The Life and Adventures of John Vane, the Notorious Australian Bushranger

Last updated

The Life and Adventures of John Vane, the Notorious Australian Bushranger
Directed byS. A. Fitzgerald
Based onJohn Vane, Bushranger ed. by Charles White
Produced by Cosens Spencer
Starring Jim Gerald
Raymond Longford
Cinematography Ernest Higgins
Edited by Ernest Higgins
Production
company
Spencer's Theatrescope Company
Distributed byE. J. Carroll (Queensland)
Release date
  • 12 March 1910 (1910-03-12) [1] [2]
CountryAustralia
Languages Silent
English intertitles

The Life and Adventures of John Vane, the Notorious Australian Bushranger is a 1910 Australian silent film about the bushranger John Vane, who was a member of Ben Hall's gang. It was the first dramatic film from Cosens Spencer who was a key producer of early Australian movies.

Contents

It is considered a lost film.

Synopsis

The film starts with John Vane accepting a wager that he wouldn't bail up a Chinese man. Then Vane wins his bet by robbing a Chinese man, leading to headlines which say "Robbery Under Arms by John Vane" and Vane fleeing to the bush with his sweetheart. Later adventures include his capture and release of his sweetheart; the sticking up of the Keightley Homestead; the shooting of Michael Burke, which leads to Vane joining the Ben Hall gang; Vane's change of heart and surrender to Father McCarthy. He serves fifteen years in prison and after release retires comfortably. [3]

The chapter headings were: [4] [5]

  1. The beginning of a downward career
  2. bailing up a Chinaman
  3. His capture and release by his sweetheart
  4. Michael Bourke horse stealing
  5. The Reward for his Capture
  6. Sticking up the Bank at Carcoar
  7. Police Surprised by the Gang
  8. "That's My Watch."
  9. Sticking up at Bathurst
  10. Police in Pursuit
  11. The Bushranging Camp; the Warning
  12. When Rogues Fall Out
  13. Vane Joins Ben IHali for Raid on Keightley Homestead
  14. The Bush; the Gang's Demand
  15. Next Morning; the Demand Satisfied
  16. The Quarrel; Vane's Remorse and Farewell to the Gang
  17. Notice of Reward
  18. A Mother's Devotion
  19. Surprised, and Surrender of Vane to Father McCarthy
  20. Vane in the Hands of the Police on his Way for Trial
  21. Sentenced to 15 Years
  22. Six Years Elapse: Released for Good Conduct; Thank God, "Free."
  23. Thirty Years Elapse; Vane Surrounded by his Family; " Peace at Last."
  24. " Often from Evil Cometh Good."

According to a contemporary report "the comic element is not forgotten, for the scene in which Vane is shown bailing up a Chinaman and discovers the booty hidden in the horse's tail, and the various intercits of the Celestial to avoid detection of the plant are not without their humorous side. Most attention however, is paid to the sensational." [6]

Cast

Production

John Vane was the last surviving member of Ben Hall's gang. His memoirs had been published posthumously in 1908. [7] [8]

It was the first dramatic film from Cosens Spencer, who established a production unit in June 1908 to make newsreels and scenic short films. This unit was headed by Ernest Higgins who shot John Vane. [9] Raymond Longford reportedly features in a lead role. [1]

The film was reportedly shot at Brookvale and Manly in Sydney. [10] According to The Bulletin:

Brookvale, along the ocean past Manly, figures largely in Spencer’s film of "John Vane, Bushranger," pictured not so long ago, wherein the feminine "comic relief" is pantomimed by Miss Watts-Phillips, who "gives way" under the influence of a loaded revolver held at her head by the hero-villain, a thing most of us would be guilty of in the same circumstances. [11]

Reception

The film was advertised as "Our Own Production". [12]

Critical

The critic from the Argus praised the "splendid backgrounds of the sunny New South Wales bush" and said the movie compares "very favourably with the best foreign films". [3]

The Evening News called it "a first-class piece of photographic art". [13]

Table Talk wrote, the film "is depicted in a wonderfully-realistic manner, .What makes this particular picture doubly interesting is that the work is all Australian, Australian artists who know the bush; most of them fine horsemen, have been fitted, into glimpses of the sketches of grand and' wild Australian scenery, and the result is a refreshing, wholesome drama of Australian early history." [14]

The Sydney Morning Herald wrote "for scenes of wild excitement and daring [the film ] leaves nothing to be desired." [15] The Daily Telegraph said "The story is of purely Australian interest and coloring, and is worked out Dy capital photography, skilful selection of incidents, and uncommonly clear production." [16]

The Herald called it "a credit to all concerned... the story is excellent." [17]

Box office

Box office response was popular throughout Australia. [18] The Lithgow Mercury said " it caused a sensation" on its initial release at the Lyceum in Sydney. [19] The Sydney Morning Herald said the film was held on at that cinema "owing to its popularity." [20]

Although Spencer was purportedly dissatisfied with the final product, [9] he went on to become a notable backer of early Australian movie production. [21]

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">Raymond Longford</span> Australian filmmaker and actor (1878–1959)

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.

<i>Moonlite</i> 1910 film

Moonlite is a 1910 Australian bushranger film about Captain Moonlite, played by John Gavin, who also directed for producer H.A. Forsyth. It was also known as Captain Moonlite and is considered a lost film.

<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>Frank Gardiner, the King of the Road</i> 1911 film

Frank Gardiner, the King of the Road is a 1911 Australian film about the bushranger Frank Gardiner, played by John Gavin, who also directed. It was the fourth consecutive bushranger biopic Gavin made, following movies about Captain Thunderbolt, Captain Moonlite and Ben Hall.

The Fatal Wedding is a play by Theodore Kremer and a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford based on the melodrama, which he and Lottie Lyell toured around Australia. It was Longford's debut feature as director and one of the most popular Australian movies of its day. It is considered a lost film.

<i>The Romantic Story of Margaret Catchpole</i> 1911 Australian film

The Romantic Story of Margaret Catchpole is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford and starring Lottie Lyell. It is based on the true story of Margaret Catchpole, an adventurer and convict. Only the first 24 minutes of the 50-minute runtime survives today.

Sweet Nell of Old Drury is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford starring Nellie Stewart about the relationship between Nell Gwynne and King Charles II. It is based on the 1900 play of the same name by Paul Kester which Stewart had performed numerous times on stage. It is considered a lost film.

Spencer Cosens better known as Cosens Spencer or Charles Cozens Spencer, was a British-born Canadian film exhibitor and producer, a significant figure in the early years of the Australian film industry. His company Spencer's Pictures was an early backer of Raymond Longford before it was absorbed into the conglomerate which became known as "The Combine".

<i>Captain Midnight, the Bush King</i> 1911 film

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.

Captain Starlight, or Gentleman of the Road is a 1911 Australian silent film about the bushranger Captain Starlight. It was based on Alfred Dampier's stage adaptation of the 1888 novel Robbery Under Arms. It is considered a lost film.

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 Cosens Spencer.

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

Dan Morgan is a 1911 Australian film from Cosens 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.

The Shepherd of the Southern Cross is a 1914 Australian silent film about an Englishwoman torn between two men. It was the first feature film produced by Australasian Films.

Ernest Henry Higgins was an Australian cinematographer during the days of silent film. He was the eldest brother of Arthur and Tasman Higgins. He shot the film The Throwback (1920) for director Arthur Shirley which resulted in Shirley unsuccessfully suing Higgins for breach of contract.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gardiner–Hall gang</span> 19th-century criminal gang in Australia

The Gardiner–Hall Gang was an informal group of bushrangers who roamed the central west of the Colony of New South Wales, Australia in the 1860s. Named after leaders Frank Gardiner and Ben Hall, the gang was involved in numerous shootouts and robberies, including Australia's largest ever gold robbery, at Eugowra Rocks. The gang formed in 1861 and its demise came with the execution of John Dunn in 1866.

