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On this page is Pike & Cooper's introduction to this period from their definitive book, followed by a list of films made during this period.
Pike & Cooper:
Australian feature films in the 1920s showed a growing refinement of production technique and sophistication of subject matter. Both Longford and Barrett produced their finest works, among them several enduring classics of Australian cinema. Bush themes were prominent, among them hillbilly farces, romantic melodramas in the outback and local variations on American Westerns. Barrett’s A Girl of the Bush (1921) and Longford’s On Our Selection (1920) established high standards of ‘documentary realism’ in their portrait of the hardships of bush life, with naturalistic acting and settings that set them far ahead of most of their Australian contemporaries. A desire for unadorned ‘realism’ extended to the films with urban settings, dominated by Longford’s The Sentimental Bloke (1919), which offered the public a homely and unsensational representation of city life after the dislocations of war. The inspiration for both city and bush films began to diversify* with adaptations not only from plays but also from novels and poems, and a growing number of stories written directly for the screen, among them A Girl of the Bush, Sunshine Sally (1922), The Dinkum Bloke (1923) and The Kid Stakes (1927).
Although their work demonstrated maturity and self-confidence, neither Longford nor Barrett found it easy to make a living from production. Both moved through a succession of small and unstable companies seeking continuity of work. Barrett withdrew in 1922 and became a salaried exhibitor, but Longford continued to fight, aided by his partner, Lottie Lyell, until her death in 1925. The only major producer to establish a stable commercial operation was Beaumont Smith, who used his special gift for publicity to create such public interest in his films that the combine was generally eager to show them, although not always on favourable terms.
Australasian Films and Union Theatres remained the focus of most producers’ hopes; effective exhibition depended to a large extent on the combine, and it controlled substantial production resources, which it had inherited from Cozens Spencer. Australasian itself made a renewed investment in feature production in 1925, partly because of the imminent government inquiry into the industry and partly because of the company’s weakening position in acquiring overseas films as American branch offices gradually took over the business they had once conducted through the combine. The revival of production also owed a lot to Stuart Frank Doyle, whose rise in the executive hierarchy of Australasian Films and Union Theatres brought an element of extravagance and flamboyance to the companies. Lured by the glamour and power of production as he had witnessed it abroad, Doyle saw himself in the role of Hollywood-style studio head. He loved grand flourishes—as his personal design for the ornate interior of the State Theatre in Sydney indicated—and his influence on Australasian’s new commitment to production was evident, not only in 1925, but again in 1932 when he established Cinesound Productions.
Australasian’s production programme suffered from bad luck and bad judgement. Its most expensive film, For the Term of his Natural Life, was completed in 1927 for world markets, but in 1928, before the film had had time to reach American audiences, talkies began to sweep the world. The company abandoned production m:1928 in the face of technological change in the industry and the financial problems caused by the failure overseas of its films. Heavy funding required elsewhere in the combine for theatre construction also contributed to the decision to withdraw.
The decade after the war saw the first flourishing of the Hollywood publicity and distribution machines and the virtually complete take-over of Australian screens. It soon became a recurrent charge that the Americans had suppressed Australian production, but the Americans did no more than maintain a position that had already been established by Australian businessmen after 1912. Indeed the Americans broke - the overwhelming monopoly of Australasian Films, and by the end of the 1920s the combine was matched by a multiplicity of strong distribution companies. An exhibition rival, Hoyts Theatres (American-controlled after 1930), also emerged; it broke the monopoly of Union Theatres, and established a duopoly that existed to the end of the 1960s.
Agents for American production and distribution houses had begun to appear in Australia during the First World War, and by the early 1920s most of the major Hollywood studios had branches in each Australian state. Their decision to open their own offices inevitably weakened Australasian’s power as a distributor, driving the company to seek new sources of supply, especially from England. The American companies had no interest in Australian production, since their function was to serve their head offices, and their Australian branches were generally staffed by men who had little freedom to initiate local projects. One of the exceptions was Hercules McIntyre, am Australian exhibitor and publicist who, in 1919, signed a contract with Universal Pictures to run their Australian operations. The generous terms of McIntyre’s contract, and his personal energy, made him one of the major patrons of Australian production for several decades, especially in the 1930s and 1940s. He undertook the promotion and distribution of numerous Australian features and became a financial backer of productions by Charles Chauvel.
