image of person or book cover 6203258152771459736.jpg
Advertisement, Advertiser [Adelaide], 17 July 1920, p.10
form y separately published work icon The Breaking of the Drought single work   film/TV  
Adaptation of The Breaking of the Drought Arthur Shirley , 1902 single work drama
Issue Details: First known date: 1920... 1920 The Breaking of the Drought
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Film Details - Golden Wattle Film Syndicate , 1920

Producers:

Franklyn Barrett

Production Companies:

Golden Wattle Film Syndicate

Director of Photography:

Franklyn Barrett

Production Designers:

Rock Phillips (Art Director)

Cast:

Incl. Charles Beetham (Jo Galloway), Rawdon Blandford (Gilbert Galloway), Trilby Clark (Marjorie Galloway), John Faulkner (Varsy Lyddleton), Ethel Henry (Molly Henderson), Marie La Varre (Olive Lorette), Nan Taylor (Mrs. Galloway), Dunstan Webb (Tom Wattleby), Arthur Albert.

Release Dates:

19 June 1920 (Strand Theatre, Melbourne)

Location:

  • Filmed on location around Narrabri and Moree in north-west New South Wales.

Notes:

1. Filmed in late 1919 and early 1920 during an actual period of drought, The Breaking of the Drought's powerful images of the land ravaged by lack of rain prompted a inquiry by the New South Wales parliament into censorship laws. The issue was first raised when a state parliamentarian witnessed the filming of the drought scenes and raised concerns about the negative images that the film would present overseas. The eventual outcome was that the federal government tightened Commonwealth censorship laws to prevent export of any films that might be deemed to be harmful to the Commonwealth (see Pike and Cooper for further details).
2. Further reference: Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper. Australian Film 1900-1977, A Guide to Feature Film Production (1980, q.v.), p. 131.

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