For the Term of His Natural Life (1927)

movie

(130)

Country: Australia
Genres: Adventure, Crime, Drama
Release: 1929-06-04
Director: Norman Dawn
Writers: Marcus Clarke , Norman Dawn
Language: English
Stars: George Fisher , George Fisher , Eva Novak , Dunstan Webb , Jessica Harcourt , Arthur McLaglen , Katherine Dawn , Gerald Kay Souper (1871–1947) , Marion Marcus Clarke , Arthur Tauchert , Beryl Gow
Runtime: 101 min
Awards: N/A
AKA: For the Term of His Natural Life , For the Term of His Natural Life (United States of America) , Életfogytiglan (Hungary) , For the Term of His Natural Life (United Kingdom) , For the Term of His Natural Life (Australia)
Plot: Based on the Australian classic by Marcus Clarke, the story of convict Rufus Dawe was based on fact and reflects that of many convicts of Australia's early days. Rufus Dawe has been wrongfully accused of a crime he did not commit, and sent to the harsh penal colony of Van Diemen's Land, Australia - for the term of his natural life. In his attempts to escape the colony forever, he falls in love with a warden's daughter, Sylvia, confronts his sinister lookalike John Rex, and the evil convict Gabbet. American director Norman Dawn's movie adaptation strays from the original book but retains a strong visual style, especially in climactic crowd scenes. It is notorious as the movie that was meant to launch Australia into the world movie market, but instead cost investors thousands after the coming of sound stymied its potential for overseas success.
IMDB:tt0017899