''The Sick Stockrider'' is a 1913 film directed by W. J. Lincoln based on the 1870 poem of the same title by

Adam Lindsay Gordon Adam Lindsay Gordon (19 October 1833 – 24 June 1870) was a British-Australian poet, horseman, police officer and politician. He was the first Australian poet to gain considerable recognition overseas, and according to his contemporary, write ...

. It was the first production from

Lincoln-Cass Films Lincoln Cass Films was a short-lived Australian film production company. History Formed in July 1913, its principal filmmakers were W. J. Lincoln and Godfrey Cass and the managing director of the company was H. Dean Stewart. Charles Wheeler was ...

and is one of the few Australian silent films to survive in its entirety.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p41

Plot

The film presents the verses of the poem one by one, separated by illustrated tableaux. It tells the story about a dying stockman.

Cast

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 ...

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 Ta ...

as the stock rider's mate *George Bryant as the stockrider *

Beryl Bryant Beryl Annear Bryant (1893 – 31 May 1973) was an Australian stage actress and theatrical producer born in America who was active in the 1930s and 1940s. She was responsible for first bringing the plays of Patrick White to the stage. Her career ...

*Tom Cannam *Ward Lyons

Production

's ballad was first published in 1870, the year of his death. The movie was the first from

, established in 1913. It was shot at the company's studio in Elsternwick, Melbourne and near Healesvulle. It was finished by August 1913 The cast performed a show for the people of Healesville during production. It was the first of the company's film's released "though it was not the largest of their productions, they thought they had something which would appeal to all present. They were Australians, and hopeful of interesting the public in Australian pictures."

Release

Screenings were often accompanied by a lecturer who would recite the poem. The movie screened to thirty full houses in Victoria. It has been described as "solid and stagey with shaking canvas sets, an exaggerated alcoholic scene and a bull-goring sequence in which an actor tumble turns across an animal all too obviously at rest."Graham Shirley and Brian Adams, ''Australian Cinema: The First Eighty Years'', Currency Press 1989 p 42 Contemporary reports said it was a box office success. A contemporary review said that:

The views wore very life-like and distinct, and illustrated the stockrider reeling from lm saddle, and as his mate tended him beneath the trees, recalling the scenes of his past life 'wheeling through the wild scrub the cattle in the wood,' Yarding the cattle gave opportunity for a fine and animated bush scene, with exhibitions of buckjumping, and was followed by the exciting chase of the bush ranger, 'Starlight.' and his gang, by the troopers' and bush men, the Tjnsrl ranaer at bay, and the struggle in the watercourse.. The lights and shades, the tragedies and comedies of bush life, were followed by the death of the stock rider, with the sturdy bush children romping over his crave — altogether a very fine and vivid production, which elicited a round of applause.

Another review said:

The only drawback to it is that there is no connected 'story ' in the poem, only a series of incidents of bush life, so that the attention of the audience cannot be oarried to a culminating climax; but that the feature which does not apply to other films by the same company, where the dramatic interest is sustained through out.

Remake

Harry Southwell Harry Southwell (born 1882, date of death unknown) was an Australian actor, writer and film director best known for making films about Ned Kelly. He was born in Cardiff, Wales and spent a couple of years in America, where he adapted some short ...

also announced plans to film the poem but no movie resulted.

References

External links

*
''The Sick Stockrider''
at National Film and Sound Archive
Original text of ''The Sick Stockrider'' by Adam Lindsay Gordon''The Sick Stockrider''
at AustLit {{DEFAULTSORT:Sick Stockrider Australian black-and-white films Australian silent short films 1913 films Films based on poems Films directed by W. J. Lincoln