Mates from the Murrumbidgee
Sunday Times 10 Sept 1911
Directed byAlfred Rolfe
StarringCharles Villiers
Production
company
Release date
  • 11 September 1911 (1911-09-11)
[1][2]
Running time
3,000 feet[3]
CountryAustralia
LanguagesSilent film
English intertitles

Mates from the Murrumbidgee is a 1911 Australian silent movie. It is considered a lost film and was arguably the first Australian war film, being set during the Boer War.[4][5]

The movie was considered a financial success at the time.[6]

Plot

John, James and Mary are school friends, who grow up near the Murrumbidgee River. As they grow up both John and James fall for Mary, but Mary loves John. John and James work as drovers then join the Australian Lighthorse during the Second Boer War, both fighting for the New South Wales Lancers. While fighting with the Boers, James is seriously wounded.[7]

Mary ends up poisoning herself and one of the friends shoots the other.[8]

The film includes a charge at Majuba Hill (even though that took place during the First Boer War). This was done "for the sake of the picturesque".[9]

It also included a triumphant return to Sydney.[4][10]

Cast

Release

The film was released on a double bill with Fighting Blood, an American Western.[11] It was accompanied by a lecturer who would explain the plot; for many screenings, this was the noted comedian Charles Woods.[3]

The Colac Herald described the film as "a gem of its kind".[12]

Punch said it "met with a tremendous reception, and showed that the locally produced films arc in no way inferior to the imported article. "[13] The Daily Telegraph said it "proved exceedingly popular."[14]

A 1923 article referred to the film being popular.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Victoria Theatre". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 9 September 1911. p. 13.
  2. ↑ "Advertising". The Daily Telegraph. No. 10075. New South Wales, Australia. 11 September 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 30 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. 1 2 "Advertising". The Sunday Times. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 10 September 1911. p. 2.
  4. 1 2 Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998. p. 23. ISBN 0195542134.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ "The Future of Australian Pictures AN INTERVIEW WITH ALEX. HELLMRICH.", Everyones., Sydney: Everyones Ltd (Vol.4 No.261 (4 March 1925)), 1920, nla.obj-559978517, retrieved 30 November 2023 – via Trove
  7. ↑ "Amusements". The Examiner. Launceston, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 23 October 1911. p. 7 Edition: Daily.
  8. ↑ "Broadway Theatre". The Evening News. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 28 August 1911. p. 4.
  9. ↑ "Dramatic Notes". The Australasian. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 16 September 191. p. 41.
  10. ↑ "ENGLISH AMUSEMENT COMPANY". The Examiner. Launceston, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 21 October 1911. p. 5 Edition: Daily.
  11. ↑ "Victoria Theatre". The Sunday Times. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 10 September 1911. p. 2.
  12. ↑ "Notes and Events". The Colac Herald. National Library of Australia. 22 December 1911. p. 2.
  13. ↑ "THE PLAYGOER". Punch. Vol. CXV, no. 2929. Victoria, Australia. 14 September 1911. p. 40. Retrieved 30 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ↑ "THE VICTORIA". The Daily Telegraph. No. 10081. New South Wales, Australia. 18 September 1911. p. 3. Retrieved 30 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ↑ "DRAGGING UP THE PAST". Smith's Weekly. Vol. IV, no. 48. New South Wales, Australia. 20 January 1923. p. 12. Retrieved 30 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.


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