''The Enemy Within'' is a 1918 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 ...

starring renowned Australian sportsman

Snowy Baker Reginald Leslie "Snowy" Baker (8 February 18842 December 1953) was an Australian athlete, sports promoter, and actor. Born in Surry Hills, an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Baker excelled at a number of sports, winning New Sout ...

in his first screen role. Unlike many Australian silent movies, it is possible to see the full film today.

Synopsis

Jack Airlie is a secret agent who has worked for four years abroad. He returns to Australia after four years away and falls for Myree Brew, beautiful daughter of his oldest friend, Mrs Drew. Rich businessman Henry Brasels is also in love with Myree. Brasels is running a gang of German saboteurs, including radical leader Bill Warne, who is planning to set off a series of bombs. Brasels lures Jack into a trap but he manages to escape with the help of his sidekick, detective Jimmy cook. Brasels kidnaps Myee and tries to get on board a German ship. however Jack manages to climb down a steep cliff and rescue her, as the Coastal Patrol capture Warne and Warne.

Cast

as Jack Airlie *

John Faulkner John Philip Faulkner (born 12 April 1954) is an Australian former Labor Party politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 1989 to 2015. He was a Cabinet Minister in the Keating, Rudd and Gillard Governments. After his election to ...

as Henry Brasels *Lily Molloy as Myree Drew *Nellie Calvin as Claire Lerode *Billy Ryan as Bill Warne * Sandy McVea as Jimmy Cook *Lily Rochefort as Mrs Drew *Gerald Harcourt as Glassop *Marjory Donovan as the child

Production

The film was specifically concocted a vehicle for Snowy Baker, with plenty of action sequences to demonstrate his physical prowess, including climbing down a 300-foot cliff, leaping from a moving car, diving 80-foot into Sydney harbour at Coogee Bay and hand-to-hand fighting. The story was partly inspired by the real-life raid of the '' SMS Wolf'' in the Pacific during World War I, and the sinking of the ''Cumberland'' off

Gabo Island Gabo Island is a island located off the coast of eastern Victoria, Australia, between Mallacoota and Cape Howe on the border with New South Wales. It is separated from the mainland by a wide channel; access is available by arranged flights an ...

. The villains were based on the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...

, and shown to be operating in Sydney high society. Filming started in December 1917. The director, Roland Stavely, was a stage director for J. C. Williamson Ltd. The part of Snowy Baker's assistant was played by Sandy McVea, an aboriginal boxer.

Release

The film was specifically advertised as "not a war picture but a thrilling drama of a special agent's fight against spies in Australia"."Advertising." ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' 9 Mar 1918: 2
Retrieved 18 December 2011 It was a hit and led to a number of action movies starring Baker. A novelised version of the script was published in 1919.

References

External links

*
''The Enemy Within''
at

Australian Screen Online 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 ...

''The Enemy Within''
at the

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 ...

Example of a contemporary newspaper ad for the film
{{DEFAULTSORT:Enemy Within, The 1918 films Australian drama films Australian silent feature films Australian black-and-white films 1918 drama films Silent drama films