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Menzies 1948 Journey, Reel 2 (1948)

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Postwar Berlin

Original classification rating: not rated. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

This clip from a home movie filmed by Australian Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, during a trip through Europe in 1948 shows the destruction that followed the Second World War in Berlin. Piles of rubble stand tall in front of half-destroyed buildings. The sun sets over the Brandenburg Gates.

Curator’s notes

by Elizabeth Taggart-Speers

In 1948 West Germany started to become a western capitalist country, introducing the Deutsche Mark as currency while East Germany established a Soviet-style command economy. That year the Berlin Blockade occurred, one of the first crises of the Cold War when the Soviet Union blocked rail and street access to West Berlin.

The eastern part of Berlin became known as East Berlin in 1949, a year after this clip was taken.

The silent footage reinforces the powerful 16mm colour images of destruction, capturing both the mood and the sense of place.

The clip ends with poignant footage of dusk settling over the Brandenburg Gates in Berlin, the symbol of peace in a war zone.

Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer Postwar Berlin from the home movie Menzies 1948 Journey, Reel 2 as a high quality video download.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

  • You may retrieve materials for information only.
  • You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

All other rights reserved.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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