The Five of Hearts

Last updated

The Five of Hearts, or Buffalo Bill's Love Story
The Five of Hearts.png
Coolgardie Miner 7 June 1911
Directed by E.I. Cole
StarringBohemian Dramatic Company
Production
company
Distributed byPathe Freres [2]
Release date
  • 22 April 1911 (1911-04-22) [3]
Running time
over 2,000 feet, [3] 2200 feet [4] or 1,500 feet [5]
CountryAustralia
Languages Silent film
English intertitles

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. [6] It was reportedly the longest of Cole's films. [5]

Contents

It is considered a lost film.

Plot

In the old American west, Rose, the daughter of Colonel Daniels, is kidnapped by a desperado named Black Bill at the instigation of Captain Clarke, a rejected lover. She is taken to an Indian camp where she is subjected to torture by being tied to a tree, and daggers thrown all round her until she is completely surrounded by them. She is rescued by Buffalo Bill, her lover. Black Bill and Captain Clarke are killed. [7] [8]

According to contemporary reports, the scenes of the film were:

Another report said that "'the scene is laid on the outskirts of the Indian Reservation, a country made famous by the exploits of the renowned Buffalo Bill, and the story of the play treats of the adventures of the colonel in charge of the military post and a notorious cattle stealer whom he eventually makes captive." [10]

Cast

Original play

Buffalo Bill, or the Five of Hearts
Written by Edward Irham Cole [11] [12]
Directed byEdward Irham Cole
Date premiered2 January 1904 [13]
Original languageEnglish

The film is an adaptation of an open-air stage show regularly produced by Cole and his Bohemian Dramatic Company, Buffalo Bill, or the Five of Hearts, about an Indian woman who refuses to marry a cowboy. [14] The Indian has daggers thrown at her in a test of courage. The cowboy tries to kill the woman but Chief Wild Friday intervenes and frees her.

According to one report "Buffalo Bill is 'a part which Mr. Cole has created, and made "his own", his personality entirely fitting him for it. He is helped by a striking resemblance to Colonel Cody." [15]

The play was reportedly written by Cole himself who also staged it. [11]

The play was revived a number of times. Cole was still appearing in the play as late as 1919. [16]

In 1908 the Bohemian company presented a new play The White Beaver, or Buffalo Bill's Pard. [17] [18]

Production

The film version of the play was shot near Melbourne. [1]

Release

The film sometimes screened on a double bill with another movie of Cole's, Sentenced for Life , and was accompanied by songs and lectures. [19]

According to one review, "the play is well staged, and the acting is of a high order, and, on the whole, the film augurs well for the success of the industry in the Commonwealth." [10]

Another, in the Barrier Miner, said the film "forms a thrilling subject." [20]

The Kalgoorlie Miner said it was "an extremely lengthy film containing in 'itself all the salient points for the preparation of a Western American romance. Nothing is omitted that savors of sensationalism. The spectators may see the abduction of the spirited daughter of a military colonel through the treachery of an attachment of the fort, a-nd they may admire the dexterous ingenuity of the red men in tying her to a. board, where they imbed knives and tomahawks by the score, thus forming an unpleasant frame for an otherwise pretty picture." [21]

Only four and a half minutes of the film survive today. [22]

Related Research Articles

<i>Thunderbolt</i> (1910 film) 1910 film

Thunderbolt is a 1910 Australian feature film based on the life of the bushranger Captain Thunderbolt. It was the directorial debut of John Gavin who later claimed it was the first "four-reel movie" made in Australia. It has also been called the first film made in New South Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Gavin</span> Australian film director

John F. Gavin was a pioneer Australian film actor and director, one of the early filmmakers of the 1910s. He is best known for making films about bushrangers such as Captain Thunderbolt, Captain Moonlite, Ben Hall and Frank Gardiner. Known informally as 'Jack', Gavin worked in collaboration with his wife Agnes, who scripted many of his films.

<i>Ben Hall and His Gang</i> 1911 film

Ben Hall and his Gang is a 1911 Australian film about the bushranger Ben Hall, played by John Gavin, who also directed. It is considered a lost film.

<i>The Assigned Servant</i> 1911 Australian film

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.

<i>It Is Never Too Late to Mend</i> (1911 film) 1911 Australian film

It Is Never Too Late to Mend is a 1911 Australian feature-length silent film written and directed by W. J. Lincoln.

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.

Robbery Under Arms is a 1907 Australian silent western/drama film based on the 1888 novel by Rolf Boldrewood about two brothers and their relationship with the bushranger Captain Starlight. It was the first film version of the novel and the third Australian feature ever made.

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 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.

<i>Bushrangers Ransom, or A Ride for Life</i> 1911 film

Bushranger's Ransom, or A Ride for Life was an Australian silent film produced by Pathé Frères' in 1911, their first motion picture production in Australia after establishing a branch office in Sydney in April 1910. It was adapted from a stage play first performed in 1907 by E. I. Cole's Bohemian Dramatic Company.

