The Alien Years is a three-part miniseries

Miniseries

A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...

 that first aired on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...

 on April 19 1988. It was directed by Donald Crombie

Donald Crombie

Donald Crombie is an Australian film and television director. Crombie studied at National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1961 and started work at the Commonwealth Film Unit in 1963. Crombie has directed feature films, telemovies, mini-series, drama series, documentaries and commercials. He has...

 and written by Peter Yeldham

Peter Yeldham

Peter Alan Yeldham is an Australian screenwriter for motion pictures and television, playwright and novelist.- Biography :...

. It stars Victoria Longley, John Hargreaves and Academy Award-winner, Christoph Waltz

Christoph Waltz

Christoph Waltz is an Austrian-German actor. He received international acclaim for his portrayal of SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and...

. Yeldham later adapted his screenplay into a novel of the same name.

Plot

Elizabeth Paterson (Longley) is the daughter of an important figure in the Australian government. She falls for and ultimately marries Stefan (Waltz), a German national. They move to South Australia to run a vineyard but their peace is disturbed by the outbreak of the First World War. The government orders that all German nationals living in Australia must be imprisoned.

Cast

• Victoria Longley as Elizabeth Parson
• Christoph Waltz
  Christoph Waltz
  Christoph Waltz is an Austrian-German actor. He received international acclaim for his portrayal of SS-Standartenführer Hans Landa in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds, for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival and the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and...
  
   as Stefan Mueller
• John Hargreaves as William
• Jane Harders as Edith
• Kim Krejus as Martha
• Tom Jennings as Harry
• Nick Tate
  Nick Tate
  Nicholas John "Nick" Tate is an Australian actor best known for his role as Eagle pilot Alan Carter in both seasons of the 1970s science fiction television series Space: 1999, as well as for playing the role of Gordon Hamilton's errant brother James in the 1980's soap opera "Sons and...
  
  as North