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Australia to England via Tobruk and Benghazi: Menzies Wartime Tour (1941)

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clip From Benghazi to London education content clip 2

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, shows scenes from his trip to Benghazi and England. The clip begins with children playing volleyball and includes camels resting on the ground, a local tribal dance, people walking through the city streets and the town square and a camel train in silhouette.

An intertitle introduces us to the subsequent footage of London which comes as a stark contrast to the Benghazi footage. The intertitle states ‘From Benghazi to London.’ Double decker buses drive along a busy London street; Big Ben is captured in a wide shot that pans across the House of Parliament; the view from the Prime Minister’s official car shows Buckingham Palace and the destruction of buildings from the Blitz in London are all recorded.

Curator’s notes

This clip from a home movie filmed by Australia’s longest serving prime minister, Sir Robert Menzies on his wartime tour to England via Benghazi in 1941, is part travelogue part historical record.

The scenes of Benghazi and London captured in this home movie, are shot much like a holiday home movie. They are entertainingly edited together in a montage type travelogue without comment.

The images of the bombed buildings and destruction from the Blitz are confronting not only for their subject matter, but because the silent footage enhances the visual impact of the footage. Sir Robert also records it with a sensitivity and knowledge of the subject that allows him to capture the eerie and dark mood of the city and its people.

Sir Robert edited the footage with a good eye for composition and a skill for storytelling.

Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer From Benghazi to London from the home movie Australia to England via Tobruk and Benghazi: Menzies Wartime Tour 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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