The Octoroon (1912 film)
1912 film directed by George Young
The Octoroon is an Australian film directed by George Young based on a popular play by Dion Boucicault which had recently enjoyed a popular run in Australia. It is considered a lost film.
Synopsis
In the deep south of 1850s USA, an octoroon is given her freedom by her white father but is later bought as a slave by the evil Jacob McCloskey.
Plantatlon of Terrobonne
The Free Papers of Zoe Stolen
Murder of Paul and Theft of the Mail Bags
The Great Slave Sale
M'Cloakey Buys Zoe
The Murder Discovered
The Ship Is Fired
The Red Man's Vengeance
The Knife Fight
Death of M'Closkey
Zoe Takes Poison
To the Rescue
Too Late! Too Late!!
Death Defore Dishonour.
Production
It was an early film from the Australian Film Syndicate. According to articles from the time, other films made from this company included The Shadow of the Rockies, Black Talbot and The Diamond Cross.
The film was shot in Sydney with an old paddle steamer, Narrabeen, standing in for a Mississippi river boat.
Significance
The writer Bruce Dennett has commented on the selection of this material to make an Australian film.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “The Octoroon (1912 film)” as 1912 film directed by George Young. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 1912 film directed by George Young. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7754682. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “The Octoroon (1912 film)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow The Octoroon (1912 film) primary sources, The Octoroon (1912 film) archive and Octoroon research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
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This entry incorporates text from “The Octoroon (1912 film)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.