The Lost Chord (1911 film)

Last updated

The Lost Chord
Directed by W. J. Lincoln
Written by W. J. Lincoln
Based onthe song The Lost Chord by Sir Arthur Sullivan
Produced by William Gibson
Millard Johnson
John Tait
Nevin Tait
Cinematography Orrie Perry
Production
company
Distributed byTait's Pictures [1]
Release date
  • 13 May 1911 (1911-05-13) [2]
CountryAustralia
Languages Silent film
English intertitles

The Lost Chord is a 1911 Australian feature-length film directed by W. J. Lincoln based on the famous song The Lost Chord by Sir Arthur Sullivan. [3] [4]

Contents

It is now considered a lost film.

Production

It was one of several films Lincoln made with the Tait family, who had produced The Story of the Kelly Gang . [5] The Taits, along with Millard Johnson and William Gibson, had recently established Amalgamated Pictures, which first film was Mystery of the Hansom Cab. The Lost Chord, an adaptation of a hugely popular song, was second. [6]

Screenings were often accompanied by a singer who would perform the song. [7] [8] [9] The film has been regarded as one of the earlier example of film-sound synchronisation. [10] It is likely the film was only short although one account says it ran for 5,000 feet which would be at least 50 minutes. [11]

Reception

Isabell Bull sang accompanying the film during its original release. [12] The Argus wrote "the pictorial interpretation of Sir Arthur Sullivan's famous composition 'The Lost Chord' was beautiful." [13]

Table Talk wrote the film " drew a large audience to the Glaciarium last Saturday evening, which evidenced its admiration and appreciation of the artistic representation in a very unmistakable way. The inspiration of the words has been cleverly adapted, and the pictorial representa tion is excellent. Miss Bertha Bella's singing of the stately melody does much towards the success of the whole, tor the words and music are given with great, fervor and impressiveness." [14]

The Melbourne Herald, reviewing a line up of films from one evening, declared "the gem of the evening was undoubtedly the fine film entitled The Lost Chord. While the picture was being displayed, Miss Isabel Bull sang Sir Arthur Sullivan's popular song, with organ aceompaniment. The rendering, which was very effective, was loudly applauded." [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Story of the Kelly Gang</i> 1906 film

The Story of the Kelly Gang is a 1906 Australian Bushranger film directed by Charles Tait. It traces the exploits of 19th-century bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly and his gang, with the film being shot in and around Melbourne. The original cut of this silent film ran for more than an hour with a reel length of about 1,200 metres (4,000 ft), making it the longest narrative film yet seen in the world. It premiered at Melbourne's Athenaeum Hall on 26 December 1906 and was first shown in the United Kingdom in January 1908. A commercial and critical success, it is regarded as the origin point of the bushranging drama, a genre that dominated the early years of Australian film production. Since its release, many other films have been made about the Kelly legend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Athenaeum</span> Theatre in Melbourne, Victoria

The Athenaeum or Melbourne Athenaeum at 188 Collins Street is an art and cultural hub in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1839, it is the city's oldest cultural institution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. J. Lincoln</span> Australian playwright, theatre manager, film director and screenwriter

William Joseph Lincoln was an Australian playwright, theatre manager, film director and screenwriter in the silent era. He produced, directed and/or wrote 23 films between 1911 and 1916.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. C. Williamson</span> Actor and theatre manager (1845–1913)

James Cassius Williamson was an American actor and later Australia's foremost impresario, founding the J. C. Williamson's theatrical and production company.

Charterisville is the name given to a property in Ivanhoe, Victoria Australia closely associated with the Heidelberg School of Australian art.

<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 Mystery of the Hansom Cab is an Australian feature-length film directed by W. J. Lincoln based on the popular novel, which had also been adapted into a play. It was one of several films Lincoln made with the Tait family, who had produced The Story of the Kelly Gang.

The Crisis is an Australian melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It was inspired by a painting, The Crisis by Frank Dicksee, and is considered a lost film.

The Remittance Man is an Australian melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln about a thief's reformation.

<i>Transported</i> 1913 Australian convict melodrama film

Transported is an Australian convict melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln.

