''My Lady of the Cave'' is a 1922 New Zealand silent film which was the first feature from

Rudall Hayward Rudall Charles Victor Hayward (4 July 1900 – 29 May 1974) was a pioneer New Zealand filmmaker from the 1920s to the 1970s, who directed seven feature films and numerous others. Biography Hayward was born in Wolverhampton, England, and died i ...

. It was based on a popular story by H. T. Gibson, which was published serially in several newsapapers. The film was shot over seven weeks, starting December 1921. Six of these weeks were spent on

Mayor Island In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

, in the

Bay of Plenty The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runawa ...

region; filming also took place at nearby

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

. The story revolves around a shipwrecked sailor's encounter with a woman who has been brought up on an isolated island. Hayward later said:

The photography was magnificent but the story was fairly crude. It was notable for its scenery and its action. What money we made in New Zealand we lost trying to get it released overseas. Hosted by Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Accessed 18 December 2020.

A contemporary review in ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

'' also praised the film's photography:

The crowds of patrons who thronged to the Grand Theatre at all sessions yesterday to witness the first screenings of this really fine film found no need to exercise tolerance towards a local effort. On the contrary, they were very soon made aware that here was a picture that redounded to the credit of all concerned in its making. Of chief importance in any such venture, the photographic effects instantly commanded admiration ..The story is refreshingly wholesome, the scenic gems are a delight to view, and the New Zealand atmosphere is faithfully retained.

References

External links

* 1922 films 1920s New Zealand films New Zealand silent films 1920s English-language films {{NewZealand-film-stub