Dab solver - Forty Thousand Horsemen

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== Release ==

Reviews were overwhelmingly positive.^ref^ref The critic from the Sydney Morning Herald claimed that "there have been some good Australian films before this one, but Forty Thousand Horsemen has every right to be regarded as the first really great Australian picture."^ref

It was a massive success at the box office, grossing £10,000 within its first three weeks of release, enabling Famous Features Ltd to buy out the interest of the New South Wales government for £15,000.^ref^ref The film was seen by 287,000 in Sydney alone during a ten week run on first release.^ref 

Female lead Betty Bryant was sent to Singapore for the film's premiere in June 1941. While there she met MGM executive Mauriece Silverstein who she would later marry, leading to her retirement from acting.^ref

The movie was released in the USA by Sherman S. Krellberg for [[Monogram Pictures]] and was very well received.^ref^ref

It earned over ₤40,000 in the UK.<ref name="hall">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98350463 |title=THE RESEARCH BUREAU HOLDS AN AUTOPSY. |newspaper= |location=Brisbane) (Qld. |date=17 February 1952 |accessdate=28 April 2013 |page=11 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

In 1954 the film was cut down to 50 minutes for screening on US television.^ref

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2011}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2011}}
{{Infobox film
|name = Forty Thousand Horsemen
|image = 
|caption = 
|director = [[Charles Chauvel (filmmaker)|Charles Chauvel]]
|producer = Charles Chauvel
|writer = Charles Chauvel [[Elsa Chauvel]] [[E.V. Timms]]
|starring = [[Grant Taylor (actor)|Grant Taylor]] [[Chips Rafferty]] [[Pat Twohill]]
|music = Lindley Evans<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17711142 |title=EFFECTS FOR LIGHT HORSE FILM. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=19 September 1940 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=20 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
|cinematography = [[George Heath (cinematographer)|George Heath]] Frank Hurley [[John Heyer]]
|editing = [[William Shepherd]]
|studio = Famous Feature Films
|distributor = [[Universal Pictures]] (Australia) [[Monogram Pictures]] (USA)
|released = 26 December 1940 (Australia) 22 August 1941 (UK)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17750830 |title=AUSTRALIAN FILM IN LONDON. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=22 August 1941 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=6 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> 14 August 1941 (USA)
|runtime = 100 minutes (Aust) 89 mins (UK)
|country = Australia
|language = English
|budget = ₤30,000<ref name="smh"/>
| gross = £130,000<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49354757 |title=OUR FUTURE IN FILM INDUSTRY. |newspaper=[[Courier-Mail|The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954)]] |location=Brisbane, Qld. |date=4 December 1946 |accessdate=1 August 2012 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
}}
'''''Forty Thousand Horsemen''''' (aka ''40,000 Horsemen'') is a 1940 [[Australia]]n war film directed by [[Charles Chauvel (filmmaker)|Charles Chauvel]]. The film tells the story of the [[Australian Light Horse]] cavalry which operated in the desert at the [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign]] during [[World War I]]. It follows the adventures of three rowdy heroes in fighting and romance. The film culminates at the [[Battle of Beersheba (1917)|Battle of Beersheba]] which is reputedly "the last successful cavalry charge in history". The film was clearly a propaganda weapon, to aid in recruitment and lift the pride of Australians at home during World War II. It was one of the most successful Australian movies of its day.<ref name="pike">Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 192.</ref>

==Plot==
In 1916 Jerusalem, German troops led by Von Schiller arrest French wine seller Paul Rouget for spying and hang him. His daughter Juliet goes into hiding dressed as a boy and starts spying on the Germans.

Three members of the Australian Lighthorse, Red, Larry and Jim, are enjoying themselves on leave in Cairo when called to fight the Turks. They take part in several battles including the march to [[Ogratina]] and the [[Battle of Romani]]. Red is separated from the others after one battle and has his life saved by Juliet, who he thinks is an Arab boy.

Red is reunited with his friends and they arrive at an Arab village. He meets Juliet and realises she was the boy who saved his life. They begin a romance.

The [[First Battle of Gaza|Battle of Gaza]] takes place; Jim and Larry are mortally wounded and Red is captured. He is sent to Beersheba to work as slave labour and discovers the town is wired with explosives. Juliet rescues him and they spend the night together in a hut. Jim manages to rejoin his unit in time to participate in the charge of the Light Horse at the [[Battle of Beersheba (1917)|Battle of Beersheba]], and stops Von Schiller before he detonates the explosives. The Germans and Turks are defeated and a wounded Red is reunited with Juliet.

