The Life Story of John Lee, or The Man They Could Not Hang (1912 film)

The Life Story of John Lee, or The Man They Could Not Hang
Directed by Robert Scott
Produced by Phillip Lytton
Written by Phillip Lytton
Based on play by Frank Devonport
Cinematography Herbert Finlay
Release date(s) 1912
Country Australia
Language Silent film
English intertitles
Budget £300[1]
Box office £50,000[2]

The Life Story of John Lee, or the Man They Could Not Hang is a 1911 Australian silent film based on a stage play about the true life story of John Babbacombe Lee.

Reception

After the film was completed, producer Phillip Lytton was unenthusiastic about the film's commercial prospects and passed it on to an employee, Arthur W. Sterry, in 1917.[3] Sterry and his partner, Frederick Haldane, distributed the film themselves throughout Australia, New Zealand and England, often giving a lecture to accompany screenings. It was estimated the film earned £50,000 before 1921 when Sterry and Haldane remade the movie.[4]

References

  1. ^ "£100,000 SPENT." Advocate (Burnie, Tas) 5 Jan 1928: 6 accessed 6 Dec 2011
  2. ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 37.
  3. ^ Biography of Arthur Sterry [1]
  4. ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 37.

External links