American companies did not venture into large-scale theatre ownership in Australia during the 1920s, but the possibility that they might was a constant and powerful incentive for Union Theatres and Hoyts to co-operate with them, even to the extent of building new theatres to accommodate American films: the State and Capitol Theatres in Sydney were built by. Union Theatres, and the Regent Theatres in Sydney and Melbourne by Hoyts. Eventually, in 1930, a controlling interest in Hoyts was purchased by the American producer-distributor, Fox Film Corporation.
Some producers reacted to the dominance of Hollywood by hiring American cast and crew in the belief that their expertise would guarantee commercial success. E. J. and Dan Carroll, in partnership with the actor-athlete Snowy Baker, invested heavily in production, and brought out to Australia a Hollywood director, writer, actors and technicians. The venture failed when the Carrolls found that Hollywood production methods were too expensive for them, and that the blessings of Hollywood did nothing to ease local distribution problems or to attract the general public.
The aura of glamour with which the Hollywood publicists surrounded production served as an active lure to many people to become involved in production themselves. The relative cheapness and accessibility of equipment and technicians meant that film was not yet exclusively the preserve off big business, and during the decade a growing number of wealthy amateurs, social clubs, child prodigies and even a gangster (Squizzy Taylor, in a short film, Riding to Win, made in Melbourne in 1923) dabbled vicariously in the romance of the movie industry. One producer, P. J. Ramster, based much of his operation on an appeal to wealthy members of Sydney society, and to young men and women attracted by the promise of stardom. Film schools, some of them dubious operations, offered star-struck Australians a chance to reach fame and fortune, and many Australians went to Hollywood to work as extras and await their chance for a film career.
The effect of Hollywood on the language and morals of Australian society became an issue of concern to many in the community: during the 1920s, and their protests augmented the demand for more Australian content on the screen. In 1925 the Commonwealth government began to release a series of some fifty short films (most around 600 feet) under the general title of Know Your Own Country. Produced by the government cinematographic unit under the direction of Bert Ive, the series was designed to inform Australians about their nation’s industries and resources, and it was widely screened by the commercial trade. The government also used film extensively in England and other countries to promote Australian trade and immigration. For the British Empire Exhibition of 1924-25, the government prepared a number of documentary and semi-fictional films as part of the campaign, to publicize Australia; a feature film by Longford, Australia Calls (1923), was prominent among them.
Agitation for an official inquiry into the film industry had grown sufficiently by 1927 for the Commonwealth government to create a Royal Commission to investigate the structure and practices of the industry, and the suitability of existing legislation relating to. film censorship, taxation, import duties and film quotas. Only one state at that time, Victoria, had legislated for a film quota, obliging theatres to show at least 1000 feet of Australian film in each programme. The quota was, however, easily filled by a news gazette or a travel film, and it did little to promote, production. From June I927 to February 1928 the Royal Commission, chaired by Walter Marks, M.H.R., interviewed some 250 witnesses from the film trade around Australia and from the general public. Its report was completed in March 1928; it recommended, among other things, that feature production should be supported by cash awards for films of merit in an annual competition, and more importantly, that a quota should be established for feature films made in Australia and from other Empire countries. The quota legislation was never passed, partly because of legal doubts about the Commonwealth’s authority to act in that area, and partly because of a reluctance to challenge the economic power of either the Australian theatre companies or the American distributors. The minor incentive of prizes eventually came into being in 1930, a year when barely any candidates were available (only the third prize was awarded), and after one more competition, in 1935, they were abandoned.
Although its main recommendations came to nothing, the Royal Commission provided a strong indirect incentive to production, and in anticipation of government action, 1928 became the most productive year for Australian feature films in a decade. Production soon ceased, however, because of the technological and financial barriers of sound, and because the hopes vested in the Royal Commission were seen to have been misplaced. In 1929 feature production fell to its lowest ebb since 1909, and the decade ended with the industry poised in uncertainty.
