Dab solver - The Overlanders (film)

Most tools require the use of JavaScript. If you are using Firefox with the NoScript addon, please mark toolserver.org as trusted. See the Help page for details.

Feedback / Report a bug

0 points on this page / 19,039 points earned collectively this month / Disambiguate pages on your watchlist

 | budget = ₤40,000^ref or £80,000<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>
 | gross = ₤160,000 (Australia)^ref<br>£250,000 (total)^ref
 | preceded_by = 
 | followed_by = 
 | image = The Overlanders VideoCover.jpeg
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}}
The Overlanders is a 1946 Australian-British film about [[Drover (Australian)|drovers]] droving a large herd of cattle 1600 miles overland from [[Wyndham, Western Australia|]] in Western Australia through the [[Northern Territory]] [[outback]] of Australia to pastures north of [[Brisbane]], Queensland during [[World War II]].

The film was the first of several produced in Australia by [[Ealing Studios]], and featured among the cast [[Chips Rafferty]].
30 lines hidden (1910 characters)
Watt was only allowed to import four technicians from Britain to assist - editor Inman Hunter, cinematographer Osmond Borradaile, production supervisor Jack Rix^ref and camera operator Carl Kayser. The rest of the crew were drawn from Australia.

Watt spent 1944 travelling the route of the trek. Dora Birtles researched the subject in government files and archives. She later wrote a novelisation of the script which was published.

== Casting ==

There were nine lead roles and the casting process took two months.^ref Watt ended up selecting four professional actors, an experienced amateur, and four newcomers to films. Chips Rafferty, who Watt described as an "Australian [[Gary Cooper]]"^ref was given his first lead role. Daphne Campbell was a nursing orderly who had grown up in the country but had never acted before. She was screen tested after her picture was seen on the cover of a magazine, and selected over hundreds of applicants.^ref Peter Pagan had worked in Sydney theatre and was serving in the army when selected by Watt.^ref Clyde Combo and Henry Murdoch were cast as the aboriginal stockmen; they came from  because Harry Watt believed Northern Territory aboriginals did not speak English sufficiently well.^ref

Chips Rafferty and John Nugent-Hayward were paid £25 a month for five months.^ref

Single scrollbar

{{Infobox film
 | name = The Overlanders
 | caption = 
 | director = [[Harry Watt (director)|Harry Watt]]
 | producer = [[Michael Balcon]] Ralph Smart (associate)
 | writer = [[Harry Watt (director)|Harry Watt]] [[Ralph Smart]]
 | starring = [[Chips Rafferty]] John Nugent Hayward Daphne Campbell John Fernside Peter Pagan Helen Grieve Jean Blue
 | music = [[John Ireland (composer)|John Ireland]]
 | cinematography = [[Osmond Borradaile]]
 | editing = [[Inman Hunter]] [[Leslie Norman (director)|Leslie Norman]]
 | distributor = [[British Empire Films]] (Aust) [[Ealing Studios]] (UK) [[Umbrella Entertainment]] (Aust) [[Universal Pictures]] (US)
 | released = 27 September 1946
 | runtime = 91 minutes
 | country = Australia United Kingdom
 | language = English
 | budget = ₤40,000<ref name="pike">Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 204.</ref> or £80,000<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>
 | gross = ₤160,000 (Australia)<ref>[http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/57956516?searchTerm=cinesound%20%22box%20office%22&searchLimits=sortby=dateAsc|||l-category=Article%7Ccategory%3AArticle 'Who doesn't go to the pictures today?', ''The Mail (Adelaide)'' Saturday 22 May 1954 Supplement: SUNDAY MAGAZINE p 21]</ref> £250,000 (total)<ref name="hall"/>
 | preceded_by = 
 | followed_by = 
 | image = The Overlanders VideoCover.jpeg
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}}
'''''The Overlanders''''' is a 1946 Australian-British film about [[Drover (Australian)|drovers]] droving a large herd of cattle 1600 miles overland from [[Wyndham, Western Australia|Wyndham]] in Western Australia through the [[Northern Territory]] [[outback]] of Australia to pastures north of [[Brisbane]], Queensland during [[World War II]].

The film was the first of several produced in Australia by [[Ealing Studios]], and featured among the cast [[Chips Rafferty]].

==Plot==
In 1942 the Japanese army is thrusting southwards and Australia fear invasion. Bill Parsons becomes concerned, and leaves his homestead in northern Australia along with his wife and two daughters, Mary and Helen. They join up with a cattle drive heading south led by Dan McAlpine. Others on the drive include the shonky Corky; British former sailor, Sinbad; aboriginal stockmen, Nipper and Jackie.

The cattle drive is extremely difficult, encountering crocodiles, blazing heat and other dangers. Mary and Sinbad start a romance. Dan speaks out against Corky's plans to develop the Northern Territory.

