Raymond Longford
Encyclopedia
Raymond Longford was a prolific Australia
n film director
, writer
, producer
and actor
during the silent era. Longford was a major director of the silent film era of the Australian cinema. He formed a production team with Lottie Lyell
. His contributions to Australian cinema with his ongoing collaborations with Lyell include The Sentimental Bloke
(1919) and The Blue Mountains Mystery
(1921) earned an AFI award named in his honour, inducted in 1968.
, a suburb of Melbourne
, and spent his early life at sea, then started acting on the stage in India, New Zealand and Australia. When he entered the theatre, he chose the name Raymond Hollis Longford. In 1911 Longford directed his first feature, The Fatal Wedding, for Cozens Spencer. Longford's early films were often made quickly, with limited budgets and a small crew. Based on the poetry of C. J. Dennis
, Longford directed The Sentimental Bloke
(1919), an important production of the silent period, earning better returns and critical reviews than any film to that date. The sequel, Ginger Mick, was released in 1920. He was devastated by Lyell's death in 1925. His final film, The Man They Could Not Hang, was released on 1 June 1934. During World War II, he was a clerk for the U.S. military stationed in Australia and was still active as a night watchman in Sydney before dying at the age of 80.
, David Stratton
, Ian Jones
and Geoffrey Rush
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
during the silent era. Longford was a major director of the silent film era of the Australian cinema. He formed a production team with Lottie Lyell
Lottie Lyell
Lottie Lyell was an Australian actress, screenwriter, editor and filmmaker born in Balmain, Sydney in 1890. She is regarded as Australia’s first film star, and also contributed to the local industry during the silent era with her collaborations with Raymond Longford.-Career:Charlotte Cox pursued...
. His contributions to Australian cinema with his ongoing collaborations with Lyell include The Sentimental Bloke
The Sentimental Bloke
The Sentimental Bloke is an Australian silent film based on the 1915 poem The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by C.J. Dennis.The film, from the Southern Cross Feature Film Company of Adelaide, was made by Raymond Longford and Lottie Lyell, at that time the best known partnership in Australian cinema...
(1919) and The Blue Mountains Mystery
The Blue Mountains Mystery
The Blue Mountains Mystery is a lost 1921 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford and co-directed by Lottie Lyell. The film was derived from the 1919 novel The Mount Marunga Mystery by Harrison Owen. Although now lost, at the time of its release The Blue Mountains Mystery fared well in...
(1921) earned an AFI award named in his honour, inducted in 1968.
Biography
John Walter Longford was born in 1878 in HawthornHawthorn, Victoria
Hawthorn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...
, a suburb of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, and spent his early life at sea, then started acting on the stage in India, New Zealand and Australia. When he entered the theatre, he chose the name Raymond Hollis Longford. In 1911 Longford directed his first feature, The Fatal Wedding, for Cozens Spencer. Longford's early films were often made quickly, with limited budgets and a small crew. Based on the poetry of C. J. Dennis
C. J. Dennis
Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis, better known as C. J. Dennis, was an Australian poet known for his humorous poems, especially "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke", published in the early 20th century...
, Longford directed The Sentimental Bloke
The Sentimental Bloke
The Sentimental Bloke is an Australian silent film based on the 1915 poem The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by C.J. Dennis.The film, from the Southern Cross Feature Film Company of Adelaide, was made by Raymond Longford and Lottie Lyell, at that time the best known partnership in Australian cinema...
(1919), an important production of the silent period, earning better returns and critical reviews than any film to that date. The sequel, Ginger Mick, was released in 1920. He was devastated by Lyell's death in 1925. His final film, The Man They Could Not Hang, was released on 1 June 1934. During World War II, he was a clerk for the U.S. military stationed in Australia and was still active as a night watchman in Sydney before dying at the age of 80.
AFI Longford Life Achievement Award
Named in Longford's honour, the AFI Raymond Longford Award is the Australian film industry's highest accolade for an individual based on their contributions to "unwavering commitment over many years to excellence in the film and television industries and has, through their body of work to date, contributed substantially to the enrichment of Australian screen culture". Since the introduction of the award by the AFI in 1968, winners have included Peter WeirPeter Weir
Peter Lindsay Weir, AM is an Australian film director. After playing a leading role in the Australian New Wave cinema with his films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave and Gallipoli, Weir directed a diverse group of American and international films—many of them major box office...
, David Stratton
David Stratton
David James Stratton is an English- Australian film critic and television personality.-Life and career:Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England in 1939, Stratton was sent to Hampshire to see out the war years with his grandmother, an avid filmgoer, where he was taken to the local cinemas regularly...
, Ian Jones
Ian Jones (author)
Ian Jones is an Australian television writer and director and an author specialising in the history of notorious outlaw Ned Kelly and his gang....
and Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
.
Director
- The Fatal WeddingThe Fatal WeddingThe Fatal Wedding is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford based on a popular American stage melodrama which he and Lottie Lyell had toured around Australia.-Synopsis:...
(1911) - The Romantic Story of Margaret CatchpoleThe Romantic Story of Margaret CatchpoleThe Romantic Story of Margaret Catchpole is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford and starring Lottie Lyell. It is based on the true story of Margaret Catchpole, an adventuress and convict.-External links:...
(1911) - Sweet Nell of Old DrurySweet Nell of Old DrurySweet Nell of Old Drury is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford about the relationship between Nell Gwynne and King Charles II. It is based on the 1900 play of the same name by Paul Kester...
(1911) - The Tide of DeathThe Tide of DeathThe Tide of Death is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford.- External links :* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1912) - The Midnight WeddingThe Midnight WeddingThe Midnight Wedding is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1912) - Australia CallsAustralia Calls (1913 film)Australia Calls is a 1913 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford about the fictitious invasion of Australia by an unnamed Asian country.-Synopsis:...
(1913) - Pommy Arrives in AustraliaPommy Arrives in AustraliaPommy Arrives in Australia is a 1913 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford....
(1913) - 'Neath Austral Skies'Neath Austral Skies'Neath Austral Skies is a 1913 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1913) - The Silence of Dean MaitlandThe Silence of Dean Maitland (1914 film)The Silence of Dean Maitland is a 1914 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford. It is an adaptation of the novel by Maxwell Gray which was later filmed by Ken G. Hall in 1934....
(1914) - The Swagman's Story (1914)
- The Mutiny of the BountyThe Mutiny of the BountyThe Mutiny of the Bounty is a 1916 Australian-New Zealand silent film directed by Raymond Longford about the mutiny on the HMS Bounty. It was filmed in Rotorua and Sydney....
(1916) - A Maori Maid's LoveA Maori Maid's LoveA Maori Maid's Love is a 1916 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford about an interracial romance between a white man and a Māori girl. It was shot on location in Rotorua and Auckland.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1916) - The Church and the WomanThe Church and the WomanThe Church and the Woman is a 1917 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford set against the background of sectarianism in Australia.-Cast:*Lottie Lyell*George K. Chesterton Bonar *Nada Conrade*Boyd Irwin*Lottie Lyell *Pat McGrath...
(1917) - The Woman SuffersThe Woman SuffersThe Woman Suffers is a 1918 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford. It is a melodrama starring Lottie Lyell.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive* at Australian Screen Online...
(1918) - The Sentimental BlokeThe Sentimental BlokeThe Sentimental Bloke is an Australian silent film based on the 1915 poem The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke by C.J. Dennis.The film, from the Southern Cross Feature Film Company of Adelaide, was made by Raymond Longford and Lottie Lyell, at that time the best known partnership in Australian cinema...
(1919) - On Our SelectionOn Our Selection (1920 film)On Our Selection is a 1920 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford based on the Dad and Dave stories by Steele Rudd.-Production:...
(1920) - Ginger MickGinger MickGinger Mick is a 1920 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford based on The Moods of Ginger Mick by C.J. Dennis. It is a sequel to The Sentimental Bloke and is considered a lost film.-External links:...
(1920) - Rudd's New SelectionRudd's New SelectionRudd's New Selection is a 1921 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford based on the Dad and Dave stories by Steele Rudd. It is a sequel to On Our Selection . The plot concerns the marriage of Dave Rudd and introduces a sister, Nell .Although popular on release, the movie is now...
(1921) - The Blue Mountains MysteryThe Blue Mountains MysteryThe Blue Mountains Mystery is a lost 1921 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford and co-directed by Lottie Lyell. The film was derived from the 1919 novel The Mount Marunga Mystery by Harrison Owen. Although now lost, at the time of its release The Blue Mountains Mystery fared well in...