Australia's Own (J. E. Ward, 1919) romance
Barry Butts In (Beaumont Smith, 1919) drama
Desert Gold (Beaumont Smith, 1919) Beaumont Smith's Productions, wr. Beaumont Smith, dp Lacey Percival; stunts; Desert Gold is a horse
Does The Jazz Lead To Destruction? (Fred Ward, 1919) comedy
Face at the Window, The (Charles Villiers, 1919) D. B. O'Connor Feature Films, prod. D. B. O'Connor , wr. Gertrude Lockwood from play by F. Brooke Warren, dp Lacey Percival; D. B. O'Connor, Agnes Dobson, Claude Turton
Sentimental Bloke, The (Raymond Longford, 1919) Arthur Tauchert, Lottie Lyell, Gilbert Emery, CJ Dennis >
Struck Oil (Franklyn Barrett, 1919) Australian Art Productions, prod. Humbert Pugliese, from play by Sam Smith and Clay Greene, dp Ernest Higgins; vehicle for Maggie Moore, the ex-wife of J.C. Williamson, despite her age; 7 reels
Breaking of the Drought, The (Franklyn Barrett, 1920) Trilby Clark, Dunstan Webb, Charles Beetham, Marie La Varre; 6 reels; NFSA restoration >
Ginger Mick (Raymond Longford, 1920) Southern Cross Feature Film Company, wr. Lottie Lyell (?) Raymond Longford, from verse narrative The Moods of Ginger Mick by C. J. Dennis, dp Arthur Higgins, 5500 ft; Gilbert Emery, Arthur Tauchert, Lottie Lyell, Jack Tauchert, Queenie Cross, George Hotspur
Hordern Mystery, The (Harry Southwell, 1920) Southwell Screen Plays, prod. Harry Southwell, wr. Miss M. F. Garwood from novel by Edward Finn, dp Tasman Higgins, 5600 ft; Claude Turton, Flo Little, Floris St George; Jekyll-and-Hyde story
Jackeroo Of Coolabong, The (Wilfred Lucas, 1920)
Kelly Gang, The (Harry Southwell, 1920)
Man From Kangaroo, The (Wilfred Lucas, 1920)
Man From Snowy River, The (Beaumont Smith, 1920) Beaumont Smith's Productions, wr. Beaumont Smith from poems by A. B. Paterson, dp Lacey Percival; Cyril Mackay, Stella Southern, Tal Ordell; 61 min.
On Our Selection (Raymond Longford, 1920) wr. Raymond Longford from stories by Steele Rudd, dp Arthur Higgins, titles Syd Nicholls, 6890 ft; Percy Walshe, Beatrice Esmond, Tal Ordell; comedy >
Robbery Under Arms (Kenneth Brampton, 1920) Pacific Photo Plays, wr. Kenneth Brampton, from the novel by Rolf Boldrewood, dp Lacey Percival; Kenneth Brampton, S. A. Fitzgerald, Ronald Conway, Cliff Pyatt, Roy Redgrave; 5200 ft
Shadow of Lightning Ridge (Wilfred Lucas, 1920)
Betrayer, The (Beaumont Smith, 1921) Beaumont Smith's Productions, wr. Beaumont Smith, dp Lacey Percival; Stella Southern (Iwa), Cyril Mackay (Stephen Manners), John Cosgrove (John Barris), Marie D'Alton (Mrs Manners), Mita (Hauraki), Bernice Vere (Eleanor Barris), Maggie Papakura, Herbert Lee, Raymond Hatton, Dunstan Webb; "The settings range widely, from the NZ hot springs and mountain scenery at Rotorua, to the Australian outback, the surf at Coogee, and a fashionable ballroom at Sydney's Wentworth Hotel." (Pike & Cooper)
Blue Mountains Mystery, The (Raymond Longford, Lottie Lyell, 1921) Southern Cross Feature Film Company, prod. E. and Dan Carroll, wr. Lottie Lyell from novel The Mount Marunga Mystery by Harrison Owen, dp Arthur Higgins, 6000 ft; Marjories Osborne, John Faulkner, Vivian Edwards; murder mystery; 66 min.
Gentleman Bushranger, The (Beaumont Smith, 1921) 66 min.
Girl of the Bush, A (Franklyn Barrett, 1921) Barrett's Australian Productions - the first of three for this company;Vera James, Jack Martin, Herbert Linden; the second of the only two films directed by Franklyn Barrett that still exist, thanks to the NFSA; 6000ft
Guyra Ghost Mystery, The (John Cosgrove, 1921)
Know Thy Child (Franklyn Barrett, 1921) Roland Conway, Nada Conrade, Lotus Thompson, Vera James; 6 reels
Life Story Of John Lee, The, or The Man They Could Not Hang (Arthur W. Sterry, 1921) Sterry and Haldane, wr. Arthur W. Sterry; dp Tasman Higgins; Rose Rooney, David Edelsten; 6 reels; remake of the 1912 film of the same name
Mated In The Wilds (P. J. Ramster, 1921) 55 min.
