Down Under (Harry Southwell, 1927) Anglo-Australian Films, dp Lacey Percival, Cliff Thomas; Harry Southwell (Walter Nobbage) Nancy Mills
Down Under was the first and only production in a series proposed by Anglo-Australian Films for the British and Australian markets. Financed by Perth businessmen, the films were intended to be 'typically Western Australian' in spirit, and according to trade announcements, were guaranteed distribution in England and Europe. Southwell clearly promised local investors more than he could provide, for no record has been found of commercial screenings in either Australia or London.
The film followed an Australian vagabond, Walter Nobbage, through a series of adventures that a local critic described as 'clean and wholesome' (West Australian, 24 March 1927). The highlights seemed standard: a trotting race meeting, a cattle muster and an Aboriginal corroboree. Outback scenes were shot late in 1926 and the film was privately previewed in Perth on 22 March 1927. Pike & Cooper: 137.
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