Cinema
Fellers
Synopsis
During the Palestine campaign of the First World War, three comrades serve in the Australian Light Horse. One has enlisted for a taste of adventure, the second because he believes he has killed a man, the third to win back the young woman he loves and believes to be in love with another. The film follows their adventures as soldiers in the desert in a comic vein, and mixes documentary footage of the real campaign with the fiction.
Context
The film was produced by Artaus, a company founded in December 1929, from a screenplay by Ashley Durham or Druham depending on the sources, and Tasman Higgins was the cinematographer. The desert scenes were shot in the Kensington dunes, near Sydney, and in western New South Wales. Almost entirely silent, with recorded music, it features synchronised dialogue and a song only in the last reel. Shown at the Theatre Royal in Sydney in August 1930 for two weeks, it was poorly received by critics and earned little.
Who it is for
A feature film in English, silent except for the last reel; no copy is attested, and it may be among the lost films.
Prizes and reception
Third prize in the Commonwealth film competition, with no first or second prize; Fay refused the award.
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