''Those Who Love'' is a 1926

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 ...

, produced in Australia, about the son of a knight who falls in love with a dancer. Only part of the film survives today and it is held by 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 ...

Plot

Barry Manton, William Carter, the son of Sir James, falls in love with a dancer, Bebe Doree but his father disapproves and bribes Bebe to disappear. Hurt, Barry leaves home and becomes a labourer on the docks. He meets poor but honest Lola Quayle in a cabaret and offers her a place to live after she resists the advances of a pub owner. They stay in separate rooms but fall in love during a storm and he later marries her. Barry's father wants him to return home and sends a solicitor over to approach him. Not wanting to get between Barry and his family, Lola runs away. Years later, Barry lives in an attic, having rejected wealth and position and taken to drink, while Lola works as a nurse, looking after their son, Peter. Barry is injured and Lola recognises him at hospital. She visits Sir James and asks for money for a specialist and the family is united.

Cast

Marie Lorraine Isabella Mercia McDonagh (3 January 1899 – 5 March 1982), also known as Marie Lorraine, was an Australian actress who often worked in collaboration with her sisters Paulette and Phyllis. Isabella, alongside her two sisters made history by ow ...

as Lola Quayle * William Carter as Barry Manton *Robert Purdie as Sir James Manton *Sylvia Newland as Bebe Doree *George Dean as Parker *Kate Trefle as Lady Manton *Big Bill Wilson as Ace Skinner *Charles Beetham as Austin Mann *Reginald Reeves as Sir Furneaux Reeves *Jackie Williamson as Peter *Nellie Ferguson as nurse *Howard Harris as doctor *Edith Hodgson *Herbert Walton

Production

This was the first feature film from the McDonagh sisters,

Paulette Paulette may refer to: *Paulette (name), French feminine given name *Paulette (tax) * Paulette Caveat - a caveat filed in 1973 by a group of Dene chiefs at the land titles office in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to gain a legal interest in 40 ...

Phyllis Phyllis is a feminine given name which may refer to: People * Phyllis Bartholomew (1914–2002), English long jumper * Phyllis Drummond Bethune (née Sharpe, 1899–1982), New Zealand artist * Phyllis Calvert (1915–2002), British actress * P ...

and

Isobel Isobel, is the Scottish form of the female given name Isabel. It originates from the medieval form of the name Elisabeth (Hebrew Elisheba). Isobel is a feminine given name. People named Isobel include: * Isobel of Huntingdon (1199-1251), Scottish ...

. They came up with the story in the prep room of their own boarding school. Says Phyllis McDonagh:

In those days every Australian-made film made us out to be a lot of bushwhackers, on the 'Dad and Dave' theme. The three of us talked and talked and decided if Australia was going to compete overseas we'd have to meet overseas standards by making interior films – technically difficult then.

The film was entirely financed by the girl's father. Says Phyllis:

Father always believed in us. And when we proved on paper we knew what we were about, he let us have our head. We had a down-to-earth approach. We thought well ahead and planned the details meticulously. We knew talent wasn't enough if it was half baked.

The McDonaghs formed a production company, MCD Productions, and started pre-production. Isobel was to star, Phyllis was to do production design and publicity, and Paulette would help with direction. Before filming commenced, their father died of a heart attack. Their mother was a trained nurse and a group of Sydney doctors suggested she open a convalescent home for their use. The family moved into "Drummoyne House", a 22-room house in the Sydney suburb of Drummoyne built by convicts. Two wings were set aside for the convalescent home and another section was turned into a film studio. The McDonaghs originally hired P. J. Ramster to direct but were unhappy with his work and replaced him with Paulette. The interiors were shot mostly at the home in Drummoyne, with additional scenes filmed at the Bondi studios of

Australasian Films Australasian Films, full name Union Theatres and Australasian Films, was an Australian film distribution and production company formed in 1913 that was wound up in the 1930s to merge into Greater Union. The Union Theatres and Australasian Films d ...

and exteriors done around Sydney. Shooting took four weeks in all. A number of days were lost when the cast and crew's eyes were damaged from the lights, and their cinematographer fell ill with influenza.

Release

The film was given a vice-regal premiere in September 1926 attended by Governor Sir

Dudley de Chair Admiral Sir Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair (30 August 1864 – 17 August 1958) was a senior Royal Navy officer and later Governor of New South Wales. Early life and career De Chair was born on 30 August 1864 in Lennoxville, Province o ...

, whose daughter Elaine had a part in the film. Dr McDonagh had been J. C. Williamson's surgeon and the film was distributed commercially by J. C. Williamson Ltd It performed well at the box office, with Phyllis McDonagh later claiming the movie earned twice its cost. Gregory Balcombe of Union Theatres said his company distributed the film to help the local industry, although it should not have cost more than £1,000.

References

External links

*
''Those Who Love''
at

Original treatment of film
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 ...

{{P.J. Ramster 1926 films Australian silent feature films Australian black-and-white films 1926 drama films Silent Australian drama films 1920s English-language films 1920s Australian films