Australasian feature films by release date
index 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s
1920s Films
1920
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) wr. Bess Meredyth, prod. E.J. Carroll, Snowy Baker, dp Robert V. Doerrer; Reg L. 'Snowy' Baker, Brownie Vernon, Charles Villiers, Walter Vincent, Wilfred Lucas, Malcolm MacKellar, David Edelsten; 6 reels
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)
1921
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)
1922
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)
1923
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
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
1924
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
1925
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
1926
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]
1927
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
1928
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
1929
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
Garry Gillard | New: 15 December, 2016 | Now: 22 June, 2017