Wings of Destiny
| Wings of Destiny | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Rupert Kathner |
| Written by | Rupert Kathner Alma Brooks |
| Produced by | Rupert Kathner |
| Starring | Marshall Crosby John Fernside |
| Cinematography | Arthur Higgins Tasman Higgins Joe Stafford |
| Edited by | Syd Wood |
Production company | Enterprise Film Company |
| Distributed by | National Films |
Release date | 13 September 1940[1] |
Running time | 68 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
Wings of Destiny is a 1940 action movie directed by Rupert Kathner about the activities of fifth columnists in Australia during World War II.
Plot
A group of Australians are investigating a reported discovery of wolframite, a material needed for the manufacture of armaments. A plane carrying the group is sabotaged by a German agent, Mark Heinrich, and is forced down in the desert. The group survives and encounter with some aboriginals but the young pilot is killed when trying to fly the damaged plane.
The others return to Sydney and find Heinrich has killed the owner of the wolfram field and kidnapped his daughter. The girl is rescued and Heinrich is arrested.
Cast
- Marshall Crosby as Francis Jamieson
- John Fernside as Mark Heinrich
- George Lloyd as Monty Martin
- Cecil Perry as Arthur Rogers
- Johnny Williams as Tommy Ryan
- Jimmy Mc Mahon as Jerry Marsden
- Reginald King as Mulga Flannigan
- Patricia McDonald as Marion Jamieson[2]
- Raymond Longford as Peters
- Stan Robinson as prospector
Production
The movie was shot in part on location at the Sydney waterfront and featured footage of aboriginal tribal life from Kathner's earlier Phantom Gold (1937). It reportedly took two years to research and six months to film at a cost of "thousands of good Australian pounds."[2]
Raymond Longford has a small role as an old bushman who rescues the party in the desert.[3]
Release
The movie was previewed to the press, after which some scenes at Alice Springs were deleted and a courtroom scene was added to the end of the film. It was passed for registration as an Australian quota production under the Film Quota Act and released in September 1940. Reviews and public reception were poor.[3]
The critic from the Sydney Morning Herald called it:
A very inferior picture... The story contains evidence and imagination, and the film has some good photography, but the camera ls never allowed to roam, so that almost every interior scene is focussed on some corner of a room, and remains there until the scene ends. The exterior scenes are much better... Occasionally dramatic tension is achieved, also some good Australian characterisation.[4]
References
- ^ "Screen and Stage Guide". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 12 September 1940. p. 20. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ a b "AUSTRALIAN TALKIES AT LAST". The Biz. Fairfield, NSW: National Library of Australia. 7 December 1939. p. 11. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
- ^ a b Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p191
- ^ ""CONVOY."". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 16 September 1940. p. 3. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
External links
- Wings of Destiny in the Internet Movie Database
- Wings of Destiny at Oz Movies