In May 2021, the NFSA screened the new digital restoration of The Sentimental Bloke at Arc cinema in Canberra, with a pre-recorded score composed by ARIA award-winning electronic musician
The Sentimental Bloke was adapted from CJ Dennis’ 1915 verse novel by Australian film industry power couple: the legendary director Raymond Longford and superstar Lottie Lyell.
Despite being one of the greatest Australian films ever made, the 1919 silent movie The Sentimental Bloke was almost lost to the audiences of today. So how was it recovered?
Assistant Curator Jenny Gall spoke with CJ Dennis biographer Phil Butters, ahead of this week's centenary anniversary of the publication of The Sentimental Bloke.