When
Wed 20 Sep 2023
Lyell and Longford’s 13th collaboration in seven years is a proto-feminist moral melodrama of sexual exploitation, female suffrage and revenge highlighting the unequal fate of men and women. Registering a significant maturing of Longford’s directorial capabilities and Lyell’s nuanced acting style, this controversial and full-blooded drama – of which only two-thirds survives – provides a remarkable portrait of harsh bush life.
To be followed by the surviving footage of several other Lyell-Longford collaborations including their breakthrough feature, The Romantic Story of Margaret Catchpole (Raymond Longford, 1911) 24 mins – Unclassified 15+.
35mm prints courtesy of the National Film and Sound Archive, Australia.
Also screening on Wed 20 September
Program
Lottie Lyell, Australia’s First Film Star
The Sentimental Bloke (1919) – Wed 20 Sep, 7pm
The Woman Suffers (1918) – Wed 20 Sep, 9.20pm
About the program
The collaboration between Lottie Lyell (1890–1925) and Raymond Longford (1878–1959) is one of the most significant in Australian film. Although her onscreen credits don’t reflect the varied roles she played as sometimes lead actor, screenwriter, art director, producer, editor and co-director, the partnership between Lyell and Longford was truly equal. The pair collaborated on 28 films and Lyell received official credit as a screenwriter on almost half...
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About Melbourne Cinémathèque
Australia's longest-running film society, Melbourne Cinémathèque screens significant works of international cinema in the medium they were created, the way they would have originally screened.
Melbourne Cinémathèque is self-administered, volunteer-run, not-for-profit and membership-driven.
