The Luck of Roaring Camp (1911 film)

The Luck of Roaring Camp
Directed by W. J. Lincoln
Produced by William Gibson
Millard Johnson
John Tait
Nevin Tait
Written by W. J. Lincoln[1]
Based on stage adaptation by Mark Blow and Ida Molesworth of the novel The Luck of Roaring Camp by Francis Bret Harte[2]
Starring Ethel Buckley
Robert Inman
George Marlow's Dramatic Company
Cinematography Orrie Perry
Production
company
Distributed by Tait's Pictures[3]
Release date
 24 March 1911 (Melbourne)[4][5]
Running time
 4,000 feet[6]
Country Australia
Language Silent film
English intertitles

The Luck of Roaring Camp is a 1911 Australian feature-length film directed by W. J. Lincoln now considered a lost film.

Plot

On the California goldfields, Will Gordin is falsely accused of murder and is about to be lynched when his girlfriend rides to the rescue. Scenes included:

  • Tom Barnes at Bay.
  • Fun in a Roaring Camp Saloon.
  • The Murder of Old Pard.
  • A Duel to the Death.
  • The Throw of the Dice.[7]

Cast

Production

It was based on a stage adaptation of the story by Francis Bret Harte which had proved popular with Australian audiences as performed by George Marlow's Dramatic Company since 1910.[9]

The partnership of Millard Johnson and Willard Gibson decided to make a film version.[10]

The George Marlow company provided the cast for the film, with the lead played by Marlow's wife Ethel Buckley. A cast of over a hundred was reportedly used.[11]

Reception

The movie premiered at the Glacarium Theatre in Melbourne then the Palace in Sydney.[12] It followed the release of Lincoln's earlier film The Mystery of the Hansom Cab.[13]

Reviews were generally strong. The critic from the Sydney Morning Herald called it:

A thrilling story without words that is complete in itself without the words and that makes the drama more realistic than ever it could be on a stage without the aid of the pictures. The play has been carefully selected for this method of portrayal because it teems with exciting episodes and thrilling incidents in the life of the hard-living westerners. One part in particular that could never be seen on a stage without the camera is the splendid exhibition of horsemanship shown by a team of rough riders who were specifically employed for the purpose... almost every foot of it [the film] is bristling with exciting incidents.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Advertising". The Argus. Melbourne. 24 March 1911. p. 12. Retrieved 1 July 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ↑ "DRAMATIC NOTES". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 4 February 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 30 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ↑ "Advertising". The Argus. Melbourne. 24 March 1911. p. 12. Retrieved 30 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ↑ Mary Bateman, 'W. J. Lincoln', Cinema Papers, June–July 1980 p 214
  5. ↑ "Advertising". The Argus. Melbourne. 23 March 1911. p. 12. Retrieved 30 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ↑ "DRAMATIC NOTES". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 4 February 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 28 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "Advertising". The Morning Bulletin. Rockhampton, Qld. 17 October 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 28 January 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ↑ "LIFE & LETTERS". The West Australian. Perth. 4 May 1946. p. 5. Retrieved 16 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ↑ "MUSIC AND DRAMA". The Brisbane Courier. 15 January 1910. p. 12. Retrieved 30 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ↑ "GENERAL GOSSIP". The Referee. Sydney. 22 February 1911. p. 16. Retrieved 30 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ↑ ""THE LUCK OF ROARING CAMP."". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 April 1911. p. 5. Retrieved 30 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "GENERAL GOSSIP". The Referee. Sydney. 22 March 1911. p. 16. Retrieved 30 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ↑ "THEATRES AND ENTERTAINMENTS". The Argus. Melbourne. 20 March 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 18 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ↑ "THE LUCK OF ROARING CAMP". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 April 1911. p. 4. Retrieved 30 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
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