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 |
|
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 | edit source]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 | edit source]- Molly O'Donohue (or O'Donohoe)[5] as Laughing Mary
Production
[edit | edit source]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 | edit source]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.[13]
References
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- ^ a b Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 128.
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Around the Boree Log at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Around the Boree Log at National Film and Sound Archive
- Around the Boree Log (1925) at the John O'Brien Museum, Narrandera
- Peter Malone's summary and review
- Full text of original poem at Project Gutenberg