==Cast==
{{div col|cols=2}}
*[[Grant Taylor (actor)|Grant Taylor]] as Red Gallagher
*Betty Bryant as Juliette Rouget
*[[Pat Twohill]] as Larry
*[[Chips Rafferty]] as Jim
*Eric Reiman as Von Schiller
*[[Joe Valli]] as Scotty
*[[Kenneth Brampton]] as German officer
*Albert C. Winn as Sheik Abu
*Harvey Adams as Von Hausen
*Norman Maxwell as Ismet
*Harry Abdy as Paul Rouget
*Pat Penny as Captain Seidi
*Charles Zoli as cafe owner
*Claude Turton as Othman
*Theo Lianos as Abdul
*Roy Mannix as Light Horse sergeant
*Edna Emmett
*Vera Kandy
*Iris Kennedy
*joy Heart
*[[Michael Pate]] as Arab
{{div col end}}
==Production==
===Development===
Chauvel was the nephew of Sir [[Harry Chauvel]], commander of the [[Australian Light Horse]] during the [[Sinai and Palestine Campaign]] and had long planned a film based on the exploits of the Light Horse. It was originally to be titled ''Thunder Over the Desert''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17433497 |title=LIGHT HORSE FILM. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=15 January 1938 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=10 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

To raise funds for a movie, Chauvel shot a £5,000 "teaser" sequence, consisting of a cavalry charge based around the Battle of Beersheba. The cost for this was paid for by [[Herc McIntyre]], managing director of [[Universal Pictures]] in Australia who was a long-time friend and associate of Chauvel's. Filming of this sequence took place on 1 February 1938 on the [[Cronulla sand dunes]] using a cavalry division of the [[Australian Light Horse]], which had been performing in the New South Wales sesquicentenary celebrations.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article30863549 |title=43,000 IN SYDNEY MARCH. |newspaper=[[The_Advertiser_(Adelaide)|The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954)]] |location=Adelaide, SA |date=26 April 1938 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=19 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

The charge was filmed by a four-camera unit, composed of [[Frank Hurley]], [[Tasman Higgins]], Bert Nicholas and [[John Heyer]].<ref name="pike"/> A cavalryman was injured during the shoot.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17429978 |title=FAMOUS CHARGE RE-ENACTED. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=2 February 1938 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=23 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

In 1939 Chauvel and McIntyre formed Famous Films Ltd to make the movie.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12096871 |title=FAMOUS FEATURE FILMS. |newspaper=[[The_Argus_(Australia)|The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956)]] |location=Melbourne, Vic. |date=14 February 1939 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Chauvel used the footage to raise the budget, which was originally announced at £25,000.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17647149 |title=FOUR LOCAL FILMS. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=13 March 1940 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=13 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> £5,000 was provided by McIntyre and £10,000 from [[Hoyts]]. The New South Wales government agreed to guarantee a bank overdraft of £15,000 although they did not invest directly in the movie.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article29889082 |title=COMPANIES' PLANS. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=3 January 1940 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=11 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17668563 |title=LOCAL FILMS. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=14 March 1940 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=11 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

===Casting===
The movie marked the first lead role for Grant Taylor, who rose to prominence in ''[[Dad Rudd, MP]]'' (1940). It was the first sizeable role for [[Chips Rafferty]], who had been cast after a screen test.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17715157 |title="TL Things Just Happen to Me and I Like It". |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=22 October 1940 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=5 Supplement: Women's Supplement |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Chauvel described him as "a cross between Slim Summerville and Jame Stewart, and has a variety of droll yet natural humour."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17679176 |title=Australian Films in the Making. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=11 June 1940 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=9 Supplement: Women's Supplement |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> [[Joe Valli]] reprised his Scottish soldier from [[Pat Hanna]]'s Digger Shows.

