Cairns Post (Qld. : 1909 - 1954), Saturday 11 July 1953, page 5


FlU NIT MOVING

NORTH

TO PHOTOGRAPH . PEARLING STORY

FimsT rurrvm ON OT*

PANORAMIC SCREENS

Tte first speetscatar se?. Wen ta th* MW Autra^«¡."Klagof Use Aratam," la wale« the werli taaneas actor .'Chips*' Raf-ferty win he the star, wttl . he plws*gTaaaed ca Thers

'eey Island next week.

The director of the film, Mr. Lee Robinson, who is co-part-ner with the actor in Southern International Films, the pro-ducing company, said in Cairns last night that the film will be completed before September and will be the first Australian motion picture to be shown on the new panoramic screens with which all theatres in Aus-

tralia will shortly be equipped.

Mr. Robinson will leave Cairns this morning with the unit manager (Mr. Geo. Hughes) who has been associat-ed with the motion picture in-dustry for 30 years.

Slr. Robinson said the panor-amic, screen was a new wide screen not to be confused with 3-D. The theatre screen on

which the films are projected occupy the whole breadth of the. auditorium in an 180 de-gree arc. A new sound system gave a new depth and reality to the actors' spoken words and

effects. The St. James* Theatre.

Sydney, had already been equipped with a panoramic screen and the first picture shown although this was not especially photographed.

"King of the Arafura" will be especially photographed by the new process for. the panor-amic screen. American panora-mic films wfll be screened in August next in Australia.

Interviewed at the Hotel Paci-fic last night, Mr. Robinson said the new company had been singularly fortunate in obtaining the services of some of the best actors in Australia.

"All of those taking leading parts are well known on stage,'screen and radio." he said.

Mr. Robinson said that

"Chips" Rafferty would take the leading role in the film as "King of the Arafura." He would be supported by co-star Bud Tingweu, who recently re-fused an American seven year contract because be "preferred to work in Australia.'' Othermembers of the cast are: Lloyd Berell, who recently returned from Fiji where he took two leading character roles in the two and a half million dollar technicolour production "His Majesty O'Keefe"; Rod Taylor, a rising romantic lead who is best known for bis role in the radio production "Blue Hüls'' and Reg Lye "one of the best character actors in Australia.''

The feminine lead will be taken by Miss Ilma Adey,- a young Sydney songstress and dancer, who because of her talent in comedy roles, will fit the character of the tomboyish .íKing's" daughter admirably.

A young Thursday Island Malay girl, Miss Sarena Ahmat, has been given a part in the story which is based on the pearling industry.

Mr. Robinson said the film wül be unique insofar as new backgrounds, new technique and hitherto unused locations' Will be used.

DISTRWl'lTON _ The success of the picture has been assured, be said, by the fact that American interests already have booked it for their circuits. An earlier - picture in which Mr. Robinson and "Chips" Rafferty were interested, "Tho Phantom Stockman/* had been purchased by American interests.

The world-famous Australian cameraman, Mr. Ross Wood, who recently filmed "Return from FvradtseT m Samoa in which Gary Cooper took the leading role, will film "King of the Arafura."

Miss Joy Cavell, who worked with J. Arthur Rank in London, wfll do the continuity work on the picture.

2sg. Robinson said he had been very appreciative of the as-sistance of the Queensland State Government, who had opened aQ doors for the enterprise. Thursday Island residents, too, he said, had been most helpful and the unit looked forward to a hospitable time on the island -

AT GREEN ISLAND

The main scenes in the pic-ture will be filmed on the is-land but because of the set of Thursday Island currents which made underwater photography a hazardous business, these sceneswould be "shot" at- Green Is-land, where crystal clear waters were ideal for this technique. The unit will spend a fortnight on Green Island on their re-turn from Thursday Island

The unit will have to trans-port about 2S00 lb. of equipment to Thursday Island in relays, Mr. Robinson said. The two leading-factors and the feminine lead will arrive next week and other actors will follow at in-tervals. "Chipst Rafferty-and Bud TingweU wttl pass through Cairns en route to Thursday Is-land next week.

On Thursday Island the unit will be assisted by the "Un-crowned King of Thursday .Is-land," Mr. T. Dunwoodie, who has been, "a tower of strength and-an enthusiastic supporter of the company's project."