West's Pictures
| Industry | Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Founder | Thomas James West |
| Defunct | 1912 |
| Fate | Merged with Australasian Films |
| Products | Film production, film exhibition |
West's Pictures was a short-lived Australian film production and exhibition company during the silent era. It was established by English theatrical entrepreneur Thomas James West (1885-1916) who helped turn the company into one of Australia's largest exhibitors.[1] The company also produced a regular newsreel and several narrative films, some made by Franklyn Barrett.[2][3]
Many of their early films were contemporary stories made on a joint writer-technician-director basis.[4]
It merged with Australasian Films in 1912, becoming part of the combine that later became the Greater Union organisation.
TJ West's film company was often confused in the public mind with that of AJ West's quite separate 'Our Navy' company (incorporated 1902), but there was no connection. However, T.J. West did secure the exclusive right in 1912 to show A.J Wests's 'Our Navy' films in Bournemouth (Bournemouth Graphic, 27/09/1912)
Select Filmography[]
- The Christian (1911)
- All for Gold, or Jumping the Claim (1911)
- The Strangler's Grip (1912)
- The Mystery of the Black Pearl (1912)
- The Eleventh Hour (1912)
- A Silent Witness (1912)
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "PICTURE PROFILES IN THE OLDEN DAYS". . Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 9 February 1916. p. 11. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p 26
- ^ "Theatrical Gossip". The Newsletter: an Australian Paper for Australian People (Sydney, NSW : 1900 - 1918). Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 26 August 1911. p. 3. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ^ Graham Shirley and Brian Adams, Australian Cinema: The First Eighty Years, Currency Press 1989 p 39
External links[]
- Film production companies of Australia