Cooee and the Echo

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Cooee and the Echo
Directed by Alfred Rolfe
Based onplay by Edward William O'Sullivan
Starring Charles Villiers
Cinematography A. O. Segerberg
Production
company
Release date
11 March 1912
Running time
3,000 feet [1]
CountryAustralia
Languages Silent film
English intertitles

Cooee and the Echo is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It is considered a lost film. [2]

Contents

Plot

In northern Queensland, a young miner is determined to avenge the murder of his brother by another miner. He falls in love with the daughter of the mine manager but discovers she is being pursued also by his brother's killer. The climax involves a knife fight involving the hero, and the hero's aboriginal friend, Yacka (Charles Woods), coming to the rescue. [3] Another highlight was a scene with a person on horseback jumping off a bridge into the water. [4]

Cast

Original play

Coo-ee; Or, Wild Days in the Bush, in Prologue and 4 Acts : A New and Original Australian Drama, Illustrating the Wild Life of the Bush 50 Years Ago
Date premiered14 April 1906
Original languageEnglish
GenreMelodrama

Edward William O'Sullivan wrote a play called Cooee, or Wild Days in the Australian Bush but it appears to have a very different plot. [6]

Production

The film was shot near Sydney with bush scenes in the National Park. It was the first feature film definitely known to be shot by A. O. Segerberg. [3]

Reception

One critic said of the film that "the bush in all its picturesqueness and grandeur was brought vividly to the eyes with astounding clearness and fidelity as to details." [7]

The film was a financial success. [8]

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References

  1. ↑ "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald . 7 March 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 26 February 2012– via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ Vagg, S., & Reynaud, D. (2016). Alfred Rolfe: Forgotten pioneer Australian film director. Studies in Australasian Cinema, 10(2),184-198. doi:10.1080/17503175.2016.1170950
  3. 1 2 Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p 32
  4. ↑ "Advertising". The West Australian . Perth. 13 September 1913. p. 2. Retrieved 27 March 2012– via National Library of Australia.
  5. ↑ "Advertising". The Muswellbrook Chronicle . NSW. 26 April 1913. p. 3. Retrieved 9 June 2015– via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "THE HIPPODROME". The Sydney Morning Herald . 16 April 1906. p. 9. Retrieved 27 March 2012– via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "Theatrical Notes". Queensland Figaro . Brisbane. 26 March 1912. p. 10. Retrieved 15 September 2013– via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ "The Future of Australian Pictures AN INTERVIEW WITH ALEX. HELLMRICH.", Everyones., 4 (261 (4 March 1925)), Sydney: Everyones Ltd, 1920, nla.obj-559978517, retrieved 30 November 2023– via Trove


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