All titles produced by Herschells Films
16 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year
1920s
A Shining Example sponsored film – c1920
Unlike other films produced by the Made in Australia Council, A Shining Example juxtaposes a tour of an Australian factory with a fictional narrative.
Sewerage of a Great City: Melbourne sponsored film – c1922
By the time this sponsored documentary was made, over 166,000 homes and 70,000 people were, according to its intertitles, 'enjoying the benefits of sewerage’ in Melbourne.
The Origin of Oil sponsored film – c1923
Made for the Shell Company of Australia, this industrial documentary traces the path of oil from its initial extraction to the petroleum relied on by consumers.
Sheep to Shop: Hosiery and Knitted Goods sponsored film – 1924
At one point in this promotional documentary, a machine miraculously 'absorbs yarn at one end and discharges socks at the other’!
Sheep to Shop: Woollen Goods sponsored film – 1924
Made inside a wool mill, this film covers making the yarn, weaving the fabrics, pressing the finished goods and packaging them for distribution nationwide.
Black Sunday documentary – 1926
This silent footage was probably used as a promotional tool for fundraising in the wake of the 'Black Sunday’ bushfires of Valentine’s Day 1926 that swept Victoria.
The Stawell Gift: Staging the Golden Jubilee Carnival documentary – 1927
The Stawell Gift, one of the oldest foot races in the world, began as a competition between miners in the Victorian goldfields.
1930s
Australian Navy: Destroyers documentary – c1930
The capacity of Royal Australian Navy destroyers to carry and launch torpedoes in the 1930s is demonstrated here.
A Day in a Biscuit Factory sponsored film – 1932
While not the film’s primary intention, it offers an interesting examination of the division of labour and factory-line production processes in a 1930s biscuit factory.
Centenary Celebrations of Melbourne, Victoria newsreel – 1934
This unedited newsreel footage includes a speech given by the Duke of Gloucester opening Melbourne’s centenary celebrations.
Spirit of Progress: Australia’s Wonder Train documentary – 1937
As the only new passenger train to be constructed in Australia during the 1930s, the Spirit of Progress was a symbol of technological achievement.
Captain Cook’s Cottage documentary – 1938
Russell Grimwade paid £800 for the family home of Captain Cook and transported it from Yorkshire to Victoria.
1940s
They Serve sponsored film – 1940
By the 1940s, the work of the Red Cross for the 'Australian soldier at home and abroad’ extended throughout Europe and the Middle East.
Through the Centre sponsored film – 1940
The Indian camel trader and the Japanese pearl diver become part of the film’s projection of the exotic within the expansive space of the Australian outback.
The Flying Doctor sponsored film – 1941
Through the work of the Australian Aerial Medical Service and their 'mantle of safety’, no-one in Australia is further than four hours from medical assistance.
Timber sponsored film – 1947
Timber communicates a romantic perspective of logging and the timber industry – both seen as having minimal negative environmental impact.
