Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

All titles produced by Australasian Films

58 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 next

1910s

Australasian Gazette – HMAS Brisbane Launched at Cockatoo Island newsreel – 1915

In this 1915 newsreel, the wife of then prime minister Andrew Fisher launches the HMAS Brisbane naval ship from the dockyard of Cockatoo Island.

Australasian Gazette – Patriotic Procession in Aid of the French Red Cross newsreel – 1915

In this 1915 newsreel, people in costume walk, ride horses or ride in horse-drawn carriages on a Melbourne street as part of a parade for the French Red Cross.

Australasian Gazette – Sheep Dog Trial newsreel – 1915

This newsreel segment from 1915 shows a typical Australian showground. A sheepdog trainer and his dog herd three sheep into a pen.

Australasian Gazette – The Last Innings of Victor Trumper newsreel – 1915

In this newsreel, a large group marches in front of the horse-drawn vehicle carrying the casket of Australian cricketer Victor Trumper to a Sydney cemetery.

Cartoons of the Moment – Australia’s Prime Minister Delights the Empire newsreel – c1915

In this edition of Cartoons of the Moment, Harry Julius comments on the war in Europe and Prime Minister Hughes’s policy of restrictions on trade with Germany.

Cartoons of the Moment – Crown Prince of Death newsreel – c1915

This First World War anti-German propaganda cartoon represents fighting countries as animals and employs puns in the titles and accompanying captions.

Cartoons of the Moment – German Dove of Peace newsreel – 1915

These cartoons also occasionally provided social commentary on domestic issues that did not have to do with the First World War, such as the evolution of the skirt.

Cartoons of the Moment – Miss Australasia newsreel – c1915

Cartoons of the Moment employs cut-out animation, with two-dimensional character shapes photographed using a stop-motion technique.

Cartoons of the Moment – The Berlin Lokal Anzeiger newsreel – 1915

To emphasise the topicality of his work, political cartoonist Harry Julius is seen reading a newspaper at his desk before he begins sketching his latest cartoon.

Cartoons of the Moment – The Economy in Germany newsreel – c1915

Julius’s propaganda cartoons satirise the qualities of a country and its people by associating characters with specific symbols, items of clothing and facial features.

Cartoons of the Moment – The War Zoo newsreel – c1915

Cartoonist Harry Julius used animals to represent the various countries involved in the First World War, creating easily identifiable – and satirical – character stereotypes.

The Hero of the Dardanelles feature film – 1915

Hero is the first surviving feature film depiction of Australian troops of the First World War and includes images of a real army camp and real soldiers, in training at Liverpool, NSW.

Australia Prepared documentary – c1916

A recruiting film highlighting Australian wartime contributions, including shipbuilding and the manufacture of weapons and uniforms.

Cartoons of the Moment – Today the German Monster Threatens the World newsreel – c1916

This powerful piece of anti-German propaganda was a recruitment tool to persuade Australian men of fighting age that their help was urgently needed in the war effort.

Across the Trans-continental Railway: From Kalgoorlie to Port Augusta documentary – c1917

The construction of the trans-continental railway began in 1912 with work being carried out at both ends simultaneously.

Australasian Gazette – First Shipment of Red Cross Supplies to Egypt newsreel – c1917

In this newsreel, workers at Federal Government House, Melbourne, load boxes of Red Cross supplies onto horse-drawn vehicles. The supplies are to aid soldiers in Egypt.

Australasian Gazette – Goodbye Sunny New South Wales newsreel – c1917

This newsreel footage from 1917 encourages young men to enlist for the First World War. It shows a public parade for soldiers travelling overseas to fight.

Australasian Gazette – Mimic Warfare newsreel – 1917

In this 1917 newsreel, troops from the Engineers’ Depot rehearse a raid on enemy trenches and are instructed by their commanding officers over the telephone.

Australasian Gazette – Returned Anzacs newsreel – c1917

This newsreel likely dates from the latter half of the First World War and shows returned Anzac soldiers marching through Melbourne as part of the ‘Fill-the-Gap’ recruitment drive.

Australasian Gazette – The Strike Spreads newsreel – c1917

In this Australasian Gazette newsreel, waterside workers unload perishables from a ship. This footage may be from the the New South Wales General Strike of 1917.

Novel Method of Advertising Peace Bonds: The Lion and the Kangaroo newsreel – c1917

In this newsreel item of a Melbourne parade, advertisements for peace bonds feature on the lion and kangaroo cages belonging to the Colleano and Sole Brothers Circus.

Cartoons of the Moment – The Kaiser War newsreel – c1918

This edition of Cartoons of the Moment was probably made in 1918, after Prime Minister Hughes’s second visit to England to attend the Imperial War Cabinet.

1920s

Australasian Gazette – All for a Good Cause newsreel – c1920

A surf carnival at Bondi Beach in aid of the St John’s Ambulance Brigade features in this Australasian Gazette newsreel from approximately 1920.

Australasian Gazette – A Unique Audience newsreel – c1920

This 1920 Australasian Gazette newsreel shows injured soldiers from Caulfield Military Hospital attending a special matinee at Elsternwick Theatre.

Australasian Gazette – Conversion newsreel – c1920

In this 1920 newsreel, work commences at Victoria Parade for the electrification of the cable tram system of Collins Street, Melbourne.

