1938 Lovers and Luggers
( aka Vengeance of the Deep ) VO Streaming
Lovers and Luggers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lovers and Luggers | |
|---|---|
Flyer for theatrical release
|
|
| Directed by | Ken G. Hall |
| Produced by | Ken G. Hall |
| Written by | Frank Harvey Edmund Barclay |
| Based on | novel by Gurney Slade |
| Starring | Lloyd Hughes Shirley Ann Richards |
| Music by | Hamilton Webber |
| Cinematography | Frank Hurley George Heath |
| Edited by | William Shepherd |
Production
company |
|
| Distributed by | British Empire Films (Aust) Paramount Pictures (UK)[1]Astor Pictures (USA) |
Release dates
|
31 December 1937 (Australia) 1940 (USA) |
Running time
|
99 mins (Australia) 65 mins (USA) |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | ₤24,000[2] |
Lovers and Luggers is a 1937 Australian film directed by Ken G. Hall. It is an adventure melodrama about a pianist (Lloyd Hughes) who goes to Thursday Island to retrieve a valuable pearl.
It was retitled Vengeance of the Deep in the USA and United Kingdom.
Synopsis
In
London, concert pianist Daubenny Carshott is feeling dissatisfied with
his life and wanting a masculine adventure; he also desires the
beautiful Stella Raff. Stella agrees to marry him if he brings back a
large pearl with his own hands from Thursday Island. Daubenny notes a painting in Stella's apartment from "Craig Henderson" but when asked Stella is evasive about the artist.
Daubenny travels to Thursday Island where he buys a lugger and a
house from the villainous Mendoza. He makes friends on the island,
including another diver, Craig Henderson, the drunken duo of McTavish
and Dorner, and the boisterous Captain Quidley. He also meets Quidley's
daughter, the beautiful Lorna, who likes to dress in men's clothing so
she can walk around on her own at night. Lorna and Daubenny become
friends and she secretly falls in love with him but Daubenny assumes she
is in love with Craig.
Captain Quidley, teaches Daubenny to dive. Quidley, Lorna, Daubenny
and Mendoza all go out diving for pearls. Daubenny finds a pearl, to the
fury of Mendoza, who believes since Daubenny used his lugger that
Mendoza should have a share. Daubenny disagrees and the two men fight on
board the lugger, causing the pearl to drop over the side.
Both men get in their diving suits and go down to retrieve the pearl.
Mendoza dies and Daubenny is trapped. Bill Craig risks his life to
rescue Daubenny.
Back on Thursday Island, Stella has arrived, accompanied by an
aristocratic friend, Archie. Daubenny discovers that Bill Craig is Craig
Henderson, and was also in love with Stella, and sent on a similar
mission to find a pearl. Daubenny and Craig both reject Stella.
Daubenny decides to leave Thursday Island on his boat. Lorna reveals
she is in love with him, not Craig and the two kiss and decide to get
married. They sail off into the sunset with Captain Quidley.
Cast
- Lloyd Hughes as Daubenny Carshott
- Shirley Ann Richards as Lorna Quidley
- Sidney Wheeler as Captain Quidley
- James Raglan as Bill Craig/Craig Henderson
- Elaine Hamill as Stella Raff[3]
- Frank Harvey as Carshott's manager
- Ronald Whelan as Mendoza
- Alec Kellaway as McTavish
- Leslie Victor as Dormer
- Campbell Copelin as Archie
- Charlie Chan as Kishimuni
- Marcelle Marnay as Lotus
- Horace Cleary as China Tom
- Claude Turton as Charlie Quong
- Bobbie Hunt as Lady Winter
- Paul Furness as Professor of psychology
- Charles Zoli as Carshott's valet
Original novel
| Author | Gurney Slade, |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | adventure |
Publication date
|
1928 |
The script was based on a 1928 novel by Gurney Slade, from whom Cinesound obtained the film rights in late 1936.[4]
In the novel, Daubenny travels to "Lorne" (Broome, thinly-disguised)
rather than Thursday Island. Lorna is not related to Captain Quid, but
actually is Stella's half-sister. There are two other British
expatriates diving for pearls in addition to Craig, Chillon and Major
Rawlings. Daubney does not romance Lorna and is reunited with a reformed
Stella at the end. Lorna winds up with Craig.[5]
Although the novel was set in Broome Ken G. Hall had Cinesound screenwriter Frank Harvey relocate the story to Thursday Island because it was easier to access.[6]
Production
Casting
Hall gave the lead role to American actor Lloyd Hughes, who had been a star in the silent era and since then mostly worked on stage.[7] Hall had met Hughes when the director visited Hollywood in 1935.[8] The actor went on to make The Broken Melody for Hall.
This was the first of what would be several character roles Alec Kellaway played for Ken G. Hall.
Shooting
Hall
was enthusiastic about the project because of his love for the tropics,
although budget considerations meant most of the film had to be shot in
the studio, with only the second unit going to Thursday Island under Frank Hurley. Hurley also shot some footage at Port Stephens and Broken Bay.[9] Cinesound built one of its largest ever sets to recreate Thursday Island.[10]
A tank was built to shoot the underwater scenes. However the water was not clear, so the scenes were shot at North Sydney Olympic Pool.[11][12]
Hall would direct scenes on boats by radio.[13]
Stuart F. Doyle had resigned from Cinesound during production but was kept on to supervise the finishing of the movie.[14]
Reception
A charity ball was held to promote the release of the film.[17]
The film was released in both the US and England. It was the last
Australian film sold to Britain as a British quota picture before the
British quota laws were amended.[15]
Critical
Reviews were positive, the critic from the Sydney Morning Herald calling it "Australia's finest picture to date."[18]
Box office
The movie was a slight disappointment at the box office, and Ken G. Hall thought this helped make Greater Union's then-managing director Norman Rydge disillusioned with feature production.[19] Variety said it performed better in the "nabes and stix".[20]
However Hall said in 1972 that "I think I like it best of all the
pictures that I've made. Because of the backgrounds. I'd go tomorrow to
make a film about the Tropics."[21]
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire