Fisher's Ghost (film)
Encyclopedia
Fisher's Ghost is a 1924 Australian silent film
directed by Raymond Longford
based on the legend of Fisher's Ghost
. The film is set in 1826 Campbelltown (now part of Sydney
) and centers on a settler named Farley who sees a spectre on the Bunburry-Curran Creek bridge. Farley is led by the apparition to George Worrell, a man that the ghost claims is responsible for its death. The body of one Frederick Fisher is later recovered from the exact spot at which the spectre first appeared. Fisher's Ghost, The Bushwhackers (1925), and Peter Vernon's Silence (1925) were the only three films produced by Longford-Lyell Productions as the company had already entered liquidation in June 1924, even before the film's release. Although Lottie Lyell and Raymond Longford created many films together, Fisher's Ghost and The Bushwhackers are the only films for which Lyell received credit as scriptwriter and assistant director before her death from tuberculosis in 1925. The film is attributed to being one of the earliest and influential Australian horror films, paving the way for the resurgence of the genre in the 1970s after the Australian government began funding their movie industry. Union Theaters rejected the film be released in their Sydney
theaters because their managing director, Stuart F. Doyle
, claimed the film was "too gruesome" for the public. The film was shown in Hoyt theaters and yielded ₤1,300 in its first week of screenings. In 2010, Tony Buckley, a producer who helped find and restore the 1971 Australian film Wake in Fright
, called for a Film Search program to locate the lost negatives of Fisher's Ghost as well as other historic Australian films.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
directed by Raymond Longford
Raymond Longford
Raymond Longford was a prolific Australian film director, writer, producer and actor during the silent era. Longford was a major director of the silent film era of the Australian cinema. He formed a production team with Lottie Lyell...
based on the legend of Fisher's Ghost
Fisher's ghost
The legend of Fisher's ghost is a popular Australian story dating to the early 19th century. It arose from a series of historical events which occurred in Campbelltown, now a large urban population centre on the southwestern outskirts of Sydney, but at the time a remote rural outpost...
. The film is set in 1826 Campbelltown (now part of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
) and centers on a settler named Farley who sees a spectre on the Bunburry-Curran Creek bridge. Farley is led by the apparition to George Worrell, a man that the ghost claims is responsible for its death. The body of one Frederick Fisher is later recovered from the exact spot at which the spectre first appeared. Fisher's Ghost, The Bushwhackers (1925), and Peter Vernon's Silence (1925) were the only three films produced by Longford-Lyell Productions as the company had already entered liquidation in June 1924, even before the film's release. Although Lottie Lyell and Raymond Longford created many films together, Fisher's Ghost and The Bushwhackers are the only films for which Lyell received credit as scriptwriter and assistant director before her death from tuberculosis in 1925. The film is attributed to being one of the earliest and influential Australian horror films, paving the way for the resurgence of the genre in the 1970s after the Australian government began funding their movie industry. Union Theaters rejected the film be released in their Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
theaters because their managing director, Stuart F. Doyle
Stuart F. Doyle
Stuart Frank Doyle , better known as Stuart F. Doyle, was an Australian radio and theatrical entrepreneur. He joined Union Theatres and Australasian Films and worked his way up to managing director, establishing the Capitol Theatre and State Theatre in Sydney as well as the State Theatre in Melbourne...
, claimed the film was "too gruesome" for the public. The film was shown in Hoyt theaters and yielded ₤1,300 in its first week of screenings. In 2010, Tony Buckley, a producer who helped find and restore the 1971 Australian film Wake in Fright
Wake in Fright
Wake in Fright is a 1971 Australian film directed by Ted Kotcheff and starring Gary Bond, Donald Pleasence and Chips Rafferty. The screenplay was written by Evan Jones, based on Kenneth Cook’s 1961 novel of the same name....
, called for a Film Search program to locate the lost negatives of Fisher's Ghost as well as other historic Australian films.
Cast
- Robert Purdie
- Fred Twitcham
- Lorraine Esmond
- Percy Walshe
- William Ryan
- Ted Ayr
- William Coulter
- Charles Keegan
- Ruby Dellew
- Ada St. Claire
- Charlotte Beaumont
- Ike Beck
External links
- Fisher's Ghost at National Film and Sound ArchiveNational Film and Sound ArchiveThe National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
- Fisher's Ghost:: Old Crime Recalled, a detailed summary of the film's plot