Amalgamated Pictures was a film exchange company in Australia. For a time it was also a short-lived Australian film production company. Although none of its output has survived, it has been written that "judging by subjects chosen, the average length (4,000 feet) and the scale of Amalgamated's productions, the company was second only to

Spencer's Pictures Charles Cozens Spencer (12 February 1874 – c. September 1930) was a British-born film exhibitor and producer, who was a significant figure in the early years of the Australian film industry. He produced films under the name Spencer's Pictures a ...

in its resolve to build a quality reputation for Australian features" in the Australian film boom of 1911–12.Graham Shirley and Brian Adams, ''Australian Cinema: The First Eighty Years'', Currency Press 1989 p 41

History of the production company

The Amalgamated Picture Company Ltd was formed on 4 March 1911 by the brothers

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

and

Nevin Tait James Nevin Tait (27 June 1876 – 1961) was an Australian concert promoter and film producer born in Castlemaine, Victoria who often collaborated with his brothers Charles and John. Nevin Tait was born in Castlemaine, Victoria, the son of Joh ...

, and Millard Johnson and

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ...

, with capital of £100,000. This team had previously collaborated on ''

The Story of the Kelly Gang ''The Story of the Kelly Gang'' is a 1906 Australian bushranger film that traces the exploits of 19th-century bushranger and outlaw Ned Kelly and his gang. It was directed by Charles Tait and shot in and around the city of Melbourne. The origin ...

'' and ''

Robbery Under Arms ''Robbery Under Arms'' is a bushranger novel by Thomas Alexander Browne, published under his pen name Rolf Boldrewood. It was first published in serialised form by ''The Sydney Mail'' between July 1882 and August 1883, then in three volumes in ...

''. Contemporary newspaper reports announcing the launch said the company had:

The purpose of promoting the finest and best class of picture Entertainment yet seen in the Australian colonies. With the capital at command, no endeavour will be spared to present to their patrons a standard of show that will eclipse all similar enterprises within the province of our own hemisphere. One of the main endeavours of the amalgamation will be to procure only the very best picture subjects procurable on the world's market. A feature will likewise be made of special and original produced Australian dramas, similar to those that have already proved so hugely successful. The management, in making a public statement of their intentions, anticipate a large share of public support.

They produced numerous newsreels and feature films, with their chief creative talent being the writer-director

W. J. Lincoln William Joseph Lincoln (1870 – 18 August 1917) was an Australian playwright, theatre manager, film director and screenwriter in the silent film, silent era. He produced, directed and/or wrote 23 films between 1911 and 1916. One obituary calle ...

and cameraman Orrie Perry. They also owned a number of theatres. Prouse Knows worked as Lincoln's assistant. The bulk of Amalgamated's movies were shot at a studio in Fitzroy St, St Kilda. Locations would be shot at

Healesville Healesville is a town in Victoria, Australia, 52 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Healesville recorded a population of 7,589 in the 2021 census. He ...

, Sandringham and other areas nearby. At one stage 80-90 people were employed by the company. All but one of its features was adapted from a novel, song, story or stage play. Acting talent was drawn from the stage. In 1912, Amalgamated Pictures merged with

West's Pictures West's Pictures was a short-lived Australian film production and exhibition company during the silent era. It was established by English theatrical entrepreneur Thomas James West (1885-1916) who helped turn the company into one of Australia's large ...

, and then

to create the General Film Company of Australasia. In November 1912 this company merged with the Greater JD Williams Amusement Co, a large exhibition and film supply outfit, to create "the combine" of Union Theatres and Australasian Films.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p.14. Amalgamated Pictures continued as a company within the Combine, but no longer produced movies.

Filmography

*'' After Sundown'' (1911) *''

The Mystery of a Hansom Cab ''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' is a mystery fiction novel by the Australian writer Fergus Hume. The book was first published in Australia in 1886. Set in Melbourne, the story focuses on the investigation of a homicide involving a body discovered ...

'' (1911) *''

The Luck of Roaring Camp "The Luck of Roaring Camp" is a short story by American author Bret Harte. It was first published in the August 1868 issue of the ''Overland Monthly'' and helped push Harte to international prominence. The story is about the birth of a baby boy i ...

'' (1911) *'' Called Back'' (1911) *''

The Lost Chord "The Lost Chord" is a song composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1877 at the bedside of his brother Fred during Fred's last illness. The manuscript is dated 13 January 1877; Fred Sullivan died five days later. The lyric was written as a poem by Adelai ...

'' (1911) *'' The Bells'' (1911) *'' The Double Event'' (1911) *''

Breaking the News ''Breaking the News'' is a 1912 Australian melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln based on John Longstaff's 1887 painting of the same name. It is considered a lost film. Plot A prospector looks for a wife to live with him and eventually ...

'' (1912) *''

Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...

'' (1912) *''

His Only Chance ''His Only Chance'' is a 1918 Australian silent film directed by Dick Shortland. It is a high society melodrama. As with '' Cupid Camouflaged'', the film was made to aid fund raising for the Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Cres ...

'' (1918)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Amalgamated Pictures
at

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

1910s in Australian cinema Film production companies of Australia Mass media companies established in 1911 Mass media companies disestablished in 1912 Australian companies established in 1911 1912 disestablishments in Australia