The Strangler's Grip

The Strangler's Grip
Cinematography	Franklyn Barrett
Production company	West's Pictures
Release date	5 February 1912 (1912-02-05)[1]
Country	Australia
Languages	Silent film English intertitles

The Strangler's Grip is a 1912 Australian silent film shot by Franklyn Barrett. It is considered a lost film.^[2]

Plot

The movie featured a "furious motor ride in the night"^[3]

Cast

• Sidney Stirling as Squatter John Dalton
• Cyril Mackay as his friend Frank Wood
• Leonard Willey as Mike Logan, the tramp
• Chas Laurence as Old Simon, John's Butler
• Master Willey as Bill Dalton, John's Son
• Irby Marshall as Maurice Dalton, John's wife

Production

It is likely that the film was directed jointly by the three lead actors, Sydney Stirling, Cyril Mackay and Leonard Willey. It was the first of four movies they made for West's Pictures in 1912. Cyril Mackay (d. 1923) was a London stage actor brought out to Australian by J.C. Williamson in 1906.^[4]

Reception

The film was described as being a "splendid draw" with the public.^[5] It was likely the first thriller film made in Australia.^[6]

Trivia

Willey and Irby Marshall were real life husband and wife. They later moved to the US and had successful stage careers there.^[4]

References

1. "VICTORIA THEATRE". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 5 February 1912. p. 4. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
2. "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 3 February 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
3. "Advertising". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 8 February 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
4. Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 31
5. "THE VICTORIA". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 12 February 1912. p. 4. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
6. Richard Kuipers, Horror in Australian Cinema at Australian Screen Online

External links

• The Strangler's Grip at IMDb