Pearls and Savages (Frank Hurley, 1921) documentary about Anglican missions in Papua; with additional footage expanded to become With the Headhunters in Papua, 1923: Hurley presented both films lecturing from the stage; see Pike & Cooper 1998: 131-3 >
Possum Paddock (Charles Villiers, Kate Howarde, 1921) prod. Kate Howarde, from the play by Kate Howarde, dp Lacey Percival; John Cosgrove, James Martin, Leslie Adrien, Jack Kirby
Retribution (Armand Lionello, 1921) crime in Anakie sapphire mines
Rudd's New Selection (Raymond Longford, 1921) wr. Raymond Longford from stories by Steele Rudd, dp Arthur Higgins; J. P. O'Neill, Ada Clyde, Tal Ordell, Lottie Lyell, Charlotte Beaumont
Silks And Saddles (John K. Wells, 1921) aka Queen of the Turf, Commonwealth Pictures, wr. John K. Wells from story by John Cosgrove, dp Al Burne; Brownie Vernon, Robert MacKinnon, John Cosgrove, John Faulkner, Tal Ordell, Evelyn Johnson, Raymond Lawrence, Gerald Harcourt, Tommy Denman, Keeaquhair; 5500 ft
While The Billy Boils (Beaumont Smith, 1921)
Circumstance (Lawson Harris, 1922) Austral Super Films, prod. Lawson Harris, wr. Lawson Harris, Yvonne Pavis, dp Arthur Higgins, 5 reels; Yvonne Pavis, Carlton Max, Cane Arthur; urban drama
Daughter Of Australia, A (Lawson Harris, 1922) Austral Super Films, prod. Lawson Harris, wr. Dulcie Deamer, Albert Goldie, dp Arthur Higgins, 7000 ft; Lawson Harris, Yvonne Pavis, Charles Beetham, Gilbert Emery; young Englishman, falsely accused of murder, eludes the police by emigrating to Australia where he finds work on a cattle station and befriends the squatter's daughter
East Lynne (Charles Hardy, 1922) from novel by Mrs Henry Wood, dp Ernest Higgins, 6 reels; Ethel Jerdan, Don McAlpine; archetypal Victorian melodrama
Lust For Gold, The (Roy Darling, 1922)
My Lady of the Cave (Rudall Hayward, 1922) Gordon Campbell, Hazel West; 5000ft, 83 min.; only portions remain; NZ
Rough Passage, A (Franklyn Barrett, 1922) Stella Southern, Hayford Hobbs, Elsa Granger; 'undistinguished race-track melodrama'; 6000ft
Sunshine Sally (Lawson Harris, 1922) aka Winnie of Woolloomooloo; Austral Super Films, prod. Lawson Harris, Yvonne Pavis, wr. John Cosgrove, dp Arthur Higgins; Yvonne Pavis (Sal), Joy Revelle (Tottie Faye), John Cosgrove (Spud Murphy), Dinks Patterson (Skinny Smith), Mrs Hutton (Katie Smith), J. P. O'Neill (Bill Smith), Sheila Moore (Mrs Constance Stanton), Lionel Lunn (Basil Stanton), Mervyn Barrington (James Stanton), Maude Ranier (Salvation Army woman); "Sal is rescued from the surf at Coogee by a bronzed lifesaver, Basil Stanton, and is taken to his wealthy Potts Point home to recuperate." (Pike & Cooper); 5000 ft
Triumph Of Love, The (P. J. Ramster, 1922)
Australia Calls (Raymond Longford, 1923) Commonwealth Immigration Office/British Empire Exhibition Commission; wr. Lottie Lyell, dp Arthur Higgins, 4000 ft; semi-documentary: 'the experiences in New South Wales of a successful immigrant'; Ernest Idiens (his only film)
Australian By Marriage (Raymond Longford, 1923)
Dingo, The (Kenneth Brampton, 1923) British-Australasian Photoplays, wr. Kenneth Brampton, dp Lacey Percival
Dinkum Bloke, The (Raymond Longford, 1923) aka Gentleman in Mufti, Longford-Lyell Australian Productions, wr. Raymond Longford, Lottie Lyell, dp Lacey Percival; Arthur Tauchert, Lottie Lyell
