The Life and Adventures of John Vane, the Notorious Australian Bushranger
The Life and Adventures of John Vane, the Notorious Australian Bushranger is a 1910 Australian silent film about the bushranger John Vane, who was a member of Ben Hall's gang. It is considered a lost film. Synopsis. The film starts with John Vane accepting a wager that he wouldn't bail up a Chinese man. Then Vane wins his bet by robbing a Chinese man, leading to headlines which say "Robbery Under Arms by John Vane" and Vane fleeing to the bush with his sweetheart. Later adventures include  his capture and release of his sweetheart; the sticking up of the Keightley Homestead; the shooting of Michael Burke, which leads to Vane joining the Ben Hall gang; Vane's change of heart and surrender to Father McCarthy. He serves fifteen years in prison and after release retires comfortably. The chapter headings were: According to a contemporary report "the comic element is not forgotten, for the scene in which Vane is shown bailing up a Chinaman and discovers the booty hidden in the horse's tail, and the various intercits of the Celestial to avoid detection of the plant are  not without their humorous side. Most attention however, is paid to the sensational." Production. John Vane was the last surviving member of Ben Hall's gang. His memoirs had been published posthumously in 1908. It was the first dramatic film from Charles Cozens Spencer who had established a production unit in June 1908 which made newsreels and scenic short films. This unit was headed by Ernest Higgins who shot "John Vane". Raymond Longford reportedly features in a lead role. Reception. The film was advertised as "Our Own Production". The critic from the "Argus" praised the "splendid backgrounds of the sunny  New South Wales bush" and said the movie compares "very favourably with the best foreign films". The "Evening News" called it "a first-class piece of photographic art". Box office response was popular throughout Australia. Although Spencer was purportedly dissatisfied with the final product, he went on to become a notable backer of early Australian movie production.