All historical
67 titles - sorted alphabetically or by year prev 1 2 next
A
Athol Tier as Napoleon c1931
Athol Tier’s performance as Napoleon was one of the many routines filmed for the Efftee Entertainers series of variety shorts.
The Australian Flying Corps in France, England and Palestine 1919
A silent film depicting pilots and crew of the Australian Flying Corps, precursor to the RAAF, in training and at war in 1918 in France and the Middle East.
The Australians at Messines 1917
Silent footage by Herbert Baldwin, Australia’s first official war photographer, of the Battle of Messines in Belgium, June 1917.
The Australians’ Final Campaign in 1918 c1919
A compilation film covering Australian forces on the Western Front in the final year of the First World War.
B
Bapaume to Bullecourt 1917
Silent footage of Australian soldiers entering Bapaume, in March 1917, pursuing German troops as they withdraw to the Hindenburg Line.
Boer War Transvaal Contingent 1899
Using a hand-cranked Lumiere Cinematographe, photographer Frederick Charles Wills captured the Queensland contingents departing for the Boer War.
Boxing 1908: Johnson vs Burns 1908
The Boxing Day fight between Canadian Tommy Burns and African American Jack Johnson drew an impressive crowd of 20,000 people.
Building Construction 1899
The official photographer of the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Frederick Charles Wills, films a building construction site in 1899.
C
Chez les Sauvages Australiens 1917
An engaging and respectful insight into Aboriginal people’s culture and their interaction with the filmmaking process, made in 1917.
Cinesound Varieties 1934
This variety show originally ran for about an hour, but only a few segments survive.
Cockatoo Island: HMAS Success Launching 1984
The HMAS Success was ultimately the last ship to be built on Cockatoo Island before the dockyard closed in 1992.
Cockatoo Island: Newsreel Film of Dockyard Activities c1939
The largest island in Sydney Harbour became the major shipbuilding and dockyard facility for the Pacific during the Second World War, following the fall of Singapore.
D
Darnley Islanders Pay Tribute 1899
Early footage documenting a visit to the Torres Strait by the Queensland Home Secretary, the Hon. Justin FG Foxton, and his wife.
Darwin c1926 c1926
This historical and cultural record of Darwin in the 1920s includes valuable footage of the city’s environment and its multicultural population.
Dipping Sheep 1899
This short clip shows sheep being dipped in arsenic on a Queensland farm in 1899.
E
Efftee Studio Opening in Melbourne: Speech by Frank Forde 1931
This short film from 1931 records the opening of Frank Thring Senior’s Efftee Film Studios and the screening of the first ‘all-Australian talkie program’. Forde expresses optimism about the future of Australian film making, with a positive impact on local jobs and the presentation of ‘typical Australian characters’ onscreen.
Empire Day Pageant c1915
This is a silent actuality fragment from around 1915 and shows people celebrating 'Empire Day’ in full costume, apparently in a small country town. The estimated date of the footage comes from the stock dates marked on the film fragments – one method used to date audiovisual material held at the National Film and Sound Archive.
F
Fighting the Flames 1909
Footage of the Adelaide Metropolitan Fire Brigade in 1909 featuring rescue and resuscitation demonstrations by firefighters.
Footscray 1911 c1911
One of the earliest moving image recordings of Footscray, this footage was screened to locals a week later at the Federal Hall in Nicholson Street.
Footscray 1971 1971
Shot by prominent film lover and collector Harry Davidson, this footage features numerous attractions of Footscray, Melbourne, in 1971.
G
George Wallace: Australia’s Premier Comedian 1931
This screen test by seasoned vaudeville comic George Wallace led to roles in several feature films.
Government Party Boards SS Lucinda 1899
In this actuality footage from 1899, Queensland politicians board the paddle steamer Lucinda, moored at a wharf on the Brisbane River.
I
Incidents in Connection with the Funeral of Captain Baron von Richthofen 1918
The funeral of Germany’s greatest air ace in the First World War, conducted with full military honours by a squadron of the Australian Flying Corps, in April 1918.
J
Jack Johnson Training Film c1909
American boxer Jack Johnson trains before an intimate crowd, months after he became the first-ever African American to claim the heavyweight title.
Jack O’Hagan: Vocalist Composer 1931
Multi-talented artist Jack O’Hagan performs five songs for Frank Thring’s series of variety shorts, Efftee Entertainers, including 'The Road to Gundagai’.
