Kodak/Atlab Cinema Collection

Chips and women

Walk into Paradise (1956) - aka Walk into Hell*

A new 35mm print of this feature and trailer are now available on request.
Courtesy of Penn Robinson, Kodak (Australasia) and Atlab Australia

National Film and Sound Archive National Collection
Title Number 4600

Also known as Walk into Hell (title release in the United States)
La Vallee du paradis (France)
L'Odyssée du capitaine Steve (France)

*Note for exhibitors: The film is known in Australia and Papua New Guinea as Walk into Paradise and was screened with that title. However, the title was later changed specifically for the American market to Walk into Hell. Unfortunately the preserved negative held in the Archive has the American version title of Walk into Hell and as there are no optical negatives available for the Walk into Paradise title, the new Kodak/Atlab Cinema Collection print has the Walk into Hell as the title. Exhibitors should be aware of this and inform their audience prior to a screening of the film. The new print of the trailer is the Australian version and has the title Walk into Paradise.

Classification: G rating

Chips and women

Synopsis

Sharkeye Kelly, an Australian adventurer has discovered oil in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Steve McAllister, a District Officer, is instructed by the local authorities to verify the discovery and lead an expidition to Paradise Valley, beyond the head of the Sepik River. The party includes a United Nations Doctor, Louise Dumarcet, who must find a way to save the children of a tribal leader in order to save the members of the expedition from a massacre.

Background

Walk Into Paradise is a French/Australian co-production. It was the first bi-lingual colour film ever made in Australia. The Papua New Guinean natives spoke three different dialects as well as Pidgin English. This meant that six separate languages were used to repeat instructions to the cast before many scenes were filmed. The film was shot on location at Goroka in the highlands, in Madang on the coast and along the Sepik River. As Australia had no colour film processing facilities at that time, the film was sent back to Paris where it was processed and edited. The final cost was a modest £65,000.

Preservation

The primary source for the new print of Walk into Paradise is from the original colour negative that was processed and edited in Paris in 1955. The negative is preserved in the Archive and though almost 50 years old, remains in very good condition, with very little damage. However, the dissolves in the negative have dye fade in the transitional scenes that cause a definite colour shift in the print. At some stage in the future these faded optical sections may be digitally restored.

The 3-track magnetic final mix of the soundtrack could not be located so the sound was sourced from the existing 35mm optical sound negative. When staff at the Archive examined the sound negative, they discovered that both the English and French version soundtracks are on this same 35mm sound negative, which is very unusual. If the sound negative is run backwards then the French soundtrack can be printed!

For Behind the Scenes Location Footage : Home Movie see Title Number 568815

Director
Lee Robinson

Year of Production: 1955, released in 1956
Duration: 93 mins
Format: 35mm, Colour
Soundtrack: Mono

Production Company
Southern International Films (Australia)/Discifilm (France)

Distributor
Discifilm

Producers
Chips Rafferty & Paul Edmond Decharme

Original Screenplay
Lee Robinson & Chips Rafferty

Screenplay Adaptation
Rex Reinits

Director of Photography
Carl Kayser

Editor
Alex Ezard

Sound Recordist
Arthur Browne, Don Connolly

Composer
Georges Auric

Cast
Chips Rafferty (Steve McAllister)
Francoise Christophe (Louise Dumarcet)
Pierre Cressoy (Jeff Clayton)
Reg Lye (Ned 'Sharkeye' Kelly)
Regimental Sergeant Major Somu (Towalaka)
District Officer Fred Kaad (as himself)
Captain Richard Davis (as himself)