Paper Giants: Magazine Wars (2013)

Paper Giants: Magazine Wars – a miniseries in two parts – is a historical and biographical drama that is based on a true story: the intense and long-running rivalry between two Australian magazines (New Idea & Woman’s Day) and their editors (Dulcie Boling & Nene King). It was shown on Australian television (ABC) and released on DVD in 2013. Here is some basic information about it:

** Director: Daina Reid

** Producer: Mimi Butler

** Writers: Justin Munjo & Keith Thompson

** Run time: 90 + 87 minutes = 177 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Rachel Griffiths as Dulcie Boling (born 1936) – editor of New Idea

** Mandy McElhinney as Nene King (born 1943) – editor of Woman’s Day

** William Zappa as Rupert Murdoch (born 1931) – media owner

** Rob Carlton as Kerry Packer (1937-2005) – media owner

** Angus Sampson as Patrick Bowring (1951-1996) – Nene’s boyfriend and later husband

** Khan Chittenden as Nick Trumpet - photographer

** Caren Pistorius as Beth Ridgeway - reporter

** Lucy Bell as Susan Duncan - reporter

** Socratis Otto as Peter Dawson – Dulcie’s assistant

As stated above, there are two episodes:

** Part one covers the time 1987-1992

** Part two covers the time 1992-1997

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.

From time to time, the drama is interrupted by documentary clips. This is done to show us where we are in time. Another way to show us the time is to use popular music from the period 1987-1997.

The owner of New Idea was Rupert Murdoch, while the owner of Woman’s Day was Kerry Packer. Both magazines were written for women. They were targeting the same audience.

When Dulcie and Nene were competing with each other, hoping to be Australia’s number one magazine, it was in reality a proxy war between two media empires, between two paper giants: Murdoch and Packer.

What do reviewers say about this drama? On IMDb it has a rating of 72 per cent, which corresponds to 3.6 stars on Amazon.

If you ask me, this average 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. Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo – a miniseries in two parts – is a prequel to Magazine Wars that was shown on Australian television (ABC) and released on DVD in 2011.

PS # 2. The following (positive) review of the drama is available online: Doug Anderson, “Paper Giants: Magazine Wars – TV Review,” The Guardian, 2 June 2013.

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