Directed by Raymond Longford Written by J. Barr
C.A. Jeffries Edited by Ernest Higgins Initial release 1913 Producer Charles Cozens Spencer Cast Lottie Lyell | Produced by Charles Cozens Spencer Starring Lottie Lyell Production
company Spencer's Pictures Director Raymond Longford Editor Ernest Higgins | |
Cinematography Arthur Higgins, Ernest Higgins, Tasman Higgins Similar The Midnight Wedding, The Bushwhackers, The Fatal Wedding, The Blue Mountains Mystery | ||
Australia Calls is a 1913 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford about the fictitious invasion of Australia by an unnamed Asian country.
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The movie is not to be confused with Longford's 1923 picture Australia Calls and is considered a lost film.
Longford later claimed the film was the first Australian movie to have mass extras (from Sydney's Chinatown) and feature model photography, as well as being the first film in the world to show wireless. Film historians have said "the scale and blatant progpaganda of [the film]... made it the least typical of Longford's thirty narrative films".
Synopsis
The film begins with a prologue, 'The Warning', showing a Sydney horse race, then a football match in front of thousands of spectators. Living on an outback station, Beatrice Evans (Lottie Lyell) rejects the advances of a suitor. An unnamed Asian country lands 20,000 troops (called "Mongolians") on the New South Wales coast, and Australia issues a call to arms, mobilising its forces. The invading army attacks Sydney, setting buildings on fire and taking over the Min, Treasury Building and wireless telegraph station. The rejected suitor turns traitor and Beatrice is captured by the enemy. However she is rescued by plane with the help of aviator William E. Hart and the Australians are victorious.
A contemporary review said "the synopsis contains scenes of Australians at play, at the races, at football, the call to arms, the burning of Sydney, the enemy in possession, Australian mobilising, the capture of the wireless station, treachery, in the hands of the enemy, Australian bushmen rallying, tapping the overhead telegraph wires, the charge of the lancers, and ride for life, William E. Hart (Australia's aviator) to the rescue."
Cast
Production
The movie was written by two journalists from the magazine The Bulletin and sought to exploit Australia's fear of the Yellow Peril. Filming was done with the assistance of the Australian Defence Department and took over a year to complete, including model work to convey the burning of Sydney.
The cast includes early Australian aviator William Edward Hart, who made the first cross-country flight in New South Wales, and later tenor Alfred O'Shea. Ernest Higgins shot some aerial photography for the film on a flight with Hart. Scenes involving Hart were shot at Richmond.