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Clip description
This five-minute film, made for the NSW Department of Health and seen here in full, emphasises the importance of sleep in maintaining good health and advises the people of New South Wales to reduce their noise level, particularly in the suburbs.
Curator’s notes
This film uses drama to reinforce to citizens that they must respect the sanctity of sleep. Made after the end of the Second World War, this government community service announcement calls for minimum noise levels in built-up areas. The film contrasts simple activities, like listening to the radio and singing on the way home, with the gravity of people losing their jobs, filing for divorce and contracting serious illness. ‘Creators of unnecessary noise’ are labelled ‘home-breakers’, ‘job-wreckers’, ‘disease-carriers’ and even ‘killers’. In this film, producer Bob Gould further emphasises the seriousness of the issue by using dramatic orchestral music to increase tension.
