''His Convict Bride'' is a 1918 Australian silent film from the team of

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

Agnes Gavin Agnes Gavin (1872–1947), was an Australian actor and screenwriter in the silent film era. She worked in collaboration with her husband John Gavin throughout her career. She wrote the majority of his films and was arguably the first specialist s ...

. It was a convict-era melodrama.

Plot

In 1813 England, Bess Shelgrove rejects a suitor, Adam Wilson who works as a bank clerk. Seeking revenge, Adam steals money from the bank and frames Bess. She is arrested and transported to

Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cook ...

where she is assigned as a servant to the snobbish Mrs Renshay. Mrs Renshay has a dodgy son and Bess escapes into the bush, where she meets and marries Jack Warren. Bess is later recognised by Mrs Renshay and is arrested. Jack encounters Adam Wilson and forces him to confess he framed Tess. Bess is released from prison and is reunited with Jack and their baby daughter.

Cast

*Ethel Bashford as Bess Shelgrove *

John Gavin John A. Gavin (born Juan Vincent Apablasa; April 8, 1931 – February 9, 2018) was an American actor who was the president of the Screen Actors Guild (1971–73), and the United States Ambassador to Mexico (1981–86). Among the films he appeared ...

as Jack Warren * Charles Villiers as Adam Wilson *Frank Hawthorne *Claude Turton *Fred Cope *Syd Everett *Walter Vincent *Ray Harris *C. Howard *D.L. Dalziel *Randal Woodhouse *Ruth Wainwright *Rose Rooney *Flo Smith

Production

The movie was originally known as Sentenced For Life then For the Term of Her Natural Life; the second title was withdrawn after the threat of legal action by

Marcus Clarke Marcus Andrew Hislop Clarke (24 April 1846 – 2 August 1881) was an English-born Australian novelist, journalist, poet, editor, librarian, and playwright. He is best known for his 1874 novel ''For the Term of His Natural Life'', about the co ...

's daughter due to its similarity to the novel ''

For the Term of His Natural Life ''For the Term of His Natural Life'' is a story written by Marcus Clarke and published in '' The Australian Journal'' between 1870 and 1872 (as ''His Natural Life''). It was published as a novel in 1874 and is the best known novelisation of life ...

''. However, the film is more inspired by the Gavin's previous colonial works, '' Assigned to his Wife'' (1911) and ''

The Assigned Servant ''The Assigned Servant'' is a 1911 Australian silent film about a convict who is transported to Van Diemen's Land. It was made by the husband-and-wife team of John and Agnes Gavin and is considered a lost film. Plot In England, Ralph Frawley i ...

'' (1911). It was allegedly based on a true story. Agnes Gavin copyrighted her script on 20 September 1917. Shooting began in September 1917 in and around Sydney, including at Gavin's studio in Pitt Street. While filming a scene in Penrith, a horse backed over a forty-foot cliff with John Gavin on it. He had his fall broken by a tree and was rescued with a block and tackle, but the horse was put down. Gavin made the film aimed at the American market.

Reception

The film critic from ''The Sunday Times'' gave the movie a mixed review:

''His Convict Bride'' fails to reach even the very low standard of plot set by Australian producers – a circumstance which is difficult to overlook, considering that this country has no scarcity of 'writing talent. But the really surprising part of this film is the photography, from which all signs of crudeness have vanished. The settings are varied and clearly projected ; the effects of light and shade have been considered ; there are even close-up views of the players, and scenes that fade away in the most approved manner. And a truly professional touch is evident in the hero's visions. While not elaborate, the camera work, taken as a whole, can compare with that of any American picture, and, with this branch of the industry mastered, prospects look brighter for further development. The sub-titles, too, being illustrated are more ambitious than usual. Two-thirds of them, however, could have been eliminated, and a little thought would have suggested better word ing for the rest. As they stand, they bear all the dead and gone phrases upon which stage melodrama props its dialogue... Jack Gavin... gives a striking impersonation... and in Ethel Bashford he has chosen a singularly promising, actress for the title-role.

Gavin later claimed he had to pay 6d per foot to get the film into America. After the movie was made, the Gavins moved to Hollywood for several years to work before returning in 1925.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 75.

References

External links

*
''His Convict Bride''
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 ...

{{John Gavin 1918 films Australian black-and-white films Films directed by John Gavin Silent Australian drama films 1918 drama films Melodrama films