Around the Boree Log
| Around the Boree Log | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Phil K. Walsh |
| Written by | Phil K. Walsh |
| Based on | poems of Patrick Joseph Hartigan |
| Starring | Molly O'Donohue[1] |
| Cinematography | Lacey Percival |
Production company | Phil K. Walsh Productions |
Release date | 25 September 1925[2] |
Running time | 7,100 feet |
| Country | Australia |
| Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
Around the Boree Log is a 1925 Australian silent film by Phil K. Walsh adapted from the poems of "John O'Brien" (Patrick Joseph Hartigan). It tells stories of a priest's life around the 1870s in the Goulburn area.[3][4]
Unlike many Australian silent films, a copy of it survives today.
Plot[edit]
A priest reads from the book of poems by John O'Brien and recalls his earlier life in the country. He remembers travelling hawkers, his first school, a bishop inspection, childhood romance, and the marriage of a girl to another man.
Cast[edit]
- Molly O'Donohue (or O'Donohoe)[5] as Laughing Mary
Production[edit]
The movie was shot on location in the New South Wales bush, mostly at the Wollondilly River area near Goulburn, in early 1925.[6] The director had previously worked as an assistant on While the Billy Boils (1921) and would direct The Birth of White Australia (1928).[3] He also tried to make a film of the novel Love Blind but was unable to raise finance.[7]
Most of the cast were anonymous people who lived in the area.[8] Unlike The Birth of White Australia, which was funded by the residents of Young, this film received no financial assistance from Goulburn.[9]
Release[edit]
The film met with resistance from distributors who felt it was Roman Catholic propaganda.[10] It was also criticised for having little plot and consisting mostly of a travelogue of scenery and incidents in the country.[8]
Other reviewers however gave it unqualified praise;[11] it screened throughout Australia and New Zealand, made money for its backers, and created renewed interest for Hartigan's book.[12]
Box office success appears to have been strong.<ref>""Boree Log" at Singleton.", Everyones., 4 (300 (2 December 1925)), Sydney: Everyones Ltd, nla.obj-574055638, retrieved 2 March 2024 – via Trove <?ref>
References[edit]
- ^ "Majestic". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 9 February 1926. p. 11. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 28 September 1925. p. 2. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ a b Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 128.
- ^ "The Majestic". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 8 February 1926. p. 9. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ "Advertising". The Daily Standard (Brisbane). Queensland, Australia. 8 February 1926. p. 2. Retrieved 12 March 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "The Majestic". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 8 February 1926. p. 9. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Distinguished Film Producer". Windsor and Richmond Gazette. NSW: National Library of Australia. 23 April 1926. p. 3. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ a b "New Films". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 28 September 1925. p. 5. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Slow Goulburn". Goulburn Evening Penny Post. New South Wales, Australia. 10 February 1925. p. 2. Retrieved 10 March 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Film Inquiry". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 9 June 1927. p. 6. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ "Entertainments". Warwick Daily News. Queensland, Australia. 21 June 1926. p. 7. Retrieved 12 March 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "Australian Success". The Gosford Times and Wyong District Advocate. New South Wales, Australia. 29 July 1926. p. 4. Retrieved 10 March 2020 – via Trove.
External links[edit]
- Around the Boree Log at IMDb
- Around the Boree Log at National Film and Sound Archive
- Peter Malone's summary and review
- Full text of original poem at Project Gutenberg
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