(1921) - The Dinkum BlokeThe Dinkum BlokeThe Dinkum Bloke is a 1923 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford. Despite the title and the presence of Arthur Tauchert and Lottie Lyell in the cast, the film is not a direct sequel to The Sentimental Bloke .-External links:...
(1923) - Australia CallsAustralia Calls (1923 film)Australia Calls is a 1923 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford made for the British Empire Exhibition in London in 1924.It was a semi-documentary about the adventures of Ernest Idiens, a labourer from Staffordshire who moved to New South Wales with his brother in 1912 with only ₤30...
(1923) - Fisher's GhostFisher's Ghost (film)Fisher's Ghost is a 1924 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford based on the legend of Fisher's Ghost. The film is set in 1826 Campbelltown and centers on a settler named Farley who sees a spectre on the Bunburry-Curran Creek bridge. Farley is led by the apparition to George Worrell,...
(1924) - The BushwhackersThe Bushwhackers (film)The Bushwhackers is a 1925 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford loosely based on Alfred Tennyson's Enoch Arden.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1925) - Peter Vernon's SilencePeter Vernon's SilencePeter Vernon's Silence is a 1926 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1926) - The PioneersThe Pioneers (1926 film)The Pioneers is a 1926 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford. The script had been written by Lottie Lyell but she had died by the time filming started.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1926) - SunriseSunrise (1926 film)Sunrise is a 1926 Australian silent film co-directed by Raymond Longford, who took over during filming.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1926) - Hills of HateHills of HateHills of Hate is a 1926 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford, based on a novel by E.V. Timms, who also did the screenplay.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1926) - The Man They Could Not HangThe Man They Could Not Hang (1934 film)The Man They Could Not Hang is a 1934 Australian film directed by Raymond Longford about the life of John Babbacombe Lee.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1934)
Actor only
- The Life of Rufus DawesThe Life of Rufus DawesThe Life of Rufus Dawes is a 1911 Australian silent film based on Alfred Dampier's stage adaptation of the novel For the Term of His Natural Life.-Synopsis:The film was divided into sections:...
(1911) as Gabbett - Diggers in BlightyDiggers in BlightyDiggers in Blighty is a 1933 Australian film starring and directed by Pat Hanna. Hanna decided to direct this film himself after being unhappy with how F.W...
(1933) as Von Schieling - The AvengerThe Avenger (1937 film)-Cast:*Douglas Stuart as Terry Druton* John Fernside as Max Hart* Karen Greyson as Della, the Maid* Marcia Melville as Gwen* Marshall Crosby as Detective Sergeant O'Neill* George Lloyd as Happy Evans* Raymond Longford as Warren* Pat Twohill as Solicitor...
(1937) as Warren - Dad and Dave Come to TownDad and Dave Come to TownDad and Dave Come to Town is a 1938 Australian comedy film directed by Ken G. Hall, the third in the 'Dad and Dave' comedy series starring Bert Bailey.-Synopsis:...
(1938) as Policeman - Wings of DestinyWings of DestinyWings of Destiny is a 1940 action movie about the activities of fifth columnists in Australia during World War II.-Cast:*Marshall Crosby*John Fernside*George Lloyd*Cecil Perry*Raymond Longford as Peters-External links:...
(1940) as Peters - Dad Rudd, MPDad Rudd, MPDad Rudd, M.P. is a 1940 comedy that was the last of four films made by Ken G. Hall starring Bert Bailey as Dad Rudd. It was the last feature film directed by Hall prior to the war and the last made by Cinesound Productions, Bert Bailey and Frank Harvey....
(1940) as Electoral Officer - Racing LuckRacing LuckRacing Luck is a 1941 Australian comedy film directed by Rupert Kathner and starring Joe Valli, George Lloyd and Marshall Crosby. The jockey Darby Munro, who had a cameo as himself, described it as the best Australian film he had ever seen.-Cast:...
(1941)
External links
- Raymond Longford & Lottie Lyell by William M. Drew
- Raymond Longford at Australian Dictionary of BiographyAustralian Dictionary of BiographyThe Australian Dictionary of Biography is a national, co-operative enterprise, founded and maintained by the Australian National University to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's history....
- Raymond Longford at National Film and Sound ArchiveNational Film and Sound ArchiveThe National Film and Sound Archive is Australia’s audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national collection of audiovisual materials and related items...
- Biography at Austlit