MEDIA RELEASE 15 June 2010 A lost jewel of North West Tasmanian mining heritage It’s got all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster: drama, deception, romance and cross‐dressing set in the rugged landscapes of the wild West. But you wont find it in today’s cinemas, and the original may never be found at all, because this story comes from 1926 where the film is Jewelled Nights, the wild West is Savage River Tasmania, and only a few minutes of the original feature‐length movie are known to exist today. A project to revive the Jewelled Nights story is one of several in the Cradle Coast Authority’s Mining Heritage Strategy “Mining Life in a Wild World”, and is a good example of the rich history that the tourism development strategy aims to preserve. Lead by Bernard Lloyd of No Flicker Films, the Jewelled Nights project is seeking information and remaining copies of the film, potentially from one of the descendents of those involved on‐set or behind the scenes. The results of the search will be showcased at the historic Gaiety Theatre in Zeehan which itself was opened in 1898 and is a focal point of the Mining Heritage Strategy. The Tasmanian history of Jewelled Nights is too important not to have a happy ending, so failing the discovery of the original film, Mr Lloyd plans to recreate the movie from a surviving script and hopes that Jewelled Nights can one day be screened again at the Gaiety Theatre. “It’s an extraordinary tale that starred Louise Lovely and was adapted from a Marie Bjelke‐Peterson novel,” Mr Lloyd said. “The archivists are aware of the novel, some production photos and seven minutes of the original film surviving today, but we’re hopeful of discovering more. Any records relating to the film are sought – even if it’s a tall tale from your grandmother ‐ and anyone who could find a copy of the original film would certainly be rewarded with celebrity treatment at future screenings.” Continuing the link between the old mining boom days and today, a related Mining Heritage Strategy project is encouraging West Coast residents to come forward with tales and memorabilia of historic West Coast mining life for inclusion in a story‐sharing weekend on 17 and 18 July. Stories could feature the Gaiety Theatre or any other aspect of old mining lifestyles. The stories and keep‐sakes will be combined in a documentary series to be produced by one of the masters of digital storytelling, Malcolm McKinnon. As creators of the Cradle Coast Mining Heritage Strategy, the Cradle Coast Authority was awarded $432,250 funding through the Federal Government’s TQUAL Grants program to develop tourism experiences at the Zeehan Gaiety Theatre such as the Jewelled Nights and Digital Story Telling projects. The funding also extends to up to five satellite experiences in other mining townships on the West Coast. A copy of the Mining Heritage Strategy can be downloaded from www.cradlecoast.com Anyone with West Coast mining stories and memorabilia or information or surviving copies of the Jewelled Nights film is encouraged to contact Bernard Lloyd at No Flicker Films on 6227 9917. End… Cradle Coast tourism works with the tourism and associated industries, councils, state government and visitor centres to create a regional tourism sector that delivers economic, social and environmental benefits to the Cradle Coast. Cradle Coast tourism is a unit of the Cradle Coast Authority. Cradle Coast Authority Media Contacts: Ian Waller ‐ Ph: 0419 372 400 Amanda Wilson ‐ Ph: 03 6431 6285 Regional Tourism Development Manager Communications Manager
Jewelled Nights promotional poster (above) Jewelled Nights film score (left). Picture courtesy of Tasmanian Library, Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office