THE FAR PARADISE is a leisurely paced Australian silent that stars Marie Lorraine as a damsel in distress in modern dress. A production of the McDonagh sisters, the famed self-taught filmmakers, it has many good qualities and an interesting-if-standard story. Cherry Carson (Lorraine, whose real name was Isabel McDonagh) returns home after years abroad. She meets by chance a young man (Paul Longuet) who's just graduated from university and is also returning home. Surprise, it's the same town. His father is the local district attorney; hers is a shady character who lives a lavish life. Her father (Gaston Mervale) chases off the young man, afraid he's in with his DA daddy to entrap him. Cherry assumes he's forgotten her. There's a big blow up when they all meet at as masquerade ball. Eventually Cherry and the father go into hiding in the remote Paradise Valley, but the young man eventually finds her. There are a couple of surprise plot elements best not to reveal.
Nice use of local color, including the remote valley and a nice episode by the sea. The leads are attractive and Mervale is suitably slimy. There also a bit by Arthur McLaglan as the evil Rossi. John Faulkner plays the DA.
Longuet was also in Australia's first talkie, SHOWGIRL'S LUCK, and Lorraine also appeared in the part-talkie THE CHEATERS. Both of these Australian classic survive. Of the McDonagh sisters, Isabel was the actress, Paulette was the director, and Phyllis was the art director and production manager. All three sisters shared duties as film producers.
THE FAR PARADISE was a local hit in its day as was the sisters' 1926 film THOSE WHO LOVE, which is presumed lost.
