Out of the Shadows (unfinished film)

Out of the Shadows
Directed by A. R. Harwood
Produced by A. R. Harwood
Written by J. Summers
Starring William Greene
Cinematography Leslie McCallum
Production
company
Independent Films (A/sia) Pty Ltd
Release dates
 1931
Running time
 5 reels
Country Australia

Out of the Shadows was an unfinished 1931 feature film from A. R. Harwood. He made it after a number of years of working in distribution with the intention of producing Australia's first talking motion picture. The script was by J. Summers, "a Victorian who has had experience in Hollywood."[1]

Production

The movie was a "society romance" shot in Melbourne using a sound-on-disc recording system. During filming, Senator John Barnes, then leader of the Senate, paid a visit to the St Kilda Studio where it was being shot.[2] Independent Films announced plans to make four more movies.[3] However the only set of wax discs buckled in a heat wave before the film was completed and it was never released. The honour of making the first Australian "talkie" went to F.W. Thring's Diggers (1931).

Harwood recovered and used the same cast and crew to make two low-budget films, Spur of the Moment (1931) and Isle of Intrigue (1931).[4]

Cast

References

  1. ↑ "SCREEN SHORTS.". Western Mail (Perth: National Library of Australia). 26 March 1931. p. 4. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Senator Pays Visit to Harwood's Studio.". The Cairns Post (Qld.: National Library of Australia). 15 May 1931. p. 9. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  3. ↑ "AUSTRALIAN TALKIES.". The West Australian (Perth: National Library of Australia). 22 May 1931. p. 3. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  4. ↑ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998 p154