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A documentary on one of the pioneers of Australian cinema. The film includes interviews with his wife, Elsa, the late Chips Rafferty and features long excerpts from all the Chauvel classics including "In the Wake of the Bounty", "40,000 Horsemen", "Sons of Matthew", "Jedda" and "The Rats of Tobruk".
Charles Chauvel was born in Queensland, Australia in 1897 to land owners in the south. After minding his family's farm while his father was at war with the Australian Light Horse in Sinai, he went to Sydney against his father's wishes to study drama. After some work in the movies looking after horses, he followed his idol, Rex "Snowy" Baker to America where he found odd jobs, eventually getting some minor parts in some movies. He returned to Australia and in 1926 made his first feature film, "The Moth of Moonbi". His following film, "Greenhide" starred Elsie Sylvaney, the woman who was to become his wife (Elsa) in June 1927. After the birth of their daughter Suzanne, the Chauvels travelled across the Pacific to Pitcairn Island and later Tahiti in their quest to make the film In the Wake of the Bounty (1933), a film which launched the career of Errol Flynn.
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