<i>The Squatters Son</i> 1911 film

The Squatter's Son is an Australian film completed in 1911 and directed by E. I. Cole. It was based on a play which Cole and his company had performed throughout Australia.

<i>Sentenced for Life</i> (1911 film) 1911 Australian film

Sentenced for Life is an Australian film directed by E. I. Cole. It was an adaptation of a play performed by Cole and his Bohemian Dramatic Company as early as 1904.

<i>The Sundowner</i> (1911 film) 1911 Australian 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".

<i>Dan Morgan</i> (film) 1911 film

Dan Morgan is a 1911 Australian film from Charles Cozens Spencer about the bushranger Daniel Morgan. It was said to be starring "Alfred Rolfe and company". Rolfe directed three movies for Spencer, all starring himself and his wife Lily Dampier so there is a chance he may have directed this one and that it starred his wife. A prospectus for the Australian Photo Play Company said he directed it. It is considered a lost film.

<i>The Life Story of John Lee, or The Man They Could Not Hang</i> (1912 film) 1912 Australian film

The Life Story of John Lee, or the Man They Could Not Hang is a 1912 Australian silent film based on a stage play about the true life story of John Babbacombe Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Irham Cole</span> Australian theatrical entrepreneur and film director

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.

<i>The Squatter and the Clown</i> 1911 Australian film

The Squatter and the Clown is a 1911 Australian silent film. It was one of a series of films made by Edward Irham Cole's Bohemian Dramatic Company.

The King of the Road is a 1900 Australian play performed by Edward Irham Cole performed by Cole's Bohemian Drama Company about the bushranger Ben Hall.

<i>Hands Up</i> (play) 1900 Australian play

Hands Up, or Ned Kelly and His Gang is a 1900 Australian play by Edward Irham Cole about Ned Kelly.

For King and Empire is a 1906 Australian play by Edward Irham Cole although several scenes and incidents were suggested by Edward William O'Sullivan.

References

  1. 1 2 "Empire Pictures". Great Southern Herald . Katanning, WA: National Library of Australia. 31 May 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  2. ↑ "Advertising". The Referee . Sydney: National Library of Australia. 26 April 1911. p. 16. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  3. 1 2 "ENTERTAINMENTS". The Brisbane Courier . National Library of Australia. 22 April 1911. p. 16. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Local and General". Yorke's Peninsula Advertiser . Vol. XXXVII, no. 2691. South Australia. 2 June 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 10 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  5. 1 2 "BOHEMIAN PICTURE PLAYS". The Bendigo Independent . No. 13, 133. Victoria, Australia. 15 February 1913. p. 5. Retrieved 17 July 2019– via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 20.
  7. ↑ "HAYES'S PICTURES". Goulburn Evening Penny Post . NSW: National Library of Australia. 6 June 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "SWAN PICTURES". The Swan Express . Vol. XII, no. 30. Western Australia. 19 May 1911. p. 3. Retrieved 10 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "Advertising". The West Australian . Perth: National Library of Australia. 10 May 1911. p. 1. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  10. 1 2 "TOWN HALL". The Daily News . Perth: National Library of Australia. 11 May 1911. p. 5 Edition: THIRD EDITION. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  11. 1 2 "SHAFTESBURY THEATRE". The Daily News. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 13, 890. Western Australia. 9 September 1919. p. 3 (THIRD EDITION). Retrieved 6 April 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "Advertising". The Herald. No. 9789. Victoria, Australia. 2 March 1907. p. 4. Retrieved 6 April 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  13. ↑ "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 20, 537. New South Wales, Australia. 4 January 1904. p. 8. Retrieved 6 April 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  14. ↑ "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC CO." Examiner (Launceston, Tas) 8 Oct 1913: 9 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 31 December 2011
  15. ↑ "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC CO". Geelong Advertiser . No. 19, 982. Victoria, Australia. 2 May 1911. p. 4. Retrieved 18 July 2019– via National Library of Australia.
  16. ↑ "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY". The Daily News. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 13, 887. Western Australia. 5 September 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 6 April 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  17. ↑ "THE AUSTRALIAN BUCKJUMPERS". Evening News. No. 12, 707. New South Wales, Australia. 2 March 1908. p. 8. Retrieved 6 April 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  18. ↑ "THE HAYMARKET HIPPODROME". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 21, 891. New South Wales, Australia. 16 March 1908. p. 3. Retrieved 6 April 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  19. ↑ "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY." The Mercury (Hobart, Tas) 30 Mar 1912: 3. Retrieved 31 December 2011
  20. ↑ "ALDRIDGE'S PICTURES". The Barrier Miner . Broken Hill, NSW: National Library of Australia. 29 May 1911. p. 5. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  21. ↑ "AMUSEMENTS". Kalgoorlie Miner . Vol. 17, no. 4881. Western Australia. 26 May 1911. p. 8. Retrieved 10 May 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  22. ↑ The Five of Hearts at National Film and Sound Archive
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.