The Wreck of the Dunbar or The Yeoman's Wedding

The Wreck of the Dunbar or The Yeoman's Wedding is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Gaston Mervale starring Louise Lovely. The plot concerns the shipwreck of the Dunbar, one of Australia's worst maritime disasters. It is considered a lost film.

The Wreck of the Dunbar or The Yeoman's Wedding
Directed by	Gaston Mervale
Based on	a play The Wreck of the Dunbar by Alfred Dampier
Starring	Louise Lovely
Production company	Universal Films Ltd
Release date	1912
Running time	3,500 feet[1]
Country	Australia
Language	Silent film English intertitles

Plot

A contemporary advertisement claimed the film featured the following scenes:

• the Old English home;
• the Love Intense;
• the terrific struggle, man to man;
• two thrilling Australian Scenes;
• the terrible gap;
• the doomed ship;
• the wreck of the Dunbar in all its awful realism;
• the rescue of the sole survivor;
• the daring feat performed on the actual spot.[2]

Production

The script, written by P.W. Marony,[3] was based on a popular play which had been performed since the 1880s.[4]

The film was the sole feature produced by Universal Films Ltd, a company formed in Sydney in May 1912 (which had no connection to the Hollywood Studio of the same name). It took over the assets of American Australasian Film Service and Australian Life Biograph with the intention of producing and importing movies.[5][6]

Reception

The film appears to have been successful, running for three weeks in Sydney.[7] A few years after the film was released the sole survivor of the Dunbar died.[8]

References

1. on "Advertising". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 16 October 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
2. "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 7 June 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
3. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/228865391?searchTerm=marony&searchLimits=l-availability=y%7C%7C%7Cl-australian=y#
4. "THE ROYAL STANDARD THEATRE.—" THE WRECK OF THE DUNBAR."". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 5 September 1887. p. 5. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
5. "UNIVERSAL FILMS, LTD". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 23 March 1912. p. 23. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
6. "PLAYS PLAYERS VAUDEVILLE & MOTION PICTURES". The Mail. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 18 May 1912. p. 6. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
7. "ENTERTAINMENTS". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 16 October 1912. p. 8. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
8. "The Dunbar's Sole Survivor". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 15 April 1915. p. 6. Retrieved 25 January 2012.

External links

• The Wreck of the Dunbar or The Yeoman's Wedding at IMDb