The Blue Mountains Mystery
Encyclopedia
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 the United Kingdom and the United States upon its initial release. The London Bioscope wrote of The Blue Mountains Mystery: " …by its restrained acting, shows the force which a story gains in the telling. As a consequence, suspense is held throughout".
Actress Marjorie Osborne was admirable of Lottie Lyell
's contributions for The Blue Mountains Mystery. She said of her: "I like brains in a woman, and she has them. Her work on this picture is more on the directing side than the acting. She assists Mr. Longford, and the two of them have plenty of healthy argument when their ideas about a scene are different." The November 1921 edition of the Picture Show magazine also praised Lyell as being “enthusiastic, original, possessing charm and common sense” for her writing of the screenplay.
and Marjorie Osborne plays the primary murder suspect.
by Harrison Owen
, the screenplay adaptation was written by Lyell as ‘’The Blue Mountains Mystery’’. It was filmed in Katoomba, the Blue Mountains and Sydney Harbour. It was Longford's third production for E.J. Carroll and Carroll-Baker films and also the first for Lyell to receive a formal co-direction credit. According the book Australian Cinema: The First 80 Years by Graham Shirley and Brian Adams, the film cost almost double that of The Sentimental Bloke
(1919).
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...
directed by Raymond Longford
Raymond Longford
Raymond Longford was a prolific Australian 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...
and co-directed by 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...
. The film was derived from the 1919 novel The Mount Marunga Mystery
The Mount Marunga Mystery
The Mount Marunga Mystery is a murder mystery first published in 1919 by Australian author Harrison Owen about the mysterious death of a fraudulent businessman in a rural township's five-star hotel...
by Harrison Owen
Harrison Owen
Albert John Owen , known as Harrison Owen, was an Australian playwright, novelist, poet, and journalist.-Career:Owen became a prolific contributor of poetry and local news articles to The Bulletin from 1912 to 1919. From the basis of his earlier work, the chief of editing for the Melbourne Herald...
. Although now lost, at the time of its release The Blue Mountains Mystery fared well in the United Kingdom and the United States upon its initial release. The London Bioscope wrote of The Blue Mountains Mystery: " …by its restrained acting, shows the force which a story gains in the telling. As a consequence, suspense is held throughout".
Actress Marjorie Osborne was admirable of 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...
's contributions for The Blue Mountains Mystery. She said of her: "I like brains in a woman, and she has them. Her work on this picture is more on the directing side than the acting. She assists Mr. Longford, and the two of them have plenty of healthy argument when their ideas about a scene are different." The November 1921 edition of the Picture Show magazine also praised Lyell as being “enthusiastic, original, possessing charm and common sense” for her writing of the screenplay.
Plot
The Blue Mountains Mystery involves the alleged murder of a wealthy businessman and the eventual discovery that the victim was an underworld look-alike impersonator. The criminal/businessman role is portrayed by John FaulknerJohn Faulkner
John Philip Faulkner is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor member of the Australian Senate since 1989, representing the state of New South Wales. Following a period serving on various Senate Committees and as Deputy Whip, he was a Minister in the Keating Labor government 1993-96...
and Marjorie Osborne plays the primary murder suspect.
Production
Based on from the 1919 novel, The Mount Marunga MysteryThe Mount Marunga Mystery
The Mount Marunga Mystery is a murder mystery first published in 1919 by Australian author Harrison Owen about the mysterious death of a fraudulent businessman in a rural township's five-star hotel...
by Harrison Owen
Harrison Owen
Albert John Owen , known as Harrison Owen, was an Australian playwright, novelist, poet, and journalist.-Career:Owen became a prolific contributor of poetry and local news articles to The Bulletin from 1912 to 1919. From the basis of his earlier work, the chief of editing for the Melbourne Herald...
, the screenplay adaptation was written by Lyell as ‘’The Blue Mountains Mystery’’. It was filmed in Katoomba, the Blue Mountains and Sydney Harbour. It was Longford's third production for E.J. Carroll and Carroll-Baker films and also the first for Lyell to receive a formal co-direction credit. According the book Australian Cinema: The First 80 Years by Graham Shirley and Brian Adams, the film cost almost double that of 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).