Charles Tait (film director)
Encyclopedia
Charles Tait together with two of his brothers, was an Australia
n concert, film and theatrical entrepreneur, but his most notable achievement was as the director and writer of The Story of the Kelly Gang
, an Australia
n film, regarded as the world's first feature length film. The film was first shown on 26 December 1906.
Tait was born in Castlemaine, Victoria
, the son of John Turnbull Tait (1830-1902), a tailor from Scalloway, Shetland Islands, Scotland, and his English wife Sarah, née Leeming. John Tait migrated to Victoria in 1862 and settled at Castlemaine where he married Sarah. They had nine children: including Charles (1868-1933), John Henry (1871-1955), James Nevin (1876-1961), Edward Joseph (1878-1947) and Frank Samuel (1883-1965) (later Sir Frank). In about 1879, the Taits moved to Richmond, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. On 21 June 1899 Charles married Elizabeth Jane Veitch; and they were to have two daughters and two sons.
The Tait brothers' earliest presentations centred on the Athenaeum Hall in Collins Street, Melbourne, with concerts often including popular short, film screenings. This interest led them to join with Millard Johnson and William Gibson in the production of The Story of the Kelly Gang which premièred on 26 December 1906 at the Athenaeum. The film is now recognized as the first feature length
narrative film.
The Tait brothers, Johnson and Gibson merged their film interests in 1911 to form Amalgamated Pictures
which continued to produce features and newsreels. Amalgamated combined with its main competitor, Australasian Films, in 1912, and the Taits concentrated on concert presentation and occasional film exhibition.
Charles died in Melbourne
. The Tait brothers were associated with J. C. Williamson
Ltd.
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 concert, film and theatrical entrepreneur, but his most notable achievement was as the director and writer of The Story of the Kelly Gang
The Story of the Kelly Gang
The Story of the Kelly Gang is a 1906 Australian film that traces the life of the legendary bushranger Ned Kelly . It was written and directed by Charles Tait. The film ran for more than an hour, and was the longest narrative film yet seen in Australia, and the world. Its approximate reel length...
, an Australia
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, regarded as the world's first feature length film. The film was first shown on 26 December 1906.
Tait was born in Castlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...
, the son of John Turnbull Tait (1830-1902), a tailor from Scalloway, Shetland Islands, Scotland, and his English wife Sarah, née Leeming. John Tait migrated to Victoria in 1862 and settled at Castlemaine where he married Sarah. They had nine children: including Charles (1868-1933), John Henry (1871-1955), James Nevin (1876-1961), Edward Joseph (1878-1947) and Frank Samuel (1883-1965) (later Sir Frank). In about 1879, the Taits moved to Richmond, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. On 21 June 1899 Charles married Elizabeth Jane Veitch; and they were to have two daughters and two sons.
The Tait brothers' earliest presentations centred on the Athenaeum Hall in Collins Street, Melbourne, with concerts often including popular short, film screenings. This interest led them to join with Millard Johnson and William Gibson in the production of The Story of the Kelly Gang which premièred on 26 December 1906 at the Athenaeum. The film is now recognized as the first feature length
Feature length
Feature length is motion picture terminology referring to the length of a feature film. According to the rules of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a feature length motion picture must have a running time of more than 40 minutes to be eligible for an Academy Award.The term may also...
narrative film.
The Tait brothers, Johnson and Gibson merged their film interests in 1911 to form Amalgamated Pictures
Amalgamated Pictures
Amalgamated Pictures was a short-lived Australian film production company formed in March 1911 John and Neville Tait and Millard Johnson and William Gibson...
which continued to produce features and newsreels. Amalgamated combined with its main competitor, Australasian Films, in 1912, and the Taits concentrated on concert presentation and occasional film exhibition.
Charles died in 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...
. The Tait brothers were associated with J. C. Williamson
J. C. Williamson
James Cassius Williamson was an American actor and later Australia's foremost theatrical manager, founding J. C. Williamson Ltd....
Ltd.