Murphy of Anzac

Murphy of Anzac is a 1916 Australian silent film directed by J. E. Mathews. It tells the story of John Simpson Kirkpatrick during the Gallipoli Campaign in World War I.[3] It is considered a lost film.[4]

Murphy of Anzac
Directed byJ. E. Mathews
StarringMartyn Keith
Production
company
Release date
24 April 1916[1]
Running time
4,000 feet[2]
CountryAustralia
LanguageSilent film
English intertitles

Plot

John Simpson Kirkpatrick, aka "Murphy", an English emigrant to Queensland, enlists in the army in World War I and is attached to the ambulance corps. On the voyage over he discovers a traitor (Martyn Keith) giving information to the enemy by wireless and overcomes him. The Australian troops land at Gallipoli and Murphy brings the wounded back from the trenches on his donkey. He is killed by a Turkish shell while rescuing his 104th man.[5][6]

A highlight of the film was the German spy being thrown off a cliff 50 foot into the water.[7]

Production

The film was announced in March 1916.[8]

The cast was largely returned servicemen.[9] The technical adviser was Gallipoli veteran, Corporal Robson, who had known Simpson, and also appeared in the film.[4][10][11]

Reception

The film ran for six weeks in Sydney and nine weeks in Melbourne.[12]

Historical Accuracy

The film was criticised at the time by Gallipoli veterans for a number of historical errors including showing:

  • Murphy being allotted to the AMC when he was with the Ninth Division;
  • Murphy's mother in Australia, when she never left England;
  • Murphy killed by a shell when he was shot through the heart by a sniper near Shrapnel Gully;
  • Murphy receiving a white feather, when no such thing happened.[13]

References
  1. "Advertising". The Mail. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 22 April 1916. p. 6. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  2. "TRIUMPH PICTURES". Queanbeyan Age and Queanbeyan Observer. NSW: National Library of Australia. 8 August 1916. p. 2. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  3. "MURPHY OF ANZAC". The Cairns Post. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 30 January 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  4. Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p 62
  5. "AMUSEMENTS". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 3 May 1916. p. 3. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  6. "ENTERTAINMENTS". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 10 December 1917. p. 5. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  7. "MURPHY OF ANZAC". The Mail. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 22 April 1916. p. 6. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  8. The bulletin, John Haynes and J.F. Archibald, 1880, retrieved 25 April 2019
  9. ""Murphy, of Anzac."". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 29 April 1916. p. 10. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  10. "Foyle's Empress Pavilion". Williamstown Chronicle. Vic.: National Library of Australia. 17 June 1916. p. 2. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  11. "ALFORD'S PICTURES". The North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times. Tas.: National Library of Australia. 1 March 1917. p. 2. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  12. "AMUSEMENTS". The Mercury. Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 19 February 1917. p. 8. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  13. "MURPHY OF ANZAC". The Cairns Post. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 17 February 1920. p. 8. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
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