| 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, John is seriously wounded. [7] James comes back to Australia, says that John is dead, and marries Mary. [8]
Mary ends up poisoning herself and one of the friends shoots the other. [9]
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". [10]
The film was released on a double bill with Fighting Blood, an American Western. [12] It was accompanied by a lecturer who would explain the plot; for many screenings, this was the noted comedian Charles Woods. [3] [13]
The Sun wrote, "The ingenuity displayed in the revelation of this story is remarkable. From a homestead on tho Murrumbldge one is carried to South Africa through some thrilling episodes of tho Boer War, and back again to Sydney." [14]
The Colac Herald described the film as "a gem of its kind". [15]
Punch said it "met with a tremendous reception, and showed that the locally produced films arc in no way inferior to the imported article. " [16] The Daily Telegraph said it "proved exceedingly popular." [17]
A 1923 article referred to the film being popular. [18]
The following lists events that happened during 1932 in Australia.
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.
Geoffrey Edmund Brown was an Australian tennis player.
The Assigned Servant, or the Life Story of a Deported Convict 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 a 1911 Australian feature-length silent film written and directed by W. J. Lincoln.
The Sick Stockrider is a 1913 film directed by W. J. Lincoln based on the 1870 poem of the same title by Adam Lindsay Gordon. It was the first production from Lincoln-Cass Films and is one of the few Australian silent films to survive in its entirety.
Breaking the News is a 1912 Australian melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln based on John Longstaff's 1887 painting of the same name.
The Double Event is a 1911 Australian feature-length film directed by W. J. Lincoln based on the first novel by Nat Gould, which had been adapted several times for the stage, notably by Bland Holt.
The Luck of Roaring Camp is a 1911 Australian feature-length film directed by W. J. Lincoln now considered a lost film. It was highly regarded in its day, in part because it was based on a play that was popular with audiences.
For the Term of His Natural Life is a 1908 Australian silent film based on the 1874 novel by the same name by Marcus Clarke. The film is an adaptation of MacMahon's stage adaptation of the novel.
The Lady Outlaw is a 1911 Australian silent film set in Van Diemen's Land during convict days.
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.
One Hundred Years Ago is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Gaston Mervale. It features an early screen performance from Louise Lovely and is considered a lost film.
The Five of Hearts, or Buffalo Bill's Love Story is a 1911 Australian film from Edward Irham Cole based on a stage play about Buffalo Bill which Cole had performed extensively. It is also known as A Maiden's Distress or Buffalo Bill. It was reportedly the longest of Cole's films.
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.
Wirth's Circus, also known as Wirth Brothers' Circus, was Australia's largest and most prestigious circus company for eight decades. Billed as Australia's own 'Greatest show on Earth', the travelling circus held an international reputation.
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