A Tale of the Australian Bush

A Tale of the Australian Bush is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Gaston Mervale. Set in colonial Australia, it was also known as Ben Hall, the Notorious Bushranger and is considered a lost film.

A Tale of the Australian Bush
Directed byGaston Mervale
Written byP. W. Marony
StarringGodfrey Cass
Production
company
Release date
  • 15 March 1911 (1911-03-15)
Running time
2,500 feet[1] or 3,000 feet[2]
CountryAustralia
LanguagesSilent
English intertitles

Plot

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The story of the bushranger Ben Hall, including his duel with Melville, last stand and death. A contemporary review said that "unlike the usual bushranging films, instead of glorifying the villainy of the criminals of the bush, recorded a triumph of the law over the lawless."[3]

Cast

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Production

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It was the first film from the production company Australian Life Biograph Company.[4]

Release

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The film was first released in Sydney as Ben Hall, the Notorious Bushranger[5] before being screened nationally under the other title.

References

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  1. ^ "Advertising". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 30 September 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  2. ^ "Advertising". The Referee. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 22 May 1912. p. 16. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  3. ^ "NEW BUSH PICTURE-STORY". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 18 March 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  4. ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 15.
  5. ^ "Advertising". The Barrier Miner. Broken Hill, NSW: National Library of Australia. 15 March 1911. p. 1. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
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