| How We Beat the Emden | |
|---|---|
 Still from the film | |
| Directed by | Alfred Rolfe |
Production company | |
Release date | 6 December 1915 [1] [2] |
| Country | Australia |
| Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
How We Fought the Emden is a 1915 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe about the Battle of Cocos during World War I. [3] It features footage shot on Cocos Island. [4] [5]
Jack enlists in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and after training on the Tingira , joins the crew of HMAS Sydney. He takes part in the Battle of Cocos, where the Australian cruiser destroys the German light cruiser SMS Emden. [6] [7]
The film incorporates footage from the documentary How We Fought the Emden .
It was shot at the Rushcutters Bay studio. [8]
The film was popular at the box office. Actor C. Post Mason took a print with him to Canada in 1916 and screened the film over there. [3] It was also known as How We Fought the Emden [9] and The Sydney-Emden Fight. [10]
The Motion Picture News said the film was put on "principally with the idea of drawing patrons from" For Australia and was "merely a succession of interest and topical subjects woven together, and a plot that does not reflect much credit on either the author or producers". [11]
The movie was later combined with another Australian war film, For Australia (1915) to create a new movie, For the Honour of Australia (1916).
HMAS Sydney was a Chatham-class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Laid down in 1911 and launched in 1912, the cruiser was commissioned into the RAN in 1913.
The Battle of Cocos was a single-ship action that occurred on 9 November 1914, after the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney, under the command of John Glossop, responded to an attack on a communications station at Direction Island by the German light cruiser SMS Emden, commanded by Karl von Müller.
The Hero of the Dardanelles is a 1915 Australian film directed by Alfred Rolfe, made as a patriotic war recruiting film.
Raymond Longford was a prolific Australian film director, writer, producer, and actor during the silent era. Longford was a major director of the silent film era of the Australian cinema. He formed a production team with Lottie Lyell. His contributions to Australian cinema with his ongoing collaborations with Lyell, including The Sentimental Bloke (1919) and The Blue Mountains Mystery (1921), prompted the Australian Film Institute's AFI Raymond Longford Award, inaugurated in 1968, to be named in his honour.
Arthur Shirley was an Australian actor, writer, producer, and director of theatre and film. He experienced some success as a film actor in Hollywood between 1914 and 1920.
The Exploits of the Emden is a 1928 silent Australian film about the Battle of Cocos; the World War I naval battle between Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney and German cruiser SMS Emden. It consists of footage from a 1926 German film, Our Emden, with additional sequences shot in Australia by director Ken G. Hall. Only part of the film survives today.
Alfred Rolfe, real name Alfred Roker, was an Australian stage and film director and actor, best known for being the son-in-law of the celebrated actor-manager Alfred Dampier, with whom he appeared frequently on stage, and for his prolific output as a director during Australia's silent era, including Captain Midnight, the Bush King (1911), Captain Starlight, or Gentleman of the Road (1911) and The Hero of the Dardanelles (1915). Only one of his films as director survives today.
Moora Neya, or the Message of the Spear is a 1911 Australian silent film which was the first Australian movie to emphasise aboriginal people. It was described by a contemporary newspaper report as "on the same lines as the Indian cowboy pictures with which the public are familiar, except that it is a colonial production, and blackfellows are substituted for Indians."
The Cup Winner is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It is set against a backdrop of horseracing and the finale involves real footage from the 1911 Melbourne Cup.
Won on the Post is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe set against a backdrop of horseracing.
Moira, or The Mystery of the Bush is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe.
The Sunny South, or the Whirlwind of Fate is a 1915 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe based on the popular play The Sunny South by George Darrell. It is considered a lost film.
The Loyal Rebel is a 1915 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe set against the background of the Eureka Rebellion.
How We Fought the Emden is a 1915 Australian silent documentary film from cinematographer Charles Cusden about the Battle of Cocos during World War I. It was also known as The Fate of the Emden.
The Joan of Arc of Loos is a 1916 Australian silent film shot by Franklyn Barrett based on the true story of Émilienne Moreau-Evrard in World War I. Only a portion of the movie survives today.
For Australia is a 1915 Australian silent film directed by Monte Luke.
For the Honour of Australia is a 1916 film composed of footage from two 1915 Australian silent films, For Australia and How We Beat the Emden, plus the documentary How We Fought the Emden.
SMS Emden was the second and final member of the Dresden class of light cruisers built for the German Kaiserliche Marine. Named for the town of Emden, she was laid down at the Kaiserliche Werft in Danzig in 1906. The hull was launched in May 1908, and completed in July 1909. She had one sister ship, Dresden. Like the preceding Königsberg-class cruisers, Emden was armed with ten 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns and two torpedo tubes.
Die Männer der Emden is a 2012 German war adventure film directed and co-written by Berengar Pfahl that is an account of members of the crew of SMS Emden making their way back to Germany after the Battle of Cocos (1914). The film was shot in Greece, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Malta and Germany and appeared as both a miniseries and a feature film.
A Man – That's All (1916) is an Australian war film directed by Alfred Rolfe for Australasian Films.