Wikipedia

A Rough Passage

A Rough Passage is a 1922 Australian silent film directed by Franklyn Barrett based on the novel by Arthur Wright. It was Barrett's final feature and is considered a lost film.[3]

A Rough Passage
Truth 23 July 1922
Directed byFranklyn Barrett
Based onnovel by Arthur Wright
Produced byFranklyn Barrett
StarringStella Southern
Hayford Hobbs
CinematographyFranklyn Barrett
Production
company
Barret's Australian Productions[1]
Distributed byFranklyn Barrett
Release date
22 July 1922[2]
Running time
6,000 feet
CountryAustralia
LanguagesSilent film
English intertitles

Plot edit

Laurie Larand (Hayford Hobbs) returns from the war and finds himself jilted and broke. He goes to work for a horse trainer who he discovers to be in league with a book maker to fleece the horse owners.

He also comes across a Shakesperean actor, Poverty Point (Arthur Albert), who becomes his friend, and the beautiful Doiya (Stella Southern), who he falls in love with.

In the finale, Larland exposes the villains and is united with Doris.[4]

Cast edit

Original novel edit

A Rough Passage
AuthorArthur Wright
IllustratorPercy Lindsay
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
SeriesBookstall series
PublisherNSW Bookstall
Publication date
1921
Pages189

Arthur Wright's original novel was published in 1921.[7]

Plot edit

Laurie Larand, a returned soldier, discovers that the barmaid he has entrusted with his money is missing. After a bad day at the races he has no money. He goes to live in the Domain but is helped by a trainer and an actor friend to get back on his feet. He discovers the trainer is in cahoots with bookmakers.

Reception edit

The novel appears to have been well received. "He shows to advantage as a writer of humor", said one critic.[8] Another stated that, "Not many Australians, perhaps, are writing "literature", but quite a fair number are turning out readable and respectable yarns, and Arthur Wright is one of the number."[9]

Production edit

 
Forbes Advocate 31 Oct 1922

Everyone's reported the film was being made in February 1922 saying "The story should make a very general appeal, as it is very bright and redolent of the soil."[10]

The film was made with Wright's close involvement.[11] Hayford Hobbs was an English actor touring Australia when the film was made.[12][13]

Hugh Ward did lighting, as he had on Know Thy Child.[14] Aboriginal boxer Peter Felix had a role.[15]

Reception edit

The movie was distributed by Barrett himself, due in part to his difficulties with the Australasian Films monopoly, and was not widely seen.[16]

Arthur Wright later said the film was:

Produced and photographed excellently by Franklyn Barrett, but bringing little grist to the mill of movie ' picture production. It was a flop financially, as were practically all the latter day local silents, which were never given the chance they deserved. Fate and oversea interests were against the Industry, which went into a decline.[17]

In March 1922 Everyones announced "When the picture is well on the way, he [Barrett] will commence on another Australian story."[18] However Barrett's company soon wound up and he left filmmaking to go into cinema management.[19]

Critical edit

Everyone's said " Working along melodramatic lines, the continuity promises well, but breaks away into the meaningless at times... Interesting in the main, but lacks consistency. Even at that it will probably pull good business if properly exploited."[20]

The Advertiser called the movie "a delightful comedy-drama" in which Arthur Albert "is excellently cast".[21]

The Register called it "a stirring racing film" which "cannot fail to please the most exacting. In addition the comedy in the picture is exceedingly clever, and productive of many hearty laughs."[22]

The Launceston Daily Telegraph said that "from the very first moment that the screen reflected the delightful panorama of our bush land I knew that here at last I had found a picture which, would prove worth while the time it had taken to produce."[23]

The Sydney Daily Telegraph said "the story is rather a good one."[24]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "A NEW TEACHER OF SINGING". Sunday Times. No. 1882. New South Wales, Australia. 19 February 1922. p. 22. Retrieved 25 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. 24 July 1922. p. 3. Retrieved 4 October 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "A Rough Passage". silentera.com. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  4. ^ "AT THE PAY". The Register. Adelaide. 26 September 1924. p. 15. Retrieved 21 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "FOOTLIGHT FLASHES". The Truth. Sydney. 5 March 1922. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Playing in "A Rough Passage"", Everyones., 2 (103 ( 22 February 1922)), Sydney, nla.obj-557517903, retrieved 25 February 2024 – via Trove
  7. ^ "" A ROUGH PASSAGE."". Zeehan and Dundas Herald. Tas. 30 March 1921. p. 4. Retrieved 4 October 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "REVIEW". Illawarra Mercury. Wollongong, NSW. 1 April 1921. p. 7. Retrieved 4 October 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "REVIEW NOTICES". Murray Pioneer and Australian River Record. Renmark, SA. 20 May 1921. p. 8. Retrieved 4 October 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Franklin Barrett's Latest", Everyones., 2 (100 ( 1 February 1922)), Sydney: Everyones Ltd, nla.obj-557491928, retrieved 25 February 2024 – via Trove
  11. ^ "BURNIE THEATRE TO MORROW". The Advocate. Burnie, Tas. 11 September 1922. p. 4. Retrieved 21 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "MUSIC AND DRAMA". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 July 1920. p. 8. Retrieved 22 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "A NEW TEACHER OF SINGING". The Sunday Times. Sydney. 19 February 1922. p. 22. Retrieved 4 October 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "Personalities", Everyones., 2 (99 ( 25 January 1922)), Sydney: Everyones Ltd, nla.obj-557099015, retrieved 25 February 2024 – via Trove
  15. ^ "Show World Personalities", Everyones., 3 (105 ( 8 March 1922)), Sydney: Everyones Ltd, nla.obj-557523512, retrieved 25 February 2024 – via Trove
  16. ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 112.
  17. ^ "To Pana's Page On Passing and Past Shows". The Referee. Sydney. 1 July 1931. p. 24. Retrieved 13 September 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "Personalities.", Everyones., Sydney: Everyones Ltd, 8 March 1922, nla.obj-557523027, retrieved 25 April 2024 – via Trove
  19. ^ Rutledge, Martha, 'Barrett, Walter Franklyn (1873–1964)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University accessed 22 January 2012
  20. ^ "Sydney's Recent Film Releases.", Everyones., Sydney: Everyones Ltd, 26 July 1922, nla.obj-558202373, retrieved 25 April 2024 – via Trove
  21. ^ ""A ROUGH PASSAGE."". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 24 September 1924. p. 18. Retrieved 4 October 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ^ "AT THE PAY". The Register. Adelaide. 26 September 1924. p. 15. Retrieved 4 October 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. ^ "AMUSEMENTS". The Daily Telegraph. Launceston, Tas. 7 September 1922. p. 2. Retrieved 4 October 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. ^ "PICTURE HOUSES". The Daily Telegraph. No. 13, 479. New South Wales, Australia. 24 July 1922. p. 6. Retrieved 25 April 2024 – via National Library of Australia.

External links edit

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