Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This black-and-white clip from the feature film Thoroughbred (1936) shows the champion horse Stormalong racing in the Melbourne Cup, being shot and then dying after winning. It opens with scenes of the race intercut with scenes of spectators and a glimpse of a gunman. The action then shifts to trainer Tommy Dawson (Frank Leighton) fighting with the gunman Hops Warton (Lynton Moore). Final scenes show Stormalong staggering across the line to his death, the crowd’s reactions and Warton’s arrest. The race caller describes the events seen on the track.

Educational value points

• Adventurous cinematography along with the race caller’s commentary set the pace, and rapid cuts build excitement and suspense in the clip. Director of photography George Heath wanted much of the action shot very close to the thundering racehorses and the cameraman filmed these shots lying on a homemade tin sled dragged along by a car. When the film was edited, increasingly rapid cuts between gunman, crowd and the horses were used to build suspense.

• Director Ken G Hall (1901-94) of Cinesound Productions was able to utilise newsreel footage for all the aerial and long shots of the race including Stormalong’s stumble in its early stages. The footage was seamlessly integrated with close-ups filmed for the movie itself. Hall had access to footage of an actual Melbourne Cup race and others run at Flemington racecourse held in the library of Cinesound Review, a weekly newsreel launched in November 1931.

• The climax of the clip, Stormalong’s extended fall, was both dangerous and cruel in that the filming involved a real fall of both horse and jockey caused by a long strand of wire tied to one of the horse’s legs. The fall was more dangerous than intended. The stunt organiser for the film, Lance Skulthorpe, forgot to let the wire go and what was meant to be a stumble became a dangerous fall. Jockey Alf Stanton later described it as the hardest wages he ever earned.

• The scenes in this clip of Stormalong’s shooting and death were some of the most internationally controversial scenes included in an Australian feature film in the 1930s. Firstly it was said that scriptwriter Edmond Seward had plagiarised the death scene from the Hollywood movie Broadway Bill (1934). Secondly the British censors believed the scenes were dangerous and cruel and cut them almost completely.

• In the fight scene, Hall made use of innovative back-projection equipment he had imported from the USA. Back projection involved a pre-filmed background scene being projected onto a screen behind the actors and thus removed the need to film on location. The technique relied on synchronising the cameras that filmed the foreground performances with the background projection. Its use in the fight scene creates a sense of time standing still.

• Elements of the plot, especially the attempts of a gang of international criminals to kill Stormalong, resonated with Australian cinema audiences in the 1930s who would have remembered the reported attempt to shoot champion racehorse Phar Lap in Melbourne in 1930. Phar Lap’s strapper reported that a masked gunman had fired a shot from a speeding car as the horse was being walked back to the stables in Caulfield. The gunman has never been identified.

A horse race is in progress watched by a noisy, excited crowd.
Commentator The horses are being hard held by the jockeys. The top-weight favourite is moving beautifully. And his many thousands of supporters must feel happy about his chances, at this stage at least. Going out of the straight the positions are unchanged except that some of the tail-enders are improving their positions. The pace is being increased now. The field is beginning to string out. At a mile and a quarter, Alonzo is still two lengths out from Sweet Suit but Stormalong is beginning to improve his position. He runs past Almanac to drop back to sixth. Next come Royal Duke, Stop Press, Postage, Sir Francis and Lady Alwyn. With half the distance covered, the pace is on with a vengeance. Alonzo simply flying in an endeavour to win from barrier to post. But Stormalong stays in … Ooh, Stormalong takes a stumble. He’s gone down like a stone. Down a dozen lengths. He hasn’t got a chance of winning after a bump like that.

Four men are in a room listening to the commentary on the radio.

Commentator Too bad for his backers. He seemed to have the race well under control. But wait, Stormalong’s coming again. What a racehorse! Despite that bump he’s coming round the field with those great strides of his!

One of the men cuffs one of the others, upset that Stormalong is winning again.

Hops Warton is standing on a balcony. He takes aim at the track with a rifle. Tommy runs up the stairs to try and stop Warton. He jumps on Warton. They wrestle and in the struggle Warton throws Tommy over the balcony.

Commentator Stormalong in front. What a race! What a race! … The racehorse of a century!

Warton takes aim at the track again. Tommy lies on the ground, conscious but badly injured.

Commentator Nothing can stop Stormalong. He is lengths in front. He’ll win.

Warton fires at Stormalong and hits him. The horse stumbles but keeps going.
Commentator Stormalong stumbles. He almost came down. Something’s wrong! He’s staggering. A few yards to go to the post. He passed the post. He’s down!
Having won the race, Stormalong dives into the ground. People in the crowd rush to see what has happened. Warton leaves the balcony.

Commentator Stormalong’s been injured but his jockey appears to be alright.
Members of the crowd jump the fence and run onto the track. They gather around Stormalong.
Commentator Keep off the course, please! Keep off the course! You’re hindering, not helping, by running onto the track. Keep off the course, please!

In the crowd, a well-dressed woman and two men confer.
Man 1 Joan hurry, Tommy’s hurt!
Joan Bill, look after Stormy.
Bill Alright.

Back on the track, Stormalong lies dead.
Man 2 Do something!
Official Stormalong has won his last race, sir.
Stormalong’s jockey collects his saddle.
Woman You’d better weigh in, Midget.

Two policemen take away Hops Warton. He is jostled by the angry crowd.