It Is Never Too Late to Mend (1911 film)
| It Is Never Too Late to Mend | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | W. J. Lincoln |
| Produced by |
John Tait Nevin Tait Millard Johnson William Gibson |
| Written by | W. J. Lincoln |
| Based on |
the novel by Charles Reade adapted into a play by Charles Reade |
| Starring | Stanley Walpole |
| Cinematography | Orrie Perry |
|
Production
company |
Johnson and Gibson
|
| Distributed by | J & N Tait (Australia) Sawyer's Pictures (USA) |
|
Release date
|
7 January 1911 (Sydney) August 1914 (USA) |
|
Running time
|
4,000 feet |
| Country | Australia |
| Language |
Silent film English intertitles |
It Is Never Too Late to Mend is an Australian feature-length film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It was based on a stage adaptation of the popular 1865 novel It Is Never Too Late to Mend by Charles Reade about convict Australia. The novel has been credited with exposing cruelties in the Australian prison system and having helped end the convict system.
It is considered a lost film.
The film begins at Grance Farm in England, rented by Georgie and William Fileing. The farm is struggling and the brothers have to sell their new hay to stave off the landlord. The Honorable Frank Winchester contemplates going abroad and asks George to accompany him. However George is in love with his cousin, Susan Merton, and does not want to make the trip.
Susan is also loved by the villainous John Meadows. He refuses to lend money to Georgie and there is an eviction sale on the farm.
George Fielding travels to Australia to make enough money to marry Susan. George discovers gold and a bushranger gang tries to rob him but the other miners come to George's rescue.
There is a subplot about a thief acquaintance of George, Tom Robinson, who is sent to gaol and suffers brutal treatment at the hands of the guards. Susan is about to marry the evil Meadows but he is unmasked at the wedding by Isaac Levy. The wedding goes ahead with Susan marrying George instead.
The film consisted of 60 scenes. It was issued with a summary of the story and featured chapter titles which prepared the audiences for incidents before they happened. It was also often accompanied by a lecturer.
According to The Age "Interesting phases of early Australian life are revealed, including the fascinating stories of the gold discoveries... in the construction of the story for picture purposes, the salient features of the novel have been retained and a descriptive address accompanies the production."
Stage adaptations of the novel had been popular since 1865.
The film was shot in Melbourne and "enacted by a specially-selected company of Victorian artists" who were "a selected metropolitan company of 60 performers."
The movie debuted at the Olympia Theatre in Haymarket, Sydney in January 1911. A lecturer accompanied screenings and would explain the action that took place.
The movie broke box office records at the Olympia. It later drew strong crowds in Melbourne as well.
The Sydney Sunday Times said there "was special performances by a company of Australian actors."
Melbourne's Table Talk called it "a most gratifying success in all ways. The pictures are clear and the acting is adequate, while to our ideas it is more natural, for it has not the Gallic mannerisms and excessive gesture noticeable in some of the imported pictorial dramas, which are usually interpreted by French artists."
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Wikipedia