K
Kerr’s Cur 1975
On 11 November 1975, on the steps of Parliament House, the dismissed Prime Minister Gough Whitlam delivers his now-famous verdict on the day’s events.
L
The Landing of the Australian Troops in Egypt c1916
A short commercial recording dramatising the Australian troops arriving in Egypt, before Gallipoli.
Les Darcy’s Last Fight: Les Darcy vs George Chip 1916
One of Australia’s best ever boxers, Les Darcy, takes on American middleweight George Chip at the Sydney Stadium.
Les Darcy vs Dave Smith for the Championship of Australia 1916
Boxing great Les Darcy trains with, and later fights, Dave Smith, his former mentor.
Living Hawthorn 1906
Reminiscent of Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory, this actuality footage is filmed by Millard Johnson and William Gibson, two pioneers of Australian silent film.
Loading Horses on the SS Cornwall 1899
Horses board the SS Cornwall on 31 October 1899, prior to the ship’s departure for the Boer War.
M
The Maryborough Railway Employees’ Picnic 1938
In the late 1920s and early 1930s, thousands of children and their families would attend the Maryborough Railway’s annual employees’ picnic.
Melbourne Chinese Orchestra Selections 1931
Melbourne’s Chinese Orchestra perform at His Majesty’s Theatre as part of Frank Thring’s Efftee Entertainers.
Melbourne Cup 1896 1896
This film documenting the 1896 Melbourne Cup is one of Australia’s oldest surviving films. A horse gallops into the foreground and blocks our view until the film’s producer gives the horse a pat on its rump.
Melbourne Scenes c1925
Various subjects such as Alfred Deakin’s funeral and an AFL match reveal glimpses of Victorian life in the 1920s.
Miss Minnie Love in Impressions: Maurice Chevalier c1931
Australian performer Minnie Love mimics the popular French comedian and singer Maurice Chevalier for Frank Thring’s Efftee Entertainers series.
N
Naming the Federal Capital of Australia 1913
Director Raymond Longford, best known for his silent feature film The Sentimental Bloke (1919), documents the naming of Australia’s capital city, Canberra, in 1913.
Newtown Railway Station 1899
This actuality footage from 1899 shows a train arriving at Petersham or Newtown Railway Station in Sydney’s inner west.
North Shore Steam Ferry 1899
This short clip from 1899 shows a steam ferry docking at the Milsons Point Ferry Wharf in Sydney.
O
Opening of Queensland Parliament 1899
This short clip shows the Queensland Governor arriving by horse-drawn carriage to open Queensland Parliament on 18 May 1899.
P
Patineur Grotesque 1896
This footage of a man performing on rollerskates for a crowd in a park is thought to be Australia’s earliest surviving film.
Prime Minister Rt Hon. WM Hughes visits Western Front 1918
At a time of great controversy, Australian Prime Minister WM (Billy) Hughes consults with his generals on the Western Front.
Q
Queen Street and Victoria Bridge 1899
Using an original Lumière Cinematographe, Frederick Charles Wills and his assistant, Henry William Mobsby, capture a busy Brisbane intersection in 1899.
R
Red Cross Activities During and After WWI c1919
The footage provides a snapshot of the daily tasks Female Red Cross volunteers performed during and after the First World War.
Roma Street Station 1899
This short clip shows a train pulling up to Roma Street Station, Brisbane in 1899.
S
Sorrento c1922
The many attractions of the Victorian seaside town of Sorrento are promoted in this 1920s footage produced for the Sorrento Progress Association.
South Sea Islanders Cutting Cane 1899
Photographer Frederick Charles Wills and his assistant, Henry William Mobsby, capture Melanesian labourers cutting cane in Queensland in 1899.
SS Katoomba Unloading 1899
This actuality footage from 1899 shows the unloading of timber spars from the SS Katoomba at a busy wharf in Brisbane.
Stan Ray and George Moon Jnr: Specialty Dancers 1931
Entertainers Stan Ray and George Moon Jnr perform a tap dancing routine on one of the stages inside His Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne.
St Kilda Esplanade 1914 1914
This early footage of St Kilda includes the entrance to Luna Park and a jetty at the beach. The last shot, with its geometric form and structure, is like a Seurat painting.
