Environment (1927 film)

Environment is a 1927 Australian silent film about a woman who poses for a revealing painting. It was one of two films produced by Vaughan C. Marshall, the other one being Caught in the Net (1928).

Environment
Directed byGerald M. Hayle
Produced byVaughan C. Marshall
Written byGerald M. Hayle
StarringBeth Darvall
Hal Percy
CinematographyTasman Higgins
Production
company
Advance Films
Release date
23 July 1927[1]
Running time
6,000 feet
CountryAustralia
LanguageSilent film
English intertitles
Budget₤4,000[2][3]

Unlike many Australian silent films, a copy of it survives today.[4]

Plot

Mary Garval is forced by poverty into posing semi-nude for a painting, L'Environment. The painter's assistant, Arthur, tries to seduce her but she runs away after finding out he is married.

Mary seeks refuge in the country and falls for a farmer, Jimmy. They get married but Arthur, seeking revenge, sends a Jewish friend to spy on them. He sends Jimmy a copy of the painting as a wedding present. Jimmy eventually forgives Mary and decides to destroy the painting, but discovers a lost will in the frame, which reveals Mary to be the heiress to a lost fortune.

Cast
  • Beth Darvall as Mary Garval
  • Hal Percy as James Denison
  • Colin Campbell as Arthur Huston
  • Alf Scarlett as James Masterton
  • Arthur Bruce as James Garval
  • Jim Joyce as Wilfred Garval
  • Dorothy May as Mrs Huston
  • Max Sorelle as Mr Eltham
  • Kitty Mostyn as Mrs Eltham
  • Viva Vawden as Mrs Harrop
  • Charles Brown as Henry Harrop
  • George Gilbert as Hal Hawkins
  • Edward Landor as Abe Halstein
  • Phyllis Best as Biddy O'Rooke

Production

The movie was shot in early 1927 in and around Melbourne, particularly in the suburb of Hawthorn. Marshall tried to woo Melbourne society while making the film, looking for investment. The director, Gerald Haye, made industrial films in Melbourne for several years.[4]

Reception

The film appears to have only been screened in Victoria.[4]

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References
  1. "FILM INDUSTRY". The Argus. Melbourne. 18 June 1927. p. 32. Retrieved 5 August 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. "£100,000 SPENT." Advocate (Burnie, Tas) 5 Jan 1928: 6; accessed 6 December 2011
  3. "PICTURES IN AUSTRALIA". Singleton Argus. NSW. 5 May 1927. p. 2. Retrieved 5 August 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 140.


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