Walter Franklyn Barrett (1873 – 16 July 1964), better known as Franklyn Barrett, was an Australian film director and cinematographer. He worked for a number of years for
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 ...
. It was later written of the filmmaker that "Barrett's visual ingenuity was to be the highlight of all his work, but... his direction of actors was less assured".
[Graham Shirley and Brian Adams, ''Australian Cinema: The First Eighty Years'', Currency Press 1989 p 39]
Biography
Barrett was born in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, and was raised by his aunt. He was a professional violin player and amateur photographer and claims to have seen the first exhibit of motion pictures at the Empire Theatre in London.
[
]
Barrett moved to New Zealand with his brother and father to work as a clerk for the latter. He began to experiment with shooting movies, and in 1901 won a prize of £15 for some of his photos. Barrett accompanied the Duke of York on his 1901 tour of Australia in capacity as photographer.
He worked for eight months with the Charles Urban Trading Co. Ltd in England and moved to Australia in 1904, where he worked for several theatre companies.
Barrett was the first person to film
the Melbourne Cup from start to finish in 1904, and shot several "scenic movies" for the New Zealand and New South Wales railways.
He joined the Melbourne office of
Pathé Frères
Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipme ...
in 1908 and stayed with them when
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 ...
took over in 1911.
[Rutledge, Martha, 'Barrett, Walter Franklyn (1873–1964)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University](_blank)
accessed 9 April 2012
Barrett began directing movies for West's, starting with ''
The Christian'' (1911). In 1913 West's merged with
Australasian Films and Barrett joined the
Fraser Film Release and Photographic Company. In 1920 he formed his own film company with solicitor Barry Kenward, with whom he made three features. This company eventually folded in May 1922 and Barrett moved into theatre management, running the Capitol Theatre in Canberra in 1925, then various cinemas for Hoyts Theatres from 1927 onwards.
Personal life
Born Walter Franklyn Brown, son of William Brown and Matilda, née Hopwell,
Barrett was already a widower by the time he married Mabel Muriel Pile in Perth on 10 December 1906.
She predeceased him but the daughter they had together, Harrie "Todds" Barrett, survived him.
Todds Barrett went on to become a successful businesswoman.
Franklyn and Mabel's house at 6 Barrett Place Randwick, their home from 1911–26, has a Bicentennial commemorative plaque.
Select filmography
*''
Dummy Mace'' (1901) – cinematographer, director – a staged 3 round boxing match
*''
A Message from Mars'' (1903) – cinematographer, director
*''Ally Sloper as a conjuror'' (1903) – cinematographer, director
[
*''Ally Sloper on Holiday'' (1903) – cinematographer, director][
*''Ally Sloper at the Races'' (1903) – cinematographer, director][
*'' The Melbourne Cup'' (1904) – cinematographer, director
*''The Sea Coasts of New Zealand'' (1908) – cinematographer
*'' The Christian'' (1911) – cinematographer, director
*'' All for Gold, or Jumping the Claim'' (1911) – cinematographer, director
*'' The Strangler's Grip'' (1912) – cinematographer
*'' The Mystery of the Black Pearl'' (1912) – cinematographer
*'' The Eleventh Hour'' (1912) – cinematographer
*'' A Silent Witness'' (1912) – cinematographer, director
*'' The Life of a Jackeroo'' (1913) – cinematographer, director
*'' Pommy Arrives in Australia'' (1913) – cinematographer
*'' A Blue Gum Romance'' (1913) – cinematographer, director
*'' The Pioneers'' (1916) – cinematographer, director
*'' The Joan of Arc of Loos'' (1916) – cinematographer
*'']The Mutiny of the Bounty
''The Mutiny of the Bounty'' is a 1916 Australian-New Zealand silent film directed by Raymond Longford about the mutiny aboard . It is the first known cinematic dramatisation of this story and is considered a lost film.
Longford claimed it was ...
'' (1916) – cinematographer
*''The Murder of Captain Fryatt
''The Murder of Captain Fryatt'' is a 1917 Australian silent film about the execution of Captain Charles Fryatt during World War I from John and Agnes Gavin. It is considered a lost film.
Plot
The Gavins claimed the plot "followed closely the ...
'' (1917) – cinematographer
*''The Monk and the Woman
''The Monk and the Woman'' is a 1917 Australian silent film directed by Franklyn Barrett. It is considered to be lost.
Plot
In eighteenth century France, the evil Prince de Montrale (Harry Plimmer) falls in love with Liane (Maud Fane), but she ...
'' (1917) – director
*cinematographer for unknown film for Antipodes Film Productions directed by C.B. Coates
*'' Australia's Peril'' (1917) – cinematographer, director
*'' The Enemy Within'' (1918) – cinematographer
*'' A Romance of Burke and Wills Expedition of 1860'' (1918) – cinematographer
*''The Lure of the Bush
''The Lure of the Bush'' is a 1918 Australian silent film starring renowned Australian sportsman Snowy Baker. It is considered a lost film.
Synopsis
Hugh Mostyn (Snowy Baker) is sent from his family station to England for an education and returns ...
'' (1918) – cinematographer
*'' Struck Oil'' (1919) – director
*'' The Breaking of the Drought'' (1920) – cinematographer, director
*'' A Girl of the Bush'' (1921) – cinematographer, director
*'' Know Thy Child'' (1921) – cinematographer, director
*''A Rough Passage
''A Rough Passage'' is a 1922 Australian silent film directed by Franklyn Barrett based on the novel by Arthur Wright (writer), Arthur Wright. It was Barrett's final feature and is considered a lost film.
Plot
Laurie Larand (Hayford Hobbs) retu ...
'' (1922) – cinematographer, director
References
External links
*
Franklyn Barrett
at Australian Dictionary of Biography
Article on Barrett's 1925 Tour of Queensland
Franklyn Barrett
at Trove
Trove is an Australian online library database owned by the National Library of Australia in which it holds partnerships with source providers National and State Libraries Australia, an aggregator and service which includes full text documen ...
Franklyn Barrett items
at National Film and Sound Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Franklyn
1900s in New Zealand cinema
Australian film directors
Australian cinematographers
1873 births
1964 deaths