Prehistoric Hayseeds (Beaumont Smith, 1923) Beaumont Smith's Productions, wr. Beaumont Smith, dp Lacey Percival
Romance of Sleepy Hollow, The (Henry J. Makepeace, 1923) Francis X. Bouzaid, June Phillips; comedy-drama; 5700ft cut to 4800ft by the censor; NZ
Should A Doctor Tell? (P. J. Ramster, 1923)
Townies and Hayseeds (Beaumont Smith, 1923) Beaumont Smith's Productions, wr. Beaumont Smith, dp Arthur Higgins, 5000 ft; George Edwards, J. P. O'Neill, Pinky Weatherley, Ada St Claire
Twins, The (Leslie McCallum, 1923)
When The Kellys Were Out (Harry Southwell, 1923) aka True Story of the Kelly Gang, wr. Harry Southwell, dp Tasman Higgins
Daughter Of The East (Roy Darling, 1924) aka The Boy Of The Dardanelles; Blue Bird Films, prod. Adam Tavlaridi, dp Tasman Higgins; Dorothy Hawtree, Paul Eden, Catherine Tearle, Charles Villiers, Adam Tavlaridi; melodrama of Anzac Cove
Digger Earl, The (Beaumont Smith, 1924) Beaumont Smith's Productions, wr. Beaumont Smith, dp Lacey Percival
Dope (Dunstan Webb, 1924) Australasian Picture Productions, wr. Con Drew, dp Lacey Percival
Fisher's Ghost (Raymond Longford, 1924) Longford-Lyell Productions, wr. Raymond Longford, dp Arthur Higgins, 5000 ft; murder mystery thriller
How McDougall Topped The Score (V. Upton Brown, 1924)
Hullo Marmaduke (Beaumont Smith, 1924) Claude Dampier
Joe (Beaumont Smith, 1924) Beaumont Smith's Productions, wr. Beaumont Smith, dp Lacey Percival; Arthur Tauchert, Marie Lorraine
Price, The (Dunstan Webb, 1924)
Rev Dell's Secret, The (P. J. Ramster, 1924)
Venus of the South Seas (James R. Sullivan, 1924) aka Venus of the Southern Seas; Lee Bradford Corporation and NZ Dominion Productions, ass dp Bert Bridgeman; Annette Kellerman, Roland Purdu, Norman French, Robert Ramsey; five reels, 7000ft; NZ
Adventures of Algy, The (Beaumont Smith, 1925) Beaumont Smith's Productions, wr. prod. Beaumont Smith, dp Lacey Percival; Claude Dampier (Algernon Allison), Bathie Stuart (Kiwi McGill), Eric Harrison; mostly shot in NZ
Around The Boree Log (Phil K. Walsh, 1925) Phil K. Walsh Production, wr. Phil K. Walsh based on poems of John O'Brien, dp Lacey Percival; 45 min.
Bushwhackers, The (Raymond Longford, 1925) Longford-Lyell Productions, wr. Raymond Longford, Lottie Lyell, dp Arthur Higgins
Jewelled Nights (Louise Lovely, Wilton Welch, 1925) wr. Louise Lovely, Wilton Welch from novel by Marie Bjelke Petersen, dp Tasman Higgins, Walter Sully, 10000 ft; prod. Louise Lovely, Wilton Welch; Louise Lovely, Gordon Collingridge, Godfrey Cass; osmiridium mining in Tasmania
Mail Robbery, The (George Palmer, 1925)
Mystery Of A Hansom Cab, The (Arthur Shirley, 1925) Pyramid Pictures, wr. Arthur Shirley, from novel by Fergus Hume, dp Lacey Percival; Arthur Shirley, Grace Glover, Roland Stavely
Painted Daughters (F. Stuart-Whyte, 1925) Australasian Films, dp Lacey Percival; Marie Lorraine
Rewi's Last Stand (Rudall Hayward, 1925) Maori War Films Ltd, wr. Rudall Hayward from history, dp Frank Stewart; Frank Nemo, Nola Casselli, M. Millington, Eric Yates, Edmund Finney, Chief Abe (Rewi Maniapoto); the last stand of Rewi Maniapoto at the Battle of Orakau in 1863; remade in 1940 as a sound film by the same director; NZ
