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For the Term of His Natural Life

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Original title

Year

1927

Running time

101 min.

Country

Australia

Director

Norman Dawn

Screenwriter

Norman Dawn. Novel: Marcus Clarke

Cast

Cinematography

Bert Cross, Len Roos, John William Trerise (B&W)

Producer

Australasian Films

Genre

Adventure. Romance. Drama | Silent Film

Synopsis

Based on the Australian classic by Marcus Clarke, the story of convict Rufus Dawe was based on fact and reflects that of many convicts of Australia's early days. Rufus Dawe has been wrongfully accused of a crime he did not commit, and sent to the harsh penal colony of Van Diemen's Land, Australia - for the term of his natural life. In his attempts to escape the colony forever, he falls in love with a warden's daughter, Sylvia, confronts his sinister lookalike John Rex, and the evil convict Gabbet. American director Norman Dawn's movie adaptation strays from the original book but retains a strong visual style, especially in climactic crowd scenes. It is notorious as the movie that was meant to launch Australia into the world movie market, but instead cost investors thousands after the coming of sound stymied its potential for overseas success.

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