Greenhide
Encyclopedia
Greenhide is a 1926
Australian film directed by Charles Chauvel.
) leaves the city to live on her father's cattle property, run by "Greenhide Gavin" (Bruce Gordon
). She carries romantic notions of the bush, of "being swung to the saddle by big brown arms," but Greenhide Gavin is initially only annoyed by her presence. Greenhide contains a blossoming romance, and the thwarting of a plot to steal cattle
.
(1926), and his final silent film
. Chauvel scouted his leading lady
, then Elsie May Wilcox
, after seeing her in a stage musical called Crackers at the Cremorne Theatre
in Brisbane
, Queensland
. Though she was reluctant at first to audition, Chauvel convinced her to perform a screentest, and ultimately offered her the role. The pair began a romantic relationship over the course of filming, and Charles and Elsa were married on June 5, 1927, at St James Church, Sydney, the ceremony officiated by Charles' brother, the Reverend John Chauvel.
On-location filming took place at Walloon Station
in Dawson Valley, Queensland
. The production encampment, a collection of tents accommodating twenty people, was informally named "Camp Greenhide" by locals. Interior filming took place in a studio in Brisbane
. Chauvel played a phonograph recording of "In a Monastery Garden
" to induce realistic tears from Elsa Chauvel without the need to use glycerine drops.
, and broke records in Brisbane. Greenhide, in its original form, was 8000 feet long, but today only 2475 feet of 35mm film survive (37 mins at 18 frames per second).
1926 in film
-Events:*August - Warner Brothers debuts the first Vitaphone film, Don Juan. The Vitaphone system used multiple 33⅓ rpm disc records developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric to play back audio synchronized with film....
Australian film directed by Charles Chauvel.
Plot
Marjory Paton (Elsa ChauvelElsa Chauvel
Elsa Chauvel, OBE was an Australian filmmaker and actress, and the wife and collaborator of film director Charles Chauvel.-Early years:...
) leaves the city to live on her father's cattle property, run by "Greenhide Gavin" (Bruce Gordon
Bruce Gordon
Bruce Gordon may refer to:* Bruce Gordon , Canadian bassist and member of I Mother Earth* Bruce L. Gordon, American philosopher and Intelligent Design proponent* Bruce S...
). She carries romantic notions of the bush, of "being swung to the saddle by big brown arms," but Greenhide Gavin is initially only annoyed by her presence. Greenhide contains a blossoming romance, and the thwarting of a plot to steal cattle
Cattle raiding
Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle.In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the person as a duffer...
.
Production
Greenhide was Charles Chauvel's second film, following The Moth of MoonbiThe Moth of Moonbi
The Moth of Moonbi is a 1926 Australian film directed by Charles Chauvel. It was adapted from The Wild Moth, a 1924 novel by Australian author Mabel Forrest.-Production:...
(1926), and his final silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
. Chauvel scouted his leading lady
Leading lady
Leading lady is an informal term for the actress who plays a secondary lead or supporting role, usually a love interest, to the leading actor in a film or play. It is not usually applied to the leading actress in the performance if her character is the protagonist.A leading lady can also be an...
, then Elsie May Wilcox
Elsa Chauvel
Elsa Chauvel, OBE was an Australian filmmaker and actress, and the wife and collaborator of film director Charles Chauvel.-Early years:...
, after seeing her in a stage musical called Crackers at the Cremorne Theatre
Cremorne Theatre
The Cremorne Theatre was a theatre in Brisbane in Brisbane, Australia. QPAC was constructed in 1985, however the location had been culturally significant for some time before this due to the presence of the Cremorne Theatre.-History:...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. Though she was reluctant at first to audition, Chauvel convinced her to perform a screentest, and ultimately offered her the role. The pair began a romantic relationship over the course of filming, and Charles and Elsa were married on June 5, 1927, at St James Church, Sydney, the ceremony officiated by Charles' brother, the Reverend John Chauvel.
On-location filming took place at Walloon Station
Walloon, Queensland
Walloon is a suburb of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia.The origin of the suburb name is from the Romanic-speaking inhabitants of Belgium known as the Walloons. -Transport:...
in Dawson Valley, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. The production encampment, a collection of tents accommodating twenty people, was informally named "Camp Greenhide" by locals. Interior filming took place in a studio in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. Chauvel played a phonograph recording of "In a Monastery Garden
In a Monastery Garden
In a Monastery Garden is a British drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring John Stuart, Hugh Williams, Alan Napier, and Frank Pettingell. An Italian musician begins to steal his brother's compositions after he is jailed for shooting a prince.-External links:**...
" to induce realistic tears from Elsa Chauvel without the need to use glycerine drops.
Release
Greenhide was screened throughout most of Queensland without the use of a distribution agency. Charles and Elsa Chauvel personally transported prints of the film from town to town, and tried to convince theatre owners to replace booked American films with a local alternative. Prior to each screening, Elsa would provide a dramatic monologue and introduction. In Brisbane and Sydney, Greenhide screened through distributor HoytsHoyts
The Hoyts Group is an Australian company consisting of Hoyts Exhibition, Hoyts Distribution and Val Morgan.Hoyts Exhibition manages 450 screens across 40 Australian and 10 New Zealand cinema complexes; making it Australia's second largest cinema chain. Val Morgan, the cinema advertising arm of the...
, and broke records in Brisbane. Greenhide, in its original form, was 8000 feet long, but today only 2475 feet of 35mm film survive (37 mins at 18 frames per second).