===Shooting===
Shooting began in May 1940. Interiors were shot in the Cinesound studios at Bondi which Chauvel leased from [[Cinesound Productions]] for a three month period. A second unit was used to build a desert village at Cronulla. The battle scenes were shot there in July and August, using the First Light Horse (Machine Gun) Regiment.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17683778 |title=TWO AUSTRALIAN FILMS IN THE MAKING. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=11 July 1940 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=19 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17687415 |title=SOLDIERS ACT IN FILM. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=15 July 1940 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=11 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==Censorship==
After the film's preview, the Commonwealth film censor, Creswell O'Reilly, requested three major cuts - display of the dancing girls in a cabaret, the love scene between Red and Juliette in a hut, and alleged cruelty to horses during the final charge.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17697813 |title=CUTS IN FILM RESTORED. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=21 December 1940 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=13 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17698486 |title=LOVE SCENE CUT SHORT. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=23 December 1940 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=8 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> This threatened Chauvel's ability to export the film and screen it in Victoria. Eventually the Minister for Customs, Eric Harrison, overruled the decision and allowed the movie to be shot uncut.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17707094 |title=NO CUTS LEFT IN FILM. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=25 December 1940 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=6 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The movie was also passed uncut in Victoria.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8151246 |title=DESERT WARFARE FILM PRAISED. |newspaper=[[The_Argus_(Australia)|The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956)]] |location=Melbourne, Vic. |date=23 January 1941 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=5 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==Release==
Reviews were overwhelmingly positive.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8181235 |title=THE AUSTRALIAN FILM INDUSTRY GROWS UP. |newspaper=[[The_Argus_(Australia)|The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956)]] |location=Melbourne, Vic. |date=19 April 1941 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=2 Supplement: The Argus Week-end Magazine |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article44883942 |title=Films Reviewed ... |newspaper=[[Courier-Mail|The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954)]] |location=Brisbane, Qld. |date=11 January 1941 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=14 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The critic from the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' claimed that "there have been some good Australian films before this one, but ''Forty Thousand Horsemen'' has every right to be regarded as the first really great Australian picture."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17707122 |title=FILM REVIEWS. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=30 December 1940 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

It was a massive success at the box office, grossing £10,000 within its first three weeks of release, enabling Famous Features Ltd to buy out the interest of the New South Wales government for £15,000.<ref name="smh">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17723246 |title=SHARE IN LIGHT HORSE FILM. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=14 January 1941 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=11 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17736830 |title="FILM DID NOT COST STATE A PENNY.". |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=15 January 1941 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=12 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The film was seen by 287,000 in Sydney alone during a ten week run on first release.<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/47320924?searchTerm=%22charles%20chauvel%22%20box%20office&searchLimits=l-category=Article%7Ccategory%3AArticle|||sortby=dateAsc 'FILM WORLD Today's Shows', ''The West Australian (Perth)'', Friday 25 April 1941 p 10]</ref>

Female lead Betty Bryant was sent to Singapore for the film's premiere in June 1941. While there she met MGM executive Mauriece Silverstein who she would later marry, leading to her retirement from acting.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17777456 |title=ARRIVALS IN MARIPOSA. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=6 December 1941 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=9 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}
</ref>

The movie was released in the USA by Sherman S. Krellberg for [[Monogram Pictures]] and was very well received.<ref>' Forty Thousand Horsemen,' Otherwise the Anzacs of World War I, Charges Into the Globe Theatre
T.S.. New York Times (1923-Current file) [New York, N.Y] 15 Aug 1941: 13</ref><ref>Australia Sends Spectacular Film, '40,000 Horsemen'
Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 25 Dec 1941: 16.</ref>

It earned over ₤40,000 in the UK.<ref name="hall">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article98350463 |title=THE RESEARCH BUREAU HOLDS AN AUTOPSY. |newspaper=<<link:0>> |location=Brisbane) (Qld. |date=17 February 1952 |accessdate=28 April 2013 |page=11 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

In 1954 the film was cut down to 50 minutes for screening on US television.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18439587 |title=Sydney's Talking About. |newspaper=[[Sydney_morning_herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=26 May 1954 |accessdate=18 August 2012 |page=6 Section: Women's Section |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{cite book |last=Murray  |first=Scott  |coauthors=(ed.)  |title=Australian Cinema  |publisher= Allen & Unwin/AFC |location= St.Leonards, NSW. |year=1994  |month=  |page=  |pages=26–28  |isbn= 1-86373-311-6 }}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0033307}}
* [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C05E5D8133FE13BBC4D52DFBE66838A659EDE ''New York Times'' review 15 August 1941]
*[http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=no;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=40,000%20Horsemen%20Media%3A%22FILM%22;querytype=;rec=2;resCount=10 ''Forty Thousand Horsemen''] at [[National Film and Sound Archive]]
*[http://australianscreen.com.au/titles/forty-thousand-horsemen/ ''Forty Thousand Horsemen''] at [[Australian Screen Online]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forty Thousand Horsemen}}
[[Category:Australian Light Horse]]
[[Category:1940 films]]
[[Category:Australian films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:World War I films set in the Middle East]]

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