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.
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The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
Based on the book of the same name by Fred J. Thwaites, Lloyd Hughes stars in this romantic drama as a loner, a dejected outcast who wins a regatta and suddenly discovers he has a musical talent. In a sudden burst of self-confidence he sits down and composes a major operatic work which brings him fame and fortune. In such a positive light he has then little trouble in winning back the girl he always loved but lost, during his days of self-indulgent depression.Keen study of the human condition, which was often a feature of Ken G. Hall films. Hall was inarguably Australia's best-loved and premier director during the 30's and 40's and this movie was quite popular on its release. George Heath was responsible for the cinematography which was notably good here. It was distributed in Britain and Europe under the alternate title of THE VAGABOND VIOLINIST.Trivia buffs will be staggered to see the name of Gough Whitlam in the credits. Just 21 at the time, Whitlam became Prime Minister of Australia from 1972 to 1975. He appears as a man in the Nightclub scene. It was to be 37 years before he made another screen appearance - as himself this time, in 1974's BARRY MCKENZIE HOLDS HIS OWN.