The Paper Man

The storyline sounds familiar: an Australian begins with a small newspaper and winds up taking over the world, acquiring newspapers and eventually creating a global media empire. It is fictional, even if there are parallels with one real-life media mogul that give the mini-series more verisimilitude than one might expect from turn-of-the-decade Australian dramas. John Bach's performance is unforgettable, even if the make-up artists have a bit of trouble making him younger in the 1962 sequences. The Paper Man distinguishes itself on strong performances from seasoned performers such as Bach and Oliver Tobias, exploring the relationships of and the effects of power on Bach's Philip Cromwell character – and the changes in his ideals – as he moves from Sydney to the world stage.