==Cast==
*[[Chips Rafferty]] as Dan McAlpine
*John Nugent Hayward as Bill Parsons
*Daphne Campbell as Mary Parsons
*Jean Blue as Mrs Parsons
*Helen Grieve as Helen Parsons
*John Fernside as Corky
*Peter Pagan as Sinbad
*Frank Ransome as Charlie
*[[Stan Tolhurst]] as Bert
*[[Marshall Crosby]] as Minister
*Clyde Combo as Jackie
*[[Henry Murdoch]] as Nipper
*Edmund Allison as two-up player
*Jock Levy as two-up player

==Development==
The film came about because the Australian government were concerned that Australia's contribution to the war effort was not being sufficiently recognised. They contacted Britain's Ministry of Information, who in turn spoke with [[Michael Balcon]] at [[Ealing Studios]], who was enthusiastic about the idea. He sent Harry Watt out to find a subject. Watt travelled the country as an official war correspondent and guest of the Australian government. He would spend eighteen months in Australia making the movie.<ref name="pike"/>

Watt decided to exploit the Australian landscape by making a film set entirely outdoors. When visiting a government office in Canberra to advise on making documentaries, he heard about an incident in 1942 when 100,000 cattle were driven 2,000 miles in the [[Northern Territory]] to escape a feared Japanese invasion.<ref name="Kemp">Philip Kemp, 'On the Slide: Harry Watt and Ealing's Australian Adventure', ''Second Take: Australian Filmmakers Talk'', Ed Geoff Burton and Raffaele Caputo, Allen & Unwin 1999 p 145-164</ref>

Watt was only allowed to import four technicians from Britain to assist - editor Inman Hunter, cinematographer Osmond Borradaile, production supervisor Jack Rix<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17933414 |title=FILM PRODUCER IN SYDNEY. |newspaper=[[Sydney morning herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=29 December 1944 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and camera operator Carl Kayser. The rest of the crew were drawn from Australia.

Watt spent 1944 travelling the route of the trek. Dora Birtles researched the subject in government files and archives. She later wrote a novelisation of the script which was published.

==Casting==
There were nine lead roles and the casting process took two months.<ref name="smh"/> Watt ended up selecting four professional actors, an experienced amateur, and four newcomers to films. Chips Rafferty, who Watt described as an "Australian [[Gary Cooper]]"<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17963989 |title=LATE NEWS Australia Could Be Film-making Centre. |newspaper=[[Sydney morning herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=21 December 1945 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=1 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> was given his first lead role. Daphne Campbell was a nursing orderly who had grown up in the country but had never acted before. She was screen tested after her picture was seen on the cover of a magazine, and selected over hundreds of applicants.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27930293 |title=Women's News AAMWS IN FILM ROLE. |newspaper=[[Sydney morning herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=22 March 1945 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=5 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Peter Pagan had worked in Sydney theatre and was serving in the army when selected by Watt.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article78263358 |title=U.S. STAGE OFFER TO FILM ACTOR. |newspaper=[[Daily News (Perth, Western Australia)|The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950)]] |location=Perth, WA |date=22 November 1946 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=6 Edition: Emergency Final |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Clyde Combo and Henry Murdoch were cast as the aboriginal stockmen; they came from <<link:1>> because Harry Watt believed Northern Territory aboriginals did not speak English sufficiently well.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49998677 |title=GAST FOR OVERLANDERS' PASSES THROUGH B. HILL. |newspaper=[[Barrier Miner|Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954)]] |location=Broken Hill, NSW |date=11 April 1945 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=1 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Chips Rafferty and John Nugent-Hayward were paid £25 a month for five months.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27909844 |title=TO CONFER ON ACTORS' PAY. |newspaper=[[Sydney morning herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=19 November 1946 |accessdate=19 March 2012 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==Production==
Five hundred cattle were purchased by Ealing for use in the film. They were marked with the "overland" brand and later sold off for profit.

Shooting began in April 1945 at Sydney's North Head quarantine station, which stood in for the meat export centre at Wyndham in Western Australia.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47118101 |title=Filming of cattle trek story begins. |newspaper=[[Australian Women's Weekly|The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982)]] |location=1933 - 1982 |date=14 April 1945 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=16 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The unit was then flown by the [[RAAF]] to Alice Springs where they were based in an army camp.<ref name="smh">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17969980 |title=Romance on Location. |newspaper=[[Sydney morning herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=9 February 1946 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=6 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

A second unit headed by John Heyer spent several weeks filming movement of cattle from the air.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17935716 |title=Filming Great Cattle Trek For "The Overlanders". |newspaper=[[Sydney morning herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=5 June 1945 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=5 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Three months later, the unit moved to the [[Roper River]] camp on the Elsey Station for another month., where the river crossing sequence was shot. This station was famous from the book ''[[We of the Never Never]]''. In mid-September the unit returned to Sydney after five months of shooting.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27925667 |title="OVERLANDERS" FILM UNIT RETURNS. |newspaper=[[Sydney morning herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=5 September 1945 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=5 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

During the making of the movie, Campbell met and married her future husband.<ref name="premiere"/>

The Australian government later declared they spent £4,359 to assist in the production of the movie.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56407838 |title="THE OVERLANDERS". |newspaper=[[The Morning Bulletin|Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 - 1954)]] |location=Rockhampton, Qld. |date=15 November 1946 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=1 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Post production work was done in England. The film score was written by the English composer [[John Ireland (composer)|John Ireland]]. It was his only film score. An orchestral suite was extracted from the score by the conductor [[Charles Mackerras|Sir Charles Mackerras]] after Ireland's death.

