The Overlanders (film)
| The Overlanders | |
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| Directed by | Harry Watt |
| Produced by | Michael Balcon |
| Written by | Harry Watt and Ralph Smart |
| Starring | Chips Rafferty John Nugent Hayward Daphne Campbell John Fernside Peter Pagan Helen Grieve Jean Blue |
| Music by | John Ireland |
| Cinematography | Osmond Borradaile |
| Editing by | Inman Hunter |
| Distributed by | Ealing Studios Universal Pictures (US) |
| Release date(s) | 1946 |
| Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | Australia United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ₤40,000[1] |
| Box office | ₤160,000 (Australia)[2] |
The Overlanders is a 1946 Australian-British film about drovers droving a large herd of cattle 1600 miles overland from Wyndham in Western Australia through the Northern Territory outback of Australia to pastures north of Brisbane, Queensland during World War II.
The film was one of several produced in Australia by Ealing Studios, and featured among the cast Chips Rafferty.
The film score was written by the English composer John Ireland. It was his only film score. An orchestral suite was extracted from the score by the conductor Sir Charles Mackerras after Ireland's death.
Harry Watt claimed the original ending was more cynical, finishing with the unscruplous 'Corky' being the only one who got a good job out of the trek, and a fade out on a roar of sardonic laughter from the rest of the overlanders. However he says he was advised to put a more upbeat ending.[3]
[edit] Reception
The movie was enormously successful at the box office.
Daphne Campbell received Hollywood enquiries and made a series of screen tests in Sydney but elected not to pursue a Hollywood career, staying with her wife and children in Alice Springs.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 204.
- ^ 'Who doesn't go to the pictures today?', The Mail (Adelaide) Saturday 22 May 1954 Supplement: SUNDAY MAGAZINE p 21
- ^ "Watt Talks on Plans For Australian Films.". The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954) (Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia): p. 9 Supplement: SUPPLEMENT TO "THE MAIL" MAGAZINE. 21 December 1946. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55873949. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ "Actress Says Goodbye To Films.". The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954) (Adelaide, SA: National Library of Australia): p. 1. 17 April 1947. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article30523307. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- Arts in Australia — Theatre, Film, Radio, Television — Volume 1. Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd.. 1996.
- Harrison, Tony (1994). The Australian Film and Television Companion. Simon & Schuster Australia.
[edit] External links
- "The Overlanders". Australia: National Film and Sound Archive. http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;query=Number%3A7597%20Media%3A%22FILM%22;rec=0. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- The Overlanders at the Internet Movie Database
- The Overlanders at Australian Screen Online
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