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For the Term of His Natural Life is a 1908 Australian silent film based on the 1874 novel by the same name by Marcus Clarke. The film is an adaptation of MacMahon's stage adaptation of the novel.

For the Term of His Natural Life
Directed by	Charles MacMahon
Based on	a stage adaptation of the novel by Marcus Clarke
Produced by	Charles MacMahon E. J. Carroll
Starring	Martyn Keith
Cinematography	C. Byers Coates
Release date	8 August 1908
Running time	2,000 feet (45 – 60 mins)[1]
Country	Australia
Languages	Silent film English intertitles
Budget	£7,000[2] or £1,000[3]

It was the fourth Australian feature ever made and is considered a lost film.

The 1908 film was the first screen adaptation of Clarke's novel, which was also later filmed in 1911, as a silent film known as "The Life of Rufus Dawes", 1927, again as a silent film (the most expensive produced in Australia to that time) and 1983, as a television mini-series.

Synopsis

The film's plot was a collection of highlights from the novel, such as

• "The Convict Mutiny in the 'Malabar'",
• "The Burning of the 'Hydaspes'",
• "The Murder on Hampstead Heath",
• "The Solitary of Grummet Island", and
• "The Life and Death Struggle Between Gabbett and his Famished Escapees".

The movie kept the tragic ending of the novel, with Rufus Dawes and Sylvia perishing in a storm after Reverend North had helped Dawes escape.[4][5]

Cast

• Martyn Keith as Rufus Dawes
• Rosie Knight Phillips as Sylvia Vickers
• Mrs Barry Lane as Mrs Vickers
• Frank Kenn as Lord Bellasis
• Augustus Neville as Gabbett
• Roland Conway as Reverend North
• Mr Jerdan as Reverend Meekin
• Fred Francis as Lieutenant Frere
• Charles Morse as Jemmy Vetch

Production

The MacMahon brothers, James and Charles MacMahon, had enjoyed success producing a version of the novel on stage,[6] and allocated a considerable budget for the movie, including a shooting schedule of eight weeks[7] and location work in Port Arthur. The scene involving the burning of a sailing ship was staged with a model ship in a tank.[2]

Reception

Based on a popular stage adaptation of the novel, the movie was a big success at the box office, running for eight weeks in Sydney at Queens Hall in 1908.[8][9] It played in cinemas on and off until World War I.[10][11] Screenings were usually accompanied by an actor, who would provide descriptive commentary to what was on screen.[12]

See also

• List of Australian films before 1910

References

External links

• For the Term of His Natural Life at IMDb
• For the Term of His Natural Life at National Film and Sound Archive
• For the Term of His Natural Life at AusStage

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