Those Terrible Twins (J. E. Ward, 1925) Ginger Meggs
Waybacks of 1925, The (Arthur W. Sterry, 1925) this is in fact The Waybacks (1918) remarketed
Greenhide (Charles Chauvel, 1926) Elsa Chauvel (as Elsie Sylvaney), Gerald Barlow, Irma Dearden; drama; Charles and Elsa Chauvel met on this film and were married in 1927
Hills Of Hate (Raymond Longford, 1926) dp Arthur Higgins
Hound Of The Deep, The (Frank Hurley, 1926) aka Pearl of the South Seas; Stoll Picture Productions, prod. wr. dp Frank Hurley; Jameson Thomas, Eric Bransby Williams, W G Saunders, Lillian Douglas; shot Thursday Island PNG; 4950 ft
Jungle Woman, The (Frank Hurley, 1926) Stoll Picture Productions; prod. wr. dp Frank Hurley; Eric Bransby Williams, Grace Savieri (Hurana), Jameson Thomas, Lillian Douglas; shot Thursday Island PNG; 6070 ft
Moth Of Moonbi, The (Charles Chauvel, 1926) wr. Charles Chauvel, novel Mabel Forrest, The Wild Moth, dp Al Burne; Chauvel's first feature; Marsden Hassall, Doris Ashwin, Arthur Tauchert, 9000ft
Northbound Ltd (George Palmer, 1926)
Peter Vernon's Silence (Raymond Longford, 1926) Production Company: Longford-Lyell Productions, dp Arthur Higgins; Rawdon Blandford (Peter Vernon), Walter Hunt (Philip Kingston), Loretta May (Marie), Rene Sandeman, Iris Webster, Beryl Gow, John Faulkner, George Chalmers, Billy Ryan, Victor Davy, Annie Permain; last of the Longford-Lyell productions before Lyell's death in December 1925; an uninspired melodrama about a man's loyalty to his mate; 5830 ft.
Pioneers, The (Raymond Longford, 1926) wr. Lottie Lyell from novel by Katharine Susannah Prichard, Arthur Higgins, 8000 ft; Virginia Beresford, William Thornton, Augustus Neville
Romance of Hine-Moa, The (Gustav Pauli, 1926) Gaumont, dp Gustav Pauli; Maata Hurihanganui, Akuhato, Tingarue; third of three Hinemoa films; NZ
Sealed Room, The (Arthur Shirley, 1926) Pyramid Pictures, wr. Arthur Shirley, dp Lacey Percival; Arthur Shirley, Grace Glover
Should A Girl Propose? (P. J. Ramster, 1926) P J Ramster Photoplays, prod, wr P J Ramster, dp Jack Fletcher; Cecil Pawley (Ellis Swift), Thelma Newling (Esma), Rex Simpson, Joy Wood, Norma Wood; "... rescue of the heroine by rope from the surf and rocks at Bondi" (Pike & Cooper); 4000 ft
Sunrise (F. Stuart-Whyte, Raymond Longford, 1926)
Sydney's Darlings (Thomas Marinato, 1926)
Tall Timber (Dunstan Webb, 1926) Australasian Films, wr. Dunstan Webb, dp Lacey Percival; Eden Landeryou, Billie Sim
Tenth Straw, The (Robert G. McAnderson, 1926) convict melodrama
Those who Love (P. J. Ramster, Paulette McDonagh, 1926) MCD Productions, prod. Paulette McDonagh, wr. Paulette McDonagh, prod. manager & art dir. Phyllis McDonagh; Marie Lorraine [Isobel McDonagh]
Carbine's Heritage (Edwin Coubray, 1927) Moa Films Ltd, NZ Radio Films Production, wr. Edwin Coubray, dp Edwin Coubray; Queenie Grahame, Stuart Douglas, Ted Preston, Tom Patten; NZ; horse-racing, includes footage of the Auckland Cup 1926; 8000ft
Down Under (Harry Southwell, 1927) Anglo-Australian Films, dp Lacey Percival, Cliff Thomas; Harry Southwell (Walter Nobbage) Nancy Mills
Environment (Gerald Hayle, 1927) Advance Films, prod. Vaughan C. Marshall, wr. Gerald M. Hayle, dp Tasman Higgins, 6000 ft.
