Gambler's Gold

Gambler's Gold
Directed by George Young
Casper Middleton
Based on novel by Arthur Wright
Starring Casper Middleton
Roland Conway
Cinematography George Wilkins
Production
company
Release dates
 17 November 1911[1]
Running time
 4,000 feet[2]
Country Australia
Language Silent film
English intertitles

Gambler's Gold is a 1911 Australian film based on the novel by Arthur Wright.

It is considered a lost film.

Plot

The story revolved around a man innocently accused of murder. The film was divided into chapters:

  1. The Home in a Garret.
  2. A Dastardly Murder.
  3. Foong Lee's Opium Den.
  4. Great Motor Boat Chase in Sydney Harbour.[3]

Cast

Original novel

Gamblers' Gold
Author Arthur Wright
Country Australia
Language English
Series Bookstall series
Genre sporting
Publisher NSW Bookstall Company
Publication date
 1911
Published in English
 1923 (pub: George Newnes)
Pages 191

The film was based on a novel by Arthur Wright who specialised in stories about horse racing. [5] The story had been first serialised in a newspaper in 1910 and published in novel form a year later. It was one of his most popular books.[6]

Plot

Two men, good friends, love the same woman. One of the men is successful – a squatter. He marries the woman and they have a daughter. Then the squatter accidentally kills his wife by a blow meant for his friend. Over the years the old squatter is tormented by remorse; the friend falls in love with the squatter's daughter, although she is in love with one of her father's shearers.[7]

Reception

A contemporary critic called the book a "wild and woolly farrago of delinquencies and stupidities. To'outline the "plot" is practically impossible. The story drifts from one absurdity to another. There seems to be no possibility of rational connection between the events: there is certainly no emotional sentiment, no principle, no characterisation, no redeeming feature whatever in the crude production."[8]

Nonetheless film rights were sold early.[9]

Production

The film was made by the short lived Australian Film Syndicate in North Sydney.[10]

A sequence involved the Sydney Cup race. The AJC would not allow scenes to be shot at Randwick so the producer used Victoria Park. According to Wright:

It was decided to shoot tho Cup scene first. A grey — Fitz Merv, I think— won the handicap which was to represent the race for the Sydney Cup, after making a brilliant run in the straight from the rear of the field. This was a tiny stroke of luck for the producer who thereupon secured a grey horse to be used right through the picture, and when he was seen winning the Cup in the final scene the fans went crazy with delight.[10]

The cinematographer, George Wilkins, later became a noted polar explorer under the name "Hubert". He had become cinematographer for the Australian Film Syndicate after Lacey Percival left the company to join the Australian Photo-Play Company.[11]

Reception

According to Wright the film "paid its way well... packed with action and thrills, [it] drew the crowds... If it could be shown to-day [in 1931] lecturer and all, no doubt it would be the laugh of a life time.".[10]

A contemporary review said "the story abounds is dramatic situations, which culminate in a motor-boat chase down Sydney Harbour, the death of the villain, and a promise of future happiness for the lovers and their bright little son. All who appreciate a clean Australian story should welcome this excellent film."[12]

References

  1. ↑ "GENERAL GOSSIP.". The Referee (Sydney: National Library of Australia). 15 November 1911. p. 16. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 "AUSTRALIAN PHOTO-PLAY.". The Sunday Times (Sydney: National Library of Australia). 5 November 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "Advertising.". Clarence and Richmond Examiner (Grafton, NSW: National Library of Australia). 2 March 1912. p. 12. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  4. ↑ "GENERAL GOSSIP.". The Referee (Sydney: National Library of Australia). 1 November 1911. p. 16. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "CUPID CUP WINNER.". The Register (Adelaide: National Library of Australia). 24 June 1911. p. 4. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  6. ↑ "OBITUARY.". Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga, NSW: National Library of Australia). 21 December 1932. p. 2. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "A BOOKSTALL STORY.". Freeman's Journal (Sydney: National Library of Australia). 15 June 1911. p. 18. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  8. ↑ ""WHAT THEY DO IN AUSTRALIA.".". The West Australian (Perth: National Library of Australia). 24 June 1911. p. 14. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  9. ↑ "Display Advertising.". The Queenslander (National Library of Australia). 2 December 1911. p. 12. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 "To Pana's Page On Passing and Past Shows.". The Referee (Sydney: National Library of Australia). 1 July 1931. p. 24. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  11. ↑ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 31.
  12. ↑ "GENERAL GOSSIP.". The Referee (Sydney: National Library of Australia). 22 November 1911. p. 16. Retrieved 13 September 2014.

External links

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