| Murphy of Anzac | |
|---|---|
 Sydney Sun 9 April 1916 | |
| Directed by | J. E. Mathews [1] |
| Written by | Archie Fraser [2] |
| Starring | Martyn Keith |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 4,000 feet [4] or four reels [5] |
| Country | Australia |
| Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
Murphy of Anzac is a 1916 Australian silent film directed by J. E. Mathews. It tells the story of John Simpson Kirkpatrick during the Gallipoli campaign in World War I. [6] It is considered a lost film. [7]
John Simpson Kirkpatrick, aka "Murphy", an English emigrant to Queensland, enlists in the army in World War I and is attached to the ambulance corps. On the voyage over he discovers a traitor (Martyn Keith) giving information to the enemy by wireless and overcomes him. The Australian troops land at Gallipoli and Murphy brings the wounded back from the trenches on his donkey. He is killed by a Turkish shell while rescuing his 104th man. [8] [9]
A highlight of the film was the German spy being thrown off a cliff 50 foot into the water. [10]
The film was announced in March 1916. [12] [13] It was financed by Fraser Films, leading distributors at the time who occasionally invested in productions. [14] [15]
The cast was largely returned servicemen. [16] [17] The technical adviser was Gallipoli veteran Corporal Robson, who had known Simpson, and who also appeared in the film. [7] [18] [19]
An article from April 1915 said the film was "drawing crowded houses" in Sydney. [20]
The film ran for six weeks in Sydney and nine weeks in Melbourne. [21] It was screening in cinemas as late as 1920. [22]
The Adelaide Mail wrote "The transport scenes are particulariy exciting, especially when a German spy is hurled into the water, a distance of 50 ft." [23] The Sun said it "was well handled by those responsible for its production." [24]
The film was criticised at the time by Gallipoli veterans for a number of historical errors including showing:
In 1919 a returned serviceman called Bailey was found murdered. He was thought to be a owner of a physical copy of the film. [27]
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served". Observed on 25 April each year, Anzac Day was originally devised to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who served in the Gallipoli campaign, their first engagement in the First World War (1914–1918).
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John Kirkpatrick, commonly known as John Simpson, was a stretcher bearer with the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance during the Gallipoli campaign – the Allied attempt to capture Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire, during the First World War.
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Fraser Film Release and Photographic Company was an Australian film company formed in 1912 by two brothers, Archie and Colin Fraser. It operated as a film exchange, importing movies from overseas, and production house, making shorts, features and documentaries.
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