Australasian Gazette – Dame Nellie Melba newsreel – c1920

This newsreel footage shows soprano Dame Nellie Melba, having arrived in Sydney from Vancouver on the passenger liner RMS Niagara after a world tour.

Australasian Gazette – In and around Hamilton District newsreel – c1920

This newsreel from approximately 1920 shows the orchard districts of Hamilton, Queensland. Workers pick, sort and pack peaches for transportation.

Australasian Gazette – Some Sunday Morning newsreel – c1920

This newsreel vividly captures 'some Sunday morning’ at St Kilda Beach, Melbourne, showcasing 1920s swimming costumes, parasols and beach culture.

Kiddies of Queensland Enjoy Outings in their Billy Carts: Rockhampton newsreel – c1920

This newsreel novelty item from approximately 1920 features boys riding on the back of goats and children in billycarts on the streets of Rockhampton, Queensland.

Australasian Gazette – Maoris Give Their War Cry newsreel – c1922

In this 1922 newsreel footage, a Maori rugby league team perform a haka war dance before playing a game against New South Wales.

Australasian Gazette – 1st Chatswood Erects a Tower and a Rope Suspension Bridge newsreel – c1923

In this newsreel from approximately 1923, the 1st Chatswood Boy Scouts erect a tower and suspension bridge and compete in a boxing match.

Australasian Gazette – 1924 Melbourne Cup newsreel – 1924

This newsreel features highlights of the 1924 Melbourne Cup, including the horses entering the racetrack, crowds in the grandstand and the race, won by Backwood.

Australasian Gazette – A Seaplane Circles a Continent newsreel – 1924

In this extract from a 1924 documentary, A Seaplane Circles a Continent, a RAAF airplane arrives in St Kilda after circumnavigating Australia.

Australasian Gazette – Bon Voyage to Ex-Chief Justice, Sir William Cullen newsreel – c1924

This newsreel shows the 1924 farewell and departure from Sydney of the retired Chief Justice Sir William Cullen and Lady Cullen for an overseas trip.

Australasian Gazette – Pauline Frederick, World Famous Star of Stage and Screen newsreel – c1924

In this newsreel, stage and screen actress Pauline Frederick poses for the camera. It is an early example of the fascination Australians have with American actors.

Australasian Gazette – Sun Worshippers newsreel – c1924

This newsreel from approximately 1924 shows surfers and swimmers at Bondi Beach enjoying the first day of real summer weather of the season.

Australasian Gazette – Annual Christmas Treat newsreel – c1925

This segment from an old cinema newsreel shows Christmas celebrations for children at the Victoria Barracks in Sydney, including a live puppet show and Father Christmas handing out presents.

Australasian Gazette – Armistice Day, Melbourne newsreel – c1925

This newsreel clip from about 1925 shows the crowd gathered on the steps of Parliament House, Melbourne, for Armistice Day. 'The Last Post’ plays after two minutes of silence.

Australasian Gazette – Parliament Opens the New Session newsreel – 1925

In this newsreel from 1925, the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Dudley de Chair, arrives by car to open Parliament House in Melbourne.

Australasian Gazette – Ship Building as Hobby newsreel – c1925

In this 1925 newsreel, builders of model passenger liners sail their boats on a pond in Moore Park, Sydney.

Timber Getting in New South Wales documentary – c1925

Wood choppers balance on thin planks while rigorously swinging their axes. A silent film looking at the timber industry in New South Wales in the 1920s.

Australasian Gazette – 10,000 Miles around Australia newsreel – c1926

In this Australasian Gazette newsreel from approximately 1926, Mr and Mrs F Dean arrive in Melbourne after their Shell-sponsored trip around Australia by touring car.

Australasian Gazette – 70,000 Pounds Production Nears Completion newsreel – 1926

This newsreel clip from 1926 shows a scene from For the Term of His Natural Life in production at the Australasian Films’ Bondi studio in Sydney.

Australasian Gazette – Clive Barass, Australian Champion and Leader of the Troupe newsreel – c1926

In this silent black-and-white footage, Australian champion diver Clive Barass and his troupe perform at Clifton Gardens Baths near Mosman, Sydney.

Australasian Gazette – Master Pictures Lead the Way newsreel – c1926

In 1926, the general manager of Australasian Films and the producer of For the Term of His Natural Life leave for Tasmania to scout movie locations.

Australasian Gazette – Miss Australia, Beryl Mills, Leaves for the US on the Sonoma newsreel – 1926

This newsreel clip shows a large crowd farewelling the first Miss Australia, Miss Beryl Mills, as she leaves for the USA on the ocean liner Sonoma in 1926.

Australasian Gazette – Prickly Pear Infested Areas of Australia newsreel – 1926

By 1925, the prickly pear infested over 25 million hectares in New South Wales and Queensland. Caterpillar larvae were introduced in 1926 to combat the problem.

Australasian Gazette – Shopping Week, Sydney newsreel – c1926

This 1926 Australasian Gazette newsreel segment features a 'monster procession’ as part of Shopping Week in Bondi Junction, Sydney.

Australasian Gazette – Test Cricketers newsreel – c1926

Filmed at Headingley Oval, this newsreel from approximately 1926 features the Australian cricket team on tour in England. Also included are highlights from a match.

Australasian Gazette – Arrival of the Duke and Duchess of York newsreel – 1927

This 1927 newsreel shows the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of York for the official opening of Australia’s Parliament House in Canberra.

prev 1 2 next