| Mates from the Murrumbidgee | |
|---|---|
 Sunday Times 10 Sept 1911 | |
| Directed by | Alfred Rolfe |
| Starring | Charles Villiers |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 3,000 feet [3] |
| Country | Australia |
| Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
Mates from the Murrumbidgee is a 1911 Australian silent movie. It is considered a lost film and was arguably the first Australian war film, being set during the Boer War. [4] [5]
The movie was considered a financial success at the time. [6]
John, James and Mary are school friends, who grow up near the Murrumbidgee River. As they grow up both John and James fall for Mary, but Mary loves John. John and James work as drovers then join the Australian Lighthorse during the Second Boer War, both fighting for the New South Wales Lancers. While fighting with the Boers, James is seriously wounded. [7]
Mary ends up poisoning herself and one of the friends shoots the other. [8]
The film includes a charge at Majuba Hill (even though that took place during the First Boer War). This was done "for the sake of the picturesque". [9]
The film was released on a double bill with Fighting Blood, an American Western. [11] It was accompanied by a lecturer who would explain the plot; for many screenings, this was the noted comedian Charles Woods. [3]
The Colac Herald described the film as "a gem of its kind". [12]
Punch said it "met with a tremendous reception, and showed that the locally produced films arc in no way inferior to the imported article. " [13] The Daily Telegraph said it "proved exceedingly popular." [14]
A 1923 article referred to the film being popular. [15]
The Launceston Players Society is an Australian theatre company, believed to have been formed in September 1926 in Launceston Tasmania. The first production, "Nothing But the Truth" by James Montgomery, was performed in March 1927.
Dundas was a historical mining locality, mineral field and railway location on the western foothills of the West Coast Range in Western Tasmania. It is now part of the locality of Zeehan.
The Assigned Servant is a 1911 Australian silent film about a convict who is transported to Van Diemen's Land. It was made by the husband-and-wife team of John and Agnes Gavin and is considered a lost film.
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.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend is an Australian feature-length silent film written and directed by W. J. Lincoln. It was based on a stage adaptation of the popular 1865 novel It Is Never Too Late to Mend: A Matter-of-Fact Romance by Charles Reade about the corrupt penal system in Australia. It was called "certainly one of the best pictures ever taken in Australia."
Captain Midnight, the Bush King is a 1911 Australian silent Western film about the fictitious bushranger Captain Midnight. It was the directorial debut of actor Alfred Rolfe. The film is based on the play of same name by W. J. Lincoln and Alfred Dampier. Captain Midnight, the Bush King is now considered lost.
The Life of Rufus Dawes is a 1911 Australian silent film based on Alfred Dampier's stage adaptation of the 1874 novel For the Term of His Natural Life produced by Charles Cozens Spencer.
The Lady Outlaw is a 1911 Australian silent film set in Van Diemen's Land during convict days.
In the Nick of Time is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It was described as a "sensational railway drama", although now is considered a lost film.
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.
A Rough Passage is a 1922 Australian silent film directed by Franklyn Barrett based on the novel by Arthur Wright. It was Barrett's final feature and is considered a lost film.
The Sundowner is an Australian film shot in Victoria. Set in the Australian bush, it was billed as "a romance with many startling adventures".
The Australian Photo-Play Company was a short-lived but highly productive Australian film production company which operated from 1911 to 1912.
Edward Irham Cole was an Australian theatrical entrepreneur and film director whose productions represented a synthesis of Wild West show and stage melodrama. He managed a theatre company, called the Bohemian Dramatic Company, that performed in semi-permanent and temporary tent theatres. During 1910 and 1911 Cole directed a number of silent films, adapted from his stage plays and using actors from his theatre company.
The Prince of Wales Theatre was a theatre on Macquarie Street, Hobart, Tasmania from 1910 to 1987.
Thomas Smith Bellair was an English actor who moved to Australia, where he had his own dramatic company before managing various hotels, finally settling in Wagga Wagga, where his family became prominent citizens.
Wilton Welch was an Australian comic actor and dramatist, husband and collaborator of Louise Carbasse, best known as Louise Lovely.
Mary Gladstane was an Irish-American actress of the 19th-century who had a considerable career in Australia, along with her husband and manager, L. M. Bayless.
Lance Fairfax was a singer and actor from New Zealand, classed as a light baritone, who had a substantial career in Australia.
Under the Southern Cross, also known as Arnold's Luck or Under the Southern Cross is a 1885 stage play by Alfred Dampier. It was written at a time when Australian plays were relatively rare.
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