''Possum Paddock'' is a 1921 Australian film based on a popular play by Kate Howarde. It was the first Australian feature film to be directed by a woman.Ina Bertrand, 'Celebrating Kate Howarde', ''Senses of Cinema'', August 2002
/ref> Only portions of it survive today.

Plot

Andrew "Dad" McQuade (John Cosgrove), a tough farmer, faces ruin because of a bank loan he cannot repay. He decides to sell a fifty-acre field called 'Possum Paddock' to his greedy neighbour, Dan Martin (James Martin). However, Hugh Bracken (Jack Kirby), who is dating McQuade's daughter, Nancy (Leslie Adrien), sells his car to pay off the old man's debts. He then discovers that a railway is to go through the paddock and is worth a fortune.

Cast

* John Cosgrove as Andrew McQuade *James Martin as Dan Martin *Leslie Adrien as Nancy McQuade *Jack Kirby as Hugh Bracken * Kate Howarde

Original play

The play premiered in Sydney in 1919 and was a massive hit, touring for the next ten months. It starred John Cosgrove and Howarde herself, along with Fred MacDonald. The play was revived a number of times over the years.

Production

Howarde made the film in collaboration with actor

Charles Villers Charles François Dominique de Villers (4 November 1765 – 26 February 1815) was a French philosopher. He was mainly responsible for translating the philosophy of Immanuel Kant into the French language. Life Villers was born in Boulay-Moselle, F ...

. The adaptation turned the story into a more serious melodrama rather than a broad comedy. It was shot at the Rushcutter's Bay studio established by

Charles Cozens Spencer 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 ...

. Many of the cast had appeared in the original stage production, including Howarde and her daughter Leslie Adrien, who played the female lead. New South Wales censors insisted a subplot about an unmarried mother be cut, in particular a scene where she imagines throwing her baby into a river.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 103

Reception

Although the film appears to have been commercially successful, Howarde made no further films, preferring to concentrate on her theatre career.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0323680
''Possum Paddock''
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 ...

Copy of original play
at

National Archives of Australia The National Archives of Australia (NAA), formerly known as the Commonwealth Archives Office and Australian Archives, is an Australian Government agency that serves as the national archives of the nation. It collects, preserves and encourages ...

1921 films Australian silent feature films Australian black-and-white films 1910s Australian plays 1920s Australian films