For the Term of His Natural Life
About For the Term of His Natural Life
Sir Richard Devine throws out his son after Lady Elinor says Lord Bellasis is the boy's father. Richard finds Bellasis dead, is arrested, and is transported to Van Diemen's Land under the name Rufus Dawes. He warns of a mutiny on the convict ship and is blamed for it. Years later he keeps Sylvia Vickers and her mother alive after they are marooned, then goes back to prison while Sylvia, who does not remember him, is promised to Maurice Frere. After a later wreck, Dawes and Sylvia are found alive on a plank.
Cast & crew
More about For the Term of His Natural Life
Norman Dawn directed, produced, and co-wrote it from Marcus Clarke's 1874 novel. Gayne Dexter wrote titles. It opened in Australia on June 20, 1927. The picture was budgeted at £40,000. Later accounts put the cost from £50,000 to £70,000.
Themes
Look
Bert Cross, Len Roos, and John William Trerise shot the film, including Port Arthur and the harbour scenes on the Inca.
Preservation
Graham Shirley assembled a version shown at the 1981 Sydney Film Festival from an incomplete Australian release, American Film Institute outtakes, and National Film and Sound Archive material. The archive completed a digital restoration in 2024–25.
Notes
- George Fisher plays Dawes. Eva Novak plays Sylvia. The convict ship scenes used the sailing ship Inca on Sydney Harbour.
- Mona Donaldson edited. The British release was October 1, 1927, and the United States release June 4, 1929.
- The ending leaves Dawes and Sylvia alive. In Clarke's novel both die.
Scenes
- Dawes is blamed after he warns an officer of the mutiny.
- He and Sylvia are found on a plank the morning after the wreck.
Influenced by
- Marcus Clarke's novel For the Term of His Natural Life (1874)
Also available
- Internet Archive (ForTheTermOfHisNaturalLife)