Share
Clip description
Rufus Dawes (George Fisher) arrives back in Port Arthur after his unsuccessful attempt to escape and clear his name in Hobart. Troke (Arthur Tauchert), the warden, escorts him to the fields, where prisoners are used as beasts of burden, to drag ploughs. The chaplain of the prisoners, Reverend North (Mayne Lynton), attempts to be kind, but Dawes rebuffs him.
Curator’s notes
Look closely at the opening shot of the prison buildings. The roof has been restored to the ruined building by painting it on a piece of glass, which was then suspended between the lens and the background scene. Norman Dawn is believed to have perfected this technique in 1907 for his film Missions of California. He became an expert and innovator in the development of special effects while working as a camera operator – the glass shot was still used occasionally right up until Dances With Wolves (1990).
The actor playing the warden in this scene is Arthur Tauchert – who was well known to Australian audiences as ‘The Bloke’, from Raymond Longford’s 1919 masterpiece, The Sentimental Bloke. His casting here may reflect the fact that Longford was originally to direct the film.
