image of person or book cover 1169481437455417444.jpg
Brisbane Courier, 30 April 1886, p.1
y separately published work icon His Natural Life single work   drama  
Adaptation of His Natural Life Marcus Clarke , 1870-1872 single work novel
Issue Details: First known date: 1886... 1886 His Natural Life
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Contemporary newspaper reports indicated that Leitch 'made the necessary alterations in the plot so as to preserve almost every dramatic situation it contains, and he has preserved most of the interesting scenes and even the dialogue of the original story', but he did switch the conclusion so as to bring his work to a happy ending.

See Brisbane Courier article below.

Exhibitions

8018691
8014658
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Notes

  • The Brisbane Courier includes an extremely detailed, act-by-act synopsis of the drama. See 'The Theatre', Brisbane Courier, 27 April 1886, p.5.

Production Details

  • First produced on 26 April 1886 at the Theatre Royal, Brisbane, by J.F. McMahon and George Leitch.

    Cast members included Leitch and other members of the company.

    Lurline Stuart notes (in her Academy Edition of His Natural Life that this version toured Australia and New Zealand until at least 1907.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

      c
      Australia,
      c
      :       1886 .
      image of person or book cover 1169481437455417444.jpg
      Brisbane Courier, 30 April 1886, p.1
      1886 .
      (Manuscript) assertion
      Series: The Hanger Collection of Australian Playscripts series - publisher

      A collection in the Fryer Library at The University of Queensland of manuscript film and play scripts.

      Holdings

      Held at: University of Queensland University of Queensland Library Fryer Library
      Local Id: H2077A
VIEW PUBLICATION DETAILS FOR ALL VERSIONS ()