Lincoln Cass Films was a short-lived Australian film production company.

The Bells is a 1911 Australian feature-length silent film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It is based on the famous stage melodrama by Erckmann-Chatrian, adapted by Leopold Lewis, which in turn had been adapted for the Australian stage by W. J. Lincoln before he made it into a film.

<i>The Double Event</i> (1911 film) 1911 Australian film

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.

Called Back is a 1911 Australian feature-length film directed by W. J. Lincoln based on a popular play which was adapted from an 1883 novel by Hugh Conway. Although the movie was a popular success it is now considered a lost film.

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.

Amalgamated Pictures Ltd was a film exchange company in Australia.

The Theatre Royal was one of the premier theatres for nearly 80 years in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 1855 to 1932. It was located at what is now 236 Bourke Street, once the heart of the city's theatre and entertainment district.

J. C. Williamson's, formerly Williamson, Garner, & Musgrove and Williamson and Musgrove, was an Australian theatrical management company and theatre owner. With its beginnings in the theatrical productions of J. C. Williamson and his partners in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the company J. C. Williamson Limited was established in 1910. Colloquially known as The Firm or JCW, the company dominated Australian commercial theatre in the twentieth century and at one time was described as the largest theatrical firm in the world. It closed under financial pressure in 1976.

Viola Wilson was a Scottish singer, the leading soprano for J. C. Williamson's Gilbert and Sullivan company in Australia during World War II. She married the widowed theatre businessman Frank S. Tait, later Sir Frank.

In August 1928 the Collins Street Baptist Church was demolished to make way for a nine-storey building, at 203 Little Collins Street, midway between Swanston and Russell streets.

References

  1. ↑ "DRAMATIC NOTES". The Australasian . Vol. XC, , no. 2, 355. Victoria, Australia. 20 May 1911. p. 41. Retrieved 22 July 2024– via National Library of Australia.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  2. ↑ "Advertising". The Argus . Melbourne. 6 May 1911. p. 23. Retrieved 29 January 2012– via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ Mary Bateman, 'W. J. Lincoln', Cinema Papers, June–July 1980 p 214
  4. ↑ "THE PLAYGOER". Punch. Vol. CXIV, , no. 2913. Victoria, Australia. 25 May 1911. p. 37. Retrieved 22 July 2024– via National Library of Australia.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  5. ↑ Endean, Lin (13 December 1933). "134 Years in the Industry: The Perrys' Record identifier". Everyones. p. 44.
  6. ↑ "ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE". Bendigo Advertiser . Vol. LIX, , no. 17, 411. Victoria, Australia. 29 May 1911. p. 7. Retrieved 22 July 2024– via National Library of Australia.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  7. ↑ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 20.
  8. ↑ "AMUSEMENTS". The Mercury . Hobart, Tas. 12 June 1911. p. 6. Retrieved 8 April 2012– via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "Advertising". The Age . No. 17, 515. Victoria, Australia. 6 May 1911. p. 18. Retrieved 22 July 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ "AUSTRALIAN MOVIE PIONEERS". The Bulletin. 1 February 1939. p. 38.
  11. ↑ "AUSTRALODDITIES". Queensland Times (Ipswich) (Qld. : 1909 – 1954) . Ipswich) (Qld. 19 August 1949. p. 6 Edition: DAILY. Retrieved 29 June 2015– via National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "St. Kilda Theatre". The Prahran Telegraph . Vol. XLX, , no. 2588. Victoria, Australia. 27 May 1911. p. 5. Retrieved 22 July 2024– via National Library of Australia.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  13. ↑ "THEATRES AND ENTERTAINMENTS". The Argus (Melbourne) . No. 20, 221. Victoria, Australia. 15 May 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 22 July 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  14. ↑ "TAIT'S PICTURES". Table Talk. Victoria, Australia. 18 May 1911. p. 24. Retrieved 22 July 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  15. ↑ "ST. KILDA THEATRE". The Herald. No. 11, 097. Victoria, Australia. 29 May 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 22 July 2024– via National Library of Australia.


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.