A Tale of the Australian Bush

1911 film

15 March 1911 (1911-03-15)

Running time

2,500 feet^[1] or 3,000 feet^[2]CountryAustraliaLanguagesSilent
English intertitles

A Tale of the Australian Bush is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Gaston Mervale. Set in colonial Australia, it was also known as Ben Hall, the Notorious Bushranger and is considered a lost film.

Plot

The story of the bushranger Ben Hall, including his duel with Melville, last stand and death. A contemporary review said that "unlike the usual bushranging films, instead of glorifying the villainy of the criminals of the bush, recorded a triumph of the law over the lawless."^[3]

Cast

A.J. Patrick as Ben Hall
Godfrey Cassas Melville
Harry Beaumont as Gilbert
James Martin as Keightley
Gilbert Emery as chief of police
Harrie Ireland as Mrs Keightley
Isma Owe and Robbie Hall
Louise Carbasse as Mrs Hall

Production

It was the first film from the production company Australian Life Biograph Company.^[4]

Release

The film was first released in Sydney as Ben Hall, the Notorious Bushranger^[5] before being screened nationally under the other title.

References

^ "Advertising". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 30 September 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
^ "Advertising". The Referee. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 22 May 1912. p. 16. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
^ "NEW BUSH PICTURE-STORY". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 18 March 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 15.
^ "Advertising". The Barrier Miner. Broken Hill, NSW: National Library of Australia. 15 March 1911. p. 1. Retrieved 27 January 2012.