The Broken Melody

The Broken Melody (1938)

John Ainsworth helps win a rowing race for Sydney University against Melbourne University. While celebrating at a nightclub, he demonstrates his skill with the violin with one of his original compositions. He also flirts with a young woman, Ann Brady, to the displeasure of a crook, Webster. A brawl results and John is expelled from university. John's sheep farmer father – who is disdainful of culture and wants John to marry a rich girl – is furious and disowns his son.

Date of release
1938-06-17
TMDB
9.0 / 10 (1)
Runtime
1h 29m
Genres
Music, Romance
Director
Ken G. Hall

Casting

Interesting facts

The Broken Melody is a 1938 Australian drama film directed by Ken G. Hall and starring Lloyd Hughes, based on a best-selling novel by F. J. Thwaites.

Production

The movie was part of a policy from Cinesound Productions to make top line movies, which also included Tall Timbers and Lovers and Luggers. According to Everyones, The Broken Melody "represents perhaps the biggest and most ambitious idea of them all. It is a musical, but a musical with a difference—one that would be fit for any topline story... there is music planned on a grand scale never before attempted in Australian production."

Filmink argued Hall might have been attracted to the project for "the story, some juicy acting roles, the fact that it was pre-existing IP, the opportunity for the Cinesound team to create memorable sets (a homeless camp on the Sydney foreshore, concert halls, night clubs) and most of all, a big massive musical finale, where he got Alfred Hill to write a whole opera."

The movie was to be the first of five movies made by Cinesound Productions for a total cost of £100,000, others including Gone to the Dogs and Robbery Under Arms (the latter was never made).

American star Lloyd Hughes, who previously appeared in Lovers and Luggers for Cinesound, returned to Australia to play the male lead. (Filmink argued he was "absurdly miscast.")

Regular female Cinesound star Ann Richards was not cast the film as she was exhausted after making three films back to back.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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