Works about this Work

"The Play goes on Eternally": Copyright, Marcus Clarke's Heirs and His Natural Life as Play and Film Part Two Catherine Bond , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Intellectual Property Journal , December vol. 24 no. 1 2011; (p. 61-77) 'Today it is the heirs to the copyright in a literary work that will enjoy the benefits of that property right for the longer part of its duration, rather than the original author. Copyright can therefore be a valuable element of an author's estate and on that basis it appears that heirs (and purported heirs) are increasingly engaging in public campaigns and litigation to protect both that property and their individual rights to it. This two-part article approaches an analysis of the contemporary relationship between copyright and heirs from a comparative perspective, by utilising a case study on the heirs of Australian colonial author Marcus Clarke. It evaluates how Clarke's widow, Marian, and later their children navigated the gaps in the applicable colonial and federal statutes throughout the duration of copyright in Clarke's most prolific work, His Natural Life, with respect to dramatizations and film adaptations of that story. Part One reveals that, when the colonial copyright statutes failed to provide any exclusive right of dramatization, a "moral" right to royalties was created in Marian's favour by theatrical producers seeking to claim their version as the "authorised" play. Part Two considers Marian's use of new rights granted under the Copyright Act 1912 (Cth) and how, following their mother's death, the Clarke children also successfully exploited their copyright with respect to dramatizations, until its expiration in 1931. Both parts conclude with lessons that authors' heirs today can draw with respect to copyright law from the experiences of the Clarke family' (Publication abstract).
"The Play goes on Eternally": Copyright, Marcus Clarke's Heirs and His Natural Life as Play and Film Part One Catherine Bond , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Intellectual Property Journal , September vol. 23 no. 3 2011; (p. 268-287) 'Today it is the heirs to the copyright in a literary work that will enjoy the benefits of that property right for the longer part of its duration, rather than the original author. Copyright can therefore be a valuable element of an author's estate and on that basis it appears that heirs (and purported heirs) are increasingly engaging in public campaigns and litigation to protect both that property and their individual rights to it. This two-part article approaches an analysis of the contemporary relationship between copyright and heirs from a comparative perspective, by utilising a case study on the heirs of Australian colonial author Marcus Clarke. It evaluates how Clarke's widow, Marian, and later their children, navigated the gaps in the applicable colonial and Federal statutes throughout the duration of copyright in Clarke's most prolific work, His Natural Life, with respect to dramatisations and film adaptations of that story. Part One reveals that, when the colonial copyright statutes failed to provide any exclusive right of dramatisation, a "moral" right to royalties was created in Marian's favour by theatrical producers seeking to claim their version as the "authorised" play. Part Two considers Marian's use of new rights granted under the Copyright Act 1912 (Cth) and how, following their mother's death, the Clarke children also successfully exploited their copyright with respect to dramatisations, until its expiration in 1931. Both parts conclude with lessons that authors' heirs today can draw with respect to copyright law from the experiences of the Clarke family' (Publication Abstract).
Theatre Royal Poster, For the Term of His Natural Life Veronica Kelly , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Found in Fryer : Stories from the Fryer Library Collection 2010; (p. 70-71)
From Melodrama to Classic Comic : Adaptations of His Natural Life, 1886-1986 Elizabeth Webby , 1996 single work criticism
— Appears in: 'And What Books Do You Read?' : New Studies in Australian Literature 1996; (p. 15-24) The AustLit Anthology of Criticism 2010; (p. 10) Webby examines the different themes and content of several stage and film adaptations of His Natural Life, revealing changing attitudes to issues such as cannabalism, homosexuality and melodrama.
Charles Reade, Wilkie Collins, and Marcus Clarke P. D. Edwards , 1984 single work criticism correspondence
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , May vol. 11 no. 3 1984; (p. 400-404)
Sundry Shows 1886 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 12 June vol. 4 no. 161 1886; (p. 5)
— Review of His Natural Life George Leitch , 1886 single work drama
Sundry Shows 1886 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 21 August vol. 4 no. 171 1886; (p. 9)
— Review of His Natural Life George Leitch , 1886 single work drama
Untitled 1895 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 7 December vol. 16 no. 825 1895; (p. 8)
— Review of His Natural Life George Leitch , 1886 single work drama
Sundry Shows 1913 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 6 February vol. 34 no. 1721 1913; (p. 11)
— Review of His Natural Life George Leitch , 1886 single work drama
Sundry Shows 1913 single work review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 6 November vol. 34 no. 1760 1913; (p. 8)
— Review of His Natural Life George Leitch , 1886 single work drama
Theatre Royal Poster, For the Term of His Natural Life Veronica Kelly , 2010 single work criticism
— Appears in: Found in Fryer : Stories from the Fryer Library Collection 2010; (p. 70-71)
"The Play goes on Eternally": Copyright, Marcus Clarke's Heirs and His Natural Life as Play and Film Part One Catherine Bond , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Intellectual Property Journal , September vol. 23 no. 3 2011; (p. 268-287) 'Today it is the heirs to the copyright in a literary work that will enjoy the benefits of that property right for the longer part of its duration, rather than the original author. Copyright can therefore be a valuable element of an author's estate and on that basis it appears that heirs (and purported heirs) are increasingly engaging in public campaigns and litigation to protect both that property and their individual rights to it. This two-part article approaches an analysis of the contemporary relationship between copyright and heirs from a comparative perspective, by utilising a case study on the heirs of Australian colonial author Marcus Clarke. It evaluates how Clarke's widow, Marian, and later their children, navigated the gaps in the applicable colonial and Federal statutes throughout the duration of copyright in Clarke's most prolific work, His Natural Life, with respect to dramatisations and film adaptations of that story. Part One reveals that, when the colonial copyright statutes failed to provide any exclusive right of dramatisation, a "moral" right to royalties was created in Marian's favour by theatrical producers seeking to claim their version as the "authorised" play. Part Two considers Marian's use of new rights granted under the Copyright Act 1912 (Cth) and how, following their mother's death, the Clarke children also successfully exploited their copyright with respect to dramatisations, until its expiration in 1931. Both parts conclude with lessons that authors' heirs today can draw with respect to copyright law from the experiences of the Clarke family' (Publication Abstract).
"The Play goes on Eternally": Copyright, Marcus Clarke's Heirs and His Natural Life as Play and Film Part Two Catherine Bond , 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Intellectual Property Journal , December vol. 24 no. 1 2011; (p. 61-77) 'Today it is the heirs to the copyright in a literary work that will enjoy the benefits of that property right for the longer part of its duration, rather than the original author. Copyright can therefore be a valuable element of an author's estate and on that basis it appears that heirs (and purported heirs) are increasingly engaging in public campaigns and litigation to protect both that property and their individual rights to it. This two-part article approaches an analysis of the contemporary relationship between copyright and heirs from a comparative perspective, by utilising a case study on the heirs of Australian colonial author Marcus Clarke. It evaluates how Clarke's widow, Marian, and later their children navigated the gaps in the applicable colonial and federal statutes throughout the duration of copyright in Clarke's most prolific work, His Natural Life, with respect to dramatizations and film adaptations of that story. Part One reveals that, when the colonial copyright statutes failed to provide any exclusive right of dramatization, a "moral" right to royalties was created in Marian's favour by theatrical producers seeking to claim their version as the "authorised" play. Part Two considers Marian's use of new rights granted under the Copyright Act 1912 (Cth) and how, following their mother's death, the Clarke children also successfully exploited their copyright with respect to dramatizations, until its expiration in 1931. Both parts conclude with lessons that authors' heirs today can draw with respect to copyright law from the experiences of the Clarke family' (Publication abstract).
Marcus Clarke : Books and Drama in North America Ian F. McLaren , 1982 single work criticism
— Appears in: Margin , no. 8 1982; (p. 1-13)
Marcus Clarke and the Theatre Eric Irvin , 1975 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , May vol. 7 no. 1 1975; (p. 3-14)
VIEW ALL WORKS ABOUT (18)
Last amended 18 Nov 2014 14:25:39
Subjects:
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    England,
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    c
    United Kingdom (UK),
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    Western Europe, Europe,
  • Port Arthur, Tasman Peninsula, Forestier Peninsula - Tasman Peninsula area, Southeast Tasmania, Tasmania,
  • Macquarie Harbour, Western Tasmania (including the West Coast), Tasmania,
  • Norfolk Island, Australian External Territories,
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