Satan in Sydney
Encyclopedia
Satan in Sydney is a 1918 Australian melodrama from director Beaumont Smith
. It was his first film which was not about the rural family, the Hayseeds
.
War breaks out and Anne wants to become a nurse and serve overseas. Krona shaves off his moustache to pass as a Belgian and establishes an opium den
in Chinatown to lure soldiers on the way to the front to deserting. He tricks Anne into entering it by forging a message from Betty Benton. She is rescued by Will and his friends from the AIF, then goes overseas to France, where she tends Will. Anne marries Will and is reunited with her father; the fliratious Betty reforms; Krona is interned; Anne and Will help recruiting while on honeymoon.
The resulting publicity helped make the movie very popular at the box office.
No copies of the movie exist today and it is considered a lost film
.
Beaumont Smith
Frank Beaumont Smith , was an Australian film director, producer and exhibitor, best known for making low-budget comedies. After a career in theatre production, including managing a midget circus, he made his first film in 1917, Our Friends, the Hayseeds. He went on to become one of the most...
. It was his first film which was not about the rural family, the Hayseeds
Our Friends, the Hayseeds
Our Friends, the Hayseeds is a 1917 Australian rural comedy from director Beaumont Smith. It centers around the rural family, the Hayseeds, and their rivalry with a neighbouring family, the Duggans.-Synopsis:...
.
Synopsis
Country girl Anne Maxwell is receiving lessons from choir master Earl Krona, who is a German sympathiser. Her step sister, Betty Benton, tells Anne's father that she overheard Anne agree to proceed to lessons an hour letter. Mr Maxwell visits the church along with a minister and discovers Krona trying to kiss Anne against her will. Krona is fired from his job and Mr Maxwell tells Anne to leave home. She decides to make her living in Sydney and is followed there by her lover, Will Waybrn, who saves her from a house of ill repute.War breaks out and Anne wants to become a nurse and serve overseas. Krona shaves off his moustache to pass as a Belgian and establishes an opium den
Opium den
An opium den was an establishment where opium was sold and smoked. Opium dens were prevalent in many parts of the world in the 19th century, most notably China, Southeast Asia, North America and France...
in Chinatown to lure soldiers on the way to the front to deserting. He tricks Anne into entering it by forging a message from Betty Benton. She is rescued by Will and his friends from the AIF, then goes overseas to France, where she tends Will. Anne marries Will and is reunited with her father; the fliratious Betty reforms; Krona is interned; Anne and Will help recruiting while on honeymoon.
Release
The film had it's first screening in Sydney at the Lyric Theatre, Sydney, at 11pm on July 15, 1915. One hour later, Inspector Fullerton ordered management to remove all billing and reported to the chief of police that certain parts of the film were likely to be objectionable to the Chinese community, and others would prejudice recruiting. On July 17 the State Censor Board viewed the film and passed it without an alteration. The State Recruiting Committee and military censor also watched the film and had no objections with it.The resulting publicity helped make the movie very popular at the box office.
No copies of the movie exist today and it is considered a lost film
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
.
External links
- Satan in Sydney in the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Satan in Sydney 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...