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Clara Gibbings

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Clara Gibbings
Directed byF.W. Thring
associate
Frank Harvey
Written byFrank Harvey
Based onplay Clara Billings by Aimée & Philip Stuart
Produced byF.W. Thring
StarringDorothy Brunton
Campbell Copelin
CinematographyArthur Higgins
Production
company
Release date
  • 13 October 1934 (1934-10-13)[1]
Running time
81 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Budget£5,000[2]

Clara Gibbings is a 1934 Australian film directed by F.W. Thring about the owner of a London pub who discovers she is the daughter of an earl. It was a vehicle for stage star Dorothy Brunton.[3]

Synopsis

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Clara Gibbings is the straight-talking owner of a London dockland public-house who discovers she is the legitimate (but abandoned) daughter of the Earl of Drumoor. She launches herself in high society but soon becomes disillusioned with their morals. In the process "she manages to get home some clever thrusts against the shams and hypocrisy of the life of elegance that she had thought so wonderful".[4][5] Clara falls in love with a young aristocrat, Errol Kerr, who proposes, and they go off to live in Australia.

Cast

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Original play

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Clara Gibbings
Written byAimee & Philip Stuart[6]
Date premieredLondon
Place premiered1929
Original languageEnglish
Genremelodrama

The script was one of a number of play adaptations from F.W. Thring.[7] It was based on a 1929 English play[8] which originally been presented by Thring in Melbourne (one of the cast, Beatrice Day, collapsed and died during rehearsal).[9] It had also been produced on Broadway under the title of Lady Clara starring Florence Nash.[10]

Production

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The film was shot at Efftee's St Kilda studios in early 1934. Although Thring was credited as director, it is likely Frank Harvey did most of the actual direction on set.[11]

During shooting, Thring announced he would close the studios after making the movie due to difficulties in getting his product released outside Melbourne.[12][13] It finished by April.[14] Thring did make another film before shutting down the studio, The Streets of London (1934), and announced plans to revive production, but died before he was able to.[15]

"I took one look at myself in the 'rushes' – and looked away", admitted Brunton. "I simply could not bear to see myself any more. I thought I looked terrible."[16]

Reception

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The film was previewed in September and released in Melbourne at the Mayfair Cinema on 13 October where it was reported as "recording excellent business".[17][18] Reviewers commented on the fact it was basically a filmed play.[19]

It won third prize (amounting to £750) in a competition held by the Commonwealth government in 1935.[20] The judges said the film "contained sparkling dialogue supported by competent acting, although the adaptation of the English play on which it was based was inadequate."[21] However, as of 1936 the film had not been seen on Sydney screens.[22] It was released in England but received poor reviews.[23]

Peter Fitzpatrick, biographer of Thring, later described the movie as looking "like a run-of-the-mill British B-picture, and that is at once a badge of proficiency and a mark of its remoteness from everything that Effree stood for."[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Notes on the Screen". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 26 September 1934. p. 5. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  2. ^ "Counting the Cash in Australian Films"', Everyones 12 December 1934 p 19-20
  3. ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998 p166
  4. ^ Australian Film Classics, Canberra Times, 2 February 1989, page 12.
  5. ^ Clara Gibbings, The Farmer and Settler (Sydney), 27 September 1934, page 15.
  6. ^ "COLLABORATION". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 13 April 1935. p. 20. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  7. ^ 'ENGLISH PLAYS To be Filmed in Melbourne', The Sydney Morning Herald Friday 12 January 1934 p 6
  8. ^ "A WOMAN'S LETTER". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 2 February 1929. p. 6. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  9. ^ 'MISS BEATRICE DAY. Death of Actress', The Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday 5 September 1933 p 7
  10. ^ Broadway listing of Lady Clara at IBDB
  11. ^ Fitzpatrick p 222
  12. ^ "AUSTRALIAN FILMS Suspension of Production". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 13 February 1934. p. 9. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  13. ^ "AUSTRALIAN FILMS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 14 February 1934. p. 12. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  14. ^ "AUSTRALIAN FILM". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 20 April 1934. p. 13. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  15. ^ "EFFTEE FILMS". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 27 July 1934. p. 7. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  16. ^ "From ROSALIND'S NOTEBOOK". The Mail. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 25 August 1934. p. 17. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  17. ^ "Clara Gibbings at Hit at Mel Mayfair", Everyone's,, 24 October 1934 p 30
  18. ^ "THE MIRROR OF SCOEITY". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 8 September 1934. p. 29. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  19. ^ "The Mayfair "CLARA GIBBINGS"". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 15 October 1934. p. 4. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  20. ^ 'AUSTRALIAN FILMS. NATIONAL COMPETITIONS. "HERITAGE" FIRST CHOICE', Cairns Post Friday 8 March 1935 p 8
  21. ^ "PRIZE-WINNING FILMS". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 30 May 1935. p. 15. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  22. ^ '"CLARA GIBBINGS" Gazetted as Quota Film', The Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 6 June 1936 p 12
  23. ^ "SCREEN NOTES: By Preview". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 10 June 1936. p. 11. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  24. ^ Fitzpatrick p 223
  • Fitzpatrick, Peter The Two Frank Thrings, Monash University, 2012
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