RAN: Remote Area Nurse (2005)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Audio & Animation Interviews-Cast & Crew Trailer-Mullet, The Tracker CD-Original Soundtrack
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	296:13 (Case: 300)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Multi Disc Set (3)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	David Caesar Catriona McKenzie
Studio Distributor	SBS Independent Madman Entertainment	Starring	Alice Addison John Alsop Sue Smith John Brumpton Luke Carroll Deborah Kennedy Charles Mann Billy Mitchell Charles Passi Susie Porter Santa Marina Rodgers Bruce Spence Felix Williamson
Case	?
RPI	$34.95	Music	David Bridie

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    I wasn't sure what to think of R.A.N. - Remote Area Nurse when I first put my hand up to review it. I had heard a few things here and there, and I was hoping for good things. Although R.A.N. suffers from some of the usual Australian-TV clichés, I was on the whole pleasantly surprised.

    Set entirety on the Torres Strait Islands, R.A.N. is the story of Helen Tremain (Susie Porter), who returns from the mainland after her mother dies of cancer. Having been stationed on the islands as the only immediate source of medical help for many years now, she has a history with the people - both personal and professional. An attractive white woman in an almost completely black society makes for an interesting interaction of characters, and a very engaging show.

    I will not give a complete episode summary as this is not really an episodic show – it’s more like a 5 hour movie. If you want summaries, check out the homepage of this show on the SBS website. The following is a list of how the episodes are set out on these DVDs:

Disc 1

• 1. The Coral Age (45:38)
• 2. One Ball (51:04)
• 3. The Coming Of The Light (52:01)

Disc 2

• 4. The Gardens Of The Torres Strait (47:55)
• 5. Blue Hawaii (48:56)
• 6. Here Comes The Rain Again (50:39)

    The Machiavellian personal politicking of this show is really something to behold. Literally, I was surprised by the canny writing, the interesting characters, and the view of a society trying to hold onto its heritage while embracing the conveniences of Western culture in a highly isolated location. Although this lacks the violence of The Sopranos and Deadwood, there are definite similarities between Tony Soprano, Al Swearengen and the leader of the native community, Russ Gaibui (Charles Passi). Russ is the kind of conflicted personality that can lie, cheat and steal with a smile to get what he wants, but believes he is doing so out of the best interests of his charges.

    The other fascinating thing about this show was its depiction of life on the islands. While beautiful, the isolation can often be deadly, and health problems plaguing the community are truly horrendous – most notably, diabetes. It really is a location of contrasts, and for that reason all the more interesting to watch.

    Although certainly imperfect, this show is definitely worth a watch. Much better than other Australian shows that pander to the tourist market.

    This is no Phoenix or Wild Side, but it's a step in the right direction, and definitely worth your time.

Video

    I watched the majority of this on my 42" Sony E-Series 3LCD Rearpro HDTV upscaled at 720p via HDMI. I watched the first and last episodes via 3LCD front projection on my 100" screen using my Sony VPL-HS60, upscaled at 1080i via HDMI.

    Filmed on High Definition Video, the image is a touch soft and has a tendency to smear a little during fast panning shots, particularly at night. Obviously, the producers were using an older High Definition video camera with a slower RMS.

    Otherwise, the image is glorious - amazing colour reproduction, excellent detail, no murky grain in darker scenes, no need for artificial lighting during shooting to change the 'natural' feel. Great stuff.

    There were no film to video artifacts (it was shot on video), and no dirt on the print.

    The lack of subtitles is a little bit of a shortcoming.

    I didn’t spot any dual layer pauses, so my guess is that they fall between the second and third episodes on each disc.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Audio is available in the original English, mixed in 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo.

    Dialogue is clear and easy, and David Bridie’s immaculately rich score comes through loud and clear.

    There is some good left-right surround use, but nothing from the rears and no real LFE.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menus

    All menus are presented in 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced. The main menu has a motion view of the island and the theme in 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo. Very picturesque and easy to use.

Featurette- Cast & Crew Interviews (14:52) (Disc 1)

    Presented in 1.78:1, there are interviews with the majority of the major cast and crew.

Trailers (Disc 2)

    This set contains the following trailers:

• Mullet
• The Tracker

Audio CD- Original Soundtrack Recordings by David Bridie (60:00)

    There is no R1 release. As far as I can tell, this hasn’t been released anywhere else.

    R.A.N. - Remote Area Nurse is an excellent TV show, and a great example of what Australian writers, producers and actors are capable of when they actually try. Screw Australian Idol, give this a shot.

    Video and audio are quite good.

    Extras are good, particularly the CD.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall