Rex “Snowy” Baker doesn’t know who you are but he has a
particular set of skills that mean he will find you and he will win you over. His
rugged features hide a winning smile and his athleticism counterbalances perfectly
with his character’s piety especially as, despite the frock, he’s just a normal
bloke. Fortunes are made on such combinations and you can see why he had a run
of successful films in Australia with this being the third of five.
In the UK and USA this film was known as The Better Man and Snowy is exactly that whether he’s intervening in stopping two kids fighting and then showing them how to fight properly or diving into fast-moving water to save another. Not all superheroes wear capes, some have dog collars and Snowy plays John Harland, a former world-class athlete who now hides his physicality under the robes of priesthood. Baker excelled a sport, ALL sport… which is probably why he “only” got a silver at the ‘08 London Olympics (in boxing natch). He won New South Wales titles at swimming as well as boxing championships while still a teenager, and also excelled at rugby (two test series for Australia vs GB) and… horsemanship, water polo, running, rowing and cricket! Strewth, all this reminds me of my regular humiliations playing sport with the Maxwell Boys from Adelaide… but another time!
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| Ah, but why was Mr White nicknamed "Snowy" I hear you ask? |
There’s one spectacular stunt when he’s chasing a man whose
just robbed a grand from a businessman, he’s up on a bridge looking down and
jumps down onto a carriage and then again onto a horse and cart before hitting
the ground running and bringing his man to ground. Truly this is the Aussie
Fairbanks, call him "Bruce" if you will. He’s also a precursor of Johnny Weissmuller with a lengthy sequence
showing him make a variety of outstanding dives into a billabong, surely the
most gratuitous use of such a location since Jenny Agutter went for a dip in Walkabout,
albeit in a different way.
Muriel Hammond (American actress Agnes Vernon) would disagree though as she looks on admiringly and ties his clothes up so he takes longer to get changed from his wet swimming cosy. Muriel is the ward of one nasty piece of work called Martin Giles (Charles Villiers) who has embezzled her father’s money and wants to marry her on the grounds that a wife can’t testify against her husband. He gets Harland reassigned from Kangaroo so he can have his evil way un-opposed but the Lord moves in mysterious ways fella and you’re about to find out…
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| Agnes Vernon and Rex "Snowy" White |
There’s a lot packed in this film and as the action moves on
from quiet Kangaroo, John gets involved in saving a businessman, Mr Greythorn,
from a mugging and, through him, gets the chance to spread the Holy word in
Kalmaroo, a town without a chapel. The local lads, led by proper wrong ‘un Black
Jack Braggan (Wilfred Lucas) who just happens to be the foreman on Muriel’s
family farm, where he helps the wicked Giles strip the assets and cattle.
From here on it’s all a bit Hells Hinges with
immovable forces about to collide with irresistible objects as John must deal
with Black Jack and Muriel’s impression that he ran out on her. It’s an action-packed
finale with excellent stunts and lots of horses; you can’t ask for more! It’s a
tremendously likable film, well directed by Wilfred Lucas, with some top-notch intertitles from Syd Nicholls –
very witty and covering a lot of complex narrative with deft phrasing.
Accompanist Mauro Colombis had some wonderful fun with this
film with spritely lines illustrating the daring do, the suspense and the thrills
of the great outback. As they say in Aus, “go you good thing!”
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| An example of Syd Nichol's excellent work! |
Before our trip Down Under, there were five short films from
the Cineteca del Friuli mostly Italian and all showing the diversity of subject
matter pre-war. Accompaniment was provided by Maud Nelissen who played with impressively
assured variety for, as briefs go, there’s few more eclectic challenges for improvisation.
The first three films came from the Ambrosio Studios in Turin
and in the second, Cenerentola/ A Modern Cinderella (IT 1913), we see
behind the scenes as the Cinders in question, Silvietta, played by Fernanda
Negri-Pouget, who was in the 1913 epic The Last Days of Pompeii amongst
other things, is taken to the studios for an audition. It’s always fascinating
to see behind the camera at a silent studio and whilst the film overall is incomplete,
this is precious footage. Silvietta gets the role and a star is born with all
the usual ramifications…
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| Fernanda Negri-Pouget - white dress, black hair - on stage at Ambrosio |
The first film Le Bolle di Sapone/ Soap Bubbles (IT
1911), features the studio’s youngest star, Maria Bay – born in 1905 – as a wicked
little boy intent on kicking walking sticks from old ladies and generally being
disgraceful. He eventually learns his lesson after stealing a pipe blowing soap
bubbles and seeing visions of the consequences of his actions. There’s remarkable
technical control here with each bubble followed down in close up before the
vision of the boy’s tormented victim appears inside the soap, spiralling to her
doom unless he can change and his evil intentions, just like his dreams, can
fade and die…
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| The camera tracks a blown bubble than another image is superimposed... |
Years before Coke Ennyday (a deranged Douglas Fairbanks)
faced his mystery of the leaping fish, the French, in the form of
writer/director Roméo Bosetti, were taking a comic look at chasing the dragon
in Bigorno Fume L’Opium (FR 1914). Filmed near Nice it shows the
reaction of a petit bourgeois family to presents from their friend Augusto the
Explorer on his return from the East. René Lantini (Bigorno) goes as over the
top as he has visions of ancient worlds and trashes the living room. Then, as
now kids, just say no.
As Gods to wanton Spiders are we Flies to the Boys is broadly
what we’re addressing with the clever animation La Mosca a il Ragno/ The
Spider and the Fly (IT 1913). A young boy pulls the wings off the titular
insect and it is left to fend for itself, six legs vs eight, as the house
spider moves in. No spoilers but flies are amazingly resourceful and quite
string for their size. I can only refer the unknown director and writer, Émile
Vardannes, to the message of the previous film.
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| René Lantini listens to early Pink Floyd, probably... |
Lastly there was a fun two-reeler, Il Giglio Nero/The Black Lilly (IT 1913) no doubt inspired by the French crime serials such as Fantômas and Zigomar – detective fiction in general, the Marvel superheroes of their day and beyond as the Sherlock Holmes Extended Universe attests. The director is unknown but we do know the two leading players Augusto Mastripietri as the gang leader, alias Mr. Forti, and Attilio D’Anversa as Detective Sereni his implacable foe.
All the classic cars are played, fast cars, pretty damsels
in distress, secret liars, hidden passageways, relentless thievery and, well,
lost more “wicked boys” who, in this case, will take more than soap to burst
their bubble!
Le Giornate 40 is coming fast and furious, these two
are still viewable for a few more hours… time for Day Three – all details here on their website.
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| Gang culture in The Black Lilly... |
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