is pitch perfect, complete with the slight Buttrose lisp (we would have expected nothing less). Keddie captures the inner strength of Buttrose, forging a path in a male-dominated world, navigating though pioneer publishing, inspiration and compromise.”

If you ask me, a four star rating is too low. I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars. Why?

The script is well-written and the actors play their roles well. The story is captivating, dramatic, and emotional. In addition, it is based on a true story. If you like historical and biographical dramas, this miniseries is definitely something for you.

PS # 1. An on-screen message at the end of part two explains that this drama was made with the assistance of Ita Buttrose.

PS # 2. Paper Giants: Magazine Wars – an Australian miniseries in two parts – is a sequel to The Birth of Cleo that was shown on Australian television (ABC) and released on DVD in 2013.

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