''Know Thy Child'' is a 1921 Australian

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

directed by

Franklyn Barrett Walter Franklyn Barrett (1873 – 16 July 1964), better known as Franklyn Barrett, was an Australian film director and cinematographer. He worked for a number of years for West's Pictures. It was later written of the filmmaker that "Barrett's vi ...

. It is considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

Plot

A travelling salesman, Ray Standford (Roland Conway), seduces country girl Sadie McClure ( Vera James) but forgets about her when she returns to the city and marries Dorothy Graham (Nada Conrade), daughter of his boss. Sadie gives birth to a daughter, Eileen (

Lotus Thompson Lotus Thompson (26 August 1904 – 19 May 1963California Death Index 1940–1997, Lotus Thompson, Los Angeles, 19 May 1963.) was an Australian actress of silent and sound films. Her film career began in Australia in 1921 and ended in California ...

), who becomes Ray's personal secretary. Dorothy becomes a social worker and she and Ray can not have children. Dorothy pressures the government to declare bigamous all marriages contracted by people who were "morally pledged" to others. Ray becomes attracted to Ellen, but she has a sweetheart, engineer Geoffrey Dexter. One night burglars enter a building containing Ray, Eileen and Geoffrey but they fight them off. Sadie dies and Standford and Dorothy adopt the girl.

Cast

* Roland Conway as Ray Standford *Nada Conrade as Dorothy Graham *

as Eileen Baker * Vera James as Sadie McClure *Gerald Harcourt as Geoffrey Dexter *Lily Rochefort

Production

Filming was delayed for some time due to fear of the subject matter, involving illegitimate children, but this was overcome. The film was shot in Sydney at the

Rushcutters Bay Studio Rushcutters Bay Studio was an Australian film studio built by Cosens Spencer in 1912 at Rushcutters Bay, Sydney. For a number of years it was the leading film studio in Sydney, being the base of operations for Australasian Films. In 1925 that com ...

with exteriors done at Berowra WatersAndrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 108. and at Grenwell Point near Nowra. A contemporary report said it featured "probably the biggest set ever used in an Australian film." Filming was completed by July 1921. This was the film debut of

who later achieved fame in Hollywood. Actress Wendy Osborne later claimed she refused a role in the film on moral grounds.

Release

Barrett distributed the movie himself, but it was not a big success at the box office. The film was seen by Sir Walter Davidson, the Governor of New South Wales, whose endorsement of the film was used prominently in advertising.

References

External links

*
''Know Thy Child''
at

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting, and providing access to a national c ...