''On Our Selection'' is a 1920 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 Raymond Longford based on the Dad and Dave stories by Steele Rudd.

Plot

Mrs Rudd and the younger of her six children go and join Dad Rudd and his son Dave on the family's selection, where Dad and Dave have built a slab and mud hut. The family adjusts to bush life and eventually make enough to buy a horse and plough. The farm progresses until set back by a year-long drought and bushfire. Later, the eldest Rudd daughter, Kate, returns from teaching in the city. She romances neighbour Sandy Nelson, and they get married.

Cast

Percy Walshe The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, and derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came in ...

as Dad Rudd * Tal Ordell as Dave Rudd *Beatrice Esmond as Mrs Rudd *Arthur Greenaway as Sandy Taylor *Evelyn Johnson as Kate *Fred Coleman as Dan *Charlotte Beaumont as Sarah *Arthur Wilson as Joe * Olga Willard-Turton (credited as Olga Willard) as Nell *Nellie Bisellas Mrs Anderson *Carmen Coleman as Lily White *David Edelsten as parson

Production

Producer E. J. Carroll bought the rights to Rudd's stories for £500. He originally wanted American director

Wilfred Lucas Wilfred Van Norman Lucas (January 30, 1871 – December 13, 1940) was a Canadian American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter. Early life Lucas was born in Norfolk County, Ontario on January 30, 1871,US ...

to make the film, but he refused as he felt the subject matter was too intrinsically Australian. Carroll did not have the rights to Bert Bailey's play adaptation of the stories, so the script comes directly from Steele Rudd's original works. This means it does not feature additions made by the play, such subplots involving murder and a love triangle. Longford cast many non professional actors in support roles to give the film more authenticity.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 98-99. The actor who played Cranky Jack was discovered at Circular Quay. Longford later said:

The true art of acting is not to act and that’s what I have dinned into the ears of my characters, and I think it has had its effect in the natural ness of my pictures. If I am producing Australian stuff, I want it to be Australian, and the average Australian is a casual carelessly natural beggar... In my opinion, the stage production sacrificed all that was human and appealing, in attempting to be dramatic. It is the little things that count, the little human touches that build up a big production, and to these I have driven the most thought... No stage atmosphere for me, nothing artificial I like realism, and I think I get it.

Filming took place in June 1920. Longford's regular collaborator

Lottie Lyell Lottie Lyell (born Charlotte Edith Cox, 23 February 1890 – 21 December 1925) was an Australian actress, screenwriter, film editing, editor and filmmaker. She is regarded as Australia's first film star, and also contributed to the local industr ...

was ill during the making of the film and thus had little to do with its production. The movie was mostly shot on location in Baulkham Hills near Sydney with outdoor scenes, including the bushfire, shot at Leeton. The film was far less broad than most rural comedies of the time.

Reception

The film was successful at the box office and was followed by a sequel, '' Rudd's New Selection'' (1921).

References

External links

*
''On Our Selection''
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 ...

''On Our Selection''
at

Australian Screen Online 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 ...

{{Dad and Dave 1920 films Australian silent feature films Australian black-and-white films Films directed by Raymond Longford Films based on works by Steele Rudd 1920 drama films Silent Australian drama films 1920s English-language films 1920s Australian films English-language drama films