The Reprieve (1913 film) explained

The Reprieve
Starring:	The Lincoln Cass Famous Picture Artists
Runtime:	2,500 feet^[1] or 4,000 feet^[2]
Country:	Australia
Language:	Silent film English intertitles

The Reprieve is a 1913 Australian melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln about a man on trial for killing his unfaithful wife. It is considered a lost film. Contemporary reviews were positive.^[3]

Plot

Richard Gannon discovers his wife Amy has been cheating on him with a man called Jim Williams and accidentally kills her in a fit of anger by pushing her over a cliff. He is arrested and sentenced to death but the judge recommends mercy and asks the Home Secretary for a reprieve.

The Home Secretary at first refuses, but when he mistakenly comes to believe that his own wife is unfaithful with a former lover, he realises how easy it would have been to kill her.

After this, he grants a reprieve for Gannon and resolves to show his wife more affection.^{[4] [5] [6]}

The chapter headings were:^[7]

• Condemned to Death.
• The Power of Love.
• Leave my House, you Scoundrel.
• Should a faithless woman be destroyed.
• I have killed Her.
• The Vigil of the Night.
• A story that will hold you spell-bound.
• You are no better than Richard Gannon, the man you refuse to reprieve.

Cast

• Roy Redgrave
• Beryl Bryant
• Godfrey Cass
• George Bryant
• Tom Cannam^[8]
• Violet Grey
• Ward Lyons
• Charles Wheeler
• John Brunton
• Jessie Brown

Production

The film was the fifth production from Lincoln Cass.^[9]

External links

• The Reprieve at IMDb
• The Reprieve at AustLit
• The Reprieve at National Film and Sound Archive

Notes and References

1. News: Picture Pops. . . Grafton, NSW . 13 January 1914 . 14 April 2012 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
2. News: Advertising . . 13,370 . New South Wales, Australia . 21 January 1914 . 2 May 2016 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
3. News: SHAFTSBURY THEATRE. . . Perth . 12 December 1914 . 14 April 2012 . 6 Edition: THIRD EDITION . National Library of Australia.
4. Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p45
5. News: Advertising. . . Rockhampton, Qld. . 15 July 1915 . 14 April 2012 . 2 . National Library of Australia.
6. News: GARDEN PICTURE PALACE. . . 13,372 . New South Wales, Australia . 23 January 1914 . 2 May 2016 . 6 . National Library of Australia.
7. News: Advertising . . IV . 20 . New South Wales, Australia . 24 January 1914 . 2 May 2016 . 8 . National Library of Australia.
8. News: Advertising . . 12,221 . New South Wales, Australia . 2 January 1914 . 2 May 2016 . 8 . National Library of Australia.
9. News: MOVING PICTURES. . . 51 . 2709 . Victoria, Australia . 20 September 1913 . 2 May 2016 . 6 . National Library of Australia.