''Robbery Under Arms'' is a 1920 Australian film directed by

Kenneth Brampton Kenneth Brampton (died 21 June 1942) was an Australian actor, writer and director. He was an actor in England before coming to Australia. He later ran an acting school. Filmography *''Robbery Under Arms'' (1920) – actor, director *'' The Din ...

and financed by mining magnate Pearson Tewksbury. It is an early example of the "

Meat pie Western Australian Western, also known as meat pie Western or kangaroo Western, is a broad genre of Western-style films or TV series set in the Australian outback or "the bush". Films about bushrangers (sometimes called bushranger films) are included ...

Plot

Two brothers, Dick and Jim Marsden, become involved with the bushranger, Captain Starlight. They romance two girls, work on the goldfields, and are captured by the police after Starlight is shot dead.

Cast

as Captain Starlight * S. A. Fitzgerald as Ben Marsden * Roland Conway as Dick Marsden * Cliff Pyatt as Jim Marsden *

Roy Redgrave George Ellsworthy "Roy" Redgrave (26 April 1873 – 25 May 1922) was an English stage and silent film actor. Redgrave is considered to be the first member of the Redgrave acting dynasty. Early life Born George Edward Redgrave in 122 Kenningt ...

as Dan Moran * William Pearson as Sir Frederick Moranger * Stuart MacRae as Inspector Goring * Jackie Anderson as Warrigal * Vera Archer as Jennie Morrison * Betty Crook as Miss Falkland * Hilda Dorrington as Kate Morrison *

Tien Hogue Tien Hogue was the stage name of Anne Christina Hogue (29 June 1892 – November 1964), an Australian actress of stage and screen in the silent era. She was a popular personality, who, though marriage, became Lady Wyatt. Family The fourth da ...

as Aileen Marsden * Austral Nichol as Mrs. Knightley * Wilton Power as George Storefield * Phyllis Ruthven as Grace Storefield * Sybil Shirley * Nan Taylor as Mrs. Marsden * H. D. Wise as Mr. Knightley * Charles Chauvel

Production

There had been several attempts to make films based on Rolfe Boldrewood's 1888 novel since the bushranging ban by the New South Wales government in 1912. In particular there were attempts by Stanley Crick in 1916 and Alfred Rolfe in 1918. However

managed to secure permission for this 1920 version, mostly likely because it stressed the moral lessons of the story.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 101. Kenneth Brampton and actress

managed to persuade the mining magnate Pearson Tewksbury to raise the budget and act as producer.Graham Shirley & Brian Adams, ''Australian Cinema: The First Eighty Years'', Angus & Robertson, 1989 p 70-71 Brampton was acting in the play ''Lightnin which he left to make the film. The film was shot on location at Braidwood and in the Araluen Valley near Canberra. The bushrangers the

Clarke brothers Brothers Thomas (c. 1840 – 25 June 1867) and John Clarke (c. 1846 – 25 June 1867) were Australian bushrangers from the Braidwood district of New South Wales. They committed a series of high-profile crimes which led to the enacting of the Fe ...

reportedly worked in this region. Renowned horseman "Top" Hassall doubled for Brampton on the horse riding scenes. Future director Charles Chauvel was working around the Sydney studios and attending to horses on the film. He has a bit part. The film was the final acting role for

who died in 1922.

Reception

The movie was reportedly successful at the box office and grossed up to £16,000. However returns were so slow and the distributor and exhibitor took so much that Pearson Tewksbury was dissuaded from further film production. ''Variety'' said the film was "of only fair quality, the picture just gets by."

Preservation status

A "copy comprising about three-quarters of the film" was found and combined with already known footage to produce a near-complete version. A five-minute sequence is still missing.

References

External links

* *
''Robbery Under Arms (1920)''
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 ...

{{Bushrangers , state=collapsed 1920 films 1920 Western (genre) films 1920s rediscovered films Articles containing video clips Australian black-and-white films Films based on Robbery Under Arms Rediscovered Australian films Silent Australian Western (genre) films Silent drama films