For the Term of his Natural Life (Norman Dawn, 1927) from the novel by Marcus Clarke; George Fisher (Rufus Dawes), Eva Novak, Dunstan Webb, Jessica Harcourt, Arthur McLaglen, Marion Marcus Clarke; prison saga
Kid Stakes, The (Tal Ordell, 1927) Ordell-Coyle Productions, wr. Tal Ordell, prod. Tal Ordell, Virgil Coyle, dp Arthur Higgins, 5000 ft; 'Pop' Ordell, Charles Roberts, Ray Salmon, Frank Boyd; based on the character of Fatty Finn, as created by cartoonist, Syd Nicholls (1896-1977), first film to be based on a comic strip; Fatty Finn is the only comic character in Australia to have inspired two films; story concerns goat racing
Man Who Forgot, The (A. R. Harwood, 1927) dp William Hallam; Walter Nicholls, William Hallam, 5000 ft (?)
Miner's Daughter, The (Leo Forbert, 1927)
Rushing Tide, The (Gerald M. Hayle, 1927) Koala Films, wr. Gerald M. Hayle, dp Tasman Higgins; 72 min.
Te Kooti Trail, The (Rudall Hayward, 1927) Whakatane Films, wr. Rudall Hayward, Frank Bodle, dp Rudall Hayward, Oswald Caldwell; Jasper Calder, Billie Andreasson, Arthur Lord, Eric Yandell; 7100ft
Under the Southern Cross (Gustav Pauli, 1927) Gaumont; Charles Aubrey Ashford, Moataa Doughty, Tui Fryer; typical pioneer plot; 5000ft
Adorable Outcast, The (Norman Dawn, 1928) aka Black Cargoes of the South Seas, Australasian Films, wr. prod. Norman Dawn from novel Conn of the Coral Seas by Beatrice Grimshaw, dp Arthur Higgins; Edith Roberts (Luya), Edmund Burns, Walter Long; action adventure
Birth of White Australia (Phil K. Walsh, 1928) Dominion Films, wr. Phil K. Walsh, dp Lacey Percival; investment for the film came from the country town of Young which also seems to have been its principal audience (O'Regan: 346) drama, thriller (Verhoeven)
Bush Cinderella, The (Rudall Hayward, 1928) prod. Rudall Hayward, wr. Rudall Hayward, dp Rudall Hayward; Dale Austen, Walter Gray, Tony Firth
Caught In The Net (Vaughan C. Marshall, 1928) Advance Films, prod. Vaughan C. Marshall, dp Tasman Higgins; Zillah Bateman, John Mayer, Charles Brown
Devil's Playground, The (Victor Bindley, 1928) 'South Sea island genre'
Exploits Of The Emden, The (Ken G. Hall, 1928) First National Pictures, prod. wr. ed. Ken G. Hall, dp Claude C. Carter, asspro Victor Bindley; dramatised history: reconstruction of the 9 November 1914 battle Sydney vs Emden which the latter lost
Far Paradise, The (Paulette McDonagh, 1928) MCD Productions, wr. Paulette McDonagh, dp Jack Fletcher, prod. manager & art dir. Phyllis McDonagh; Marie Lorraine [Isobel McDonagh], Gaston Mervale, Arthur McLaglen; romance; 7000 ft
Grey Glove, The (Dunstan Webb, 1928)
Menace, The (Cyril J. Sharpe, 1928) man discovers his wife is a drug addict
Odds On (Arthur Higgins, 1928) Arthur Higgins Productions, wr. Arthur Higgins, dp Arthur Higgins, Tasman Higgins; Phyllis Gibbs, 'Check' Hayes, Stella Southern, Arthur Tauchert; racecourse drama, shot on location at Randwick; 6300ft; lost
Romance Of Runnibede, The (Scott R. Dunlap, 1928)
Russell Affair, The (P.J. Ramster, 1928)
Shattered Illusion, The (A. G. Harbrow, 1928)
Spirit Of Gallipoli, The (Keith Gategood, William Green, 1928)
Trooper O'Brien (John Gavin, 1928) Australian Artists Company, prod. Herbert Finlay, wr. Agnes Gavin, dp Arthur Higgins
Kingdom Of Twilight, The (Alexander MacDonald, 1929) aka Tanami; Seven Seas Screen Productions, prod. wr. Alexander MacDonald, dp Lacey Percival; western
Under the Southern Cross (Lew Collins, 1929) aka The Devil's Pit; Universal, dp Wilfred Cline, Howard Smith; Patiti Warbrick, Witarina Mitchell, Hoana Keeha, Ani Warbrick; 5606ft silent, 6279ft sound; The Devil's Pit arguably first NZ sound fiction film, except that the sound inserts were added in the USA
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