''Retribution'' 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 Armand Lionello, who ran a Brisbane acting school. The film was shot in Brisbane and 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. ...

.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production'', Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 109.

Plot

A female detective tries to bust a crime ring operating in the city and in the sapphire mines of Anakie. The gang kill old man "Dawn", the sapphire king, and steal his gems. The detective's sister, a young nurse, is accused of the crime and imprisoned. The detective tries to clear her sister's name. There are two romantic subplots.

Cast

*Thorene Adair as Arabelle Redmond *Thora Galli

Production

It was the second entirely locally made Brisbane film, the first being 'the raiders'. Local buildings featured heavily, including

Boggo Road Gaol H.M. Prison Brisbane, commonly known as Boggo Road Gaol, was Queensland's main prison from the 1880s to the 1980s. By the time it closed, it had become notorious for poor conditions and rioting. Located on Annerley Road in Dutton Park, Queenslan ...

. It was shot over three months, in between June and August 1921. Scenes from the movie were enacted at a recital.

Reception

The film was poorly reviewed and seems to have flopped at the box office. The Astrolat Film Company announced plans to make another movie, ''Whose Baby?'' but it appears never to have been shot. Star Thora Galli later sued Astrolat for £200 in unpaid wages. Her husband Leo worked on the movie.

References

External links

* 1921 films Australian black-and-white films Australian silent feature films Lost Australian drama films 1921 drama films 1921 lost films Silent Australian drama films 1920s English-language films Lost silent Australian films {{Australia-silent-film-stub