Dust in the Sun
| Dust in the Sun | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Lee Robinson |
| Written by | Lee Robinson Joy Cavill W.P. Lipscomb |
| Produced by | Chips Rafferty |
| Starring | Jill Adams Ken Wayne Robert Tudawali |
| Cinematography | Carl Kayser |
| Edited by | Stanley Moore |
| Music by | Wilbur Sampson |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal |
Release dates | 1958 (premiere) August 1960 |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ₤50,000[1] |
Dust in the Sun is a 1958 Australian mystery film adapted from the novel Justin Bayard by Jon Cleary[2] and produced by the team of Lee Robinson and Chips Rafferty.
Synopsis
Justin Bayard, a Northern Territory policeman, is escorting an aboriginal warrior, Emu Foot, to Alice Springs to be tried for a tribal killing. They are attacked by some Aborigines and forced to take refuge at an isolated cattle station. Julie, the bored wife of the station owner Tad Kirkbridge, sets Emu Foot free and is later murdered. Bayard romances stockman's daughter Chris. Emu Foot is killed by aboriginals and Bayard exposes Julie's murderer.
Cast
- Jill Adams as Julie Kirkbride
- Ken Wayne as Justin Bayard
- Maureen Lanagan as Chris Palady
- Robert Tudawali as Emu Foot
- James Forrest as Tad Kirkbride
- Jack Hume as Ned Palady
- Henry Murdoch as Spider
- Reg Lye as Dirks
- Alan Light as Inspector Prichett
Production
In May 1956 Robinson and Rafferty bought the film studios at Bondi which were once owned by Cinesound Productions. It was meant to be used as a basis for their television company, Australian Television Enterprises, but it was used for this film.[3]
Shooting took place in the studio at Bondi and on location near Alice Springs in October and November 1956.[4]
This was the fourth feature from Lee Robinson and Chips Rafferty but the first one in which Rafferty did not act, although he was originally meant to. Lee Robinson later claimed this was a mistake on their part and contributed to the film's lack of commercial success. He also thought the script and supporting cast was weak.[5]
At one stage American star John Ericson was sought to play the lead role[6] but eventually local actor Ken Wayne was cast. Jill Adams was imported from England to play the female lead. Maureen Lanagan was a Sydney model making her first film - Robinson also used models turned actors in The Phantom Stockman and King of the Coral Sea. (He often expressed frustration at what he saw was a lack of good looking young women who could act in Australia.[7])
This was Robert Tudawali's second film role after Jedda. His contract was negotiated by Southern International, Actors Equity and the Department of Native Affairs.[8]
Release
The film premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in 1958 but was not released in Australia and England until 1960. It did not perform well at the box office.[9]
References
- ^ Graham Shirley and Brian Adams, Australian Cinema: The First Eighty Years, Currency Press, 1989 p203
- ^ "A SERIAL YOU MUST NOT MISS!." The Argus (Melbourne) 5 Nov 1955: 7 accessed 16 December 2011
- ^ "Advertising". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956). Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 22 August 1956. p. 5. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ "Drama of out back: DUST IN THE SUN." The Australian Women's Weekly 23 Jan 1957: 40 accessed 16 December 2011
- ^ "Lee Robinson interview with Albert Moran, Continuum: The Australian Journal of Media & Culture vol. 1 no 1 (1987)". murdoch.edu.au. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ 'MOVIELAND EVENTS: AUSTRALIAN FILM BIDS FOR ERICSON', Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 20 August 1956: A11
- ^ "New hope for stars of the future". The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982). 1933 - 1982: National Library of Australia. 9 May 1956. p. 23. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ ""Jedda" star to rise again". The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956). Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 9 August 1956. p. 3. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 226.
External links
- Dust in the Sun at IMDb
- Dust in the Sun at National Film and Sound Archive
- Dust in the Sun at Oz Movies
