''The Far Paradise'' is a 1928 Australian silent film directed by Paulette McDonagh and starring

Marie Lorraine Isabella Mercia McDonagh (3 January 1899 – 5 March 1982), also known as Marie Lorraine, was an Australian actress who often worked in collaboration with her sisters Paulette and Phyllis. Isabella, alongside her two sisters made history by ...

the stage name of Isabel McDonagh. This is the second feature from the McDonagh sisters. Graham Shirley in ''Australian Cinema'' commented: "...one of the best-directed of all Australian features prior to the coming of sound."

Plot

In the town of Kirkton, James Carson is involved in crime and is investigated by the Attorney-General, Howard Lawton. Carson's daughter Cherry falls in love with Lawton's son Peter, and Lawton forbids the relationship. James Carson goes into hiding, taking Cherry with him. A year later Peter finds Cherry selling flowers in a mountain tourist resort, trying to support her now-alcoholic father. Carson dies of a heart attack and Cherry can marry Peter.

Cast

as Cherry Carson *

Gaston Mervale Gaston Mervale (1866–1959) was an English-born director and actor who worked on the English, Australian and US stage and directed Australian films. Born Gaston Mistowski in Torquay, Devon, England in 1866, after performing on stage in the UK he ...

as James Carson *Arthur McLaglen as Karl Rossi *

John Faulkner John Philip Faulkner (born 12 April 1954) is an Australian former Labor Party politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 1989 to 2015. He was a Cabinet Minister in the Keating, Rudd and Gillard governments. After his election to ...

as Howard Lawton *Paul Longuet as Peter Lawton *Arthur Clarke as Lee Farmer *Harry Halley as Brock

Production

The death of the McDonaghs' father left them £500 in debt after their first film. However a rich uncle of theirs died in Chile, enabling them to start a second movie. Shooting began in March 1928. The film's interiors were shot at the McDonagh family home, Drummoyne House, Sydney, and the exteriors in the Burragorang Valley and the Bondi studios of Australasian Films, plus some shots done in Melbourne.

Reception

The film was well reviewed and performed strongly at the box office. According to ''Everyone's'' it was one of the more successful Australian films of 1928 and made a profit.

References

Notes

*''The Far Paradise'' at th
NSFA
*''The Argus, Melbourne'', Saturday 21 April 1928.

External links

* 1928 films 1928 drama films Australian silent feature films Australian black-and-white films Films directed by Paulette McDonagh 1920s English-language films 1920s Australian films Silent Australian drama films English-language drama films {{Australia-silent-film-stub