Directed by Herbert Walsh Starring Edith Crowe Running time 5,000 feet Box office 2,000 GBP | Written by Keith Yelland Release date 7 November 1918 Initial release 1919 Cinematography Harry Krischock | |
Productioncompany Trench Comforts Fund Committee | ||
What Happened to Jean is a 1918 Australian silent film shot in South Australia. It is a lost film.
Contents
Plot
Country girl Jean sets out to see the world. She arrives in Adelaide, runs into villainous Ashbourne, and wins a car in a competition conducted by the Trench Comfort Fund. She meets socialite Mrs de Tafford, who misses her long-lost daughter, and adopts Jean, and promotes her in society. Jean attends a garden party and government house and is sent to a boarding school to complete her education. She discovers that she is in fact Mrs de Tafford's long-lost daughter.
Many members of Adelaide society also appeared, including South Australia's Premier Peake.
Production
The film was made by the South Australian Trench Comforts Fund to raise money for charity. It was intended for South Australian audiences only and deliberately featured many local landmarks. Most of the cast and crew were amateurs.
Reception
The film was hyped through a series of ads in Adelaide papers simply asking "what happened to Jean?" It received a gala premiere, attended by the Premier, Governor General, and leading members of Adelaide society.
The film was well received in Adelaide and raised a reported £2,000.