The Bells (1911 film)
The Bells | |
---|---|
Directed by | W. J. Lincoln |
Written by | W. J. Lincoln |
Based on | the play The Bells by Erckmann-Chatrian adapted by Leopold Lewis and W. J. Lincoln |
Produced by | William Gibson Millard Johnson John Tait Nevin Tait |
Starring | Arthur Styan Nellie Bramley |
Cinematography | Orrie Perry |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 4,000 feet[2] |
Country | Australia |
Languages | Silent film English intertitles |
The Bells is a 1911 Australian feature-length silent film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It is based on the famous stage melodrama by Erckmann-Chatrian, adapted by Leopold Lewis, which in turn had been adapted for the Australian stage by W. J. Lincoln before he made it into a film.[3][4]
It is today considered a lost film.
It was one of several films Lincoln made with the Tait family, who had produced The Story of the Kelly Gang.[5] According to Lincoln's obituary in The Bulletin it was one of Lincoln's best films.[6]
Plot
Mathias (Arthur Styan) is an innkeeper in a village in Alsace, happily married to Catherine (Miss Grist) and with a daughter Annette (Nellie Bramley). However he is greatly in debt, so on Christmas Day 1833, he murders a Polish Jew (Mr Cullenane) who visits the inn for his gold. He uses this to pay off his debts and rise in society, becoming the burgomaster of the town – however he is always tormented by guilt.
Fifteen years later on Christmas Day, Mathias becomes delirious and hears the sound of the Jew's sleigh bells. He dreams he is being tried for the murder and is found guilty. He awakes and dies, leaving his family none the wiser.
Cast
- Arthur Styan as Mathias
- Nellie Bramley as Annette
- Ethel Grist as Catherine
- John Ennis as Walter
- Ward Lyons as Hans
- Charles Lawrence as Christian
- Mr Johns as mesmerist
- Mr Ebbsmith as Dr Zimmer
- George Kensington as notary
- Mr Devon as Tony
- Mr Devine as Fritz
- Mr Cullenane as the Polish Jew
- Mr Coleridge as judge
- Mr Sinclair as clerk
- Marion Willis as Sozel
Production
The film was an adaptation of a well known play and featured the only known screen appearance of stage actor Nellie Bramley.[7] It was shot partly on location of Mount Donna Buang in Victoria.[8]
Sam Crews was the scenic artist, and John Ennis was the stage manager.[2] Stage scenery was hired from J.C. Williamson Ltd.[9] It was shot at a studio in St Kilda.[10]
Release
Screenings of the film were often accompanied by a lectured from J Ennis, who was in the film.
The film was released in the US in 1914 by Sawyers Inc.[11]
See also
- The Bells (US 1918)
- The Bells (US 1926)
- The Bells (UK 1931)
- The Burgomeister (Australia 1935)
References
- ^ Mary Bateman, 'W. J. Lincoln', Cinema Papers, June–July 1980 p 214
- ^ a b "The Picture World". Table Talk. Melbourne. 8 September 1927. p. 29. Retrieved 18 June 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Mary Bateman, 'W. J. Lincoln', Cinema Papers, June–July 1980 p 174
- ^ "The Picture World". Table Talk. Melbourne. 8 September 1927. p. 29. Retrieved 26 October 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Endean, Lin (13 December 1933). "134 Years in the Industry: The Perrys' Record identifier". Everyones. p. 44.
- ^ "AT POVERTY POINT". The Bulletin. 6 September 1917.
- ^ "LIFE & LETTERS". The West Australian. Perth. 4 May 1946. p. 5. Retrieved 16 September 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 25.
- ^ "Film Year Book: The 1922–23 Film Daily Year Book of Motion Pictures" p 171 Retrieved 24 June 2015
- ^ "Sam Crew Enters 'When London Sleeps' Controversy". Everyones. 12 October 1932. p. 19.
- ^ "Motion Picture News - Lantern: Search, Visualize & Explore the Media History Digital Library".
External links
- 1911 films
- Australian black-and-white films
- Australian silent feature films
- Lost Australian drama films
- 1911 drama films
- 1911 lost films
- Melodrama films
- Films directed by W. J. Lincoln
- Silent Australian drama films
- 1910s English-language films
- English-language drama films
- 1910s Australian films
- Australian films based on plays