''The Dingo'' is a 1923 Australian

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

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 ...

. It is a melodrama about a drunken scoundrel who causes trouble. It is considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 116.

Plot

"The Dingo" is a nickname for Harry Selby, a drunken thief from the city who loves animals and little children. He marries a country girl, Molly, despite knowing that she loves someone else, Dr John Stirling. Selby becomes passionately jealous of Stirling's attentions to Molly and is encouraged in this by Oily Allen. Harry breaks into Dr Stirling's house and discovers a photograph of his wife. He picks it up, knocking over a vase, the sound of which attracts Stirling's servant. The servant rushes down with a revolver, there is a struggle and the servant is shot dead. This shot is head by a policeman who runs to the house and captures Selby, who is eventually sentenced to death. The shock of this is too much for Molly who dies after giving birth to a baby daughter. Her last words to Dr Stirling ask him to look after her little girl. Harry spends 18 years in gaol then gets out to find his daughter has been raised by Dr Stirling. Seeing how happy his daughter is, Harry does not tell her that he is her real father and she marries a nice young man.

Cast

* George Edwards as Harry Selby *Phyllis Coughlan as Audrey Onslow *William Coulter as Oily Allen *Sybil Shirley *

Godfrey Cass Godfrey Cass (1867 – 14 May 1951) was an Australian actor in the silent era. Between 1906 and 1935 he acted in nineteen film roles. He played Ned Kelly three times, and also had roles in a number of other bushranger movies including '' A Tale ...

as Dr John Stirling *

Gordon Collingridge Gordon Collingridge was an Australian actor during the silent film era. He played many matinee idol type roles, most notably for director Beaumont Smith and opposite Louise Lovely in ''Jewelled Nights'' (1925). Lovely called him "the male screen ...

*Charles Beetham *Fred Twitcham *Jackie Anderson *Lena Edwards *James Bendrodt *Peggy Dawes

Production

The film was shot partly on location in Mudgee, New South Wales in October 1922. Phyllis Coughlan was a journalist who was married to

. A ballroom dance scene featured a popular dance duo of the time, James Bendrodt and Peggy Dawes. George Edwards later became a noted radio star.

Reception

The ''Adelaide Herald'' called the film "something new, different, fascinating, that will set the pulses beating quicker than ever. It is the kind of photo play everyone knew Australia would produce sooner or later." However the film appears to have only been given a small release and it is unlikely it was a commercial success.

References

External links

*
''The Dingo''
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 ...

1923 films Australian silent feature films Australian black-and-white films Lost Australian drama films 1923 drama films Melodrama films 1923 lost films Silent Australian drama films 1920s Australian films Films directed by Kenneth Brampton {{Australia-silent-film-stub