person or book cover
Screen cap from promotional trailer
form y separately published work icon The Mystery of a Hansom Cab single work   film/TV   crime  
Adaptation of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab Fergus Hume , 1886 single work novel
Issue Details: First known date: 2012... 2012 The Mystery of a Hansom Cab
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is a tightly plotted murder thriller, a massive best seller that was a forerunner to Sherlock Holmes. As much a study of sophisticated 19th century Melbourne as it is of its captivating characters, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is a compelling telemovie with a surprise ending that no-one will guess.'

Source: Burberry Productions website, http://www.burberry.com.au/
Sighted: 09/07/2012

Exhibitions

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8014658
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Notes

  • Telemovie.
  • The promotional trailer is available to view via YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=car5XraWiN0 (Sighted: 8/11/2012)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

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Works about this Work

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, the Classic Adaptation and the Australian Canon Chris Louttit , 2016 single work criticism
— Appears in: Adaptation , March vol. 9 no. 1 2016; (p. 58-67) 'Since it burst onto the literary scene in 1886, the reception history of Fergus Hume’s The Mystery of a Hansom Cab has been uneven. Initially a huge success with readers, the text also strongly influenced Australian crime fiction in the 1880s and 1890s. As the twentieth century wore on, however, its critical reputation fell away, only to re-cover more recently as attention returned to popular crime fiction. As a result, the novel might not seem an obvious, straightforwardly canonical, source for a major adaptation produced by the national broadcaster. This essay argues, however, that as a text poised between the classifications of ‘popular bestseller’ and ‘classic’, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab was a surprisingly attractive proposition as a new classic adaptation for the adapters who produced it for the ABC in 2012. The essay explains why this was the case, analysing the meanings and effects of the telemovie in relation to several different frames, including recent developments in the contextualisation of the classic adaptation genre, the production context of Australian television drama in this period, and other generically similar historical series screened just before it. In this particular case study, the adaptation’s relationship with these cultural and generic networks is shown to be more significant than the status of the source text.' (Publication extract)
The Cab Wasn't Worth Following Dianne Butler , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 31 October 2012; (p. 3)
Digital Touch-up Takes Melbourne Back to 1886 Karl Quinn , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 28 October 2012; (p. 7)
What a Hansom Devil Simon Plant , 2012 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 24 October 2012; (p. 3)
— Review of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab Glen Dolman , 2012 single work film/TV
Home is Where the Art Is Paul Kalina , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 22 October 2012; (p. 3)
What a Hansom Devil Simon Plant , 2012 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 24 October 2012; (p. 3)
— Review of The Mystery of a Hansom Cab Glen Dolman , 2012 single work film/TV
Dramatic Look at Ugly Australia of the '50s Geoff Shearer , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 9 July 2012; (p. 10)
An Appetite for His Craft Colin Vickery , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 17 October 2012; (p. 5)
Home is Where the Art Is Paul Kalina , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 22 October 2012; (p. 3)
Digital Touch-up Takes Melbourne Back to 1886 Karl Quinn , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 28 October 2012; (p. 7)
The Cab Wasn't Worth Following Dianne Butler , 2012 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 31 October 2012; (p. 3)
VIEW ALL WORKS ABOUT (7)
Last amended 10 Dec 2014 09:40:14
Shawn Seet
Subjects:
Settings:
  • Melbourne, Victoria,
  • 1880s
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