The Sunny South or The Whirlwind of Fate

The Sunny South, or the Whirlwind of Fate is a 1915 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe based on the popular play by George Darrell.[6] It is considered a lost film.[7][8]

The Sunny South, or The Whirlwind of Fate
Directed byAlfred Rolfe[1]
Produced byArchie Fraser
Colin Fraser
Written byJohnson Weir or George Darrell[2]
Based onplay by George Darrell
StarringCharles Villers
Production
company
Distributed byFraser Film Release and Photographic Company[3]
Release date
1 February 1915[4]
Running time
3,000 feet (three reels)[5]
CountryAustralia
LanguageSilent film
English intertitles

Cast
  • Charles Villiers

Characters
  • Matt Morley/Morley Chester
  • Worthy Chester
  • Clarice Chester
  • Ivo Chester
  • Bertha/Bubs Berkley
  • Plantageant Smiffers
  • Rebecca Hann
  • Eli Grup
  • Perfidy Pounce
  • Ben Brewer
  • Dick Duggan
  • Black Steve
  • Sergeant Swoop
  • Monte Jack
  • Jinks
  • Bank Teller True

Play
The Sunny South
Written byGeorge Darrell
Date premiered30 March 1883[9]
Place premieredPrince of Wales Opera House Melbourne
Original languageEnglish
GenreMelodrama

Darrell's play premiered in 1883 and was a massive success.[10] Darrell himself performed in it over 1,500 times.[11] It was one of a series of melodramas Darrell wrote in his career.[12]

Plot

In an English country mansion lives Worthy Chester, his daughter Clarice and nephew Ivo Carew. Worthy Chester is in debt to a money lender, Eli Grup, who threatens Chester with ruin unless Clarice marries him. Clarice and Ivo are in love with each other but neither have any money.

An old friend of the family, Matt Morley, returns from Australia. He reveals himself to be Morley Chester, the long supposed dead son and heir to the late owner of the estate, and claims ownership of the property.

A telegram arrives from Bubs Berkely, Morley's adopted daughter, indicating the discovery of gold in Australia. Morley and Bubs sail for Australia to find gold to save the family property; Clarice and Ivo Carew come with them.

Morley's friend Ben Brewer discovers a five thousand pound gold nugget on Morley's El Dorado claim. It is placed in a local bank stood up by Dick Duggan, bushranger. Duggan is defeated in a massive fight and the nugget is recovered. Duggain is jailed, but escaped.

Perfidy Pounce, a lawyer who works for Eli Grup and has come to Australia upon his employer's wishes, arranges for Duggan to kill Morley, but later has a change of heart and betrays Duggan and Grup to Morley and company. Duggan kidnaps Bubs and imprisons her in a hut. He then captures Morley who has come to rescue her and ties him to a tree. He threatens to use Morley as a target for pistol practice unless Morley gives him a thousand pounds and Bubs marries him. Both refuse.

The police attack the gang in their hide out. The hut is burned down and Morley and Bobs are rescued but Duggan and his men escape.

Duggan and his gang plan to hold up the Zig Zag railway train on the Blue Mountains. It is carrying Morley, Bubs, their friends and the gold to Sydney. However the bushrangers are defeated. Bubs marries Morley and Clarice and Ivo are also married.[13]

Production

The film was the second Rolfe directed for the Fraser Film Release and Photographic Company. Rolfe had appeared in several of Darrell's plays as an actor.[14]

According to the Referee "the cast was chosen from some of the most popular Thespians in Australia. No expense was spared in producing both the comedy and drama on a scale comparing favorably With American offerings."[15]

The film was shot on location at French's Forest in late 1914.[7][16]

A riot scene was shot at Manly Beach, involving a large number of extras carrying fire arms and weapons. According to star Charles Villiers:

All went well for a few moments, and then a military patrol swooped down and held up the show. Expostulations were useless. We were evidently up to some mischief, and the military men were determined to stop it. Perhaps they thought we were, a party of Germans having our morning strafe. So we were all duly lined up against a nearby fence while some soldiers set about disarming us. A closer view of the weapons, however' satisfied the officer in charge that we were harmless, and the 'riot' came off Without further interruption.[17]

On 10 January 1915 it was announced the film was "just completed".[18]

Release

The movie was released with two supporting films from Fraser, We'll Take her Children in amongst our own (1915, directed by Raymond Longford), and The Unknown (1915, directed by J. E. Mathews).[7][19]

Contemporary advertising for the film stated that:

A feature of the picture is the restraint exhibited by the author in dealing with the most exciting series of incidents, the Australian characteristics having been sustained throughout and the interest preserved without resource to the lurid sensationalism which is the mark of many imported films.[20]

Legacy

The play was revived in 1980 by the Sydney Theatre Company in a production directed by Richard Wherrett with music by Terence Clarke. It was the first production at the STC.[21]

References
  1. "Advertising". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. National Library of Australia. 22 February 1915. p. 8. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  2. "An Australasian Record". The World's News. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 13 March 1915. p. 5. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  3. "FRASER FILM EXCHANGE". The Referee. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 23 December 1914. p. 15. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  4. ""THE UNKNOWN"". The Sunday Times. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 31 January 1915. p. 16. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  5. "Advertising". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. National Library of Australia. 28 August 1915. p. 8. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  6. Vagg, S., & Reynaud, D. (2016). Alfred Rolfe: Forgotten pioneer Australian film director. Studies in Australasian Cinema, 10(2),184-198. doi:10.1080/17503175.2016.1170950
  7. Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p 52
  8. "An Australasian Record". The World's News. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 13 March 1915. p. 5. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  9. "Advertising". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 29 March 1883. p. 8. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  10. "OPERA-HOUSE". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 2 April 1883. p. 9. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  11. Poorten, Helen M. Van Der, 'Darrell, George Frederick Price (1851–1921)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University accessed 27 March 2012
  12. "The Age of Melodrama (1870-1914)" ANU accessed 5 September 2013
  13. "OPERA-HOUSE". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 2 April 1883. p. 9. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  14. "Advertising". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 12 May 1883. p. 16. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  15. "MOVING PICTURES". The Referee. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 27 January 1915. p. 15. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  16. "FRASER FILM EXCHANGE". The Referee. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 23 December 1914. p. 15. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  17. "MOVIE "HEAVY" CHATS LIGHTLY". Winner (Melbourne, Vic. : 1914–1917). Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 22 December 1915. p. 12. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  18. "AN AUSTRALIAN COMEDY". The Sunday Times. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 10 January 1915. p. 16. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  19. "AN AUSTRALIAN COMEDY". The Sunday Times. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 10 January 1915. p. 16. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  20. "Advertising". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. National Library of Australia. 28 August 1915. p. 8. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  21. 1980 production details at AusStage
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