What Women Suffer

Last updated

What Women Suffer
Directed by Alfred Rolfe
Based onplay by H. G. Brandon
Starring Alfred Rolfe
Production
company
Release date
  • 2 October 1911 (1911-10-02)(Melbourne)
Running time
4,000 feet [1]
CountryAustralia
Languages Silent film
English intertitles

What Women Suffer is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It is a Victorian melodrama, complete with a climax where a little child is placed on a moving saw bench and is considered a lost film. [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

In England, Edith Norton is married to a dashing naval officer, Lt Coventry, who bears a resemblance to Jack Baxter, a common thief. Edith's father is killed by Baxter and Coventry is framed for this by the evil Herbert Standish who has designs on Edith. Partly convicted on the testimony of his son, Cedric, Coventry is thrown in prison.

Years earlier Standish had abandoned Nance, daughter of the old gardener, Meredith, leaving her to starve. She married Baxter, who gave her a terrible life.

Edith and Cedric are lured to a sawmill by a forged letter from Standish. Standish places the boy on a saw bench and threatens to cut him unless the girl marries her. But Coventry escapes from prison in time to rescue the boy and the girl. Baxter confesses and Coventry and Edith are reunited. [4] [5]

The chapter headings were: [6]

Cast

Original Play

What Women Suffer
Written byH.G. Brandon
Original languageEnglish
GenreMelodrama

The film was based on a popular four-act melodrama which had been produced on the Australian stage by Philip Lytton. [7] [8] [9]

Production

According to contemporary reports the film "was produced at enormous cost solely for the Lyric" Theatre in Melbourne. [10]

Release

The film proved popular with audiences when screened at the two Lyric Theatres in Brunswick and Prahan in Melbourne. [2] It later screened in Sydney, [11] Adelaide [12] and throughout the country. Box office reception was strong. [13]

The Evening News called the film "a triumph in that art of cinematography... the lead parts are well sustained. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Robbery Under Arms</i> (1920 film) 1920 film

Robbery Under Arms is a 1920 Australian film directed by Kenneth Brampton and financed by mining magnate Pearson Tewksbury. It is an early example of the "Meat pie Western".

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Bailey</span> New Zealand-born Australian playwright, theatrical manager and actor

Albert Edward Bailey, better known as Bert Bailey, was a New Zealand-born Australian playwright, theatrical manager and stage and screen actor best known for playing Dad Rudd, in both mediums, the character from the books penned by Steele Rudd.

The Mark of the Lash is a 1911 Australian silent film. It is a convict-era melodrama made by the husband-and-wife team of John and Agnes Gavin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Rolfe (director)</span> Australian stage and film director and actor

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.

The Road to Ruin is an Australian melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It was one of the first movies from Lincoln-Cass Films and is considered a lost 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.

<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 Charles Cozens Spencer.

<i>The Lady Outlaw</i> 1911 film

The Lady Outlaw is a 1911 Australian silent film set in Van Diemen's Land during convict days.

<i>In the Nick of Time</i> (1911 film) 1911 Australian film

In the Nick of Time is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It was described as a "sensational railway drama", although now is considered a lost film.

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.

Caloola, or The Adventures of a Jackeroo is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe based on a novel published the previous year by Clement Pratt.

King of the Coiners is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It is considered a lost film.

Do Men Love Women? is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe about an alcoholic who reforms through the love of a good woman. The finale featured a railway collision.

The Sin of a Woman is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe.

The Cheat is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It is considered a lost film.

Won on the Post is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe set against a backdrop of horseracing.

The Australian Photo-Play Company was a short-lived but highly productive Australian film production company which operated from 1911 to 1912.

References

  1. ↑ "Advertising". The Grenfell Record and Lachlan District Advertiser . NSW: National Library of Australia. 19 December 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p 24
  3. ↑ Vagg, S., & Reynaud, D. (2016). Alfred Rolfe: Forgotten pioneer Australian film director. Studies in Australasian Cinema, 10(2),184-198. doi:10.1080/17503175.2016.1170950
  4. ↑ "What Women Suffer". The Cairns Post . Qld.: National Library of Australia. 17 May 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  5. ↑ "What Women Suffer". The Cairns Post . Qld.: National Library of Australia. 17 May 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  6. ↑ "EMPRESS PAVILION". Williamstown Chronicle . Vic.: National Library of Australia. 14 October 1911. p. 3. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "OLD PROGRAMMES". The Morning Bulletin . Rockhampton, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 1 February 1936. p. 5. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  8. ↑ "HIS MAJESTY'S MOVING THEATRE". The Morning Bulletin . Rockhampton, Qld.: National Library of Australia. 4 June 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  9. ↑ ""WHAT WOMEN SUFFER."". The Sydney Morning Herald . National Library of Australia. 23 September 1912. p. 3. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  10. ↑ "News and Notes". The Coburg Leader (Vic. : 1890–1913) . Vic.: National Library of Australia. 6 October 1911. p. 1. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  11. ↑ "VICTORIA PICTURES". The Sunday Times . Sydney: National Library of Australia. 15 October 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "Advertising". The Advertiser . Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 25 November 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  13. ↑ "NOTES AND EVENTS". The Colac Herald . National Library of Australia. 5 January 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  14. ↑ "AUSTRALIAN CINEMATOGRAPHY". The Evening News . Sydney: National Library of Australia. 26 September 1911. p. 4. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
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.