The bushranger ban was a ban on films about bushrangers that came into effect in parts of Australia in 1911–12. Films about bushrangers had been the most popular genre of local films ever since The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906). Governments were worried about the influence this would have on the population and bans against films depicting bushrangers were introduced in South Australia (1911), New South Wales and Victoria (1912).

Marvellous Melbourne: Queen City of the South is a 1910 documentary of Melbourne that takes the audience through the hotspots of its central business district and surrounding features. Published in 1910, the film stands as the oldest surviving documentary of the city. It is currently housed at the National Film & Sound Archive in Pyrmont, Sydney. At the time of filming, Melbourne was the federal capital of Australia, until the development of Canberra in 1927.

The Lyceum was a live theatre in Sydney, Australia, which became the Sydney City Mission for the Methodist Church while also hosting a cinema, several times relabeled the New Lyceum.

References

  1. 1 2 "Raymond Longford", Cinema Papers, January 1974 p51
  2. "Amusements". The Evening News . Sydney: National Library of Australia. 8 March 1910. p. 8. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Spencer's Theatrescope". The Argus . Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 12 March 1910. p. 20. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  4. "Advertising". The Brisbane Courier . National Library of Australia. 30 July 1910. p. 2. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  5. "Advertising". Queensland Times . Ipswich, Queensland: National Library of Australia. 24 September 1910. p. 1 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  6. "Entertainments". The Brisbane Courier . National Library of Australia. 4 August 1910. p. 6. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  7. John Vane biography. Retrieved 4 September 2013
  8. "John Vane, Bushranger". The Sydney Stock and Station Journal . NSW: National Library of Australia. 6 November 1908. p. 4. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  9. 1 2 Graham Shirley and Brian Adams, Australian Cinema: The First Eighty Years, Currency Press, 1989 p28
  10. "Production of Moving Pictures — In America and Australia". Australian Town and Country Journal . Vol. XCVIII, no. 2555. New South Wales, Australia. 18 December 1918. p. 20. Retrieved 21 November 2023 via National Library of Australia.
  11. "A Woman's Letter", The Bulletin, Sydney, N.S.W: John Haynes and J. F. Archibald, 19 January 1911, nla.obj-648402646, retrieved 11 July 2024 via Trove
  12. "Advertising". The Sunday Times . Sydney: National Library of Australia. 13 March 1910. p. 1. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  13. "Mme Slapoffski". The Evening News . Sydney: National Library of Australia. 15 March 1910. p. 3. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  14. "Spencer's Theatrescope". Table Talk . 17 March 1910. p. 21. Retrieved 11 July 2024 via National Library of Australia.
  15. "Spencer's Theatrescope". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 22, 521. New South Wales, Australia. 21 March 1910. p. 13. Retrieved 11 July 2024 via National Library of Australia.
  16. "The Lyceum". The Daily Telegraph. No. 9607. New South Wales, Australia. 14 March 1910. p. 4. Retrieved 11 July 2024 via National Library of Australia.
  17. "Spencer's Theatrescope Co". The Herald. No. 10, 725. Victoria, Australia. 14 March 1910. p. 2. Retrieved 11 July 2024 via National Library of Australia.
  18. "Advertising". The West Australian . Perth: National Library of Australia. 26 November 1910. p. 1. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  19. "John Vane, Bushranger". Lithgow Mercury . New South Wales, Australia. 22 April 1910. p. 4. Retrieved 11 July 2024 via National Library of Australia.
  20. "Lyceum — Spencer's Theatrescope". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 22, 520. New South Wales, Australia. 19 March 1910. p. 16. Retrieved 11 July 2024 via National Library of Australia.
  21. Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 9