Harry Watt claimed the original ending was more cynical, finishing with the unscruplous 'Corky' being the only one who got a good job out of the trek, and a fade out on a roar of sardonic laughter from the rest of the overlanders. However he says he was advised to put a more upbeat ending.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55873949 |title=Watt Talks on Plans For Australian Films. |newspaper=[[Sunday Mail (Adelaide)|The Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954)]] |location=Adelaide, SA |date=21 December 1946 |accessdate=14 February 2012 |page=9 Supplement: SUPPLEMENT TO "THE MAIL" MAGAZINE |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Ealing were so pleased with Rafferty's performance they signed him to a long-term contract even before the movie had been released.

==Reception==
Neither Rafferty or Campbell were able to make the film's Sydney premiere because Rafferty was making a movie in England, and Campbell was looking after a one week old baby in Alice Springs. However local actor [[Ron Randell]] attended and was mobbed.<ref name="premiere">{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17996637 |title=Stars Of "The Overlander" Had To Miss The Premiere. |newspaper=[[Sydney morning herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=28 September 1946 |accessdate=19 August 2012 |page=1 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

Reviews were extremely positive<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17996919 |title=NEW FILMS REVIEWED. |newspaper=[[Sydney morning herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=30 September 1946 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=10 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and the movie was enormously successful at the box office in Australia and England; by February 1947 it was estimated 350,000 Australians had seen it, making it the most widely seen Australian movie of all time.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article78553022 |title='OUTLAW' GETS PAST CENSOR. |newspaper=[[Daily News (Perth, Western Australia)|The Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950)]] |location=Perth, WA |date=15 February 1947 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=14 Edition: FIRST EDITION |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> It was also the first Ealing picture to be widely seen in Europe.

This prompted Ealing (and its parent company, Rank, who distributed) to make a series of films in Australia out of [[Pagewood Film Studios]].<ref name="Kemp"/> By mid 1947 it appeared the company would make a co-production deal with [[Cinesound Productions]] but in August Sir [[Norman Rydge]] withdrew Cinesound. Ealing went ahead by themselves to make ''Eureka Stockade'' with Chips Rafferty.

Daphne Campbell received Hollywood enquiries and made a series of screen tests in Sydney but elected not to pursue a Hollywood career, staying with her husband and children in Alice Springs.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article30523307 |title=Actress Says Goodbye To Films. |newspaper=[[The Advertiser (Adelaide)|The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954)]] |location=Adelaide, SA |date=17 April 1947 |accessdate=14 February 2012 |page=1 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Peter Pagan moved overseas and worked extensively in the US and London.

Some minor changes for censorship were made for the film's US release including the removal of the word "damn".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18012286 |title="The Overlanders'" Damn Was Not For Americans. |newspaper=[[Sydney morning herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=21 December 1946 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The film was listed one of the 15 best films of the year by [[Bosley Crowther]] of the ''[[New York Times]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27903705 |title=The World This Week. |newspaper=[[Sydney morning herald|The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)]] |location=NSW |date=1 January 1947 |accessdate=20 August 2012 |page=1 Supplement: Playtime |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

==Home Media==
''The Overlanders'' was released on DVD by [[Umbrella Entertainment]] in November 2012. The DVD is compatible with all region codes.<ref name="Umbrella Entertainment">{{cite web|title=Umbrella Entertainment|url=http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/p-3409-overlanders-the.aspx|accessdate=4 May 2013}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{Cite book | title=Arts in Australia &mdash; Theatre, Film, Radio, Television &mdash; Volume 1 | first1=Ann | last2=Atkinson | first2=Linsay | last2=Knight | first3=Margaret | last3=McPhee | publisher=Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd. | year=1996 }}
* {{Cite book | title=The Australian Film and Television Companion | first1=Tony | last1=Harrison | publisher=Simon & Schuster Australia | year=1994 }}

==External links==
*{{Cite web | url=http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;query=Number%3A7597%20Media%3A%22FILM%22;rec=0 | title=The Overlanders | publisher=National Film and Sound Archive | location=Australia | accessdate=18 May 2010 }}
* {{IMDB title|0038821|The Overlanders}}
*[http://aso.gov.au/titles/features/the-overlanders/ ''The Overlanders''] at [[Australian Screen Online]]
*[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/1002624/index.html ''The Overlanders''] at [[BFI Screenonline]]
{{Harry Watt}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Overlanders, The}}
[[Category:1946 films]]
[[Category:Australian films]]
[[Category:British films]]
[[Category:Films based on actual events]]
[[Category:World War II films]]
[[Category:Ealing Studios films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Harry Watt]]

Edit summary:
This is a minor edit Watch this page

Cancel

Dab solver - The Overlanders (film)

Tools

Interaction