''Out of the Shadows'' was an unfinished 1931 feature film from

A. R. Harwood Alexander Roy Harwood (1897–1980), better known as A. R. Harwood, or Dick Harwood, was an Australian film director and producer who also worked in exhibition. He was inspired to become a filmmaker when he was posted to Tahiti to work for an insu ...

. He made it after a number of years of working in distribution with the intention of producing Australia's first talking motion picture. The script was by J. Summers, "a Victorian who has had experience in Hollywood".

Production

The movie was a "society romance" shot in Melbourne using a sound-on-disc recording system. During filming, Senator John Barnes, then leader of the Senate, paid a visit to the St Kilda Studio where it was being shot. Independent Films announced plans to make four more movies. However the only set of wax discs buckled in a heat wave before the film was completed and it was never released. The honour of making the first Australian "talkie" went to

F.W. Thring Francis William Thring (2 December 1882 – 1 July 1936), better known as F. W. Thring, was an Australian film director, producer, and exhibitor. He has been credited with the invention of the clapperboard. Early life Francis William Thring ...

's ''

Diggers The Diggers were a group of religious and political dissidents in England, associated with agrarian socialism. Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard, amongst many others, were known as True Levellers in 1649, in reference to their split from ...

'' (1931). Harwood recovered and used the same cast and crew to make two low-budget films, ''

Spur of the Moment A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to back ...

'' (1931) and ''

Isle of Intrigue ''Isle of Intrigue'' is a 1931 Australian film directed by A. R. Harwood. It was one of the first Australian talking movies. Plot The pearling schooners of a trading firm are being robbed by a mysterious pirate. The son of the owner of the firm ...

'' (1931).Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998 p154

Cast

*William Greene *Paul Plunkett *Edna Lyall *Syd HolIister

References

Australian romantic drama films 1930s unfinished films {{Australia-film-stub