Australian
Screen

an NFSA website

Thar She Blows (c.1931)

play Animal suffering or death
clip
  • 1
The whale hunt

This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

This clip shows a whale hunt off the coast of Western Australia from on board a Norwegian whaling vessel under the leadership of Captain Ohlsson. A whale is harpooned and drawn in close to the boat where it is secured and hauled back to the whaling station. A school of sharks are filmed attacking the dying whale as it is brought back to shore. A descriptive voice-over narration and sound effects are used to accompany the images onscreen.

Curator’s notes

It would have been a rare thing for cinema audiences in the 1930s to see actuality footage of a whale hunt. The novelty aspect of this event is mostly evidenced through the voice-over narration, which makes light of the situation and emphasises the adventure angle.