Its Australia Day weekend so in celebration we will feature two great Australian silent films. One drama and one comedy.
The Story of the Kelly Gang is a 1906 Australian bushranger film directed by Charles Tait. It traces the exploits of the 19th-century Kelly gang of bushrangers and outlaws, led by Ned Kelly. The silent film was shot in and around Melbourne and originally ran for more than an hour with a reel length of about 1,200 meters (4,000 ft), making it the longest narrative film ever made at the time. The film premiered at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Hall on 26 December 1906 and was first shown in the United Kingdom in January 1908. A critical and commercial success, it is regarded as the origin point of the bushranging drama, a genre that dominated the early years of Australian film production. Film duration 28 minutes.
Snub Pollard – Australian actor and silent film star of the 1920s. He now has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.
“Its a Gift” Is a 1923 short silent film comedy featuring Snub Pollard and directed by Hugh Fay about a group of oil magnates trying to think of new ways to attract business. One of them suggests that they contact an eccentric inventor (Pollard), who has devised a new gasoline substitute.
The inventor himself lives in a home filled with his strange inventions. When he gets the message from the oil company, he is excited about the opportunity to demonstrate his innovation, and jumps into his “magnet car”. Film duration 14 min.
Doors and bar open 11am with coffee tea refreshments and snacks available. The movies screen at 12 noon. $15 for an adult ticket and free for kids 13 and under. No need to book. Get your ticket at the door.