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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.
