The Monk and the Woman

The Monk and the Woman
Directed byFranklyn Barrett
Written by
  • Franklyn Barrett
  • D.H. Souter (titles)[2]
Based onplay by Frederick Melville
Produced by
  • Franklyn Barrett
  • George Marlow
  • Harry Musgrove
CinematographyFranklyn Barrett
Production
company
Australian Famous Players
Release date
  • 8 October 1917 (1917-10-08)[1]
Running time
6,000 feet
CountryAustralia
Languages
Budget£1,000[3][4]

The Monk and the Woman is a 1917 Australian silent film directed by Franklyn Barrett. It is considered to be lost.[5]

It was famous for its "sensation and commotion."[6]

A 1926 article said it was one of the most highly regarded early Australian films.[7]

Plot

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In eighteenth century France, the evil Prince de Montrale (Harry Plimmer) falls in love with Liane (Maud Fane), but she runs away from him and seeks refuge in a monastery. The prince finds her and orders the abbot to keep her in custody. A young novice, Brother Paul (Percy Marmont), is placed in charge of Liane and falls in love with her, despite having just taken his vows of celibacy.

The king (Monte Luke) commands that Liane marry the Prince. A wedding is prepared but Paul defeats the prince in a duel, steals his cloak and takes his place at the wedding. The impersonation is discovered and Paul is taken away to be executed. De Montrale leads a revolt against the king but Paul keeps fighting off the attack until loyalists arrive. Paul then returns to the monastery forever.[8]

Cast

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Original play

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The play was first produced in England in 1912 where it ran for a year. Theatre entrepreneur George Marlow bought the Australian rights and presented it in 1912.[9] It was controversial and received protests from church groups, being condemned by the Australian Catholic Federation.[10][11]

The film version changed the ending so that Brother Paul renounced his loved one and returned to the monastery, whereas in the play the two lovers stayed together.[3]

Production

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Barrett was going to make a film with Dorothy Brunton called The Web but she became unavailable.[12] Instead he was offered The Monk and the Woman.[13] JC Willamsons allowed them to hire costumes for free and to film at the Theatre Royal and use their acting talent.[14]

The film adaptation was likely made in response to the 1917 film The Church and the Woman. Shooting began in August 1917 and took place on the stage of the Theatre Royal in Sydney, and on location in French's Forest, Sydney, with some additional scenes shot at W.D. Dailey's castle in Manly.[2][15][16]

Percy Marmont, Hugh Huntley and Maud Fane were all British stage stars then touring Australia; this was Marmont's film debut.[17][18] It was produced by noted stage actor George Marlow.[19]

Barett says it took 28 days from the first day of filming to presenting it to the censor.[13] Everyone's later claimed "Besides setting Marmont on the road to screen stardom, the picture was the third to be shot under electric light anywhere South of the Dine."[14]

Release

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Despite changing the ending, the film was still seen as controversial by the Catholic Federation, who objected to its depiction of Catholicism. However, it was still passed by the censor.[20] Advertisements heavily played up the controversy[21] and the movie was a major success at the box office.[3][22] It was still screening in cinemas in 1922.[23][24]

Critical

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In the words of the Sunday Times "costume plays are notoriously at once difficult and expensive of production, and the utmost care must be exercised in order to escape anachronism. In this direction the pitfalls seem to have been avoided in the skilled hands o£ Mr W. Franklyn Barrett, who adapted the play to photography and produced; of Mr. D. H. Souter, who is responsible for the artistic titles; and of Mr. Rock Phillips, who undertook the art production."[2]

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George Marlow sued the makers of The Church and the Woman (1917) and got a court injunction forcing the producers of the latter to advertise their film specifically saying it was different from The Monk and the Woman.[25] This was done.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 October 1917. p. 3. Retrieved 24 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ a b c "Big Films In Review". The Sunday Times. Sydney. 7 October 1917. p. 26. Retrieved 10 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ a b c Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 71
  4. ^ "They've got the boys to do it in Australian". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. I, no. 9. New South Wales, Australia. 14 January 1940. p. 26 (Sunday Telegraph Magazine Supplement). Retrieved 18 July 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "The Monk and the Woman". silentera.com. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  6. ^ "Production Of Moving Pictures--In America And Australia". Australian Town and Country Journal. Vol. XCVIII, no. 2555. New South Wales, Australia. 18 December 1918. p. 20. Retrieved 21 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Marlow Again in Entertainment Field.", Everyones., 5 (316 (24 March 1926)), Sydney: Everyones Ltd, nla.obj-577683222, retrieved 9 March 2024 – via Trove
  8. ^ "The Monk And The Woman". The Mail. Adelaide. 20 October 1917. p. 8. Retrieved 24 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "Melodrama And Its Mission". The West Australian. Perth. 6 September 1912. p. 4. Retrieved 24 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Condemning A Play". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 January 1913. p. 10. Retrieved 24 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "Australian Catholic Federation". The Register. Adelaide. 10 May 1913. p. 6. Retrieved 24 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "STARS of Our EARLY FILMS". The Sun. No. 1786. New South Wales, Australia. 20 June 1937. p. 11 (MAGAZINE). Retrieved 15 August 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ a b "When a Man Could Live On Australian Films.", Everyones., Sydney: Everyones Ltd, 11 December 1929, nla.obj-577283355, retrieved 15 August 2024 – via Trove
  14. ^ a b "ALONG FILM ROW Folk, Fact and Fancy....The Laughs and Laments of the Trade", Everyones., Sydney: Everyones Ltd, 28 March 1934, nla.obj-582418726, retrieved 16 August 2024 – via Trove
  15. ^ "History Repeats Itself". The World's News. Sydney. 13 October 1917. p. 5. Retrieved 10 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "Majestic Theatre". Table Talk. Melbourne. 1 November 1917. p. 30. Retrieved 10 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "Paramount Pictures". The Mercury. Hobart, Tasmania. 15 March 1927. p. 5. Retrieved 24 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "It All Began With a Feature Movie on the Kelly Gang". The News. Adelaide. 16 November 1946. p. 2. Retrieved 20 February 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "Marlow Again in Entertainment Field". Everyones. 24 March 1928. p. 3.
  20. ^ "Monk And The Woman". The Sunday Times. Sydney. 7 October 1917. p. 25. Retrieved 10 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ^ "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 October 1917. p. 3. Retrieved 24 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ^ "The Moving Picture World". Bendigo Advertiser. Vic. 17 October 1917. p. 4. Retrieved 10 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. ^ "Entertainments". The Brisbane Courier. 18 August 1922. p. 9. Retrieved 10 December 2014 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. ^ "Moving Picture World – Lantern: Search, Visualize & Explore the Media History Digital Library".
  25. ^ "In Equity". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 October 1917. p. 9. Retrieved 24 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
  26. ^ "Advertising". The Mail. Adelaide. 20 October 1917. p. 8. Retrieved 24 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
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