There are certain texts that have resisted adaptation to screen (either film or television) for years: internationally there was Alan Moore's Watchmen (which many argue should have stayed un-adapted) and Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian (widely regarded as unfilmable).
Locally, that infamy fell to Tim Winton's legendary Cloudstreet.
The book is so beloved by so many Australians - both due to its initial print run and critical acclaim, as well as its enduring school syllabus status - that no director was game enough to try.
As Winton put it, "No director wanted to do it. You don't want to be remembered as the bloke who stuffed up Cloudstreet."
There was, of course, a theatrical adaptation - by Nick Enright and Justin Monjo, directed by Neil Armfield - that was an actorly monster at five-and-a-half hours long, and toured the world to similarly rapturous acclaim as its source text.
Screen rights to the book, however, were tied up for years until it became clear that it wouldn't/couldn't suit a film adaptation, and finally the rights were secured locally for a miniseries, which began production in 2009.
Arriving to much (warranted) fanfare, the $10m production's first episode premieres this Sunday at 8:30pm on Foxtel & Austar's showcase channel.
Cloudstreet is a beautiful piece of television.
It's worth noting that the script is not an adaptation of the play, but rather written directly for the screen by Winton and Ellen Fontana, so much of Winton's prose (poetry, more like) remains intact, giving the show a dreamy quality that is matched by the exquisite production design by Herbert Pinter.
The titular house, 1 Cloud Street, was built from scratch on a deserted patch of bitumen near the Swan River, only you wouldn't know it - it looks like it's been standing there for decades.
As has become the norm with Australia's rich history of telemovies and miniseries, where relative lack of budget constraints mean that the casting department can go buckwild, the cast is a smorgasbord of local talent.
Stephen Curry is wonderful as Sam Pickles, as is Essie Davis as Sam's booze-soaked beauty, Dolly.
Lara Robinson is remarkable as young Rose Pickles, so much so that once Rose grows up into Emma Booth I couldn't help but miss her younger incarnation, fine as Booth is.
The Lamb family are also brought to life beautifully: the ever reliable Geoff Morrell is steadfast as Lester, and the spectacular and all-too underused Kerry Fox brings her usual brilliance to Oriel.
The Lamb boys are excellent, too: Callan McAuliffe as Young Quick with Todd Lasance as his older self, and Tom Russell is marvellous as Young Fish with Hugo Johnstone-Burt later taking over.
When a source text is as well-loved as Cloudstreet inevitably a TV adaptation will be divisive, but when the production is as lush and thoughtful as this one it's difficult to imagine anyone being disappointed with the finished product.
More than anything, it demonstrates what a boon the pay-TV industry has been for local TV production, taking what was already a storied history of excellent telemovies and injecting even more life (and, yes, money) into the medium.
A painterly, poetic piece of television moviemaking, Cloudstreet is the sort of TV treat that makes the heart sing.
Cloudstreet will premiere exclusively on Foxtel's showcase on Sunday, May 22 at 8.30pm.